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semi auto for clays


airgunalex
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hey,

 

At the moment i am using a beretta 686e and i am getting on just fine been doing the sport about a year now and am a member of a local club. i recently had a go with a beretta ulrika 2 and fell in love with it and got on very well shooting it. I am looking into getting one to use but i am concerned whether they may be unsuitable for some clay shooting, what limitations does having a semi have at a clay shoot? would i be restricted to certain disiplines such as down the line as i would throw shells out all over the place? :yes: i would also like to havea semi auto available because i sometimes do pigeon shooting and three shots would be usefull in the hide. I would appreciate anyone who could offer me some advice on what they would do in this situation :yes:

 

many thanks

 

Alex

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Alex,

 

If it suits you and you would like one then go and buy one. There is no limitations for clays shooting (unless you like having different chokes in each barrel) If anything they are better than an O/U in many respects, less felt recoil for one.

 

At the end of the day it is what suits you what matters not what anyone else thinks or cares.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

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Alex,

Take MCs advice and go and get one. I shot the Auto Challenge at western wood the other week with 2 friends who have both since pruchased their own Beretta's. On the way home we shot a 100 DTL for fun we had a few strange looks but they made us welcome. I think they thought we would'nt hit them as they had expensive trap guns but I hit 96 x 100 not bad for a first go on DTL with the gun. Just remember they are longer than O/U so a 28" or 30" sporter will be a good choice.

 

rgds Keith

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Yes, I'd say go ahead and get one :yes:

 

They're perfectly OK for most clay disciplines. If you are going to encounter any resistance, it will be in DTL, where I believe they can be frowned upon. Mind you, breathing too hard is frowned upon in DTL :yes:

 

Anni (on here) has recently changed from using an o/u to a Beretta semi-auto and his shooting has improved dramatically. They just suit some people.

Edited by Chard
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Yes, I'd say go ahead and get one :good:

 

They're perfectly OK for most clay disciplines. If you are going to encounter any resistance, it will be in DTL, where I believe they can be frowned upon. Mind you, breathing too hard is frowned upon in DTL :/

 

Anni (on here) has recently changed from using an o/u to a Beretta semi-auto and his shooting has improved dramatically. They just suit some people.

 

I endorse Chards comments, however, despite being frowned on by the old school, I intend shooting DTL with my Beretta Semi Auto as I seem to hit most of the clays with it, unlike with my O/U. :yes: They should be pleased its not a Hatsan, at least its a Beretta!! :yes:

 

Semi-autos aren't for everyone, but they can certainly change your scores (and the fun in shooting) very much for the better if you find they suit you. I'm converted and will always shoot with one, simply because I shoot so much better with it and its so very enjoyable not having to contend with recoil AND bust lots of clays !! :crazy:

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hey,

 

At the moment i am using a beretta 686e and i am getting on just fine been doing the sport about a year now and am a member of a local club. i recently had a go with a beretta ulrika 2 and fell in love with it and got on very well shooting it. I am looking into getting one to use but i am concerned whether they may be unsuitable for some clay shooting, what limitations does having a semi have at a clay shoot? would i be restricted to certain disiplines such as down the line as i would throw shells out all over the place? :yes: i would also like to havea semi auto available because i sometimes do pigeon shooting and three shots would be usefull in the hide. I would appreciate anyone who could offer me some advice on what they would do in this situation :good:

 

many thanks

 

Alex

 

Alex, if you check the pattern of ejection of cartridge shells, you will see that a good semi-auto will eject shells in more or less the same place. Most times, certainly with my own Berettas, which now include a Urika 2 Trap model as well, they eject slightly ahead / to the front of you and to the left or right of course depending on whether you have a LH or RH model. This should not cause difficulty for other shooters in the squad, but if you want to be friendly you could always ask if anyone objected to you shooting a semi-auto in that squad and if they do, find another squad.

The Urika 2s are extensively used in Trap disciplines in the US, as are many other semi-auto's, although the Yanks use shellcatchers which they attach to their guns as they mostly shoot singles there unlike here.

 

As far as I'm concerned, there are no limitations to semis at clay shoots, unless you like messing about with different chokes in two barrels all the time, which is generally not necessary. They are great for sporting, skeet and trap disciplines alike.

 

You can buy a magnet thingie on an extendable aluminium pole which you can use to quickly clear up some of your shells when out shooting or practicing.

 

Go for it, if you get on with a semi, your shooting will only improve in leaps and bounds!! :yes: I know, its happened to me.

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Hi Condor,

 

I'm glad to read that you have decided to stick with the Beretta auto ;)

 

Never a doubt in my mind since first trying an AL390 - I'll always have a special place for the Lioness and the way she has transformed my shooting :lol: I'm a bit sad about the splendid Ultra XS Titanium Prestige adjustable which I can't seem to get on with, not just that its an expensive gun which cost the same as all three of my semis together (yes, and they are all Beretta semis!) but that its a fine piece of equipment with a great set of extended Briley chokes and a fabulous pedigree which I should be able to shoot just as well as my "cheap" semis, but I can't.

 

Am thinking of trying a 682GoldE sporting as far as O/Us go and selling the Ultra, but still reluctant. Maybe I'll try the Ultra again after a couple of months and see how things have progressed, and make a decision to sell then.

 

All I can say about semis is that they have made such a positive difference to everything about my shooting in the short time I've owned them (around 6 weeks since I first tried one, I think!) :huh:

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thankyou very much for the replies :shout: its much appreciated :huh: i think i shall take the plunge and get a berreta semi pending ofcourse on my GCSE grades which i find out on thursday ;)

the down the line issues inst too bad as i have only ever shot it twice and its in quite a close knit informal clay shoot so it should be alright :good: i will also look into the extenable magnet gadget which will save me searching too long for the shells :lol:

are the berreta semi autos considered to be 'best' or should i also look into benelli's etc? I have not tried any other makes but the beretta does fit me well.

many thanks

Alex

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I can understand you maybe feeling abit self concious about using an auto for clays :shout:

 

But there is loads of people using them when you way up.

 

As long as you use it safely and respect that some people are abit warey about them, you wont have any problems from over under users.

Just keep it in your sling till your in the stand then out it comes point it down range and load it and do the buisness make it safe then resling it and jobs a gooden. If shooters see that you are using caution then they wont be at all bothered.

 

As chard has said I have recently changed to using a semi auto for all my clay shooting, for the only reason I break more clays with it. The fact it looks uber cool (Teknys stonecoat) is just a bonus :huh:

 

I'm using a beretta al391 teknys stonecoat 30'' which is a long gun but it seems to become as light as a feather when you bring it up to the shoulder, Unlike the miroku 30'' I was using before (which is now sadly gathering dust) ;)

I also have a a303 beretta with 28'' barrel, witch is abit to small for my liking on the clays

 

Brian (beretta) off here pointed out to me that many champions have won allsorts with semi's.

So get one bought :lol:

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Many thanks for the comments again especially anni :huh:

the saftey advice was much appreciated as it was something i was concerned about as i know some people can be wary and not trust semi's about. what are peoples veiws if you use a semi with a saftey flag in the breech in conjunction with putting it in a slip ? or would you not need to worry too much about the flag?

 

I have shot at lakenheath a few times now and I think i have only ever seen one person using a semi which was on the skeet range so i thought it would be best to double check with the users on here if i was missing something :lol:

 

Throdgain I would be intrested to hear your reasoning behind the benelli. I have seen videos of it being used and it does look impressive indeed :shout:. The only thing that puts me off slightly is the styleing of the stock with the arrows going across it towards the rear. ;)

 

many thanks

Alex

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I tried a benelli supersport very nice gun it was too, didnt notice any less recoil as is supposed.

 

It's a toss up between the two :hmm: Benelli, beretta. I only know mine is a cracking gun.

 

I do have an auto safe flag but its a pain in the bum, and know one would know it was in whilst its in my sling anyway, so i dont use it :good: I visually check its empty and put saftey on then leave the stand.

 

I'm very carefull with mine, it never sweeps anyone and is slung when not in use. Cant do more than that.

Edited by Anni
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As a Beretta Urika shooter I would endorse the comment that it is an exellent gun for Sporting Clays .Shooting a semi-auto give you much less felt recoil which helps with second barrel shots . The real drawback is that you only have one choke so your choke choice is sometimes a compromise .It will be ok until you get a close clay with a distant edge on target . At this point whatever you choose you will be reducing your chances at one or other target . Otherwise 1/4 or 1/2 will cover most things . If you are consciencious about ejected shells a magnetic cartridge stick will collect them with ease .

Be careful , it is easy to get addicted to the semi-auto !

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Alex- shooting sporting clays you will be fine with a semi, however if you ever want to shoot a trap disiply like ABT or DTL i would not recomend it , unless it ejects through the bottom, ejecting through the side in trap displins is a big NO NO.

 

It's not prohibited though - there are people who, due to arthritis, other physical problems etc etc, cannot use O/U 's, using semis instead - so are they to be discriminated against because intolerant, pompous p**ts have decided its a BIG NO NO and they therefore can't shoot trap disciplines? I think not. Whatever happened to tolerance on this island??? :good: I've carefully checked the trajectory of ejection of cartridges from my own semis, and they go NOWHERE NEAR the shooter alongside so would not be disruptive in any way. Its unacceptable to make the trap disciplines inaccessible to everyone except O/U shooters, a reasonable and friendly attitude would go a long way. :hmm:

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You can use any gun you like for any CPSA discipline, o/u, sxs, semi or indeed pump action. Where I shoot there's often an equal amount of semis/pumps to o/us/sxs.

 

I think the Benelli is a better balanced gun with a cleaner design, but I would concede both are good guns. The "arrows going accross it towards the rear" are part of the anti recoil system :good:

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Alex- shooting sporting clays you will be fine with a semi, however if you ever want to shoot a trap disiply like ABT or DTL i would not recomend it , unless it ejects through the bottom, ejecting through the side in trap displins is a big NO NO.

 

Thanks for the advice, I think i should be ok because my main area of shooting is in the sporting layout and also pigeon shooting so it should suit my needs well in these areas. Saying that i have shot down the line a couple of times now and have enjoyed that too but i would still have the 868E i could use if i knew i was doing a trap disiplin.

 

You can use any gun you like for any CPSA discipline, o/u, sxs, semi or indeed pump action. Where I shoot there's often an equal amount of semis/pumps to o/us/sxs.

 

I think the Benelli is a better balanced gun with a cleaner design, but I would concede both are good guns. The "arrows going accross it towards the rear" are part of the anti recoil system :good:

 

Thanks throdgrain i will have to try and get to a shop and handle a benelli the compare it too the berreta. Is the recoil system used in the wooden stocks too? And do you find this feature effective for recoil? When i fist started using my o/u i suffered quite badly from recoil but now my mount has got better i dont suffer too badly at the moment.

 

 

Once again many thanks for the suggestions, any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Alex

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Alex- shooting sporting clays you will be fine with a semi, however if you ever want to shoot a trap disiply like ABT or DTL i would not recomend it , unless it ejects through the bottom, ejecting through the side in trap displins is a big NO NO.

Horlicks , a self loader is as good a gun for any clay shooting . Let the trap shooting purists tell me I carnt shoot my beretta in their company and they will get a mouthful .

Harnser .

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It's not a question of trap shooting purists not liking autos "in their company" - it's about them trying to shoot perfect scores and having to put up with being pelted by empty shells. Regardless of the claims in this thread that they will not hit other shooters, I know from my own experience that they will!

 

I have nothing against autos, I loved shooting skeet and sporting with my beretta 303, but it is distracting being hit with empty shells while waiting to shoot.

 

I saw a bloke shooting at Bywell a while ago who had a wire clip attached to his gun which rather than catch the shells, deflected them downwards. A simple and cheap solution that keeps everybody happy. ???

Edited by paulos
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What's the state got to do with it?? You are talking about disciplines where perfect scores matter. The concentration level needed to achieve those scores is immense. People chatting or wandering around the ground are distraction that you can learn to block out, being physically hit by pieces of brass and plastic is something you can't help but notice.

 

If you are just pishing about and having a laugh, fine. Why ruin someone else's score though?

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