timb99

Depends. If you're hunting pheasants at a game farm over dogs, target load 7-1/2's will work. If you're hunting wild birds, and/or without dogs, like Novaking said, I'd recommend at least 1-1/4 ounces of shot, and as fast as you can get. Fiocchi Golden Pheasant Loads, Remington Pheasant Loads or Nitro Pheasant Loads, Winchester Supreme Loads or Super Pheasant Loads, or Federal Game Shok Loads or Wing Shok Loads all work well. I prefer 5 shot or 4 shot, but early season or close flushing birds, 6 works fine. Good luck!

RUT, The guy I know who shoots the Benelli is no slouch either, he's an NSCA Master Class shooter, and a fine shooting instructor as well. Virtually everyone else I know who shoots NSCA Sporting Clays shoots Beretta, Browning, or Perazzi over-unders. A few shoot semi-autos, and of those, its mostly Beretta 391's or Remington 1100/1187's. Nothing wrong with the Benelli, its just not the "sporting clays gun of choice" of most shooters around here. A friend of mine let me shoot a round with his 20 gauge Supersport, and I must admit, its a very nice handling and pointing gun. To some degree, I think a lot of folks subscribe to the "two barrels, two different chokes" theory for short/long target presentations at a given station. Two barrels gives you a little more flexibility. But really, that's a mind game. Choke for the long shot. If you're on, you're on. Most times, a more open choke won't get you a target you would have missed with a tight choke. Tim

Great stuff. You can get little spray cans at Mao-mart. A little goes a long way.

I'd shoot 6 shot too at 25 to 27 yards, but unfortunately, for ATA competition, 7-1/2 is the biggest they allow.

If they don't, send your extras to me. I love that load. Good, cheap ammo that I use when I run out of my reloads.

Your club lets you use number 6 shot? Most clubs prohibit anything bigger than 7-1/2 due to shot fall distance.

Yes and no. For the average guy, cheap shells are fine for skeet, and short yardage trap. The guys who take clay target shooting seriously can't afford to have shell problems, and that's why they use the expensive shells. The cheaper shells are cheaper for a reason. They use cheaper, dirtier powder, softer shot, sometimes they change the wad to whatever they have available at the time. I have taken apart Remington Gun Club shells (great ammo by the way) at different times, and have found different color powder and different wads in them (not in the same case, but rather, maybe a year apart.) Again, using cheap ammo is generally not an issue for short yardage situations like 16-yard trap, and skeet. For long yardage trap, like back at the 27 yard line, and for long yardage shots on the sporting clays course, the better components do make a difference. Harder shot patterns better than soft shot, and you can be more confident the AA shells you bought a month ago will perform the same as the AA shells you're going to buy next year. Hence, that's why you'll see the really good shooters, who compete on the national circuit, shoot the better shells. To some degree, its a confidence factor. The good shooters believe (right or wrong) that using the better ammo takes one variable out of the picture. That is, they have a lot of things to worry about trying to break all 200 of those trap targets in a big competition, and they don't want to be concerned with whether their ammo is going to be perfect. Another reason is if you are "into" clay target shooting, you probably reload to save money AND to tailor loads to your liking. The expensive shells like Win AA's, Federal Gold Medals, and Remington STS's and Nitro's offer hulls that can be reloaded 5 to 10 times before wearing out. BTW, I use 9's for skeet because I shoot a .410 (actually, I shoot my 12 gauge gun with full length .410 sub-gauge tubes.) There are about 260 number 9 pellets in my .410 reloads. Only about 150 if I were to use 7-1/2's.

Serves you right.

AND, IT WAS A 28 GAUGE WITH 7-1/2 SHOT!

splash, Modern smokeless powders are designed to be (nearly) completely burned in the first 15 to 17 inches of barrel length. Don't take my word for it, go research it as SAAMI (Small Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute.) It is true that in rifle barrels, a little more barrel length will get you a little more muzzle velocity, but you're working with MUUUUCH slower burning powders and MUUUCH higher pressures in rifles than shotguns. For shotgun barrels, however the effect is insignificant, and you couldn't really test this because the difference is so small its not measurable. SAAMI standards only require shotshell velocities (as tested in a test barrel) to be +/- 90 fps from their stated muzzle velocity, and that difference is more than what you'd be able to measure shot-to-shot to compare a long barrel to a short barrel. Regarding our pattern testing...with all due respect, comparing how many pellets in a coke can is hardly scientific, wouldn't you say? I'll grant you that of the two barrels you tested, the one with the long barrel probably throws a tighter pattern than the short one. But that's hardly concrete proof to support the global statement that "longer barrels throw tighter patterns than shorter ones." You'd have to have exactly identically machined barrels, and several of them, and exactly identical shells with exactly identical amounts of powder and pellets, then shoot hundreds of patterns on paper and count every single pellet strike, and do extensive statistical method calculations to confirm. And when its all said and done, the truth is, every barrel is different. Both of these issues have been long held so-called "facts" of shotgunning, but when actually tested by using scientific means, the testing is, at best, inconclusive. The only thing you CAN say with reasonable accuracy is that long barrels give you a longer sight plane. As to why goose guns had long barrels, well, have you seen a goose gun made in the last 30 years with a 36" long barrel? Me neither. Most "goose guns" nowadays are 10 gauge shotguns or 3-1/2" chambered 12 gauge shotguns with 24" or 26" barrels. I suspect in the days before improved gunpowders and modern wads were commonly used in shotshells, a long barrel MAY have actually made a difference.

Know your range and don't take shots beyond it. I'm a pretty good shot, but I wouldn't shoot at a dove that was more than 40-45 yards away. That's just wasting ammo.

If I may add, don't forget the Remington 1100 or 1187. A LOT of people, myself included, started off with the 1100 trap model when they took up trap shooting. And I know a lot of very good trap shooters who still shoot them. And a lot of folks, before over/unders became really popular, shot 1100 skeet models for competition. You can get the used, in good condition, for $500 to $800. Excellent starter guns.

Brian, If you're looking to shoot for fun, and not seriously shoot trap or skeet in competition, the supersport will be fine. If, on the other hand, you have fallen in love with trap shooting, (and many of us, myself included, do,) you'll find the supersport may not be the best choice for trap. In fact, I shoot a lot of trap and have never seen one used in trap competition. There's probably a reason for that. If you really want a dedicated trap gun, may I suggest a used Browning BT-99 to start with. Skeet is a totally different game from trap. A gun suited for trap may not necessarily be well suited for skeet. The vast majority of competitive skeet shooters use over/under shotguns with ~30" barrels, that are kind of heavy. In either case, buying a gun that fits you is extremely important. Find someone who really knows what that means. The guys at Guns Unlimited in Omaha may be able to help you out. Just some random thoughts.

If it hasn't been stated clearly here, gauge, choke, and barrel length have virtually nothing to do with how far shot travels. The two things of importance are: 1. Muzzle velocity. 2. Shot pellet size. Dumb Duck said, "To increase your EFFECTIVE range you can tighten your choke, increase the velocity of your shot and go to a larger shot size which will maintain velocity better. " Absolutely correct. Here's the key to hitting doves. 1. Get a gun that fits you! If you don't know what that means, find someone who does (not uncle Billy-Bob cuz he's a good shot...find someone who fits shotgun stocks as a trade.) 2. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Take your gun, go to your local range and shoot hundreds of skeet, trap, and sporting clays targets. Its fun, and it'll make you a MUCH better shot. If you do this, and you still can't hit the broad side of a barn, find someone at the range who is a NSCA wingshooting instructor, and take some lessons. Heck, Tiger Woods has a coach, why shouldn't you? Best of luck.

Totally personal preference, as you said. If your shooting style is such that you prefer covering the bird with the bead, and you have success shooting the gun this way, by all means, do it. If you do this, you'll have to put in a shim that lowers the comb. Good luck.

Careful modifying things used for home defense. If, God forbid, you ever actually have to use the gun in self defense, the fact that you modified the trigger may be used against you in court. Same if you use home-made reloads (don't use reloads, use factory shells.) Same with even something as simple as cocking the hammer on your revolver (don't cock the hammer, use the double action trigger.) I know, its stupid, but lawyers will use any avenue to make you seem the culprit in a criminal or civil court.

I teach hunter education in Kansas. I like to watch for obvious safety violations when I watch these shows. You know, don't point yoru gun at anythign you don't want to shoot, etc. I regularly find blatant safety violations. Seems like 9 out of 10 are whitetail deer hunting, and although I do, on occasion, hunt deer, its not my favorite. I prefer to watch pheasant hunting, but it is seldom featured. I'm like tucker, I generally couldn't care less about someone hunting warthogs in Mombassa, or axis deer in a fenced-in ranch in Texas.

I know of only one serious shooter who uses a Benelli for sporting clays shooting. He uses one of those Super Sport's. I'll be interested to hear if your Comp-n-Choke really has any effect on recoil. My bet is it won't, but some folks who buy them say they do. Maybe they just want to believe it since they spent so much on the thing. Anyway, there's a reason why most of the folks you see out there on the skeet, trap, and sporting clays courses are shooting Beretta, Browning, Perazzi, etc. and not shooting Benelli. A heavy rubber band (like theones they use in the produce depertment of the grocery store for stufff like broccoli) arouind the receiver placed so that it doesn't stop the bolt from going all the way forward, but does slightly block the ejection port, will help with hull flinging.

Not much. The 1187 has a stainless steel magazine tube, and the bolt has a larger (wider) ejector hook than the 1100. The big difference is the 1187 has a pressure compensated gas system that allows it to cycle heavy loads down to light target loads. The 1100 didn't have that system. Besides that, its virtually the same action internally.

Tucker's response is very clear and generally accurate. One exception to the "heavy" rule for gas guns. I won a Tri-Star Viper at a Pheasants Forever banquet. Its a gas-operated semi-auto. Lightest gun I own. Kicks like a freaking mule, even with target loads. Looking forward to hunting pheasants with it this fall, since its so light and easy to carry. But, so far, so good. I've shot a few hundred shells through it, and its only failed to cycle (didn't fully eject the spent hull) a few times. Would I have bought this gun myself? no. But free is good.

Novaking, Dove hunting like that puts a lot of stress on any gun. Not many pass that test. As I recall, most folks who use semi-auto's on those trips use Beretta 391's. Great gun.

Shotguns R Us Saw an ad recently at Cabela's (maybe Bass Pro) for a matte finish synthetic 1187 Sportsman model, for $550. You can get them used off gunbroker.com for probably $400 or less. That's how I got my daughter's 1100. Its still going strong. In fact, last night she texted me..at her first trap team practice of the school year, all the western Kansas country boys on the team were a little miffed that the city-girl pincess whupped them. Tim

Well, since Michael stated the interial system so eloquently, I'll try to do the same for the gas operated semi-auto's. 1. The shell is fired and the shot/wad cup head on down the barrel. 2. As the wad gets to about the end of the forearm, where there is a small hole, or port (sometimes multiple) in the barrel. This is open to the "cylinder" that is integral to the barrel. This is a polished cylinder with an o-ring at the muzzle end that seals the gases from moving forward (towards the muzzle end.) The cylinder also acts to hold the barrel in the receiver when you tighten down the magazine tube cap. 3. Inside the cylinder there is a piston ring that seals the annular area between the magazine tube and the cylinder walls. The piston ring is sometimes a two-piece arrangement, sometimes one piece. 4. The expanding gases from the powder being burned that are pushing the shot/wad out the barrel then also act to push the piston rings rearward along the magazine tube towards the receiver. The cylinder is only an inch or an inch and a half long, and as soon as the piston rings pass beyond the cylinder, all the gases are vented to the inside of the forearm (which is why you'll often see vents in the forearm of gas-operated semi-autos. 5. The "action sleeve" is a metal cylinder that slides up and down along the outside of the magazine tube that is connected to action bars which are connected to the bolt, much like the slide on a pump gun. When the gun is "in battery" the action sleeve is tight against the piston rings. The movement of the piston rings acts on the action sleeve and pushes it towards the receiver very much like the action in a pump gun. This rearward movement unlocks the bolt from the breech, and allows the bolt to move rearward, ejecting the spent hull. 6. The action spring (in some guns this spring is in the stock, in some it is on the outside of the magazine tube between the receiver and the action sleeve) pushes the action assembly and bolt forward into battery, again, an awful lot like a pump gun behaves. In simplest terms, a gas-operated semi-auto acts a lot like a pump gun, but instead of your arm providing the motive force to cycle the action, it is gases from inside the barrel pushing a set of piston rings which then moves the action rearward, and a spring returns the action forward.

Absolutely, on the gas path parts. Makes cleanup a piece of cake.

The down side to the 1100 is you have to keep the gas action clean for them to cycle reliably. With my daughter's 1100, I do a thorough cleaning (literally, taking everything apart except the little parts integral to the trigger group) about every 400 to 500 shots. Which, in her case, might be once a month.