Mr Slugo

Boresnake is excellent for "field cleaning" a shotgun. We used them extensively when I shot pistol teams. They are NOT meant to substitute for jags, or a good thorough take down cleaning with solvents, patches, and bristles, etc etc. I use mine all the time on trap and sporting clay ranges. They are a good "maintenance trick" to keep gun cleaner. Leave the choke IN so you do not drag crap into the choke threads (the snake string breachloads and then pulls from the choke end). I put a slight spray of Birchwood Casey Barricade on mine. I clean my Boresnake with basic liquid hand soap from the bathroom sink, cheap and easy. Gets the crud off and when dry, its ready for another Barricade spray and then putting away in my gun bag. (even seen some guys toss them in the wash machine or dishwasher to clean them:eek:!).

With a 9 year girl who has not shot skeet yet, but is enthusiastic .... don't by any gun until she tries one. Any way to get a loaner for her to try ; borrow from a friend, a shelf model from a club gun, etc. will answer your question better. Any 20 gauge, 28 gauge, .410 that she can try with light loads {example 20Gauge=7/8oz, #9: 28Gg= 5/8oz #9; .410 2-1/2"shell 1/2ounce , #9 ... the light ammo's are VERY important} will save you money and maybe get her far more interested than if you take a chance that a gun you buy will fit her comfort zone. Take her advise on what she likes from what she has shot, and let her pick the gun and gauge in your price range. New or used. Mistake to buy a gun for a kid and they don't feel comfortable shooting it. Best gun to buy is the one the kid will joyfully practice with because they truly want to. With today's' kids, you got to let them try it before you buy it.

If you truly want to shoot more than 1 year on a trap team; then I can only say timb99s' advice is 100% right. Trap guns are high volume shooters. They are not cheap. There is NO gun that will do everything. That is sales hype, or inexperienced enthusiasm. Competition Trap is a game won with constant high scores. If you shoot with other team members depending on you, well you better have the right tool to be consistent. Guys who BS and say they shot high practice scores need to prove it in competition/league throughout their league season. I could tell you of 23-24 practice shooters who couldn't bust 16 in competition. Different pressure. If you shoot just for fun, well yeah, get any field or cross-over gun you like. Read timb99's advice again and see IF you can shoot a few rounds with one of the guns he mentioned. Your shooting eye, and your shooting shoulder, and the count of "dead bird" clays will tell ya all you need to know.

Do you people come here to discuss your Benelli's or did you folk miss getting tickets to the Jerry Springer Show? http://www.jerryspringertv.com/get_tickets.php Some of you people need a therapist, a lawyer, or will soon need a parole officer.

As a beginner, on a budget, why would you buy 3 new chokes for sporting clays? The above mentioned advice from the "real" sporting clays shooters is great.... but here is my take from a fellow amateur, middle-class guy, without a lot of extra money. So_ what gun do plan to learn the game with {an O-U will take 2 chokes!}? What chokes do you have for that gun now? Why are those chokes not doing the job (i.e. helping you make the shots your missing on the clays course)? My short answer was to get a single extended Briley IM for that pesky "presentation" I was always missing with my semi-auto. Why? Well first of all my stock chokes were bugging me cause they occasionally needed me to take out the wrench and tighten them. I blamed this act for distracting me ( it probably didn't really, but you gotta blame something for the missed shots!). Secondly, I patterned my stock choke sets on a pattern board with the ammo load I would be using for clays. I (and a few of my more experience shooter friends) guessed I needed a somewhat tighter pattern for my way of shooting that pesky station. When I went to my local sporting goods store the chokes cost $30 UPWARDS each. I picked the Briley IM for the pattern tightness I was "expecting" to get, and the extended version to solve the "wrench" issue, and the price was really good. Why Briley? Well its a good brand and it was there on the shelf! Other good reputation chokes would have done just as well if they were readily available, and in my price range. http://www.briley.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=3 In summary, us amateurs may be better off picking' ONE choke to start blaming our missed shots on. It will tell you all about the other 2 chokes you think you need. Chokes to us beginners are an experiment in spending money $$$, they are magic-voodoo objects to get lucky hitting clays with!

Freedom ain't free, why should the NRA be? Sadly, the NRA just hasn't been the same since Uncle Chucky (Mr. Heston to them Liberal Socialist Tree Hugging Commies!) passed, and the NRA no longer has a great man {"Dubya" to his friends and fraternity brothers} in the White house. A tear stained tribute to a great man here>>> We all know that in the USA our government is based on the FACT that "people who have the guns , make the rules!" per Wayne La Pierre himself. So, join the NRA and rule America!! It may not be free, nor is it tax deductible , but it will get get you lots&lots&lots &lots of Action Alerts about the evil doers who wish to defile our Second Amendments rights. {And maybe get ya an official NRA tote bag too!}

At best the story may be a mildly amusing parable. But it looks more like propaganda to me. When it comes to topics concerning "gun safety", I prefer the truth.

Canada Goose can taste pretty good. In our location the meat is mostly made into a Goose Bratwurst by a packing house processor (or guys with a fancy grinder) ; or simply cooked rare, BUT no more than medium rare, and wrapped in smoked bacon & served with a wine based, fruity ,or mustard sauce. Goose Brat recipes vary, but mostly you mix in pork, a little jalapeno, maybe cheese (mild cheddar to col jack) and the Goose meat for very a tasty grill treat on a bun. When done, add whatever condiments to the grilled Goose Brat & toasted bun (sour cream, bits of fresh tomato's ripe olives etc) ... we serve them at BBQ's and everyone , even the the kids eat them. When oven broiling, or BBQ grilling the breast fillet you MUST have a meat thermometer. You must, no way around it. A new digital one with remote beeper you put on your belt is great. Rare and no more than medium rare or it will taste tough and a lot like liver. The hard core duck/goose hunters in my area love the younger goose with thin sliced breast sauteed; cooked rare in the field with a frying pan and open campfire and a little butter w/fresh garlic. Kinda an initiation meal for the new guys.Eat it hot off your knife.

Depends on what you hunt with a Field Gun, do you need 3" or 3.5" ammo in lead AND steel for the game you hunt? Can you afford to have 2 guns? I have handled the Benelli Super Sport, I liked it a lot, to me it had the slim feel that you mentioned. IF I were concentrating on entry level Sporting Clays (or 5 stand) it would be on the short list to seriously check out. {Beretta Al391 Urika was a good fit for me also when it comes to sporting clays, I have stubby hands!} IF your going FITASC , best to read the "rules" before purchasing a gun to meet their requirements! Good basic article here >>> http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/benelliss_051107/index.html

The purpose of any gun oil is to keep the parts from wearing, and to let them move smoothly and evenly. If the lube is too thick (viscous), especially in colder weather, then vital parts may not move in sync with the other parts. Same is true if too much gunk gets mixed into the lubricant. The parts will get sticky. On the inertial M2000 I have had very good luck with Birchwood Casey Synthetic w/PTFE (teflon) in both warm and cold temps. Smooth action on all the parts, no abnormal wear marks. The nature of a synthetic w/teflon is to NOT use too much oil, the teflon will leave a dry film when needed. BUT with any synthetic (even in engines) you MUST keep applying the lube more often, this is becuase the synthetic has a tendency to flow away (it is slicker) from the metal. I use a simple needle applicator to give the gun parts tiny, tiny drinks of oil every now-&-then.

That's one I haven't heard of! 20 years of wrecking barrels? Which Winchester 12 gauge ammo are you referring to? http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/shotshell.aspx

The real disadvantage may be that your trap 'style' will not be in proper trap form to get the high trap scores. You say you shoot trap to be a better upland game hunter, then you are correct in shooting from the low position (or stock held below the armpit prior to calling the clays). I do it all the time for exactly the reason you would. To practice for real hunting (and sporting clays). Kinda hard to walk thru the woods , swamps , and fields with your shotgun always at your shoulder, ready to fire! But, as others have said, pro trap shooters can be real twitchy when it come to upsetting their focus on their game. So when I shoot with them on the club ranges, I let them know I'm shooting a field gun for practice, I apologize ahead of time for my shells ejecting in their direction from my semi-auto, and I let them know that I WILL be a bit distracting to them. If they politely don't want me to shoot in their practice squad I completely understand, and will wait until I can shoot with those it doesn't bother. If they ain't polite, well ...... 99% of the trap folks are great at understanding why you are shooting the way you do, and they can be super helpful when it comes to advice! I've only had 1 group object to my ways, and they were nice about it. We have a huge amount of rough and tumble duck hunters in my area who like to 'get the rust out' of their bones by shooting trap . These boys often look like shaved-gorillas and shoot like they were born with a shotgun. They seldom pre-mount . Their trap scores aren't always great , but man it's fun to watch them shoot at clays ... and I would love to hunt with them boys!! Practice is just that. Do it to make yourself shoot better at your game.