Another OU question

Addict · Post by **Addict** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:48 pm

I have been looking at OU's for this coming spring. With all the selections I am unsure about what kind to get. I have shot skeet at a range a few times but mostly just go out the back door with a box of clays.

I am looking for mainly an upland gun. Should I go with a field, skeet, sporting, or other model? I have only had experience with semi's and pumps. Also what brands can I get the proper cast in being a lefty?

The brands that I am looking at are Browning, Beretta and SKB right now.

Addict

whitedogone · Post by **whitedogone** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:27 pm

Can't go wrong with one of those brands. I am a lefty as well. I shoot a Beretta and a SKB. I shoot both well. I did have the Beretta stock bent. The berettas do have quite a bit of cast that doesn't bode well for us leftys. You really need to sholder all the guns and see with fits you best. The most important item to better yor scores and/or wingshooting.
http://www.arrowlasershot.com/gunfit.htm

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:53 pm

I have a Beretta and love it. Great, great gun.
Can't comment on the amount of cast, but getting a left-handed stock might be difficult. I had a friend who got one for his Beretta and it took weeks for it to get delivered.

Grange · Post by **Grange** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:22 pm

I am a lefty and last year just after Christmas I put a Beretta Silver Pigeon II on lay-a-way. I payed it off a couple of months later and then had it sent back to Beretta to have a left handed stock put on.

All Beretta O/U's in the US have a right handed cast stock. I believe it's 3mm of cast. The do not sell left handed or neutral cast O/U in off the rack shotguns so in order to get a left handed cast you have to either take it to a gunsmith and have the cast bent, which according to Beretta voids the warranty or have them put on a left handed stock.

Beretta did tell me that you I could special order one with a left handed stock for an additional cost ($100 I think), but because I got such a good deal on the shotgun I bought I still came out ahead buy buying it and paying Beretta for a new stock and the installation.

tdhusker · Post by **tdhusker** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:33 pm

Everyone has different tastes and shoots different designs but one thing is for sure, get a stock designed for a lefty. Next, most sporting clays guns have a longer LOP and tend to have better triggers, wider ribs. I very much prefer the SC models for these reasons. You'll find SC guns will hit at a lower point of impact as well. Better for flat crossers and pass shots, but you'll need to cover more of a rising bird with the bead.

One other mistake I see many guys make when buying O/U's is they get too short of barrels. Keep in mind you don't have an action like a pump or auto so a 28" O/U shoot like a 26" auto. I really don't like O/U's with bbl's shorter than 28" and the new Sporting Clays guns have such light bbl's that a 30" weighs no more than a 28" field gun. Most shooters are going to do much better with 30" bbl's than 26".

My choice? Beretta SC gun. The 686 Sporting is hard to beat for the money and can be found used easily.

omega58 · Post by **omega58** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:40 am

Try and find a Verona 500 series. . . .they are neutral cast and work very well for us lefties. They are sold now as the Savage Milano, but you should be able to find a used Verona or maybe even a NIB still for around $500-$700. The Milano is about $1100 or so. . . .the guns are made by F.A.I.R. out of Italy, same family as B. Rizzini/Beretta/Caesar Guerini/ etc.

I won't pay extra for a left-handed stock from Beretta. . . if you want, you can get a Browning with a neutral cast, but for my uses, the Verona does the job. . . I have one in 12, 20, and 28.