I am looking for recommendations for a new Skeet shotgun

I am looking for recommendations for a new Skeet shotgun

If you give a recommendation, please give a reason for your recommendation

If I go with an o/u, is there really that much difference between a Citori, and a less expensive o/u?

Depends on what you mean by difference. I've shot a Citori for years, you can "feel" the quality difference no doubt. As far as pointing and going bang, there's only so many factors, and all new guns should do it.

By "feel" I mean: balance of the gun, quality of the wood, tightness of the fit, the safety and trigger group doesn't wiggle at all, all of which can be off with cheaper shotguns that I've picked up for kicks.

Very good sir. Thank you for your response

Some will depend on how serious you want to be. Citori is a fine gun, no doubt, but it ranks a bit low on the skeet circuit (that is not to say you can't shoot 25 or 100 straight, you certainly can!) and resale is not as good as some others. The K80 is probably at the top with the Berettas close behind and a few Perazzis. I shot 'the circuit' for 3 years using a used Remington 3200 (forerunner to the K32 then K80) and did fine. If I were to start again and had limited budget I would look online for a used 3200. If you don't plan on shooting a lot of competition, the Citori is fine. If I were to stick with 12 guage only I'd opt for for one of the Beretta semis.

P_102

Thank you for your response

I will not likely be shooting any circuit, just shooting at my gun club.

As above - plus, will you be using the shotgun for hunting/trap/sporting? If multi use, then find a sporting model with changeable chokes. Pick a shotgun that just naturally comes to the eye/rib/beads. If you are strictly skeet, keep in mind that skeet is shot with 12, 20, 28 gauge and .410 bore if serious about it.

Added - most certainly you will have a difference between a citori (or other reasonably priced shotguns like Beretta etc.) and a cheaper gun. Most definately someone with a Huglu might out shoot you, but after 20,000 rounds the cheaper gun will be showing wear.

Thank you for your input sir. I appreciate it

I bought a "cheap" semi-auto to start shooting sporting clays & have had a ball learning skeet & sporting clay. And it only cost me $325 for a TriStar Raptor. I figure if I go bonkers with it I'll invest in a higher end gun later. (and have a spare for a friend) If it turns out to be a passing interest then I didn't lose much & I still have a nice little semi-auto shotgun that I can use for other potential interests. So far its operated flawlessly. Good Hunting!

The thing with an over under is how well and easily you can clean it.. franchi is one of mil favorites for 5stand.. good weight lots of stability and I’ve seen them take thousands of rounds with no issues.. get what you pay for

If you shoot some skeet every now and then you will not notice the difference between cheap and a bit of quality.. it’s when you use it every weekend we’re you will notice the difference

Now if your talking about a 2k+ shotgun then yeah it’s good.. it better be.

Whether you buy them or not I would start out by looking at and shouldering both a Citori and a Beretta. They are going to be priced similarly and both are high quality. Either one should last a long time and if you do have a problem, parts are readily available. One or the other will fit and feel better and very few shooters shoot both equally well. Fit rather than looks should play the major role in your selection. Now go compare other shotguns, but know that with the exception of SKB and Miroku, the long term durability of the lessor priced shotguns will most likely not be as good.

X2

I have been shooting the same Remington 3200 Skeet Model since 1984. Back then I shot NSSA in California, Class AA. My 3200
has at least 50,000 rounds through it. And you can still find these guns for ~$1,000

If you're focus is truly just on SKEET then keep the barrel length too 26" on an Auto and 28" on the O/U.
You'll want a fast pointing gun.
If you'll be shooting Sporting Clays and any of it's variations, then 30 - 32" barrels on the O/U and 30" on the Auto.
Beretta O/U's in the 686 Family have an auto safety that needs to be disabled or you'll go nuts.
There are grades of both Citori's n Silver Pidgeons that are considered "entry" or "Field" and aren't designed to be shot 400+ rounds a day. Your shoulder will quickly tell you i'm speaking the truth. If you're serious a fitting of the gun to shoot where you look will be necessary otherwise you'll be hard pressed to win or run a 25. Lastly lessons, or shooting with really good guys is the best money you can spend to be the best you can be without a Mental Coach, because shooting 400 straight is 110% Mental nd 110% Skill.

My son is on his HS's Clay Target team and shoots a Browning Cynergy, great gun but I really can't compare it to any others. It's now wood stocked, Gracoil, etc.

If you want something for just recreational use at the club, I think it's tough to beat a good semi, unless you're really going to focus on Sporting Clays. O/U's let you play the choke game for clays easier, Semi's are easier on the shoulder.

I can kind of keep up with my son with my synthetic stocked, 3.5" chambered, 28" Remington VersaMax. She never misses a lick, even on the low brass stuff. My son's 3.5" Maxus struggled with cycling low brass rounds.

Good luck with your choice,
Charlie

you have a budget?

I've seen everything from a $300 - $3,000+ mentioned here.

If you're committed to the game, cry once and buy a dedicated Clays gun.

if your not sure, buy one of the Turkish shotguns (nothing wrong with them by the way). If you enjoy the competition with the other members, the rest will be history.

just remember then, you only cry once, get your seller to adjust fit for you, Fit is VERY important, it will get you 5 more hits per round.

you are in Grapevine, drive over to the Berretta Gallery in Highland Park Village, enjoy the view. Elm Fork Shooting Range, you can rent a couple clays guns, Berretta's and Fabarms (Google them) a great shotgun!!!

I can agree with everything Buzz said except the Turkish O/Us.
Buy quality, if you don't enjoy the gun or sport, you won't take too big of a loss if you decide to sell.

Wondering what you decided on getting?

Yeah, what did you end up getting?

Late to the game but I would like to add a little something that I did not see mentioned. Are you a bird hunter and if so do you plan on using the O/U as your primary gun? When I was heavy in sporting clay comps I had a Ruger red label O/U with Briley comp chokes installed. I was also a very big duck hunter so used my trusty old Remington 1100. Using 2 different guns really affected the way I shot when I would swap. To fix this I sold both guns and bought a Benelli superblack eagle to serve double duty. By doing that I feel that my shooting has improved even more. Just something to think about

^^^^This

Fit is critical, and the above is a great way to try many options. Don't rush the decision if you haven't decided yet.