Having shot competitively when I was younger and still being a bird hunter, I can tell you it sounds like you need two different guns. I shoot 20ga exclusively, but for home defense I'd probably want a 12ga so I could blow a larger hole in an intruder.

For skeet I prefer no longer than a 30" barrel. Helps in the wind especially. But as my instructor always said - see the target, shoot the target. If you can see something well and you're on point it's not going to matter if you have a 26" barrel or a 32". The biggest thing for me has always been stock-length and making sure I had the correct fitment. I'm sure at least one person here will argue with me, I've shot some of the more expensive/higher end guns made - Piotti, Bertruzzi, Kriegoff... I don't like them. I shot them on various occasions on sporting clays and five stand courses, the Bertruzzi never wanted to close, etc... I'll take my Browning Gold Hunter w/ 3" copper coated mag shells any day in the field or my 425 on the skeet field or shooting clays/5 stand any day. I can spank targets as well as anyone with a gun 50x more expensive than mine. In clay target style shooting or upland hunting, it's usually not the equipment, it's the operator.

Beretta, Browning, SKB, Remington... I've duck hunted with a Benelli, they are all great.

Not to mention I remember my dad coming back from England with his friend joking about how his friend's brothers/buddies all had the 80k-120k matching set Piottis and what not that never held up in the rain.

I know in other areas the make etc matters - and I am no sniper nor have I shot rifles in a few years - but I can tell you from experience I can outperform a $50,000 shotgun with a $900 Browning or SKB any day. Flame suit on!

Also - for home defense - Franchi SPAS 12 has always been my dream!

 

cstroked, well said.

 

You could do that but the barrel length in my experience does have an effect. Although as I said, see it and shoot it. For skeet I like long barrels wide chokes. I never shoot full choke. On five stand I shoot a skeet choke in the bottom and an improved cylinder or light modified on the top. Usually does the trick. For trap I think with a 30" barrel (usually trap guns have longer barrels) you'd be good with an IC or LM choke.

 

I love the supernova. Can't beat it for the price. Went geese hunting with one once and absolutely loved it.

 

Benelli M2 and get the tactical barrel and the longer barrel.

 

+1 on the Remington 870. Get one with a 20" barrel and you'll spend about $250-$300. Cheap enough to go out and get another gun for skeet.