Entry level over/under

Touching on the idea of shooting trap/skeet every now and then. Looking for info on a good entry level over/under 12 ga far as makes and models ,barrels, length ect. I have read some on barrel length and shot size,chokes ect.

What have you had good luck with.

Whats some of the gear that is necessary to do so. Vest, shell bags ect ?

I know nothing is cheap anymore but would like to stay on the lower end if possible

For those who have , do you prefer 12 or 20 ga and so on.

I prefer .20 gauge. Yildiz makes a nice shotgun, that won't kill your budget, and you can pick one in 12, 20 or 28. I do own the Yildiz in 20 and no complaints. Came with all the choke tubes a person could need. IIRC they are $429.00 new @ Academy.

thank you for the input.

Ive looked at a couple of them and they dont look bad and look well made.

I have shot a buddys' yildiz in the past, as said above it's a decent gun for the price.

The first thing I do when I get a lower priced O/U is have a good recoil pad installed like a Limbsaver etc. I have almost always shot a 20 gauge but that ammo is hard to find now. For waterfowl I use a 12 gauge due to the steel shot not being as effective as lead. I haven't had any problems with any Yildiz or lower priced O/U. My Browning stays in the safe....

And again another thanks...Also.. What barrel lengths do you all like to use. Other than popping a few dove in the past I haven't never played around with them like i have rifles.

Have another question that has had me wondering..
Does a 30"barrel make a lot more difference than a 28" barrel with same choke , or is it just a preference thing.

I have three over/unders two Citori’s one in a 16 gauge and the other in a 20 gauge. They are both fine guns and work just fine, but to save some bucks I purchased a yildiz 28ga last December and took it quail hunting in January. For the money $449 it is as good to carry all day long, being lighter than the Citori’s. The yildiz is well built and will kill all the quail you can kick up.

more good news on a yildiz

a friend bought a Yildiz for his son. i tried it out, shoots nice. seems to be solid shooter for the price

The older I get the more I like a 30"barrel. The sight plane with the longer barrel works better for me.

Stevens 555

Id consider a stevens for sure. I looked at one a while back and didnt see anything to bark about far as looks and the quality.

👍

If this is going to be a pure target gun (no or little hunting), you don't want a light gun with short barrels. You are not toting this thing cross country. The walk from the truck to the skeet field, or from the cart to the sporting station is not constitute having a lightweight gun. This cost me some $$$$ to figure this lesson out with my target gun being a Beretta SP1 with 28" barrels. Shooting 1 round of Sporting clays and a couple rounds of five stand a weekend, my upper body was jello.

Longer barrels (30, 32 and I have seen 34") help with your focal plane and swing.

I know times are tricky now, but I would look for a good used O/U from one of the B brands (Browning - Beretta) before I bought a new, cheaper gun. That being said, I have never shot a Huglu, Yildiz, Mossberg Reserve so I can't speak for them.

BOught a yildiz 20ga for my son. It’s a great light shooting gun, I will actually grab it instead of mine sometimes, lol

I have both 12 & 20 gauge Yildiz, you can buy a steel frame as opposed to an alloy frame in 12 gauge which to me makes a better shooting gun, just a little more weight.
, plus you can order chokes from Brileys at a reasonable price.

Go for a sporter - beretta SP1 30”

If you want to stay under $500, look for a used CZ, SKB or Charles Daly.
If you can spend a little more go Beretta or Browning.

The primary issue is fit. Get a shotgun that fits you.
When you shoulder the gun, you should not see any barrel. Only the bead on the end.

There are some deals here on THF. Might also check auctions like Gunbroker.com.

My input is what not to buy: legacy arista bought one for my son in 28 ga for his 4h shooting sports. It’s junk. Safety stuck, hard to open, O/U switch stuck. Really disappointed cause it’s a pretty little gun.

You get what you pay for in a shotgun. Save up and buy something used you can use forever.

I have a Yildiz as well. Never had a problem with it. Went shooting a couple of weeks ago and took the family for the first time. Wife and 2 kids (14 son & 12 daughter). Only had 12 gauges and 410 to choose from. Wife did not like the recoil of the Yildiz. They are fairly light which I like but felt recoil is a bit more. 410's cost too much to shoot, so I am about to pickup another Yildiz in 20g now that they are interested in shooting clays.

Show us what you end up with

So far I've gone with a remington 1187. Plan on saving some more money up and getting a browning or maybe beretta. The reason why is the browning is the only one out of all the ones I've shouldered that actually felt right. I've tried some off brands I've never heard of and yildiz,Ati,ect and never was 100% happy with what I was holding. So long story short that's the direction I am headed and what I have at the moment.

Oh yeah.. almost forgot. Also using a 12 ga double barrel for fun too. I actually like shooting clays with it and so does my oldest boy. Don't remember the brand off hand .

Great choice

Tristar setter at Walmart over and under. 12 or 20ga 28 inch barrels 5 extended chokes . 400.00 Some places sell them in 28ga it cost a little more.

A lot of truth in this post-- yildiz are really too light for high volume sporting clays shooting - they don't break open very well or swing as well as a heavier shotty @ least on my yildiz o/u 20ga-

a 28in to 30 inch for sporting clays & trap min length

a lot of of ranges will give you approx 150 targets when you do a 100 round sporting clay course recoil will add up & affect your shooting as you go thru the course !

yildiz for a light weight hunter is ok

My first yildiz 20 ga got a lead weight in the butt and forestock and turned into a great swinging over under. It even broke open very nice after 1000 clays or so. It was stolen dove season of 2007. I have since replaced it with another that I shot 4 pigeons with opening day (because Mclennan county dove are not present). Haven't modified my replacement yet, because I don't do near the shooting I did.

Stevens 555 is a great gun for the $$$

Wish I had read this post six months ago about the weight of the gun. Bought a light gun and 100-150 bets on you. I'm going to have to sell that gun.

Wish I had read this post six months ago about the weight of the gun. Bought a light gun and 100-150 bets on you. I'm going to have to sell that gun.

At that price range I'd look for a stevens or CZ over yildez. All will be turkish made, but CZ will be better quality barrels and nicer wood.

Read two posts above yours, nothing wrong with adding weight. The hole in the butt of many shotguns is perfect for a roll of quarters. Jess Briley (Briley Mfg., the choke people) used to have 2 90 penny spikes, sans the heads, taped to the barrels of his skeet gun before he started manufacturing barrel weights.

I will say based on experience do not buy a Yildiz or Browning. I have seen both of those shotguns fail in competitions and especially with Browning having ejector problems. My daughter coaches will not recommend too many Browning shotguns to new competitors. When my daughter started out we got her Beretta 686 which is a perfect starter and eventually she graduated to the Beretta 694 12 gauge.