Shoot a new GC-7 unsingle

I bought one in 2003. It gave me alot of trouble for the first year or so and was sent back to Omaha several times. SKB finally swapped my gun for a brand new, next generation combo and I haven't had a problem since. I do replace the main springs on a yearly basic just as a matter of PM.

Terry

I own and shoot a 12 ga 85TSS 32" barrel with adjustable comb. I bought it at the Grand in Sparta in Aug 2008. I shoot skeet with it. I have shot about 12000 rounds through it. Not one misfire or problem. I love it. It is pretty with the extra high grade wood but engraving isn't very fancy. I have shot about quite a few 25s with it. I love the Hi Viz sight with four different colors and two sizes of each color. I have been shooting skeet for about 4 years and only used semi-automatics until the SKB O/U. It is heavy at about 9lbs but works great for me. It is lot of gun for the money.

I am sold on the SKB. I bought an SKB three barrel 85TSS 30" barrel set 20,28, and 410 with adjustable comb this Aug 2009 at the Grand in Sparta. I really like the combo and I have shot great with all three barrels from the get go. These three guns weigh about 7 1/2 lbs each. I thought about buying tubes for my 12 ga but decided against converting the inertia trigger to mechanical and making it heavier yet with the tubes. I really enjoy shooting these three guns and the lighter weight. It is a different experience.

I believe I got great deals both times at the Grand. SKB are hard to find. Not many dealers.

My brother just bought a 12 ga 85TSS and he loves it as well. You can't be the value compared to Beretta or Browning.

I bought an 85TSS in August and it's back to SKB already for broken spring replacement. No doubt SKB provides a lot of Bang for the Buck, but there seems to be a lot of reliability issues. What is with the "annual" spring replacement maintenance deal...I've shot my 1100 for 20 years and never had to do anything more than clean it.

"Annual services," which mainly consist of spring replacements, timing checks and cleaning, are suggested by many gunmakers including Krieghoff. Some gun designs are more prone to spring failures (but not in a few months like yours) while others can go years and years without having them replaced. A lot of it depends upon how much tension is placed on the springs. Faster lock times require higher spring tension and that necessitates more frequent spring replacement. Due to lower spring tension as well as longer hammer travel, 870s and 1100s are notorious for slow lock times.

Ed

I have a practically new GC-7 Top Single that I am selling if anyone is interested. SKB's are great guns. Still have a 605 O/U 20 ga, and a 585 O/U 12 Ga. for skeet and pheasant.

Link to my gun for sale.

http://www.trapshooters.com/noframes/cfpages/thread.cfm?threadid=201337&Messages=8

Got my 85TSS Un-Single back from SKB...broken trigger spring. They suggested REMOVING the entire upper barrel assembly to eliminate a potential problem with that spring breaking and jamming the lower barrel mechanism. Then they replaced and upgraded the lower spring assembly. Cost me $100 with shipping back and forth. I liked the look, fit and feel well enough to buy it. Results leave a lot to be desired...way too many variables IMHO...and the Briley choke tubes included with the gun (Trap Full, Full & Improved Mod) don't seem to pattern very well (see AverageEd's comments above). Purchased a Briley Light- Mod choke direct from SKB which seemed to pattern much better until the trigger spring broke. I'll take it out Sunday for another try, but reliability issues and poor results are not sitting well with me.

Information SKB has new redesigned Hammer & sear springs of which come in all new guns. These can be installed in your gun on annual service work. Remember all springs break at some point that is why some Perazzi owners carry a extra trigger assembly with them all the time.

So I've been informed...I'm not giving up on it yet, but the performance, reliability issues and design flaws are trying my patience. The gun is patterning better with a light modified briley choke tube than with any of the tubes that came with the gun. Ligth 8's from 16 yards seem to be working well. I'll try the 7 1/2s from 27 yards this Sunday, which is what I purchased this gun for. I'm searching for the "right" combination here and welcome your opinions and suggestions.

Smok'n Joe, I think you have to try chokes for most guns. I always preferred ext. chokes but found in one gun that a Briley imp. mod. flush gave a great pattern. In the past I have used Hastings ext. because they came in .004 increments and I could nearly tailor one for my gun at the time. The best choke I ever used for a great pattern was a Wright # 6 for inv. plus gun. As close to a perfect pattern I could see. You will probably find most trap/skeet shooters with a variety of chokes. right now my 85TSS seems to like the Briley imp. mod., flush. Who knows.

Joe

Nuff said I guess.....

I too find the flush chokes from brileys to give better results (paper test) than their line of extended ones. 1/3 the cost as well. More even distribution.

I spoke with Stu Wright this morning...he is a Choke Guru but they don't make chokes for the SKB Competition Series. Great Guy, very knowledgeable and he will be doing some work for me when the snow flies.

Hey JoeE1,

We're all looking for a MAGIC COMBINATION that works and you're right on about guys toting a BAG FULL of choke tubes. I purchased the 85TSS to replace my 1994 vintage 1100 Trap because it came complete from the factory with just about every variable available on the market today. It looks good and feels good, but what I'm finding is that I've spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get it zeroed in and PERFORM up to my expectations.

On my first day out with this gun I struggled to break HALF my targets on my first round. After a box of shells on the pattern board and a laser bore sighting I determined it was shooting low and foot left...consistently. Adjust the comb,adjust the rib...okay, much better but still not what I want. So I buy a Light Modified Briley flush choke to go along with three other chokes that came with the gun. Ahhhhhhh...better pattern and SMOKE from 16 yards...21 straight until the trigger spring snaps! $100 later for replacements and upgrades on a "NEW" gun and I'm ready to give it another go tomorrow. I've shot about 30 rounds of trap with it over three months and spent more time PLAYING with different combinations than I ever imagined...

The day the spring broke I didn't bring a back up gun with me. I spent my day watching and talking with club members. An old man (and I'm 60!) sat with me after breaking 50 straight with his Model 12 made in 1949. Just a plain old Winchester Model 12 Trap. He told me it hasn't ever been in for a repair but he cleans it once a year "whether it needs it or not". No rib or comb to adjust. No nitrate receiver or fancy sights. Just a well used Pumper with a 30" Full barrel and a worn out original recoil pad. He told me he wished he had the energy to shoot another round or two, but he was tired and couldn't stand that much longer.

Moral of the story: It's not the WAND...It's the Magician!

I am sure glad that they were making the good guns on the days that my three were made!LOL Neil

Good to hear from so many here as I just bought an 85ttr combo. Like the one man pointed out a m-12 gets the job done very well without all the bells and whistles. I bought mine for shooting doubles. And, it'll be fun to mess with the single barrel. After reading the troubles others have had I guess I should locate ahead of time a gunsmith in my area for repair on this gun. I'm in the S.F. bay area. Does anyone have a recommendation for my area? Or should I just figure on boxing it up and shipping it back to Omaha? Jim Price

Smok'nJoe; The only way I know to set up a new gun to be close to your old gun is 1. shoot your old gun at a mark from 13 yds. ie., if it shoots straight, and say 2" high then shoot your new gun same way and adjust until it is hitting in the same way. If you mount it the same as old gun, you'll be very close to the same POI. Now you have a place to start from. I've had three SKBs before. They were purchased new. I never had a problem with them, but the persons that purchased them did replace the hammer springs and no problems to date. I just purchased a 85TSS combo used and am just getting use to it. I understand that the hammer springs are not hard to replace. You've probably read on hear of other makes having some problems? It's quite common for a gun shot a lot to break down once in a while. People spend a lot of money for K and P guns for example, then either send them in for annual checkup or purchase extra parts with the gun. For the money, SKB guns are a good value. good luck with yours.

Joe

Smok'in Joe, A little suggestion for you. As you have learned now, the place where the lead goes is left. You can cure the low part easy enough by raising the stock comb 1/16 shim at a time. The tough part is to create some cast off in the stock. SKB has a neutral cast, counting on lateral adjustment of the comb to align the eye down the rib. As I have found out, this may not cut it. In order of cost I would suggest- Make sure the buttpad is tight against your collar bone in the pocket, not out on the point of your shoulder. Wear the thinnest clothing you can as a thick coat does the reverse of above. Sand off the pad where it contacts collar bone so as to move the stock toward your neck/ body center. Dismount the pad and move it to the right to try to create any cast off dimension you can. Last, start working on the wood for better stock fit. Don't fret about mechanicals till they occur. I'm over 20,000 with no trouble whatsoever. Hope you will do the same. Regards The TinMan

If you picked up a USED 85TSS...may as well send it in to SKB to get the spring upgrade right away. I'm going out this morning with my Un-Single. It's been just over two weeks since last fired and I shot 15 rounds with my 1100 inbetween...made me wonder why I "UPGRADED".

I'll be using the 34" Un-Single...Winchester light 8 Super Target Shells... and a light modified Briley Choke @ 16 yards. That combination seemed to work pretty well the last time out until the trigger spring broke.

I'll let you know how it performed tonight. I've put too much time into trying to get it zeroed in. The look, fit and feel are great. The trigger spring has been upgraded and the top spring removed per SKB recommendation. If it doesn't meet my expectations it will be for sale by tomorrow morning and I'll go back to my 1100.

Well Sportsfans...let me begin by saying that today was one of these days that we have to grateful for. A sunny 70 degrees with winds under 10mph on November 8th ??? in ChiTown????? Glory Be!!!

After three practise rounds at 16 yards with decent results, we began the Annie Ritual Games at 27 yard handicap. The SKB 85TSS actually performed better at 27 yard handicap and beyond than it did at 16 yards. I managed to win a couple of pots, including the last round of the day which started at at 35 yards back. Shot the Annies with Winchester Super Target #7 1/2s.

The guys at SKB did a nice tune up on this 2005 85TSS and the gun performed flawlessly today with some incredible loooooong range breaking prowess.

it lives to fight another day...