My son just started shooting trap and I think will be for years to come. I wanted him to learn how to wing shoot and he is doing relatively well at it and enjoys it. Last night, I asked him after baseball practice what he liked - he said what do you think dad - a ball and a bat or something with a gun. I just smiled. He is just starting out at 13 years old and busting about 17-20 on average a round. What are some decent trap guns I should look at for him to shoot for the next 40+ years? I know nothing about trap guns and he is just shooting my old Rem 1100 with a IC choke in it now.......I am not looking to spend multiple thousands but up to $12-1500 might be ok. Thanks

You should be able to find a nice Winchester Model 12 trap for WELL within your budget.

nothing wrong with just getting the IC 1100 threaded for chokes if it fits him

lots of guns work I shot a 23 with my 870 20 inch barrel on Friday those 2 were most definitely me , I was getting too sure of my self and was shooting them with a full choke a few yards out of the house

you need 3 things in a trap gun

what order can vary
fit is king
pattern is probably next but that depends if your shooting 25, 50 , 100 in a row
3rd is a little weight or action to take up recoil

4th is durability but your only shooting trap loads so not really abusive

pattern you play with loads and chokes , like I said I shoot full , I am more practicing for pheasants and hunting than I am worried about score.
I want the tightest pattern and longest range , at 16 yards it makes little difference what choke you use and most any shell will work well enough

there was a time a "trap" gun was a long barrel vent rib break action single shot , then if you shoot doubles a over under

you might just find a barrel for that 1100 with a full or mod choke or choke tubes and he is all set , sometimes if the fit could be just a bit better adding a Morgan pad will get you there.
for now if you can get him a barrel with choke tubes or send yours off to be threaded you will be in buissness breaking clay and he can learn what he likes.

will he get into sporting clays ?
skeet?
5 stand ?
the Berretta A300 is a semi auto that could do well in all of those sports

every compeditor learns what they like what fits them and it is typically by trying rental gun or other compreditors guns , so get lots of ammo with your budget now and figure out where he wants to go as he gets better.

I know we want to buy one great tool to last a lifetime, but sometimes really competitive shooters need to find what they like by trying many things

Benelli M2 is a soft shooting auto if it fits him right full range of chokes.

for now we are just focusing on the 16 yd line in trap singles - he is shooting 4H and locally it is what they shoot. I think the 1100 is a bit heavy for him and we are only shooting 50 each time out. But, the extra weight and semi-auto probably is reducing the recoil also......
any ideas on lighter weight over unders with a good recoil pad?

As 160 said, a model 12 is an excellent start. I have 3 trap models. They are my favorites. Another option, and a little less money, is an 870 trap. If the kid wants to shoot trap, then buy a Trap gun. The field and skeet stocks are cut for those games. The trap stock is cut higher specifically for that game, rising targets. A sporting clays stock is in between the two. Pump guns IMO are a better choice for trap if you are on a budget. Gas guns will cut down the felt recoil at the cost of spitting empties to bounce off the guy to your side or worse yet, his high dollar Perazzi or Kriegoff. Yes you can buy shell catchers or use a rubber band but they are a bit messy and a lot of fumbling around fishing empty shells out of the action. And let's face it over/unders and single shot trap guns are EXPENSIVE. The Model 12 and 870 guns are definitely in your price range. Add another $200 and put a Graco recoil reducer system on the gun and it's still in your budget and a little easier on the kid.

Hard to beat a good old Browning BT-99 for a sub $1200 trap gun. Even a new model BT is around $1500. Auto loaders are nice for eating felt recoil, but small framed shooters might as well be swinging a 4x4.

My next choice would be a Browning citori or berretta O/U

A browning BT-99 or BT-100 is probably the best gun for what you are wanting to spend. It is single shot only though. If he gets into shooting doubles then you will need a O/U or an auto.
If you can find an older Remington 1100 Trap model he could shoot everything with that and parts are easy to get if something ever breaks.

If your budget was higher then I would suggest a Beretta Multi-Target semi auto. The nice thing about these is they have and adjustable rib and adjustable comb. That adjustability allows you to set the gun up to shoot where he is looking.

If he does get really hooked on trap shooting he will end up really wanting a top of the line trap gun so make sure he goes to college and gets a good degree in something that pays very well. LOL

I’d go with a pump gun Keith. If he really wants to get into it down the road you can always upgrade.
Totally agree on the Model 12 or 870. Guns are high right now, but hold value well.
IC is plenty open for trap. I’d recommend a tighter choke, which a bonafide trap gun will have.

it also depends on what his goal is , most of my 4-H trap kids are hunters who enjoy the practice.

got 2 running OU right now the rest are pump and auto "field" guns , my son bounced around a few guns mostly he wanted to try everything he could
when he settled down it was an early 870 special purpose which was basically 870 police with a 28 inch vent rib barrel and poly stock he was shooting 25s , not every round but mostly it was nerves he would get to the 20s and then so close drop one.

if it is for fun and hunting practice , then run your hunting gun.

our close technical college has just started a trap team - he likely will go to a tech school if any college as he hates public school and not being able to hunt and fish when he wants. Until this year, he could hunt every day of season and do what he wanted with his time as we homeschooled him. was blessed enough to trap multiple states and attend the nta, fta, and state conventions pretty much where ever. He is a hunter and will hunt for quite a while would be my guess. He grew up shooting squirrels with a bb gun then a .22 and hunts by himself often. I just wanted him to learn how to grow in confidence wing shooting and he is doing a good job so far surprising me. He is a lot like me - analytical and critical and not very competitive at organized sports like baseball, basketball etc. He likes to improve products and is very thoughtful and creative constantly watching videos on historic weapons and looking at ways to build them and improve operations.
We have an 870 I grew up shooting and never thought about letting him try it out - he might enjoy it a bit more. Not that he doesnt enjoy the 1100 - I can just tell it is a bit heavy for him currently. Another year might be totally different......several months ago we looked at a CZ over under and it really fit him well. It was nice and felt nice but of course - I am too tight and we left without it.......
Most of his shooting right now will be for hunting practice - but he does have 2 older boys who are into the high dollar trap guns who are shooting 24-25 routinely and they are great encouragers and excellent at encouraging him as well. Right now - only the 3 of them shooting for our county.

Lawdog - I shot a Benelli M2 for 6 years at work with WS and loved the gun - best I had ever shot with. I seriously thought about seeing how one of those might fit him. It was lighter than my 1100 and recoil reduced as well. I felt like it was the nicest semi I had ever used and it never once failed me in depredation work where i expended literally thousands of shells a year........very good gun. Wish I owned a pair.

One of the guys who runs the youth shooting group in a local town recommends the TriStar Setter S/T. He says they just plain work. They go through thousands and thousands of rounds. Says their customer service is so good, he once sent them one back that was just plain worn out after many thousands of rounds over several years. They sent him a new one free of charge. FWIW You could buy quite a bit of ammo with the price savings too.

We are in a weird place , post covid and anyone in the 12-15 range would have been born during the recession

we have 5 currently for the county

while we have like 50 kids in grade 3-5 for air rifle they are all on the young side <12

we and several other counties are seeing it across the powder burring 4-H shooting sports that require 12+age I was at two state trainings and found others seeing nearly the same drop in numbers in 12-15 year old's

I encourage you go take the state training to be a leader , you will learn a bunch and can then accompany your son to any level he wants to go to including nationals if he gets there.
it is a great way to learn and support the program.

don't worry at all about what you don't know , this is 4-H we train people rather than look for just subject mater experts we look for them also to give you some really good instruction on how to hit clay yourself and how to teach it to the kids.
one good trap instructor can teach a lot of county leaders to be good at getting kids the basics.

thanks for the help - I knew some of you know a ton more about breaking clays than me. I grew up shooting at bottles my dad threw for me and moved on to quail hunting and dove hunting........

Yep I agree. If recoil is a issue a guy could outfit it with kick down recoil pad and/or a mercury tube.

Look around for a shotgun reloader. He'll shoot 500 or more shells at a shoot easy and then throw in practice nights. Good luck and enjoy.

o/u tristar with a rad-adjustable butt plate and 4 way comb adjustment. any way i can help pm me

the price of lead shot here and primers is ridiculous , price it all out before you jump in I was getting 85 dollar a case federal check with your 4-H leader they are probably watching deals , I was able to get the 4-H 79 dollar cases with the discount and tax ID , us leaders were able to get it for our personal use at 85+tax same stuff

prices on 12 ga target loads in the US bought at case price have been pennies from what you could load it for for years now

Pete ya that makes sense. Been along time since I was competing. This thread brings back memories of sitting in the basement pumping out shotgun shells with the ol man. Once in a while throwing a powder charge into the ashtray and scaring the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) out of him. Lol

If you’re going to spend that kind of money and don’t want to buy an actual Trap gun then go with one of the 3 B’s. Can’t go wrong. But, on the Brownings check POA vs POI. I know of two buddies who bought the new A5’s and those things hit nowhere near where they were aiming. I personally like Benelli’s. Tough as nails and shoot where you point them.

Some good advice above, some although well meaning ...uhh...not so good. First off you think it's something he will stick with so buy a dedicated trap gun, field guns are out. Model 12 or 870 pump guns will probably be the cheapest and are solid guns, but are not gonna be good for doubles. I have shot doubles with an 870 just for fun but your not gonna be a serious contender. The BT 99 is a solid choice for 16 yards and handicap. Your from missouri, the missouri state trap shoot is memorial day weekend in Linn creek, mo. There's some vendors there and trap guns for sale. Tommy Nichols with guns unlimited out of omaha, ne will have a guy there (Nick) and they will have every browning target gun made there, to pick up and feel.

Talk to other shooters most are more than happy to let you, especially a kid look at and shoulder their guns.Ive seen guys hand 10k-15k gun to a kid and say go shoot it. Just look around a lot before you settle on something. I've got several 870 trap guns, BT99 for singles and a CXT for doubles,, But I like shooting the 870's the best. Most of all I like beating guys with really expensive guns with my lowly old $400 870.&#128513;

Just remember it's all for fun and don't get nervous or let your shorts get tight when you got a good score going! A registered 100 bird much may seem overwhelming to a kid just getting started. So remember you don't have to break 100 targets, you just have to break 1 target, 100 times. Shoot straight, and good luck!

Are you positive he will stick with ATA targets? If so I’d also vote for BT 99 as starting point

But at age 13 he may want to try something else along the way and the BT won’t give that option. One thing you do know is that the fit of the gun is going to need changing over the years. For a versatile target gun but not ATA specific I’d go with one of the other suggestions I saw above being a Beretta 300 or 400 series. Pretty much any gun can be tweaked for fit but with shims it’s super easy with the beretta

not saying don't do it , just saying price your components before jumping in

I remember sitting in the basement with my dad and brother churning out our copy of AA super handicapped loads.

trap master hits on my point there are so many specialty guns and builds on those chassis that the general gun consumer hardly ever even hears about that rule the competitive circuits.

it all depends what level you want to be at

one of my 4-H kids he and his dad got berretta autos not positive the exact model it I know it could take 3 inch shells as he used it for turkey also, he shot 4-H trap , hunted and they shot sporting clays , he could be decently competitive in any club or local with the berretta auto.

now he is out of college and works for a construction company where they have trap shoots and the bosses go on pheasant hunts with customers at game farms.
he went from new hire to #2 trap shooter in the company (I think they let the big boss keep is title #1 so he keeps having them for trap shoots)over the summer and started getting invited along to shoot clean up on the pheasant hunts.

if your boy decides to go all in , what he learns on your 870 will apply but your going to be buying something else later , just figure out what it is first in the mean time buy cases of ammo.

I have priced ammo around me and looked online and can not find it under $8.50 box these days. Our gun club lets us shoot "their" new loads for $7 a box........wasn't too hard for me to decide that one. Every day we take him to shoot costs us $12 a round with the shells for 25 pigeons. He so far has only shot 2 rounds each day at $24. the other 2 boys who are a few years older usually shoot 100 or 4 rounds - $48 a day........
We do reload now and are set up for 410, 20, and 12 but I am not sure it is any cheaper than the $7 loads we can buy at club and we cant shoot reloads for 4H. I do have a spare Mec 9000 in 28 ga with a barrel of old AA compresion formed hulls if anyone is looking. I really dont see us getting a 28 ga in the future.
I will probably just let him choose to keep shooting the 1100 or 870 now and see how he does and what direction he wants to go.

I couldn't beat 7 a box , 7.90 a box was the best I could to this year.
our county does a package so that we don't have to keep track of money every night each kid gets 10 rounds with the program fee.
then if they want to shoot more they can buy a round at a time , but it limits how much we have to collect.

I bet they are on last years supply at 7 dollars that is where we were at for several years.