SxS for casual clay competition?

[Wally-Winka]

Hi all!

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I've enjoyed browsing this forum for a long time now and I've finally taken the steps to acquire my firearms licence here in NSW.

The 3 areas of target shooting I'm leaning towards initially are .22lr rifle, Lever action .22lr or .357 (my inner cowboy wants out) and clay target shooting.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to resist the urge to get a SxS (inner cowboy again). Initially I'm going to be looking at the extreme low end of the market as I'm budget restricted and I really want everything to be new and shiney.

Really my question is: will I have as much fun with a Turkish/Brazilian $1000 sxs as I would with a o/u for the same price? Will the gun hinder my performance more than my skills will? Will I be laughed at at my first appearance?

Anyone own a super budget friendly SxS they can recommend?

I eventually will upgrade each gun as budget allows but at this stage I'd much rather proudly own 3 budget guns of different categories than 1 nice one.

Thanks in advance for any replys.

[mchughcb]

I general you can get a cheap miroku o/u sporter and you will be happy. I paid $990 for my sxs turkish Webley and Scott 2020K and its the one shotgun I love to shoot. Having fun and playing for sheep stations are two different things.

https://youtu.be/X7POYF8GlyA

[No1Mk3]

G'day Wally-Winka,
You can be reasonably competitive and have a lot of fun shooting clays with a SxS, it is all the Champions used before the advent of the O/U after all. The fact that no serious shooter has used a SxS at high level for many decades indicates to you which style is best for competition. Get what you enjoy and go for it, I used a SxS hammer-gun for many years and was not the lowest score in the club, even with black powder loads now and then, Cheers.

[28gunna]

hi wally, SXS is a good form of gun for casual clay shooting and I know some good shots who use it all the time for competition. NSW state sxs championship in sporting clays was held at Cooma last weekend . Sporting is a difficult discipline . The new "rash " of Turkish guns tend to have better stocks than the older style English game guns, and are more suited to shooting clays . Also the cowboy discipline can use a sxs so more use from the one gun . I love using sxs when I can and have three in the cupboard ..

[ZaineB]

I used to shoot clays all the time with my S/S 410 when I was a teenager, great fun, and was as accurate as anyone else at the club

[Bugman]

Have used a 12g s x s on clays. Yes, a lot of fun and quite a few misses. Would I use one again for clays? No. Been there and done that. Have moved on to other forms of shooting.

[ZaineB]

Have used a 12g s x s on clays. Yes, a lot of fun and quite a few misses. Would I use one again for clays? No. Been there and done that. Have moved on to other forms of shooting.

I looked at getting back into clays, when doing it in the past a slab used to cost about $50 now they want roughly $100 if you're lucky and more like $130 a slab which we all know doesn't go far, so its like 100+% more expensive than before, thats without clays, that around here are anywhere from $65 a box of 150, then there are the club fees and buying a new trap gun etc... I decided to hell with it, can go on a lot of regular hunts for the price of dicking around with clay shooting.

[bladeracer]

Have used a 12g s x s on clays. Yes, a lot of fun and quite a few misses. Would I use one again for clays? No. Been there and done that. Have moved on to other forms of shooting.

I looked at getting back into clays, when doing it in the past a slab used to cost about $50 now they want roughly $100 if you're lucky and more like $130 a slab which we all know doesn't go far, so its like 100+% more expensive than before, thats without clays, that around here are anywhere from $65 a box of 150, then there are the club fees and buying a new trap gun etc... I decided to hell with it, can go on a lot of regular hunts for the price of dicking around with clay shooting.

I think 12ga. ammo is probably cheaper now that it was when I was a kid. I don't recall what a slab of Aussie Ammo #4 and #6 cost back then, but I'd reckon it would've hurt my pocket a lot more than lashing out $100 for a slab nowadays.
Anybody got any magazines from the early '80's to look up the prices

[boingk]

Hi mate, I'd recommend picking up a used Boito side-by-side with 20" or 28" barrels. Very popular and can be had cheap ($400 - $500) in good condition.

I had one and loved it, only recently sold it to free up room in the safe. Thats the good bit - you can always easily sell it on if you decide its not for you, or use it in the field, or in single action (cowboy) matches.

Geez some of you guys are getting stung for ammo and clays. $90 and $35 respectively here.

[ZaineB]

Have used a 12g s x s on clays. Yes, a lot of fun and quite a few misses. Would I use one again for clays? No. Been there and done that. Have moved on to other forms of shooting.

I looked at getting back into clays, when doing it in the past a slab used to cost about $50 now they want roughly $100 if you're lucky and more like $130 a slab which we all know doesn't go far, so its like 100+% more expensive than before, thats without clays, that around here are anywhere from $65 a box of 150, then there are the club fees and buying a new trap gun etc... I decided to hell with it, can go on a lot of regular hunts for the price of dicking around with clay shooting.

I think 12ga. ammo is probably cheaper now that it was when I was a kid. I don't recall what a slab of Aussie Ammo #4 and #6 cost back then, but I'd reckon it would've hurt my pocket a lot more than lashing out $100 for a slab nowadays.
Anybody got any magazines from the early '80's to look up the prices

not at all, even just pre-covid a slab of 12G 7.5 was around $70 to $80... unless you wanted some pedigree crap that makes 0.006% difference over the cheap stuff. I used to clear out scrub of foxes with the cheap shot as all shots were usually sub 15m. same shot now is around $120 a slab.

[28gunna]

Have used a 12g s x s on clays. Yes, a lot of fun and quite a few misses. Would I use one again for clays? No. Been there and done that. Have moved on to other forms of shooting.

I looked at getting back into clays, when doing it in the past a slab used to cost about $50 now they want roughly $100 if you're lucky and more like $130 a slab which we all know doesn't go far, so its like 100+% more expensive than before, thats without clays, that around here are anywhere from $65 a box of 150, then there are the club fees and buying a new trap gun etc... I decided to hell with it, can go on a lot of regular hunts for the price of dicking around with clay shooting.

I think 12ga. ammo is probably cheaper now that it was when I was a kid. I don't recall what a slab of Aussie Ammo #4 and #6 cost back then, but I'd reckon it would've hurt my pocket a lot more than lashing out $100 for a slab nowadays.
Anybody got any magazines from the early '80's to look up the prices

Hello Bladeracer , from memory they were around $80 a slab but a slab was 500 not 250 . Premium shells went for $100-$125 . Country prices , city may have been cheaper . I have all the early magazines not many shells were advertised from memory but I can look if necessary .

[Wally-Winka]

Thank you guys for you replys.

I'm starting to think showing up with a cheap sxs may just lose me the little credibility I have. If I'm going to show up with something Turkish it may as well be an over/under.

[bladeracer]

Thank you guys for you replys.

I'm starting to think showing up with a cheap sxs may just lose me the little credibility I have. If I'm going to show up with something Turkish it may as well be an over/under.

Never let other people's unfounded opinions determine what best suits you. Credibility comes from how well you do what you do, not how much you spent.

[28gunna]

Totally agree with Bladey no-one looks at what your using as long as you're having a go . Also I have a SxS event next weekend and most competitors will be using a Turk because good quality "brand name " SxS's are as dear as poison and you have to wait till someone dies to get one . I wanted a Browning SxS for at least 20 years and got one two years ago and I'm north of 60. Hopefully mines not up for grabs anytime soon ...lol.

[ThatNewGuy]

I miss with an over and under and I keep trying, I miss with an old SXS and I smile while doing so. having something different is a good conversation starter and most people will not care about what you are using, and there is an entire event called farmers guns in which it is cheap unmodified guns... so for a casual competition, I would just give it a go and bring what you can.

P.S check and see if your range allows lead some ranges don't so an old SXS running steel would be a quite bad Idea

[LawrenceA]

Just use what you have.
Better yet something you have used a lot.
familiarity is king with a shotgun.
If you can hit a quail you can hit a clay.

I have shown up with an old hammer gun. Awesome fun.