Go to a large shoot that has vendors. The satellite grands in Tucson seem to have lots of guns for sale.
Where to test out guns before purchase? Also need opinions on a shortlist of guns to consider.
I'm in the market for a new gun and have a budget of ~$20k. I'd be willing to go up another 20% or so for the right gun. Because I plan to drop some serious money (to me anyway) on a new gun, I'd like to be able to test out several different options before buying one. Is there a place where I can go and actually shoot several different high-end guns before I purchase them? I don't mind traveling to get there and I'd be open to a used gun if its in very good condition. I know that the best gun will be the one I shoot well, so I'm simply looking to get some opinions on guns that should be on my shortlist and also where to try them out before I buy.
I'll list several of the makes/models I'm looking at, but would also be open to alternatives based on the listed requirements.
My requirements/preferences in a new gun:
Here are the options I'm looking into as far as make/models (no particular order):
And to throw some more options into the mix, I wouldn't be against considering the following, but it seems (to me at least) that the options above are better, but I'm open to alternative views:
So if you were in my position, what options would be on your shortlist and where would you go to shoot them before purchasing?
I'll list several of the makes/models I'm looking at, but would also be open to alternatives based on the listed requirements.
My requirements/preferences in a new gun:
- 12 gauge
- Mostly used for trap, but occasionally sporting clays, and also skeet a couple of times a year
- Must be a combo with both O/U and a top/unsingle barrel
- Maximum adjustability: comb, rib, LOP, pitch, etc.
- Prefer recoil reduction, but I do not want a gracoil (open to suggestions on aftermarket options)
- I don't care for fancy engraving, so preferably a receiver more on the plain side
- Wood grade doesn't hold much meaning for me as long as it doesn't look cheap
Here are the options I'm looking into as far as make/models (no particular order):
- Krieghoff K80 ACS or Trap Special combo
- Perazzi High Tech 5 combo
- Blaser F3 Super Trap combo
And to throw some more options into the mix, I wouldn't be against considering the following, but it seems (to me at least) that the options above are better, but I'm open to alternative views:
- Kolar Max Trap Low Profile (not sure if this comes in a combo)
- Zoli Z-Trap
- Caesar Guerini Invictus I Trap
So if you were in my position, what options would be on your shortlist and where would you go to shoot them before purchasing?
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
Or the regular Grand.
This is a good recommendation. There are large vendors that normally go to the major tournaments. They typically have demo or use guns that you can try in the practice range. Depending on the vendors, you might can borrow one to shoot in the tournament. Also, you can observed what the top shooters are using and ask why they are using them. Most will let you try their gun out if you ask. I certainly have not turn down any requests. I shoot a Kolar combo and my wife shoot a Krieghoff combo.Go to a large shoot that has vendors. The satellite grands in Tucson seem to have lots of guns for sale.
I have heard many shooters say “A shooter HAS to put 5,000 rounds through a NEW gun to
know if he can shoot it WELL “!!!
I am of the TOTALLY OPPOSITE OPINION !!!
If you mount a gun.....it feels good.....close your eyes....mount it..... and open your eyes and the
beads look perfect.....take to the trap.
If you run a score better than usual......BUY IT !!!
If you buy a gun AND can shoot it.....shoot it !!!.....if you can’t.....SELL IT !!!
know if he can shoot it WELL “!!!
I am of the TOTALLY OPPOSITE OPINION !!!
If you mount a gun.....it feels good.....close your eyes....mount it..... and open your eyes and the
beads look perfect.....take to the trap.
If you run a score better than usual......BUY IT !!!
If you buy a gun AND can shoot it.....shoot it !!!.....if you can’t.....SELL IT !!!
Depends on where you live but I would go to Tucson for the Autumn or Spring Grand
The vendors have a lot of guns you can test drive
I don't have any experience with the other mini grands or The Grand
The vendors have a lot of guns you can test drive
I don't have any experience with the other mini grands or The Grand
You really can't go wrong with many of the big brands (Krieghoff, Perazzi, Kolar). However if you go a little cheaper like Caesar Guerini you might be able to afford a dedicated trap gun combo and a sporting gun. Considering that they might not be set up exactly the same I'd say this could be the best move. Either way you go Kolar or Briley could probably make tubes for either. If you know they're going to be set up the same then the Kolar LPT might be a great fit. These do come in a combo and I'm sure kolar/elite wouldn't have an issue setting you up with a set of tubes as well.
If you really want a recoil reduction you'll want to make sure you shoot some doubles with one. I've got a buddy that likes the recoil reduction but has issues with machine gunning with the RAD he has on his gun. We put a spacer in the RAD so it wouldn't absorb the recoil and the problem went right away. I know if you go Kolar you might talk to them about their trigger upgrade with an interlock. This is to make sure the gun doesn't double or machine gun on you.
I'd say your best be to try guns is going to Indiana Gun Club and seeing Michael Gooch while he's in town as he has a lot of their used and new inventory with him while he travels around the country selling. If you're going the Kolar route then I'd reach out to Aaron Willoughby or Justin Miller at Elite Shotguns. Elite has a field at their showroom so anything you want to try or different stock configurations for the Kolar's are in play. Either way you go great people to work with.
Most important thing is to try all the guns. This is a large investment monetarily and with your time. Don't rush.
Good Luck!
If you really want a recoil reduction you'll want to make sure you shoot some doubles with one. I've got a buddy that likes the recoil reduction but has issues with machine gunning with the RAD he has on his gun. We put a spacer in the RAD so it wouldn't absorb the recoil and the problem went right away. I know if you go Kolar you might talk to them about their trigger upgrade with an interlock. This is to make sure the gun doesn't double or machine gun on you.
I'd say your best be to try guns is going to Indiana Gun Club and seeing Michael Gooch while he's in town as he has a lot of their used and new inventory with him while he travels around the country selling. If you're going the Kolar route then I'd reach out to Aaron Willoughby or Justin Miller at Elite Shotguns. Elite has a field at their showroom so anything you want to try or different stock configurations for the Kolar's are in play. Either way you go great people to work with.
Most important thing is to try all the guns. This is a large investment monetarily and with your time. Don't rush.
Good Luck!
There are three combos that you should try - Kolar, Krieghoff, and Perazzi. I like to be able to pull the trigger assembly for inspection and maintenance. Kolar and Perazzi allow you to do this easily. It is nice to be able to replace firing pins, springs, and hammers. If you don't shoot much or plan for servicing this is irrelevant.
Any one of those brands will get the job done as long as it fits well and feels good to you. I know a lot of the larger state shoots even have vendors that carry those guns and you can try them on the practice traps. Grand and Satellites as mentioned as well. I like to consider myself brand agnostic but then I look in the safe and see 3 P guns so I guess I do gravitate one way a little more than the others. The only guns in your list that I never really got my hands on to own or try (didn't need to) was the Blaser. it's a good problem to have with budget already planned. Enjoy the journey.....
Almost any large shoot that has vendors will most likely have vendors that will lend you a demo to shoot. Also keep a box or 2 of new shells when you go to any range. You see someone shooting a gun you are interested in, ask if you could try it out on the practice trap using the new shells.
Seriously consider picking up a single barrel Trap gun and a Trap O/U. Make both the same make.
I stated with a combo. I had a hammer break and had to borrow a gun to shoot the Doubles events.
I now use Joel Etchen Beretta 687s, an Unsingle and an O/U. The barrels will switch for both. Although the ejectors for the O/U do not work when using the O/U barrel on the Unsingle action. There has been a few times when one gun broke, I still was able to continue shooting a gun fitted to me. So either gun is the back up for the other. For me I shoot a Precison Fit Stock with my Unsingle and the regular stock for the O/U. I have the stock wrench in my gun case so I can change the stock if one gun fails.
Jason
Seriously consider picking up a single barrel Trap gun and a Trap O/U. Make both the same make.
I stated with a combo. I had a hammer break and had to borrow a gun to shoot the Doubles events.
I now use Joel Etchen Beretta 687s, an Unsingle and an O/U. The barrels will switch for both. Although the ejectors for the O/U do not work when using the O/U barrel on the Unsingle action. There has been a few times when one gun broke, I still was able to continue shooting a gun fitted to me. So either gun is the back up for the other. For me I shoot a Precison Fit Stock with my Unsingle and the regular stock for the O/U. I have the stock wrench in my gun case so I can change the stock if one gun fails.
Jason
I would do this to each of the shotguns you have selected on your list.If you mount a gun.....it feels good.....close your eyes....mount it..... and open your eyes and the
beads look perfect.....take to the trap.
Then you can narrow down your search. Then test shoot each shotgun on your narrowed list. Go Home and think about which gun you prefer. Go back the next day, and mount each shotgun in the running with your eyes closed again. After doing this a few times. You'll know which shotgun feels the best.
It might not be the shotgun that broke the most targets when you shot it either!!! You may need a adj. butt plate, or Comb installed yet??? Think about how the gun feels with your eyes closed.
The Grand American Trap Shoot is held in Sparta, Ill. in less than 3 months. That is where I would go to try all the guns on your list. break em all jeff
The Ohio State shoot at the Cardinal Center in late June is another location to try all of these guns as well. Elite Guns and Indiana Gun Club has shops there at that time as well
I would suggest contacting Mike Gooch at Indiana Gun Club and find out where he will be with their trailer at a shoot near you as he travels with ALOT of new and used inventory.I'm in the market for a new gun and have a budget of ~$20k. I'd be willing to go up another 20% or so for the right gun. Because I plan to drop some serious money (to me anyway) on a new gun, I'd like to be able to test out several different options before buying one. Is there a place where I can go and actually shoot several different high-end guns before I purchase them? I don't mind traveling to get there and I'd be open to a used gun if its in very good condition. I know that the best gun will be the one I shoot well, so I'm simply looking to get some opinions on guns that should be on my shortlist and also where to try them out before I buy.
I'll list several of the makes/models I'm looking at, but would also be open to alternatives based on the listed requirements.
My requirements/preferences in a new gun:
- 12 gauge
- Mostly used for trap, but occasionally sporting clays, and also skeet a couple of times a year
- Must be a combo with both O/U and a top/unsingle barrel
- Maximum adjustability: comb, rib, LOP, pitch, etc.
- Prefer recoil reduction, but I do not want a gracoil (open to suggestions on aftermarket options)
- I don't care for fancy engraving, so preferably a receiver more on the plain side
- Wood grade doesn't hold much meaning for me as long as it doesn't look cheap
Here are the options I'm looking into as far as make/models (no particular order):
- Krieghoff K80 ACS or Trap Special combo
- Perazzi High Tech 5 combo
- Blaser F3 Super Trap combo
And to throw some more options into the mix, I wouldn't be against considering the following, but it seems (to me at least) that the options above are better, but I'm open to alternative views:
- Kolar Max Trap Low Profile (not sure if this comes in a combo)
- Zoli Z-Trap
- Caesar Guerini Invictus I Trap
So if you were in my position, what options would be on your shortlist and where would you go to shoot them before purchasing?
I would suggest contacting Aaron from Elite(they are a vendor here also) and find out where his trailer will be at a shoot near you.
We will be attending the Buckeye and Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin state shoots. Then we will be at the Grand in August. We will have Kolar, Caesar Guerini, and Zoli demos with us at all of the shoots. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Justin Miller
Elite Sales Associate
859-585-1870
[email protected]
Justin Miller
Elite Sales Associate
859-585-1870
[email protected]
Jeez... with that line-up and budget, I'd plan trips to the factories in Germany and Italy... go to the source... I'm sure they each have a range.
I am jealous😇
You’ve gotten tons of good advice and i really can’t improve upon it, but as some have suggested, it’s difficult to use a dedicated trap gun at Sporting Clays. Not impossible, but harder to use for some target presentations, such as dropping targets or close, in your face, targets. i like the idea of a separate sporting/skeet gun!
Just my opnion, I bought a used Blaser super trap because it is well manufactured, but the main reason I could buy different guages and barrel types and didn't need a gun smith to fit the different barrels. I bought a 20 ga sporting clays barrel to shoot skeet and sporting clays. Just needed to adjust the comb to shoot clays. Also all the weight adjustmets. If it is fitted right the recoil is very light.I'm in the market for a new gun and have a budget of ~$20k. I'd be willing to go up another 20% or so for the right gun. Because I plan to drop some serious money (to me anyway) on a new gun, I'd like to be able to test out several different options before buying one. Is there a place where I can go and actually shoot several different high-end guns before I purchase them? I don't mind traveling to get there and I'd be open to a used gun if its in very good condition. I know that the best gun will be the one I shoot well, so I'm simply looking to get some opinions on guns that should be on my shortlist and also where to try them out before I buy.
I'll list several of the makes/models I'm looking at, but would also be open to alternatives based on the listed requirements.
My requirements/preferences in a new gun:
- 12 gauge
- Mostly used for trap, but occasionally sporting clays, and also skeet a couple of times a year
- Must be a combo with both O/U and a top/unsingle barrel
- Maximum adjustability: comb, rib, LOP, pitch, etc.
- Prefer recoil reduction, but I do not want a gracoil (open to suggestions on aftermarket options)
- I don't care for fancy engraving, so preferably a receiver more on the plain side
- Wood grade doesn't hold much meaning for me as long as it doesn't look cheap
Here are the options I'm looking into as far as make/models (no particular order):
- Krieghoff K80 ACS or Trap Special combo
- Perazzi High Tech 5 combo
- Blaser F3 Super Trap combo
And to throw some more options into the mix, I wouldn't be against considering the following, but it seems (to me at least) that the options above are better, but I'm open to alternative views:
- Kolar Max Trap Low Profile (not sure if this comes in a combo)
- Zoli Z-Trap
- Caesar Guerini Invictus I Trap
So if you were in my position, what options would be on your shortlist and where would you go to shoot them before purchasing?
All of yourselections are very good.
If you have a $24k budget, you'd be foolish not to invest $1k and make a trip to Sparta for a couple days during the grand to demo every gun on your list.
I would go with an American made Kolar and have them fit it to you. You will never be sorry.
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
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