Wow, that’s just crazy. I guess you gotta pay to play in that arena. I might have to hold off for a bit then. Might end up being something where I get something like a Browning or a Beretta and it ends up being one of those heirloom pieces.
Looks like Savage is making the Fox SxS again. A grades are going for a “reasonable” $6,000. I see there’s a couple old B grades at my local gun shop for like $525 and under. Thoughts on something like that?
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I'm sure they are. The key is how many rounds you can put through one before it's loose as hell or needs rebuilt, or if it can be rebuilt at all. If you go out hunting birds six times a year you'll be fine. If you want to shoot clays every weekend a higher end gun will last much longer, and can be rebuilt.Originally Posted by spinmove_
For the OP, Jaqua's would be a good place to call.
Last edited by Hambo; 12-14-2017 at 08:07 AM.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
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We probably do clays at least once a month during the warmer months here in MI, so like April through October. I haven’t been bird hunting yet, but I could see eventually getting into it. Apart from those activities, it won’t get used. But yeah, if that’s the cost of entry, I’ll save up and eventually buy something that can be fit to me and can be rebuilt if necessary.
Until then, maybe I’ll just snag another used Mossberg 500 to use as a clays gun and turn my current one into an HD piece.
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Unless you're such a diehard Michigan fan that you won't cross the line, you're close enough to Jaqua's to take a trip down there. It's shotgun heaven and unless it's changed you can fondle anything on the rack. You don't need to spend ten grand, but you probably don't want something that breaks open like an old single barrel after two years use.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
The fit between the action and barrels on a (good) double barrel requires more precision than found in a pump/auto. Regulation so both barrels hit to POI is a cost not found on single barrel shotguns. Lack of economy of scale. Fit and finish.
I would recommend a used 686, Citori, Winchester 101, or Charles Daly/Miruko over a new production $1000 O/U. Handle both and notice the (lack of) gap between the receiver and barrels on a 686/Citori and a new under $1000 O/U. It's appalling, but a new $1000 O/U is closer in fit/finish to a Glock than an old S&W revolver.
Miruko makes (made?) the Citori, and made the Japanese Winchester 101/6500. They are good guns.
My wife's 20 gauge 686 is everybody's favorite shotgun. People seem to repeatedly shoot it better than their own guns, and makes you look good while doing it.
SxS is elegant for quail and pheasant hunting. It's traditional. But, you do not want a SxS for serious clays shooting. There's a reason competitive clays shooters do not use SxSs. The sight plane is not as good as an O/U or autoloader, and neither is the recoil. If you want one primarily for bird hunting, get one and enjoy it for the purpose for which is was intended - hunting.
Hambo has good advice. In answer to your question, they are expensive because they are durable, reliable, and well balanced. Many are also works of art with great attention to fit and finish. It's not unusual for sporting clays/skeet/trap shooters to put 15 to 25 thousand rounds through their shotguns each year. Competitive shooters are often shooting that many registered targets per year, not including practice. The higher end O/Us stand up to that use. And, when they do break, they can be repaired. One does not want to be in the running to win one's class at a shoot, and when the bird is called for, the gun fails to fire for whatever reason. I will add that very, very few use their competition O/Us to hunt with. I have never seen that happen frankly, but I do not want to speak in absolutes. Simply put, competition O/Us are too heavy, and too nice, to be carried around in the field.
You cannot go wrong with getting a used Citori or Silver Pigeon to dip your toe into the O/U water. Both of those shotguns can easily transition between a clays course and a day of hunting. Then, if the bug bites you, you can start looking at more expensive O/Us for clays.
I don't know if you have Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops up in your part of the country. Both of those stores usually have used Citoris and often Silver Pigeons for sale. They also have websites where you can browse used shotguns. Gunbroker.com might lead you to a used Citori in good shape.
"Rich," the Old Man said dreamily, "is a little whiskey to drink and some food to eat and a roof over your head and a fish pole and a boat and a gun and a dollar for a box of shells." Robert Ruark
I’ve got both a Bass Pro as well as a Cabela’s nearby. I’ve got another bigger gun store that’s got some used examples of Beretta and Browning. Might have to go check them out for giggles. Had no idea O/U were superior to SxS for clays. Learn something new everyday.
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I regret not buying a used Winchester 101 for the then princely sum of $700 many. many moons ago. Shouldering it once told me why it was more expensive.
"It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
-Maple Syrup Actual
I would suggest you at least get an auto as a stepping stone. I love my two O/Us but have shot a metric butt load of skeet targets with my Beretta Extreama and a cheap 1100 Synthetic before that. You will still want an O/U someday but if you shoot any skeet or sporting clays with true doubles you will be a lot happier than with a second 500.
ETA: Buds shows an 1187 Sportsman for $453, it would do a lot of what you describe and Remchokes are like $20.
Also ETA: If you want a HD 500 you might as well keep your gun and get one of the HD models instead of adding stuff to yours.
Last edited by mmc45414; 12-17-2017 at 02:51 PM.
Yeah, I’ve thought about a semi-auto shotgun. Given Remington’s issues the past decade I’m not sure I want to go with an 1187. So what are my options there that are sub $1,000? Any good used options?
I’ve also thought about just getting a 500 or 590 with Magpul furniture and adding a sling and light.
Keeping the 500 and getting a 500/590 Magpul is probably the most economical way to go. Especially when you consider that a 500 doesn’t have the same Action slide tube assembly as a 590.
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