Every expert has an opinion about the best trap shotgun for a
beginner, but the tend to agree on these "best" qualities:
- Get a gun that is made for shooting clays, not a hunting
shotgun.
- Find an inexpensive starter trap gun (under $1,000).
- Find a local trap club and buy a used trap gun that you have
test fired and that you shoot well.
- Get an adjustable butt comb and adjustable stock
The Super X has amazing walnut quality for a 1970's inexpensive trap
shotgun:
It’s difficult for a beginner to
choose the best trap shot, especially when they are advised by a
salesman with a motive to sell whatever trap guns they have in-stock.. When I started to learn trap, a salesman
convinced me that the best beginner trap gun was a double-barreled Franchii
hunting shotgun!
Note: I am a beginner in skeet
shooting and these notes were gleaned from
Charlie Brown
, the North Carolina State trap Champion and founder of the Charlie
Brown trap and skeet club in Kittrell NC, a short
30 minute drive
from Raleigh.
I shot miserably, and it was not until I found an unbiased advisor
that I learned that one of the best beginner trap shotguns in the
world, the Winchester Super X Model 1. I love the add-on
adjustable comb and butt stock:
The best beginner trap shotgun will have
adjustable butt and stock height for a perfect fit
I immediately improved my trap score by
6 shots and I absolutely love the look and feel of the old Super X
shotguns.
The Super X Model 1 gets my vote as best beginner
shotgun for several reasons:
- Lightweight: The semi-automatic feature
of the Super X makes it great for trap and skeet doubles, plus it is
lighter than traditional double-barreled shotguns.
- Fine Walnut stock: They
stopped making the Super X Model because ir was too costly, especially
the fine walnut burl that they used in the stocks. This is the
best wood stocks in any used shotguns available under $2,000.
- Best Price: You can buy a Super X with a trap barrel and a skeet
barrel for well under $1,000, making it the best value ever for a
beginner trap and sheet gun.
- Easy to add adjustable comb and butt length: With the
Monte-Carol stock you can have an adjustable comb installed, an absolute
requirement for any trap gun. In order for a gun to shoot its best
you must have a perfect fit, both in stock length and stock height.
You need a firm cheek weld that shows button-over-button on the sights,
and an adjustable comb is a necessity.
My family has three Super X model 1 shotguns, and they are without question
the best choice for a beginner trap gun. They are well-made, cheap
and gorgeous, but they do have limitations.
Just look at the quality of this walnut, far beyond and other
beginner trap shotgun in its price range:
The best beginner trap gun looks like an expensive trap shotgun
The super X requires
cleaning every several hundred rounds, and after you consistently shoot
in the 20’s from the 16 yard line, you may want to move-up to an
“expensive” trap” gun.
There is no “best” choice in the high-end
trap guns, and the only limit is your pocketbook. You can easily
pay $20,000 for a fine trap gun, but a nice used single shot trap gun
like a Perazzi TM1 can be purchased for as little as $1,500.
