Suggestions: Cheap but Reliable O/U?

Cornell2012

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Since I've been off at college, it has been pretty hard to shoot anything. Besides hunting, I really enjoy clay target shooting, and I'm in the process of trying to get a club started here. I've got most of it sorted out, but I am doubting I will be able to get the shotguns donated, and sporting over/unders tend to be rather pricey.

Here's generally what I'm looking for:

(1) Something durable that will be able to take years of use without much problem.

(2) Something safe. I would imagine this goes with (1), but the last thing I want is for somebody to get hurt while we are out shooting.

(3) Cheap-ish. I want to be sure the team can afford enough for what we need to shoot, but if a small price increase will lead to a significant improvement in (1) and (2), the extra money is probably worth it.

(4) I'd prefer to buy something new and have a set of identical guns for consistency's sake, as well as having a full warranty on the gun in case something goes wrong.

(5) (not as important) I would like the gun to be a dedicated target model. These usually have some helpful features like adjustable stock, more easily changeable chokes, etc.

(6) (also not so important) It would be nice if there was a ladies/(maybe) youth version available since I've found a few girls here who are interested and they would have a much easier time with a slightly smaller version of the gun.


I realize these conditions are kind of limiting, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Is the university going to allow a club? That seems like a pretty bold step for them.
 
The 870 express is a pump.

CZ makes some pretty reasonable and quality O/U. I think anytime you start looking at sporting models your price is going to increase significantly. You can get a decent CZ O/U for under $700. When you start adding barrel selectors, auto-ejectors, etc.. your price will go up. Check out the Mallard or the Canvasback models..it all depends on how "plain-Jane" you want it though.

I shoot a Huglu, which is basically the European CZ, made in Turkey.
 
went thru this about 4 years ago too. Wanted to get into Clay sports and really wanted an O/U but could not afford $1000+. I researched a bunch of brands that were in the $400ish range and how good they are. I never bought one but here are the 3 I found to have good quality in no particular order. Also if you have never owned an O/U make sure you decide which features are important such as Auto Ejectors, selectable barrels and screw in chokes. Some of the cheaper models do not have all these.

1. Baikal...Since I researched this brand Remington bought their Shotgun arm and now sell them as an SPR...I think
2. Tri-Star
3. Lanber

The disclaimer here is that these guns will be good for low to intermediate shooting in clay sports or hunting. They are not as good a quality as a Browning or Beretta. If you get to a point where you shoot 5,000+ rounds a year you will almost certainly move up to a higher quality weapon, start reloading etc... Also if you shoot that much you will also meet a bunch of folks that can give you better advise than I can. The Clay games sport is a tight knit community and the resell of guns between them is huge!

Check out:
www.cdnninvestments.com/ They sell a huge amount of weapons and shooting gear. Download thier latest catalog pdf and see if there is anything you like. They are based in Abilene, TX.

www.shotgunworld.com Check out the forum boards for reviews on the shotguns that meet your criteria.

www.shooterspagetx.com/ Check out their for sale item forum. Mostly high end guns but you can put a request out on the board for what you are looking for.
 
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Is the university going to allow a club? That seems like a pretty bold step for them.

As of right now they haven't approved anything. I'm working on getting it approved. Unfortunately it won't be up and running in time for the collegiate competition in March. I'm just trying to look ahead and get an early start on any problems I might run into.


Thanks for all the tips so far. I'll start looking into them. Are there any that I should avoid completely? I'm thinking mostly safety about safety issues.
 
Is this where father and son communicate? There are cell phones nowadays you know! ;)
 
I've got a stoeger condor o/u, that I've shot for 7 years, it's not a high fit/finish gun, but it fits me pretty well. I've put a couple of cases through it every year, and IIRC they do make some competition grade guns as well. It's not a glowing endorsement, by any means for your intended purchase, but I've had exactly NO problems with mine, and I think they've got a youth model also. Mine does have interchangeable chokes, but has extractors, not ejectors. I'd think that at the very least, they would be a brand to check out for your endeavor.
 
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