Sporting Clays are of course much more challenging than the other two but is designed as hunting scenarios.:-)

Browning 625 In 12/20/28 & .410 were all new went I started competing in sporting clays and 5 stand years ago.

Beretta 686 in 20 ga, is a nice shotgun. I bought one about a year ago. Unfortunately, it just does not fit. I had a guy bend the stock, but, it kept springing back. In order for it to fit I need to take about 3/8" off the back of the comb of an already diminutive stock. Nah, ain't going to do it. I will be replacing it with a 28 ga Browning, field model. They come with enough meat (wood) to work with for a decent fit.

My go to shotgun is a Browning Citori. Not because it was so great out of the box; but, because after years of sanding, grinding, bending and twisting, I can pick it up, and it aims itself.

The "hunting scenario" went away quite a few years ago when the score card, rule book, and cash prizes were introduced. I've shot a lot of ducks, never saw a "springing teal" that shot straight up 60 or 70 yards. I'm a pretty fair shot, "A class" when I shot competitively. I could break a 60 to 70 yard crosser on a fairly regular basis, breaking them very often doesn't equate to killing them. I wouldn't try that on live birds then and I certainly wouldn't now. There are guys out there that are paid good amounts of cash to design courses of fire. A good one puts in 25% "duffer" targets, 50% for the experienced competitor, and 25% for the pucker up and put your big boy pants on targets. Target presentation, at least in the realm of competition, is quite a technical endeavor with terrain, target curl, back ground, target speeds, window shots, true pairs, and report pairs. I have even seen targets bounced off trampolines and rabbit targets skipped across a pond. My son and I even had to shoot gravity rabbit targets at 7 or 8 FEET at a New York State Championship. Is that any kind of hunting scenario? I think not. As a side note that shoot my son earned his second State NSCA Junior Champion pin. His comment was, "That was a stupid target!" I will be the first to admit that any kind increase in proficiency on a Clays course will make you a better field shot. But as far as being hunting scenarios, not so much any more.

Well, if you're that competent in your skills, you shouldn't have any problem with this hunting course then. High House, Low house, singles, doubles, rabbit and sometimes quail combo. :-)

I prefer my browning citoris. Had several beretta but just never got real comfortable w them.

I have a CZ 20 gauge

Bryce

SJA, looks interesting. Does one shoot from the pentagram in the center or is that the trap position and the shooter travels to the numbered squares? The two clays clubs I belong to have much larger layouts. Northstar Sportsmans Club, Hamlin, NY and Rochester Brooks, Rush, NY. NorthStar is pretty much a skeet in the woods course. there are about 30 traps on the club grounds with some on a 5 stand layout. I use the 20 with light skeet chokes and do well. These are 50 targets that must be broken to pad your score in a big shoot. About a half mile walk in the woods. Brooks on the other hand is an easy 1.5+ mile walk on 2 courses termed the sub gauge course (50 targets) and the tournament course (100 targets). Bring your 12 and be prepared to choke up at times on the tournament course. I usually put the light mod and improved mod in at the beginning and leave them in for the duration. Brooks has 125 or more traps plus a 5 stand layout with enclosed, and heated in the winter, shooting positions. Both courses have a combination of woods and field stations. 20, 28, and 410 were made for the sub gauge course, the 20 might be a little overkill. Brooks will almost always have 3 or more traps on a station and sometimes 2 shooting stands. They also have a HIGH tower over a gully. We never see single targets here, always reports or true pairs. Both clubs have web sights, check them out. I never saw a clay target that didn't deserve to be broken.

Ruger Red Label

Any Beretta is hard to beat, the balance, quality of wood, engraving and reliability. Italian shotguns are awesome Beretta top of the line. Oldest company in the world I would love to visit there one day. I have a knife that one of the engravers did for me I will always cherish it.

Trap House. All birds and rabbits come straight out from there. Shooters move to the numbered stations respectively. Longest shooting distance is 50 yards. I've personally only known 3 Level III instructors to shoot a perfect score. . . and the "gravity rabbit" (not shown) is the one that is missed most often from 7 yards. "Confidence kills". This design covers most any hunting scenario and combo situations with wide open areas and backgrounds to pick up the clays! :-)

These were the traps used mostly on this course. 1 in high house and 1 combo rabbit and duel bird arms in low house.

I've only owned a couple o/u shotguns. A Ruger Red Label and a Berreta Onyx. The Berreta was a fine shotgun, the Ruger was clunky.

The biggest difference between the brands mentioned so far is in the stock dimensions, such as comb height. A shotgun HAS to fit the shooter, and the Italian guns have a higher comb that the Browning field guns.

I suggest shooting both and go from there. Over the years I saw a lot of customers who owned Citoris that caused facial abuse because their cheek was not firmly planted on the comb as it was too low. Also, a 26'' barrel with give you more perceived recoil that a 28''.

Just my thinking.

Pete

The cc I looked at today did have an adjustable comb, wish I could get to shoot a couple different ones

I have a Krieghoff K-80 4 barrel skeet set that would cover all your bases.

I have an older Browning Superposed Lightning with Broadway barrels made in Belgium in 1960. It's a great trap gun but too heavy and too long for the field. That old gun has had around 30,000 rounds shot through it. It still functions fine but the action is a little looser than when t was new.

Back in 2005 I was looking for a good, affordable O/U for small-gaming. I was a pump-gunner up until then and still am for turkey and waterfowl. I had it narrowed down to Remington's offering and the Winchester M101.

Regrettably, I went with the Remington M332 in 12g. It's a replica of their legendary M32. After the purchase I found out just how far down the rabbit hole America's oldest gun manufacturer's quality and customer service had fallen.

Long story shorter; about two years after purchase the gun literally fell apart in my hands after I missed a grouse and broke it open to reload. The crappy soldering job on the under-barrel lug that holds the forearm on had broke off. So there I was holding the butt and receiver in one hand and the forearm in another looking down at my barrels that had fallen and clattered off some rocks dinging one of the barrels.

Remington customer service was a nightmare to reach and absolutely no help at all when I finally did get through. They told me they no longer make that model and offered the phone number of a gun shop in California they had sold their remaining inventory of parts to.

I took it to a local gunsmith and had it repaired. I still use it because it fits me well and I shoot it well. I even hit the occasional grouse with it.

But it was the last new Remington I ever bought and I won't buy any Remington built after about 1970.

I bought a cheap 20g Stoeger Condor Supreme O/U back in 2008. I paid around $400.00 for it. It was for my daughter to use while hunting small game with me. It has since become one of my favorite upland bird guns.

And it has proven far more reliable than the Remington described above that cost $1,000.00 more.