Abe Mathews
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Kevin-
I’ve been a competitive sporting clays shooter (up until the past year or so with the high prices on shot) since 1997. My wife and I shot Sporting with a couple who was on Team USA twice.
My advice to you is to first decide if you want to shoot an O/U or an autoloader. Autoloaders will give you a significantly lower felt recoil impulse. It’s possible to shoot a 1 1/8 oz shell all day long in an auto without taking the pounding you would through an O/U. The downside is that you only have one choke selection (sometimes might be important in Sporting) and you may loose your hulls if you shoot at a place where “dropped” hulls become club property.
Lemme put it bluntly. If you’re thinking about an autoloader, the only one worth considering is the Beretta 391. Berettas are bombproof and last forever. The Beretta gas system is the best in the business. Don’t be swayed by the Benelli claims of cleaner shooting – the Benelli is a recoil operated shotgun and it will pound you into the ground like a tentstake. Browning Golds are good guns but they can be somewhat finicky in terms of what loads they like. Remington 1100/1187’s are OK, but really don’t hold up to the pounding of much shooting all that well.
In O/U’s, the only two worth considering under $5,000 are the Brownings and the Berettas. Pick whichever one feels better to you. Brownings are narrower and deeper and typically a bit heavier out front, Berettas are thinner and a bit wider and normally balanced between the hands. Of the two, the Beretta 680 series (686, 687, 682) are truly “lifetime” guns – they can be rebuilt as they wear. I’ve got my shooting partner’s old skeet gun with over a quarter million rounds through it (he used to shoot 60 – 75K rounds per year) and it still locks up like a safe. The Browning will eventually shoot itself loose, but that will be after about 350K rounds.
If you’re really feeling flush, a Krieghoff or Perazzi is about the pinnacle. Totally different feels, but it’ll be the last gun you “have” to buy.
My choices for an all-around gun:
Beretta 391 w/30″ barrel
Beretta 686 White Onyx w/30″ barrel
Browning Citori/525/625 w/30″ barrelIf you want more info (or B.S. if you don’t like what I’m saying) just let me know and hopefully I can help you from making some of the mistakes I made.
Oh yeah, when it comes time for a reloader – don’t even question it – buy the MEC. I’ve loaded on a 9000G for years and now have 9000H hydraulics in all 4 gauges. Only way to fly. 🙂
Well, by default my flies are so homely that finding drunk fish is the only way to get them any action.
Personally, I don’t think it’s all that different now.
I compare pictures like that with the old pulp sporting mag covers showing the deer hunter who left his gun in a tree stand holding a pocket knife and about to be eaten by a grizzly.
I have not yet tied any nymphs using this stuff for ribbing, but I’ve tied some zebra midges with the silver as a rib.
