Looking at O/U shotguns

[Thunder71]

Love my CZ O/U, was above your range and I put a fair amount into it after the fact (converted ejectors to extractors, adjustable comb, center bead). Great shooting gun, I really like mine.

[grousemaster]

Just want to echo what Belgiboy said.

I was in the same boat, a friend of mine advised me to wait a bit for the right deal and to save up a few more bucks.

Ended up getting a used Citori lightning for 1k, in mint, perfect, looked like it had never been fired condition. Today it might even sell for a bit more despite all the pheasant hunting seasons Ive put on it in 10 years.

Honestly I wont ever sell it I like it so much.

from some quick looking it seems like all the higher end guns all have ejectors. any ideas what guns ~$1000 have extractors so i'm not having to pick spent shells off the ground? or am I just going to have to deal with ejectors?

Is bending over and picking up shells really an issue? Sure makes reloads faster having ejectors if it's a hunting gun.

[Belgiboy]

Don't get too hung up on extractor vs ejector. I'm a trap shooter myself and it didn't take me too long to figure out how to make the shells eject into my hand. I watched a lot of footage of the 2008 Olympics to learn how the big boys (and girls, Cory Cogdell woof woof) do that and it's really not that hard. And it looks cool. Never underestimate the power of looking cool

[aspeedyturtle]

Just want to echo what Belgiboy said.

I was in the same boat, a friend of mine advised me to wait a bit for the right deal and to save up a few more bucks.

Ended up getting a used Citori lightning for 1k, in mint, perfect, looked like it had never been fired condition. Today it might even sell for a bit more despite all the pheasant hunting seasons Ive put on it in 10 years.

Honestly I wont ever sell it I like it so much.

from some quick looking it seems like all the higher end guns all have ejectors. any ideas what guns ~$1000 have extractors so i'm not having to pick spent shells off the ground? or am I just going to have to deal with ejectors?

Is bending over and picking up shells really an issue? Sure makes reloads faster having ejectors if it's a hunting gun.

Primary use is going to be a target gun so it'd prefer to have extractors

[smurfman]

For a new gun in that price range, you are going to be disappointed in the long run if not the short one. Anything much under a grand will have a number of shortcuts made which will give you nothing but problems. Fixing such a gun is much like fixing an AM transistor radio- it will cost much more than its worth IF you can even find someone to work on it.

If you are patient and shop around you could find a fixed choke Browning Citori or Beretta of some sort, an SKB/Weatherby, or even Ruger around that price. The latter two you might even find with interchangeable chokes.

In any event you are probably going to be looking at field guns as they are more common and less expensive to begin with. They will typically be shot less so should have less likelihood of mechanical problems early in.
Ejectors can be disconnected but it is simpler, easier, and cheaper (if you don't do it yourself) to put your hand over the chamber to block the hulls from popping out. then you can have ejectors if you need them.

If you are pretty much stuck with your price range, a pump like a Remington 870 or Winchester Model 12 would be a good fit as would a semiauto such as a Beretta 303/390/391, Browning Gold, or Remington 1100. These are quality firearms and have proven themselves over time. Buy quality first, price second, action type someplace further back. A quality pump will serve you much better than a cheap O/U under even moderate use.

[aspeedyturtle]

For a new gun in that price range, you are going to be disappointed in the long run if not the short one. Anything much under a grand will have a number of shortcuts made which will give you nothing but problems. Fixing such a gun is much like fixing an AM transistor radio- it will cost much more than its worth IF you can even find someone to work on it.

If you are patient and shop around you could find a fixed choke Browning Citori or Beretta of some sort, an SKB/Weatherby, or even Ruger around that price. The latter two you might even find with interchangeable chokes.

In any event you are probably going to be looking at field guns as they are more common and less expensive to begin with. They will typically be shot less so should have less likelihood of mechanical problems early in.
Ejectors can be disconnected but it is simpler, easier, and cheaper (if you don't do it yourself) to put your hand over the chamber to block the hulls from popping out. then you can have ejectors if you need them.

If you are pretty much stuck with your price range, a pump like a Remington 870 or Winchester Model 12 would be a good fit as would a semiauto such as a Beretta 303/390/391, Browning Gold, or Remington 1100. These are quality firearms and have proven themselves over time. Buy quality first, price second, action type someplace further back. A quality pump will serve you much better than a cheap O/U under even moderate use.

I already have a browning bps that i'm happy with I was just looking at getting a O/U. Also I realize I could just put my hand over the top to block shells from flying out but if I was going to spend ~$1000 on a gun I'd like it to be exactly what I want and not have to "make do"

[smurfman]

A BPS is a PITA on the trap range, it is the reason I stopped using my Remington M-10 for that purpose.

Now, that you have upped your price from $600 to $1000 you are still a bit away from a bespoke gun. You are in the very bottom range of quality guns of which field guns will be the most common. And in this pfice range any gun, field or competition, will mostly have ejectors. You might find some 40+ year old Miroku with extractors which will be in your new price range but they will be a bit hard to find and parts are getting a bit difficult to come up with when needed. The same may be said for the Beretta BL series, I think they may have had some models with extractors. But they are much like the Miroku as far as parts are concerned.

As I pointed out in my earlier post, if extractors are so needed, then one can disable the ejectors and have the same thing. I much prefer blocking the hulls as this allows them to extend even further out of the chamber which makes for much easier extraction. I've used and still have extractor guns and they can be harder to remove the empties, especially with steel head hulls. Just an observation from someone who has been down this road a time or two.

[grimbeaver]

I picked up a used Ruger Red Label for about $900 that I use as a target gun. Personally I don't collect my shells so the ejectors are nice. I have a friend who has no problems catching them as they come out of his Citori. However I recommend doing the math on reloading before you go through the hassle. Some people argue their reloads are more like Winchester AA's, but still when you compare the cost to the cheap ammo boxes at around $6.50 a box everything I've heard is you save maybe a dollar per box, which means it will take a while just to pay off the equipment.

[aspeedyturtle]

I picked up a used Ruger Red Label for about $900 that I use as a target gun. Personally I don't collect my shells so the ejectors are nice. I have a friend who has no problems catching them as they come out of his Citori. However I recommend doing the math on reloading before you go through the hassle. Some people argue their reloads are more like Winchester AA's, but still when you compare the cost to the cheap ammo boxes at around $6.50 a box everything I've heard is you save maybe a dollar per box, which means it will take a while just to pay off the equipment.

I already reload and have been for years (its the same reloader my dad used when in high school) so the equipment has paid for itself years ago