Gagnon's in oshawa are good people. Epps in Severn is big.
We Know you Ride, But do you Shoot?
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for reliable skeet results the gun HAS to fit . Try a bunch and when you find one that seems right , look for a used one . GunPost online is an excellent choice to look, Epps in Orillia , Gagnon is Oshawa is good, Tillsonburg Gun shop, Al Flarety in Toronto. Dont get locked into a brand as the gun you have to have, it needs to fit you. Visit a shop or three and tell them what you want to shoot and see what they have. An adjustable comb really helps you get your head over the gun.
Also consider if your really going to get into it , shooting three rounds a week is 4000 shells a year , no duck or pheasant guns shoots that volume so if you buy a cheap gun you'll be replacing it sooner than you think. Also field guns are light because you carry it for hours and fire 5-10 shots , skeet guns have a bit more weight so you dont get beat up by recoil, I've put a plastic ziplock bag of shot into the butts of a couple guns to dampen recoil.
You dont need to buy a Kreighoff (yet) or a Zoli , but dont buy a $600 Stevens. FWIW I may have a few skeet guns, but the one I shoot best is a 30yr old Browning SCS that I bought used, because it fits me really well. It has a custom stock , which was made for someone else , that apparently was exactly the same size as me
Also consider if your really going to get into it , shooting three rounds a week is 4000 shells a year , no duck or pheasant guns shoots that volume so if you buy a cheap gun you'll be replacing it sooner than you think. Also field guns are light because you carry it for hours and fire 5-10 shots , skeet guns have a bit more weight so you dont get beat up by recoil, I've put a plastic ziplock bag of shot into the butts of a couple guns to dampen recoil.
You dont need to buy a Kreighoff (yet) or a Zoli , but dont buy a $600 Stevens. FWIW I may have a few skeet guns, but the one I shoot best is a 30yr old Browning SCS that I bought used, because it fits me really well. It has a custom stock , which was made for someone else , that apparently was exactly the same size as me
Gaoler
Well-known member
Are y'all talkin' "skeet" or "trap" guns..?
There's a big difference between the two games and the best bang sticks for each.
As far as "fit" goes... Buying an off the shelf shotgun you're only going to get close. Really close if you're lucky.
Having a shotgun "fitted" to you is something for the ballers.
Don't sweat it too much, but... Don't go to a box store like Cabela's. Stick to actual "gun shops".
There's a big difference between the two games and the best bang sticks for each.
As far as "fit" goes... Buying an off the shelf shotgun you're only going to get close. Really close if you're lucky.
Having a shotgun "fitted" to you is something for the ballers.
Don't sweat it too much, but... Don't go to a box store like Cabela's. Stick to actual "gun shops".
@Relax mentioned skeet , however everything I posted applies to trap as well , fit being number one, adjustable comb number two , and how long you want it to last being three .
And yes trap is a different gun with most following the fashion of higher rib and now longer barrels ( again) . There is some fashion to barrel length . Skeet was twenty six/ twenty eight and now everything is thirty . They all break targets and many shooters have used twenty six for yrs , works fine . An easy to change out butt pad is handy , when you switch clothes in the fall/ winter your length of pull and fit changes . Doesn’t affect my game much , but many change up .
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And yes trap is a different gun with most following the fashion of higher rib and now longer barrels ( again) . There is some fashion to barrel length . Skeet was twenty six/ twenty eight and now everything is thirty . They all break targets and many shooters have used twenty six for yrs , works fine . An easy to change out butt pad is handy , when you switch clothes in the fall/ winter your length of pull and fit changes . Doesn’t affect my game much , but many change up .
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Just in case you’re still looking, Stoeger Canada has great customer service (and a decent online parts and apparel store) and covers quite a few brands of Shotgun (and other firearms). Beretta, Franchi, Benelli, Stoeger and Chapuis Arms. I’ve had great dealings with them for shotgun parts and also Sako rifles.
Relax
Well-known member
I'm looking for a walk-in showroom - do they have one?
Don’t think so. I bought my guns elsewhere but this company stands behind their products when you need something! For what it’s worth I got better deals online from Quebec based stores. My Beretta 1301 shotgun isn’t exactly a dedicated clay sports gun (it’s a 3-gun shotgun) but it has a decent barrel length and it is very adjustable. I like it enough that I’d buy another Beretta without a thought. Don’t know a lot about the GTA but down this way SFRC usually have a large assortment of big barrel fun items.
Gaoler
Well-known member
'Used to irritate the regulars at Galt when a group of us would shoot a round of sporting clays with our 18" semi/pump shotguns..
We called it "combat clays"
I shot regularly at Waterdown with my Beretta 686,
but once in a while I'd take my Benelli M4 out for a round...
Of course there's always that one guy... "What are you going to do with THAT.?"
"Break clays.."
HGC is a “little “ less stuffy than Galt , I don’t care what anybody shoots as long as they are safe . Watching new guys load three rounds into a semi , nope you just sit on a bench over there and think that through . One of the bigger reasons besides reliability , with a break gun you know it’s open and no bang will happen. I’ve never seen anyone shot , I’ve heard near misses . I just need everyone, even on the next field over to be safe .
@Relax , not sure where home is for you but Gagnon in Oshawa has a nice line of guns and the guys behind the counter are no BS , decent shooters , Al Flaerty in North Toronto are pretty good guys and Elwood Epps in Orillia are pretty good if you can get there through the week. Don’t waste any time at Bass Pro shop .
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@Relax , not sure where home is for you but Gagnon in Oshawa has a nice line of guns and the guys behind the counter are no BS , decent shooters , Al Flaerty in North Toronto are pretty good guys and Elwood Epps in Orillia are pretty good if you can get there through the week. Don’t waste any time at Bass Pro shop .
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Yep. My shotgun does this
Immense fun but not really needed or practical for clays.
I want a semi decent break action for spinning ceramic sports.
+1 for Stoeger in Oshawa. I fell in love with the Beretta 1301 at Accuracy Plus in Peterborough but it was a bit out of my price range. Decided to call Stoeger and asked a price on it from them and ended up ordering it over the phone that day. Highly recommend Stoeger.
Firearms Outlet Canada (Ajax) also has a decent selection in house to peruse. Haven't bought there but have visited before.
Another idea , when you get close to buying visit a club or two and look at the bulletin board . Dozens of skeet/trap specific guns never leave the club , another member buys it . The really nice guns sell over a picnic table and never make it to the bulletin board .
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PS , nineteen sixty four , Franchi twelve g , twenty eight in. O/U choked international skeet top and bottom
Also a twenty twenty three Rizzini BR one ten , beautiful thirty in barreled o/u with five chokes nearly new in box looking for a home ……
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Also a twenty twenty three Rizzini BR one ten , beautiful thirty in barreled o/u with five chokes nearly new in box looking for a home ……
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