Combo Trap Gun Sets
By OutdoorAly

Posted: April 21, 2013

Let’s finish our look at trap guns with the hinged or break action combo sets. These guns are quite popular with dedicated competition trap shooters. While these guns look and function like most over/under shotguns, they have numerous features not found on your average O/U.

stg2

These sets are composed of a receiver and butt stock assembly, a single barrel, and an over/under barrel set. The wood on these guns is highly figured and of high grade walnut or other hardwoods. The stocks usually have adjustable and, often, very high combs, and recoil pads that can also be altered to fit the shooter. The sighting ribs on the barrels are adjustable enabling the shooter to change the point of impact in relation to the point of alignment. Most have interchangeable extended choke tubes.

kolar wood

Many shooters choose an unsingle, or bottom single barrel configuration. This is basically an O/U without the top barrel. My experience with an unsingle has been very positive; the perceived recoil seems much less as the bore is lowered in relation to the shoulder and vision is enhanced with only the rib to look down. The photos accompanying this post show many of these features. The real advantage to a combo set is having a smooth swinging single barret to shoot singles, handicap, and an O/U to shoot doubles. Same fit and mount for all the games. Barrel lengths are usually 32” or 34” for the singles, and 30” or 32” for the O/U.

perazzi1

On the low end of the price range for combo sets, one finds examples like the Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon 3 and the 682 Gold E, and the Browning Cynergy, and Citori combo sets. Fabarm of Italy has just introduced a new combo set called the Axis RS. This gun has a lot of interesting and promising features. The cost of these guns runs between $4500.00 to $6000.00 street prices.

tj3

In the mid-price range of combo trap guns, examples like the Beretta DT10, and the Caesar Guerini models. These guns can be found for prices ranging from $6500.00 to $11,000.00. Moving to the custom combo sets, a great many guns from Kolar, Kreighoff, and Perazzi are commonly found in use by competitive trap shooters. Prices for these and other “custom” combo sets start around $14,000.00 and end where the buyer choses to stop spending. Fine engraving, gold inlays, and rare high grade wood for stocks can raise the price to 6 figures. I’m pretty sure one of those works of art will never grace my safe. While these guns are expensive, they are used to fire hundreds of thousands of rounds and, quite honestly, usually outlast their owners. They retain their value extremely well, and finally, they take up less room than a Harley or a boat, and they don’t leak oil on the garage floor.

These are just a few of the many combo sets available to dedicated trapshooters.

Be safe and good shooting.

Colonel Smoothbore

For more shooting tips and info check out www.guncoach.net 

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