Semi auto prejudice,

[Scully]

22 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

In my own opinion engraving on a semi auto is lipstick on a pig, and I say that as someone who loves semi autos. The more functional and worn with time the more beautiful in my eyes. I have an original Beretta A300, older than me and perfect in every way. 

Yep. It’s not really engraving anyhow is it, just stamped into the receiver. 
I had an old clunky Breda once, the one with the external chokes, with very little finish. It cost me £70.00 from a gunshop in Carlisle and it’s patina was glorious, almost as nice as the one gun I desperately regret selling….a Winchester Model 12 take down. 😭

[BlaserF3]

4 hours ago, Gas seal said:

Hi theshootist my friend often told me that his friend owned a Charles Lancaster/ Spencer pump action shot gun . He was amazed at the Damascus barrel on the gun. He thinks it was some time after the second word war.  This is a photo ,1957,of Herman who owned the gun, and he gave me a book with an article on the gun. He has a book about the test that was done in the field on the gun he will have a look for it.

According to Richard Arnold in his book Automatic and Repeating Shotguns, Spencer shotguns were introduced in the early 1880's in England by the well known shooter Dr W. F. Carver who gave several exhibitions of shooting with it.

Annie Oakley also shot one at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

Edited November 10, 2021 by BlaserF3
spelling

[Gas seal]

Hi some information on the Spencer pump action. 

[Townie]

On 17/11/2021 at 17:41, Gas seal said:

Hi some information on the Spencer pump action. 

Just this minute been watching Jonny off The Gun Shop playing with one at Holts! Damascus barrel, built 1882.

[100milesaway]

I see lots of folks using a semi auto on grounds all over the country, so yes they are very acceptable, but a word of caution, never put 3 in the chamber as quite a few  grounds would ask you to leave.unless it was an auto  shot competion.

From Auntie.

[enfieldspares]

Actually in a hide, shooting decoy pigeon or crows or shooting ducks or geese, a semi-auto or a pump is probably the safest option (as is a Greener GP or bolt action shotgun such as a Mossberg) as you can keep the muzzle pointing up at all times and don't have to drop the muzzles down to reload nor bring an now closed and loaded gun up again once reloaded.

[TbirdX]

My Maxus has a self loading feature that auto chambers the first round. It's thrown a few people who see me load it and assume I'm using three for some reason.

 

My pump is bottom loading, bottom ejecting so dumps spent shells at my feet.  No distraction to anyone else and as easy for lefties as righties!

I much prefer my pump action for clays, it's just a really fun gun to shoot.

 

 

[Walker570]

I used a BSA semi auto exclusively back in the 70s for competition clays and no one blinked. It had a trap barrel and a skeet barrel and I only let it go when one day the magazine tube departed down range with the barrel. No doubt it was because of the thousands of rounds it had swallowed.  I had a Remmy with a cuts, but this was not appreciated on the DTL lines because of the sideways pressure/noise levels and evetually back then they became banned. Great little gun that was, I purchased it from the family of a guy who had shot himself with it. Shame to see it go in and get chpooed up.

I have a 16 gauge Remmy semi auto and a 870 Wingmaster today both great guns.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

2 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

I used a BSA semi auto exclusively back in the 70s for competition clays and no one blinked. It had a trap barrel and a skeet barrel and I only let it go when one day the magazine tube departed down range with the barrel. No doubt it was because of the thousands of rounds it had swallowed.  I had a Remmy with a cuts, but this was not appreciated on the DTL lines because of the sideways pressure/noise levels and evetually back then they became banned. Great little gun that was, I purchased it from the family of a guy who had shot himself with it. Shame to see it go in and get chpooed up.

I have a 16 gauge Remmy semi auto and a 870 Wingmaster today both great guns.

It must have been a great help to his family!

I too have a Remington 1100 with a Cutts Compensator on the business end.

[Walker570]

1 hour ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

It must have been a great help to his family!

I too have a Remington 1100 with a Cutts Compensator on the business end.

Yes, the money went to a charity of their choice.

[Gerry78]

Funny enough I’m thinking of joining a local clay club when the Wildfowling  off season starts and il be dusting down My beretta a400 excel sport So hopefully it will be acceptable Or maybe use my Aya no3 magnum 😃😃

[pigeonbasher oz]

May I be devils advocate. I have a browning 2 shot semi auto

[quentyn]

On 03/12/2021 at 02:50, 100milesaway said:

I see lots of folks using a semi auto on grounds all over the country, so yes they are very acceptable, but a word of caution, never put 3 in the chamber as quite a few  grounds would ask you to leave.unless it was an auto  shot competion.

From Auntie.

i often use a pump action at clay grounds as its fun. I once had an old man get very angry with me as he thought i was putting 3 cartridges in.

With my pump i tend to shove 2 in the magazine, then press the action release and pump in 1 of the rounds. It seems that this "gentleman" assumed that i had put 1 in the barrel, closed the action and then 2 in the magazine. Even when i explained he seemed to still be annoyed and seemed to believe that what i was doing was somehow unsafe. I tend not to shoot there anymore as i have met some funny people there... Never had an issue anywhere else   

[ozalid]

On 06/11/2021 at 07:34, Newbie to this said:

Corrected it for you, one empty gun is as safe as another, regardless of it's action.

This brought back the first thing my Grandfather said to me over 50 years ago as he gave me my first s/s hammer shotgun for my 15th birthday, was "rule one, every gun is loaded, even if it isn't".

I have used Beretta semi-auto shotguns for many years to help with a neck problem, probably caused by shooting shotguns since I was 15! I have tried several makes, Beretta are by far the most reliable.

[theshootist]

On 17/11/2021 at 17:41, Gas seal said:

Hi some information on the Spencer pump action. 

Thank you Gas Seal, I've only just seen this post !

On 20/11/2021 at 14:45, Townie said:

Just this minute been watching Jonny off The Gun Shop playing with one at Holts! Damascus barrel, built 1882.

I went and had a look at it. That one was imported and sold by Watson Brothers. I never knew they had imported them too. It was not as good as the Charles Lancaster ones. The forened was not wood and they had retained the resin used by Spencer. The stock was a later replacement.

On 15/12/2021 at 11:58, pigeonbasher oz said:

May I be devils advocate. I have a browning 2 shot semi auto

I have one too. Val Browning designed it to compete directly with the handling characteristics of a double gun. Not a gun I put a lot of clays though but excellent to carry a lot and shoot a little. 

[pigeonbasher oz]

No word of a lie took mine on clays 10 out of 10 on doubles then 9 out of ten on another set of doubles love it

[TIGHTCHOKE]

2 hours ago, pigeonbasher oz said:

No word of a lie took mine on clays 10 out of 10 on doubles then 9 out of ten on another set of doubles love it

So you missed some then?   

[pigeonbasher oz]

I was shocked 

[Gas seal]

Hi pigeon basher oz the ones you missed was down to operator error, not the gun. 

[enfieldspares]

On 19/12/2021 at 22:30, quentyn said:

With my pump i tend to shove 2 in the magazine, then press the action release and pump in 1 of the rounds. It seems that this "gentleman" assumed that i had put 1 in the barrel, closed the action and then 2 in the magazine.

Ha! With a proper repeater...a Browning Auto 5 with the 1950's onwards "speed load" it'd carry the round up on its own. Bad Luck though with the angry old man. I bet he went home and gave his cat a good kick later!

Edited January 19, 2022 by enfieldspares

[Andy H]

The only semi attitude on claygrounds i have come across on was when i was shooting skeet i managed to clear the round 25 straight with a semi auto with superfull fixed choke gun

that cost me £18 at a weller and dufty auction the guy's behind me were well pee'd off that i was using an £18 pound browning A5 made in 1907. When some of them were using grade o/u brownings worth in the thousands.

I still have the browning A5 and is my primary gun for game or clays still with super full fixed choke the only thing i have altered from the original gun is putting a synthetic furniture setup on it as the original woodwork had gone soft due to oil soaking thewoodwork and i still have the original woodwork as it has the seral numbers pressed into it.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Andy H
trypo

[retromlc]

I have just bought a semi-automatic, really just to have a change occasionally, I see a lot of them locally and many are being used by older men, mainly because they are light and light on recoil, it enables them to continue their love of the sport, I probably will not use it at the little private club I shoot at because of the flying spent shells, at a paid ground I always pick up spent shells if I've missed the bin but I've seen selfish people with O/U eject over their shoulder every pair as if they are royalty, and semi owners walk off without picking up, but they are the sort of people who chuck their maccy D rubbish out the car window.

[Westley]

4 hours ago, retromlc said:

I have just bought a semi-automatic, really just to have a change occasionally, I see a lot of them locally and many are being used by older men, mainly because they are light and light on recoil, it enables them to continue their love of the sport, I probably will not use it at the little private club I shoot at because of the flying spent shells, at a paid ground I always pick up spent shells if I've missed the bin but I've seen selfish people with O/U eject over their shoulder every pair as if they are royalty, and semi owners walk off without picking up, but they are the sort of people who chuck their maccy D rubbish out the car window.

I agree entirely with you. Most of the cartridges littering the floor on clay shooting stands are NOT from semi autos as they tend to chuck the empties outside the stand. As an auto user in one form or another, be it clays or vermin, for over 60 years, I now carry a magnetic cartridge retriever.  I find that picking up the empties within the stand at clay grounds, before I move on, has a tendency to shut up the auto bashers. For all of those 'Trappies' that complain about autos in the line destroying their concentration, take a look at the video of Amber Hill who despite gun malfunction, still managed a silver medal at a recent skeet competition.  THAT was concentration on another level  !

[cuffy]

Shooting clays with my semi , i generally pick up more emptys than just mine . Unless I hear some *** complaining about the mess semi shooters leave - then I'll not pick any up !