doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SxS for skeet: What would you want, ideally?

Seriously considering finding or ordering a SxS for specifically set up for occasional, recreational skeet. Am curious to hear what this hive-mind would spec out for that purpose.

My only technical and aesthetic restrictions are:

• 12 gauge, 2-3/4�
• Single trigger
• Pistol or Prince of Wales buttstock, semi-or full beavertail forend
• Proven, brick-like reliability

Soliciting opinions on choke constrictions, fixed vs screw-in chokes, barrel lengths, selective vs non-selective triggers, weight, sidelock vs boxlock, etc.... or feel free to tell me I should just have screw-in chokes fitted to the 28� Mod & Full Browning B-SS I presently (and happily) use for casual American trap.

Given your criteria, I would get a used SKB or a JC Higgins 100 (made by AYA) and have the chokes opened to skeet/skeet or IC/IC. If this is a dedicated skeet gun, you don't need choke tubes.

Figure about $600 for the Higgins (including choke work) or maybe $900 for the SKB. The AYA might not meet your reliability requirement but for occasional use you'd probably be fine.

I have a little Nitro Special that was built as a skeet gun for a lady or small person(fits me great), I bought it for my wife. It is choked SK-I & SK-II the open choke is on the rear trigger(left barrel)as 21 of 25 birds on the skeet field are single birds you only have to pull the second trigger 4 times so the rear trigger is much more comfortable with small hands. Ivory front and middle beads, 20ga with 28" barrels, standard rib, stock and forend. the front trigger is semi articulated and kind of flips out of the way when you straighten your trigger finger and pops back under it when your finger clears it, pretty much straighten your finger and close it again for the second barrel.

Great little gun, my 12ga international loads didn't show up in time for the state shoot so they let me use the 20 with 7/8 oz loads, and I did very well with it.

Nitro Special A Grade Skeet - neat!

Find yourself a Parker Reproduction DHE "Sporting Clays Classic". They come with six factory screw-in Winchokes (2-SK, IC, M, IM & F) - more are available, 3" chambers and chrome lined bores, fully capable for shooting steel shot. The SCC is my nominee for The World's Most Versatile S x S Double . . . it's so versatile that it'll make all your other doubles superfluous.

A Winchester Model 21 Skeet Gun with 28-inch vent rib barrels, with WS-1 in both. That WS-2 that is normally in the left barrel is way too tight for skeet.

Likewise the two late 1930s Ithaca-made double skeet guns I have are too tightly choked for skeet. The 12-gauge No. 4E is .009" right and .016" left and the 20-gauge Lefever A-Grade is .008" right and .014" left. Savage's skeet cylinder & quarter choke used in their Fox-Sterlingworth and SP-/SPE-Grade Skeet & Upland Game Guns is better for skeet

My NID skeet gun (both barrels marked S) have left-0.004 and right 0.0036. Great for skeet and upland game. These NID skeet guns are few and far between so even if you wanted and, it could be a long look. 12 ga.
A nitro Special model 6 with skeet chokes is a great low cost skeet gun as Dr. Drew suggests.
I have long enjoyed single triggers BUT reliability can be an issue. If I were to buy a new gun, it would have double triggers. JMHO.

Hummm
AYA 56 sidelock
CSMC model 21 skeet box lock

With your criteria, a Merkel model 8, a similar Sauer, or Husqvarna 310, all can be had under $1k.

Not sure what's available where you live, but we have Huglu-CZ Sharp-tail Target SxS shotgun. Huglu has been around for good while and CZ-USA has good reputation for service if anything goes wrong.