doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SxS Sporting Clays Suggestions

Clapperzapper,
As to your first line...where do you get that info from?
I agree there is no Warranty with older guns...But if you are correct he has almost no choicesto choose from, does he???
But if you can find a nice solid & robust heavy proofed older gun in fine nick...why wouldn't it hold up?
Earl D'Greys old Purdeys Put Hundreds of thousands of birds down didn't they?..I think he had three of em, but if you find a good one I don't see why its that bad an idea.
The RBL has,nt been around long enough for a verdict..surely?
Hey, I just like old Guns, and like to use em ...
ZWEGO...how many rounds would you be shooting per year..& what loads..
cheers
Franc

Hmmmmm...a couple of questions:

can you define "withstand heavy competitive clays use?"

and how did the RBL with its 6 month warranty earn this acclaim? have they been tearing up the clays courses?

Why not a Sterlingworth Field with a little stock bending and a fresh pad. Sterlys are stout, not too expensive, reasonably pretty, and readily available.

Thanks for the replies and input. Some comments:
I shoot informally today, probably 1000 shells or so a year but in the past have run over 4-5000 per year through my guns. Job and timing prevent a more extensive shoot schedule currently but I have hopes to get back to “higher mileage” in the future. Realistically, the gun needs to be able to sustain about 1000 rounds a year with very high reliability and very consistent trigger pulls, a major issue with me on a target gun. Currently I shoot a variety of guns including an SO4, Browning 425 and a heavily modified Rem 1100 at sporting clays as well as a Rem 3200, BSS and Ruger Woodside with reworked triggers) at skeet.
I had not looked at SKBs, although the 385 would certainly fit the bill but I have never really been fond of the look of their guns. Not a Japanese thing on my part as I really like my BSS - but it has a different look. However, I will find a 385 to handle as my opinion has been largely made on the basis of O/Us.
I have been to CSMC several times, most recently on Monday. While there, I did look at both a Win 21 with 30” barrels ($8K) as well as an RBL with 32” barrels & vent rib. I did not like the vent rib as it has no filing or other means to knock down glare on the rib - as well as costing $450 over the standard rib which looked better to me. The gun was a little nose heavy, not bad on a clays gun and I was told it has an adjustment in the stock to change the balance point. The “engraving” is a little less obnoxious (to me) than the earlier 20 ga RBLs I had seen and the case colors were nice - so overall it would be a reasonable choice. Just don’t know the trigger performance or longevity. The Mdl 21 was very pleasant to handle and seemed to move well in the showroom whereas the RBL is a little more ponderous. Not a major issue, just a difference.
I don’t have an issue with a “project” gun but if I dump $3-4000 into a project, I would hope to be able to get out about neutral. My experience with older guns and this type of modification is that I would be lucky to get back about half of my actual cost of modification.
Regarding a SxS vs. O/U for longevity, I don’t think that the action type makes a great deal of difference. O/Us only became popular in the 1930s or so and until then the SxS guns dominated the clays area as well as for several years thereafter. The narrower sight plane of an O/U has some advantage on some clay sports but it is interesting that in the most difficult of “target games” - live birds - SxS are still very popular.
Hope this helps a little and thanks again for all of the feedback.
Thanks
Z

The man said $3-$4000.00
That eliminates almost the entire new market.
Some clubs are non-tox only. He has some competition guns. He has specific trigger ideas.

The list gets shorter and shorter.
I could not see a way to get there from here, and be happy.

1000 rounds, without concern for winning a national anything, doesn't really qualify in my mind as "competitive". That's fun shooting, and you should shoot what you like and hope it doesn't break.

My thoughts really involved registered competition, and keeping the tool running under a heavy load. Different question entirely.

What weight ,stock specs,griptype,chokes,bbl length are you after?
What weight shot,velocity,& PSI????
Just interested ....
cheers
franc
PS...for 4 or 5000 rounds a years...I'd use any of the two descent vintage Guns I have///both medium 7 1/2lb Pigeon type Guns..with my 1oz loads...or 1 1/8oz too

I like to shoot old guns too. I just don't like to break them.
Horses for courses and all.
I don't like to alter them either (unless they are already broken)
so adding choke tubes is a no-no to me as well.
So, to me anyway, taking a vintage shotgun, and spending a bunch of money to make it into what it is not, and was never intended to be, and then shoot steel shot through it, isn't interesting.
It's just an opinion of course.

There is a man who consistantly wins our local "log a load" charity sporting clays shoot. He took a Browning BSS with 30" barrels and sent it to Wills in Montgomery Al who restocked it to suit him. I am not sure who added the tubes, prbably Briley. Bottom line, he has close to your budget in a drop dead fine looking sxs sporting clays gun. I can put you in touch with him if you wish.

Don't rule out using your hunting gun with some light 7/8 oz loads. You do not need screw chokes,single trigger or ejectors for sporting, however ejectors are nice.

I shoot at least a thousand rounds a year with my 12 ga Arrieta w light loads.

I have a sterlingworth that I tried to use for targets even though it is heavy, the low stock beats me to death.

As of late I have shot my SXS better than my K-80

That's why I suggested bending the Sterly. Mine is at 2-3/8" DAH and holding.