Back in July I picked this Franchi Instinct Sporting II up and have been absolutely thrilled with it so far. Wrapped up competing with it at the Sporting Clays National Championship a few weeks ago and figured I’d post an update on how it’s been performing. Roughly 5k rounds so far and only one “issue” I’ve had with it: every few hundred rounds or so the action opening lever will flip off as if the gun is closed when it’s open. All that’s needed is to flip it back to the “open” position and close the gun, it will then function fine for another few hundred. Not sure if you could really call this a flaw or not, doesn’t bother me at all just something to watch out for. Besides this one thing, I have fallen in love with this gun! Light up front in the barrels and easy to swing, yet has enough weight that putting 1300fps 1 1/8oz through it doesn’t give unmanageable recoil. The action has loosened up over time and is now smooth as butter. I didn’t think having the adjustable comb would have a big impact for me, but I can strongly say having it properly fitted has made a world of difference in sight picture. The stock chokes it came with have been awesome as well, I keep the IC in bottom and IM on top, though have considered getting Briley’s or Rhino’s as an upgrade. Cannot recommend this gun enough, especially at the price point, it gives the Citori series a run for its money in my opinion.

I currently live in San Diego, visit Arizona often as that’s where my girlfriends family is. Anyone know of Sporting clays in the area that are at least decent? Thanks.

Hi All! I am taking some “me” time, throwing my Gun in the car and heading East. If you were driving from Cincinnati to shoot at Lehigh Valley (Coplay, PA) where would you stop along the way to add 1 more course to the list? Second, traveling through a few states with tight gun laws. Am I ok in NJ, PA, WV? Thank you!

So about a month ago, a buddy took me to shoot sporting clays. I immediately loved it and started looking into which over/under I would want to buy as my shotgun. After a few weeks of research I think I have settled on the subject Browning.

My questions are the following:

• Is the 60/40 POI okay? What if I also decide to go hunt with it down the road?
• I'm 5'8" and 145 lbs. 28" or 30" barrel?
• I shoot left handed (left eye dominant) so i figure a browning is a decent choice since they are neutral cast. (Is my train of thought sound here?)
• Any other tips etc? All are welcome.

I don't know if any of you went to that today , but man was it awesome! It's my first "real" tournament and I'm pretty happy to say I tied for 1st on the wood course took 2nd on the main course and was HOA in Hunter class. Which I know is the "bottom of the barrel" but for first time out I'm pretty damn happy!

I shot 5 stand for the first time this weekend. I shot a 19, a 20, and then the wind kicked up and I only got 16. Crazy fun change of pace to the sporting clay course. I might shoot 25 every time I go out to practice.

Hey all,

Hoping to hear from people who have had the A400 Black with the carbon fiber rib for a while.

How is that rib holding up? Have you had any issues with it after putting lots of shells through the gun?

Looking to get back into sporting clays, need some guidance on what’s the best bang for the buck new or preowned from all these manufacturers.

Brands I have in mind, Caesar Guerini, Rizzini, Beretta, Perazzi, Blaser, etc etc. I see a decent amount of the higher end names in pre owned market around the 5k mark so my question is…if I wanted just an all round gun to go enjoy my self once a month if I’m lucky, where is the best bang for my buck…5k used perazzi or CG(or any higher end model) or maybe a new Rizzini BR110 or even a Beretta silver pigeon? I really don’t have any requirements other than an adjustable comb would be nice. What I want from this is to go shoot and have fun, whether it be sporting clays, trap, skeet, whatever.

Hey Reddit,

I’m looking for advice on choosing a shotgun specifically for clay sporting. I have a few options and a budget cap of $1,000, so I’m sticking with the ones below. I’d love to know which one you all would vote for and why. Here are my options:

1.	Stevens 555 Sporting 12 Gauge 3in Turkish Walnut Over/Under - 30in - $899.99
2.	Mossberg Gold Reserve 12 Gauge 3in Satin Black Walnut Over/Under - 30in - $929.99
3.	Beretta A300 Ultima Sporting 12 Gauge 2-3/4in/3in Blued Semi-Auto - 30in - $1,069.99 (slightly over budget, but willing to consider if it’s worth it)
4.	CZ Woodcock G2 12 Gauge 3in Case Hardened Over/Under - 28in - $649.99
5.	Weatherby Orion 12 Gauge 3in Over/Under - 28in - $899.99
6.	Weatherby Orion Sporting 12 Gauge 3in Black Over/Under - 30in - $1,049.99 (just over budget, but open to considering)

Funny story: I actually purchased the Weatherby Orion this week, but the background check got rejected due to a middle name issue. So, I feel like I have a second chance to change my mind if needed!

I’m not interested in any other guns and prefer to stay under a grand, though I might stretch the budget slightly if one of the higher-priced options is really worth it. Which one would you pick for clay sporting, and any insights into why would be awesome. Thanks for the help!

Update:

I ended up increasing my budget and went with the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon Sporting with 32-inch barrels. I started out looking at over/unders under $1000, but I realized $1800+ was necessary for quality. At first, I was hesitant to invest more since I wasn’t sure how far I’d go with the sport, but I figured it’s worth enjoying while I can afford it. Plus, high-quality guns like this tend to hold their value well if I decide to sell later. After so much research, I finally stopped comparing—it’s a rabbit hole that would keep raising my budget even higher, haha.

According to NSCA, I am D/E. I'm shooting a league for third year and the midway rankings came out and somehow I'm listed in with the B's. I'm not sure why that is (other than I've shot well) but shouldn't I be listed with the D's? I only shot 3 registered events last year (and none so far this year) and according to NSCA site I'm still a D. TIA if anyone has insight.

Alright folks. After a lot of trial and error with 3 field guns (pump, semi, O/U) I think it's time to get a dedicated sporting shotgun. My main discipline will be sporting clays with the occasional skeet and trap.

However, I don't get to shoot a lot throughout the year, not as much as I would like. On average maybe less than 14 times a year. Usually more in spring and summer, and less in fall/winter.

Now, because I live in Canada, the price differences are huge with the rate conversion. So I currently cannot justify any shotgun purchase above 1500 CAD. But I'm looking for a different perspective. Here are the choices that I'm considering.

Beretta A300 Ultima (~1295 CAD). A lot of positive feedback on this subreddit and others. Proven reliable.

Franchi Affinity 3 Sporting (~1250 CAD). Is it worth considering inertia action over gas for clay shooting? I know the pros and cons of each (inertia has more recoil but less maintenance/more reliable vs. gas gun less recoil but requires more cleaning).

Beretta A400 (~2600 CAD). Now here is where I keep hearing a lot of bells and whistles. The Kickoff system, the higher quality build, easier to break apart and assemble. Is it really worth the hype? As you can see, it is quite the jump.

Beretta 868 Silver Pigeon I Sporting (~3650 CAD). Over/Under, classic. But way more expensive, an additional 1k

Browning 725 Citori Sporting model (~4600 CAD). Yet again, another jump of 1k.

I know there are models too (Browning A5/Maxus II, Benelli SBE 3 etc.) but for the sake of simplicity I'm narrowing it down to the above.

So, for a casual shooter like myself, who doesn't go to the ranges on a weekly basis (if lucky once, maybe twice a month) and has no plans to seriously compete other than to have fun... I really don't see the point of getting something more than the A300/Affinity. Am I right or am I missing something?

PS I purposely left out field models because I experienced all 3 actions in those. My former semi was a 3.5" and wouldn't cycle target loads. My O/U Baikal kicked like a mule... and my Mossberg 500 also kicks like a mule (but it was good practice hitting those doubles while pumping)

Edit: So the consensus is there is nothing wrong with the A300 in my current budget and I can be happy with it. Down the line should I get serious and want to upgrade, best get an O/U Beretta Silver Pigeon or a Citori (or a Cynergy)

Has anyone ever actually tested a difference or is there really that much of a difference between velocity?

So normally I shoot 1290fps 1oz Winchester super target or clever 1oz 1300fps. My stock is running low and only thing I can find in stock is 1 1/8 1145fps. Will that roughly 150fps be noticeable or no? I know with my o/u vs semi I feel a little more kick on the 1 1/8 but nothing major.

There's some debate on the Barbour site about what the pockets are for. Are they hand warmers or for cartridges? Can anyone weigh in? https://www.reddit.com/r/Barbour/comments/1geuqw9/does_anyone_know_why_the_handwarmers_on_the_1990s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

https://preview.redd.it/r3cq6z6v0vxd1.png?width=515&format=png&auto=webp&s=f241b21745be594d9b98dc3779ce8ef1d5600cca

We are just seeing the first Browning 825’s hit Canada so we have an idea of the pricing.

The 825 is showing on sale for $4430 in some stores.

The 725 is now being discounted 15% and is going for $3680.

This is nearly an $800 difference. Do you think it is worth it to jump on the discounted and discontinued 725, or dive into the new 825?

I hate the porting, but I’m not sure removing that is worth $800. The rest is relatively the same, new trigger effectiveness TBD still.

I grew up shooting shot guns, went to my first range this weekend. Had a blast and want to start doing it more consistently. I shot approximately 100 rounds and have some bruising and a little bit of soreness. Bruising is in a good spot on my shoulder so I don’t think it’s the mount. I also have not been shooting in a long time which I hear can contribute.

So my questions is would a shooting vest help with this and is it worth it? Also if I’m going to wear a shooting vest I would prefer to get one I can just wear in the field so I get a consistent mount in both situations. Does anyone have recommendations for a vest that makes an orange version and a cammo version?

Edit: to anyone wondering about the conclusion. I went back out to shoot this weekend and shot the same number of rounds with 0 bruising or tenderness the next day. I didn’t by a shooting vest or recoil pad. I think the bruising was probably due to a combination of the shirt I was wearing, bad mount, and a long time away from shooting.

Hey guys, I’m fairly new to MA and the Boston metro and am curious if there are any public courses with rentals? I’ve seen Minuteman recommended quite a few times but my understanding is they only occasionally do public shoots.

Unfortunately all of my gear is out of state, so I’d need the ability to rent some.

Thanks for the help!

Hello, I own a bt99 for about a year now and I feel like it fits me well. However I'm looking to swap it out for an O/U to get into the other game types. Instead of trying every gun in the shop I wanted to look at measurements online to get an idea of what I would like similar to the bt99. I do have my butt plate on the bt99 dropped a little less than an inch. How would this affect the measurements I'm looking at? Should I be looking at a larger "drop at comb" measurment? Or does adjusting the butt plate throw off all of the specifications now? My budget is about $2k and I haven't seen any o/u with adjustable butt plated at that price point. Any suggestions?

I’ve been looking for a decent break shot gun to get into trap under $1000 that isn’t Turkish. I recently found an older (70s Japan) Winchester 101 at my local pawn shop for $850. But it has a fixed chokes, full and modified. Will this work alright for trap shooting?

I'm not really artistic and I'm not sure where his trigger arm and hand are!

I am looking for a mid-bead for my Zoli Z-Sport. Where/Which one do I need to get?