No one has mentioned it yet, but trap and skeet guns are very different from each other. Generally, the trap guns have a longer barrel and a higher comb than skeet guns. If you plan on doing both, you might want to look at a good sporting clays O/U. The SC guns are set up as a compromise for sporting clays which combine both disciplines. When I was selling guns as a job, this was a good one:

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This is the newer, adjustable version. Keep in mind there are several grades as well. The more basic one (though still very nice) is about half the price of this one. All these Beretta shotguns are made beautifully. Good luck!

 

That looks great. No dealer though anywhere in this area! Any online dealers you recommend?

 

If they give you too much crap, just mention Tom Knapp.

YouTube - Benelli Shotgun Amazing Shots

 

You can get a nice Beretta Sporting Clays O/U for $3-4K or a very nice used one for $1.7K +/-. I bought a former co-worker's Beretta Silver Pigeon 686 for $1.3K a couple years ago. Fantastic piece. The internals of most o/u shotguns are pretty simple....you get up in price for the inlays/wood work, etc. I started out with a Beretta Urika 391 automatic. Didn't want to spend a bunch of money at first if I wasn't going to get into it. I recovered about 80% of what I spent on that gun 4 years later. They hold their values very well.

Check out gunsamerica.com and shotgunworld. All you need to do is find a licensed FFL dealer near you and have it shipped there.

 

A lot of good options listed in here.

I used to compete a bit in skeet when I was younger and have shot a lot of 5 stand and sporting clays, never trap though.

I have said this before but when it comes to targets I am not a big believer in fancy/expensive shotguns - among other things my instructor always stressed it was very simple: see the target shoot the target. I have shot $50k+ guns (one of which had trouble closing, you had to close it a "special way") and to me it's not worth it. I would take my Browning. I have several different go tos, I prefer the Browning and the SKBs I have. I have an interchangeable barrel set but I never use it, I always shoot 20ga. If you can shoot it with a 12, you can shoot it with a 20. I have kicked peoples asses who shoot with all the fancy stuff, expensive Italian guns, fitted stocks, and what not with a 30" barrel over/under Browning.

I would go over/under of some sort. Trap guns do have longer barrels. I have shot between 26"-32" barrels and I prefer at least 28" if not 30". Take your pick there are a lot of good guns out there. Spend what you are comfortable spending, but I will tell you in skeet especially it is the operator not the equipment.

 

I was a state champion for trap shooting in high school. You can do it with a "normal" gun. I shot a Browning Citori with 28" barrels.

I do not really shoot trap or skeet anymore since I find it too repetitive. You should try sporting clays as it offers a lot more shots.

Also, I recommend an over and under for one main reason, when you are loading hundreds of rounds in a day it can become painful to push the bullets into the magazine.

 

Browning O/Us are also excellent. I suggested Berettas since they feel a little more polished. ALMS21 posted exactly what I was referring to with grades/prices. FWIW, my very first trap shoot was with my 18" Benelli Super 90 (when Benellis first came out). This was at Pachmayr in LA - the regulars didn't know WTF to think until I started shooting 18s and 20s with it.

 

Isnt it great to have the wife out shooting? Took my wife to the range Saturday and she loved shooting my AR and her .22 rifle and pistol. She put her target up in her cubicle this morning and now wants to know what handgun I am going to buy her !

As for skeet, regular guns... no need to spend thousands when a good OU or auto would work just fine. They all shoot the same shells, same shot. Its the shooter, not the weapon!

 

Berettas are great. Almost bought a 390 because we needed another auto since my dad and I fought over our Gold Hunter.




Skeet is definitely very repetitive. I rarely if ever shoot clay targets anymore, mainly just hunt upland. You have to make it fun. Gun down, open, feet crossed, 10yds back off the concrete, pull the target whenever you want...

 

You have to make it interesting, barrels breached with gun in one hand and two shells in the other hand and shoot true pairs. Two clays in one shot doesn't count.