r/ClayBusters

Hey all, I've been shooting for about 3 years now, and in this time I've become one of the top shooters at my school, and a classmate has been thinking about joining the team, so I invited him to practice someday to get a feel for it. We're just going to go out and shoot some skeet, and maybe trap, and I'm planning on letting him use my A400 XCel. Obviously, the A400 isn't a starter gun so I won't recommend that. What are some guns worth checking out that are <$800 and preferably an inertia-driven semi-auto or an O/U? His main experience with guns is 5.56 rifles while standing, so recoil shouldn't be a problem, but I'm not sure about weight. We think the Stoeger M3K would be good, but just in case, I think some input here would be great. Thank you all in advance!

Does anyone change up their shells for competition or do you keep the same shell for both practice and competition? I typically use #8- 1 1/8oz. - 1145 FPS (Gun Club) for everything, but am I missing out by not going faster for tournaments? Maybe use #7.5 for extra long targets or rabbits? Should l take the extra recoil and move to 1200FPS or more? Or is that all waste of time.

Some folks I know use 1oz for practice and 1/18 for registered shoots. Does anyone else do this? Just seeing what other shooters do or what works well for them.

It seems like there is a crowded field at this price point now, but nothing that really stands out. Yes I know for a bit more you can get an F16, 694, or Invictus, but I'm already selling my DT11 as I'm just a weekend warrior now, and don't shoot 8 billion rounds a summer.

688-God does Beretta service frustrate the shit out of me. Yes there's Coles, but why? Why can't Beretta get their shit together? I personally love the laminate, but seems like an odd choice here as the only option. And why do we need a new action ever 2 years? 690? 692? 694? 688?

Fabarm N2RS- I have literally never seen one at a course. A few friends have their sporting guns and adore them, but I wouldn't even know where to find one. Plus the bullshit from importing them years ago left a bad taste.

CG Summit-Pretty guns, good warranty, but for $5k, what does it do? No adjustable stock or trigger, Schnabel forend (??), and no weighting system. I have a few other CG field guns that I love, but this doesn't seem very much like a sporting gun.

825- Love the trigger upgrade, adjustable everything...but although they claim a LH is available, where is it? Next to the unicorn and leprechauns? Also, I haven't heard they're the best customer service wise, though I've never had to use them. Kind of a boring choice, and I already have a few Browning's.

Is there a diamond in the rough that I'm missing at this price point?

I shoot skeet, 5 stand, FITASC, and sporting clays pretty regularly... WTF is up with trap? I signed up for a 300 rd event but left after the first 100 rds. Bored to death. Stuck in a squad with guys taking 20 seconds to ready for their shot, wearing blinders, and ribs higher than the damn clays.

I've never felt more out of place in my life, and seriously bored out of my damn mind. Longest 100rds of my life. I could've walked and and shot a sporting clays course in the time it took to do my 100rd trap shoot, and at least there would have been variety in the shots.

/rant

To start, I know buy once cry once but cant justify Pilla or other $800+ dollar glasses at the moment.

Anyone find prescription glasses that are available in purple and/or yellow tint? Not looking for glasses with inserts but glasses where the lenses themselves are tinted and prescription. Not sure if anyone has had luck with one of the online glasses shops like a eyebuydirect/warby parker types. Alot of them have RX sunglasses but not sure if their yellow or purple tint translate to clay shooting.

Hoping to find a pair under $200. Or a set for $350-400.