What does $3,200 buy?

[Srbenda]

I was at the PG County Trap & Skeet range earlier, and tried out my hand at trap for the first time.

I had fun, and shot horribly.

Anyway, I've seen in the past, and saw them there today, very expensive shotguns, and besides the beautiful wood stock, and filigree and engraving, what else are you getting for your money?

How much better does a $3,200 shotgun shoot, than compared to a $300 Wal Mart special?

 

[wlc]

As with all things, there is a point of diminishing returns
Is a $500 shotgun $250 better then a $250 shotgun - possibly
Is a $3000 shotgun $1500 better then a $1500 shogun - probably not

I think with ultra expensive shotguns a lot of what you are paying for is brand name and finish (stock, engraving, etc..) some of them are works of art.

 

[MauiWowie]

It must come with someone to shoot it for you!

 

[trickg]

It would appear, based on some of the things I have read, that a multi-thousand dollar shotgun does truly offer some things that your run of the mill $300 870 Express doesn't:

-- better accuracy and ergonomics that assist the shooter in that accuracy
-- much better materials and workmanship
-- better reliability
-- better longevity - the expensive trap and skeet shotguns are designed with the idea that they will see thousands and thousands of rounds in their lifetime. A hunting shotgun, even if used regularly for hunting over years and years, won't see the kind of use that trap and skeet shotguns see. I've read that a regular run-of-the-mill shotgun will break down under the kind of usage that an expensive trap gun will eat up, and then ask for more.

Like with most things, you tend to get what you pay for. As an example, I'm a musician. I "could" get by gigging on a student model trumpet that costs in the neighborhood of $300-$600. However, I gig on a hand made trumpet that sells new for about $2600, for the reason that it's simply going to make my life on the gig easier. Overall it's made better so I have much better reliability, and flat out, it's easier to play, which translates into better music and a much better gig for me.

 

[Mickey the Dragon]

Based solely on Beretta's website, the first $1900 buys you a Beretta over-under shotgun. Anything more than that (like this $7700 beauty) and you're buying the exotic woods, better finish, and hand engraving.

Will a $1900 shoot better than the $300 Wal-Mart special? Certainly, as long as the shooter knows what he or she is doing.

Is the $7700 gun going to shoot better than the $1900 one? Maybe by a very slim margin, but only if you're brave enough to actually take it out of the safe.

 

[mike_in_md]

I love my all black 870 express for trap shooting. It does the job well. With a field gun like the 870 the trick is to have your sight picture to cover the bird completely just like if you are hunting. If I miss the bird, it's me, not the shotgun. High end shotguns have high ribs that you use to aim below the bird. In a shot gun that you pay good money for make sure that it is custom fitted to you, other than that any greater cost is not buying you much IMO. A custom fitted gun makes it easier to get in the right position each time. With a field gun I try to get my cheek on the stock the same way each time so that my sight picture is consistent...it takes practice.

 

[K31]

Custom fit? Stock for cross dominate eye/hand shooting?

 

[HoCoShooter]

It would appear, based on some of the things I have read, that a multi-thousand dollar shotgun does truly offer some things that your run of the mill $300 870 Express doesn't:

-- better accuracy and ergonomics that assist the shooter in that accuracy
-- much better materials and workmanship
-- better reliability
-- better longevity - the expensive trap and skeet shotguns are designed with the idea that they will see thousands and thousands of rounds in their lifetime. A hunting shotgun, even if used regularly for hunting over years and years, won't see the kind of use that trap and skeet shotguns see. I've read that a regular run-of-the-mill shotgun will break down under the kind of usage that an expensive trap gun will eat up, and then ask for more.

Like with most things, you tend to get what you pay for. As an example, I'm a musician. I "could" get by gigging on a student model trumpet that costs in the neighborhood of $300-$600. However, I gig on a hand made trumpet that sells new for about $2600, for the reason that it's simply going to make my life on the gig easier. Overall it's made better so I have much better reliability, and flat out, it's easier to play, which translates into better music and a much better gig for me.

god points. The only other thing I can think of is a much higher resale value, as most of the ultraexpensive guns will increase in value over time where my mossberg 500 probably won't.

 

[Srbenda]

It would appear, based on some of the things I have read, that a multi-thousand dollar shotgun does truly offer some things that your run of the mill $300 870 Express doesn't:

-- better accuracy and ergonomics that assist the shooter in that accuracy
-- much better materials and workmanship
-- better reliability
-- better longevity - the expensive trap and skeet shotguns are designed with the idea that they will see thousands and thousands of rounds in their lifetime. A hunting shotgun, even if used regularly for hunting over years and years, won't see the kind of use that trap and skeet shotguns see. I've read that a regular run-of-the-mill shotgun will break down under the kind of usage that an expensive trap gun will eat up, and then ask for more.

Like with most things, you tend to get what you pay for. As an example, I'm a musician. I "could" get by gigging on a student model trumpet that costs in the neighborhood of $300-$600. However, I gig on a hand made trumpet that sells new for about $2600, for the reason that it's simply going to make my life on the gig easier. Overall it's made better so I have much better reliability, and flat out, it's easier to play, which translates into better music and a much better gig for me.

Interesting. I rented a Beretta single shot, break barrel gun today. The woodwork and metal work were quite fancy, and I can certainly see how it would last much longer than my very basic Mossberg 500.

 

[trickg]

Well keep in mind that I have no firsthand knowledge on the matter - only what I have read. G&A (or it might have Been AR - not sure and I get them both) recently ran an article about current trap and skeet guns with the the subtitle, "Not Your Daddy's Shotgun" or something along those lines. I read the article with interest because there had been a discussion here around that time that got pretty heated where a poster had some disparaging remarks about our tacti-cool shotguns in favor of the higher quality trap and skeet shotguns. What I posted above was my impression of the generalized contents of that article as they applied to this thread.

One other thing that I just remembered is that many of those high end shotguns are fitted with release triggers - you pull the trigger and hold it, and release it at the appropriate time to fire it - apparently it accounts for a higher percentage of breaks over the long run once you get used to it.

 

[jjboxman]

Buy an 870 and spend the other $2900.00 on targets and shells, after 1 year your scores will be higher than the guys with the top grade guns.

 

[jjboxman]

Interesting. I rented a Beretta single shot, break barrel gun today. The woodwork and metal work were quite fancy, and I can certainly see how it would last much longer than my very basic Mossberg 500.

I have shot a lot of trap. expensive guns break and are expensive to repair. I shot an 870 3 days a week for 4 years, it broke. $15.00 for a fireing pin and spring and I fixed it myself.

 

[trickg]

I can definitely see your point and I don't doubt it a bit. I find much the same to be true even in my experiences in my local indoor ranges. I see guys rolling in with some pretty nice semi-autos. New Sigs, loaded 1911s - you name it. It seems that the majority of those folks have problems getting it within the man-sized silhouette at 25 feet.

 

[Bootknife]

Last year while in Fl. I had the opportunity to hold a hand made Italian OU that was produced by an"Old Master" Gunmaker.As I held the gun , enquired about the cost...And was told it cost 80g's,That's when I started sweatin bullets and carefully handed it back.It was a work of art why outta my league!Sweet though!

 

[Srbenda]

I can definitely see your point and I don't doubt it a bit. I find much the same to be true even in my experiences in my local indoor ranges. I see guys rolling in with some pretty nice semi-autos. New Sigs, loaded 1911s - you name it. It seems that the majority of those folks have problems getting it within the man-sized silhouette at 25 feet.

Ha!

My first run at trap shooting ended up with 11 of 25 clays hit.
I'd say that's pretty awful.

 

[Splitter]

My friend....the one and only time I shot trap, I hit my first six shots!

Unfortunately, I missed every single target after that. The gun was an expensive semi-auto Barreta, I have no excuses .

Someday I would like to get some instruction and try again.

Splitter

 

[Simon Yu]

Interesting. I rented a Beretta single shot, break barrel gun today. The woodwork and metal work were quite fancy, and I can certainly see how it would last much longer than my very basic Mossberg 500.

We're talking about different beasts here. Your Mossie will last a very, very long time. But a pump gun is different from a over/under, side by side, or semi-auto.

You get a lot more shotgun at a low cost with a pump action than you do a break action. O/U guns at that price are hunting guns, as others have mentioned. Ditto with the SxS guns. And I don't think I've seen a semi-auto that goes for the same price as the pumps.

A lot of what you're paying for is specialization. A pump action shotgun is good at a lot of things. The more expensive types can be great at what they're designed for due to custom fitting, designing the sight for one type of game or another, etc. And while a pump gun works well for trap where you only have one clay popping out at a time, the other two clay games benefit from not having to work the pump when more than one clay is moving around.

Mind you, this is all based on what I've been told by others much more experienced. I've only made it out to PG skeet and trap once and shot horribly as well

 

[august1410]

$3200 will buy my cut-down Mossy 500. And my 410 NEF pardner.....and I will be smiling all the way to Cabela's to buy my WW Greener SXS...with $500 to spend on ammo....

 

[alucard0822]

We're talking about different beasts here. Your Mossie will last a very, very long time. But a pump gun is different from a over/under, side by side, or semi-auto.

You get a lot more shotgun at a low cost with a pump action than you do a break action. O/U guns at that price are hunting guns, as others have mentioned. Ditto with the SxS guns. And I don't think I've seen a semi-auto that goes for the same price as the pumps.

A lot of what you're paying for is specialization. A pump action shotgun is good at a lot of things. The more expensive types can be great at what they're designed for due to custom fitting, designing the sight for one type of game or another, etc. And while a pump gun works well for trap where you only have one clay popping out at a time, the other two clay games benefit from not having to work the pump when more than one clay is moving around.

Mind you, this is all based on what I've been told by others much more experienced. I've only made it out to PG skeet and trap once and shot horribly as well

You are on the right track, I am no expert by any means, but have been busting clays for a few years, and learned from a few pros and those that knew their stuff.

Basically, even though an O/U is a relatively old and simple design, there is a much greater need to hold tight tolerences, the action pin and latch takes the brunt of the abuse, and they must fit perfectly even after being blasted apart thousands of times, if they loosen up due to inferior fit or materials, then the gun wil shoot like s#!t. Even today, it is hard to beat what an O/U can do when only 2 shots are required, they can fire both barrels faster than any auto, and allow for different chokes to be used for each shot, where shooting doubles in trap, the first shot may be only about 30 yards away, the second shot may be 45-50 yards, and a tighter choke for that second shot can simply bust more clays. High end guns also have a better trigger and better design than el-cheapos, some low end O/Us that use a single trigger feel gritty and sometimes way different when firing the top or bottom barrel, better guns have the same smooth and short pull, with no overtravel, and a short reset reguardless of which barrel is being fired, and consistent lock time for both firing pins and mechanisms. They also hand fit more parts, the barrels are bored true, and fit completely parralel to keep POI the same when either barrel is fired, making shots consistent for each barrel individually, and with consistent point of aim for both barrels, like nice 1911s or precision rifles, the more attention to details, and old fashioned hand fitting that are done, the more consistent the gun will shoot, this is what you pay for. Although once you get past $3500-$4000 worth of Browning Citori, or some Beretta O/Us, most of the money goes to the name, special engraving and jeweling, precious metal inlays or rare and expensive cuts of wood or metal finishes and labor, but they probably don't shoot much better.

As far as repeating guns go, having a single barrel makes things more consistent just by design, one trigger group, one point of impact, consistent lock time, and one choke tube. A pump will take tens or hundreds of thousands of rounds without needing significant repair, but it is slow to fire a second shot, and takes some practice to pump while tracking and not have it affect your aim. Semis can fire the second shot faster, but introduce reliability and tuning issues with light loads, however they do cut a lot of recoil out. As far as pumps go, an 870 or 500 is as reliable as they come, and outside of the fact that you have to pump it, they are perfectly capable of shooting clays. Semis are a little more complicated, the piston mechanism can affect the weight and balance of the gun, although with 1100s and Berettas, reliability is not an issue, with Berettas tending to be a little lighter and less bulky up front, I have busted plenty of clays with my synthetic stocked AL391, and have tried 1100s and 11-87s, decent models are about the same price, or a little cheaper, but don't fit me as well, don't include all the stuff the Berettas do, and are a little heavier and clunkier IMO untill you get to the higher end more expensive guns. I also like Benelli's, and the couple I have fires shot well, but some pretty knowledgeable shooters I have talked to say the inertial operated system is not as reliable and consistent with a wide range of loads as the gas guns are, and for the price, I wouldn't want to take the chance, especially with how happy I am with my Beretta.

 

[13mogul]

A new Purdy will cost you over $100K. Yes, 100 thousand. But it's custom fitted for you, and will be the envy of all. They also hold their value. I've seen antique Purdy's go for well over $50K.
But with all that, the shooter's what drops the bird, not the gun.