Are you wondering about the best shotgun for clay shooting? You’re in the right place to find out more about the topic. Whether you’re a novice or a veteran clay shooter, we’ll point you toward the perfect shotgun for your needs.
Keep reading to learn more about the best shotgun for clay shooting.
The Popularity of Clay Shooting
Shotgun clay shooting is one of the most challenging sports around. It’s also one of the most popular, and why not? It’s fun.
You may see many expert sportsmen using high-priced over/under shotguns for clay shooting. If you’re a casual shooter, however, you don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a good shotgun.
We’ll point you toward a great option for beginning, novice, and advanced shooters.
Choosing a Shotgun
First, let’s go over the top options when choosing a shotgun for sporting clays. For example, you need a shotgun that holds at least two shells.
This need eliminates all single-shot shotguns. With this in mind, good remaining clay shooting shotgun options are:
- Auto-loaders
- Over/under
- Pumps
- Side-by-sides
All these options are great for clay shooting. Here, we’ll look at over/under and autoloaders.
Over/Unders
An over/under is the most popular type of shotgun for clay shooting. It’s a go-to firearm for clay shooting enthusiasts.
There are over/under available in a range of prices. You may pay around $1,000 or a little more for a good over/under clay shooting shotgun. Alternatively, a professional clay shooter might pay $30,000 for a high-end, break-action clay shooting rifle.
Over/under are more reliable than semiautomatics. They don’t have to cycle spent shells.
Also, they tend to do a bit better at breaking clays if they’re made especially for clay shooting. Some also have ported barrels to reduce recoil, making it easier to target the second clay.
Auto-Loaders
An auto-loader is another clay shooting favorite. For example, gas semi-auto sporting clay shotguns have a dampening recoil.
This feature makes auto-loaders very comfortable when shooting. Some veteran clay shooters even prefer auto-loaders.
However, auto-loaders require routine maintenance. They accumulate dirt and grime easily, especially if you use inexpensive ammo. If you want an auto-loader to last, you must service it consistently.
The Best Shotgun for Clay Shooting
If you’d like a recommendation for a specific brand, consider the CZ Sharptail Target, one of several great offerings by Dan Wesson. The Ringneck is an extremely popular shotgun in the CZ range. Dan Wesson built the CZ Sharptail Target on the success of the Ringneck.
The CZ Sharptail Target features an innovative action. It has coil springs rather than leaf springs.
It also comes with a mechanical trigger and pistol grip. What’s more, it looks great. Moreover, it lasts long and offers consistency.
More Entertainment for the Whole Family!
We hope our brief clay shooting shotgun overview has helped you decide on the best shotgun for clay shooting. Plus, we want to give you more great ideas for family fun.
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