Im going back to an auto for trap shooting,started the game with an old Win.SuperX-1 trap and was good with it. Screwed up and sold that gun and went with a O/U but never shot as good with it,now have gotten rid of that one and Im looking at the 1100 trap. Looked at picking up a used 1100 field and building it up but after getting the right stock and BBL Im real close to the price of a new gun. Anyone out there have any thoughts on this gun?::::::MV

Yeah, they handle and point well, but we used to call them 550s on the trap fields because they were broke half the time. I'm not kidding, ask around some trap shooters and if you can find anyone using them, you will find someone carrying a bag full of spare parts or spare guns. I'm not telling you not to do it, but be aware of what you are getting into. Fortunately, they are very easy to work on and fix.

I think gun fit is much more important than the type of action, most people blame the gun(s) and keep switching, when in many cases it is the nut behind the stock or the relationship of the stock and the nut.

I have an 1100 trap,real pretty wood on it,If I don't shoot it for over a month,the gas rings will get "tight".The only thing that has broke on it is the extractor.Traded an fal[century sporter]for it at a gun show 7 years ago.Good luck!

I'm telling it like it is and you can believe it or not. Like anything, it depends on how much you use it. Most serious trap shooters shoot at least 3 times a week and probably average at least 500 rounds a week in either practice or competition. 1100s (and many other guns) won't hold up to the constant pounding without some breakage now and then. I was on the squad with a friend's wife who shot 1100s and carried spare guns and went through 3 of them on ONE doubles trap. Unusual, but they WILL break, count on it.

Gatogordo since your not real keen on the 1100 what do you think of the 870 trap?::::: MV

MV:

First, let me clarify my position on the 1100, they are very good shotguns, that handle and point well and produce a lesser recoil "feel". I like them, but they are relatively fragile, made of quite a few stameped parts and they will break. The ordinary user may use one for years and never have any problem. Start shooting trap or skeet with them on a regular basis and they will break. However, as I said, they are one of the easiest of all multi-shot shotguns to work on.

The 870 is an entirely different animal. I used to shoot occasionally with Rudy Etchen and he had an 870 he had been shooting trap with for 40 years or so and, while it may have been rebuilt once, was just as tight as one a year old. Great guns, but they, of course, have no recoil reduction feature and, unless you are used to shooting them, the "wiggle" in the fore end may bother some shooters. Probably the best bargain available to start shooting trap and determine if you want to get serious. Most people don't shoot doubles with them, but Etchen was the first person to ever run a 100 straight in doubles, as I recall, and he used, yep, the 870, so it is certainly possible.

He does have what is called the "Etchen" grip on his, which was developed by his father,Fred, another shotgunner of note BTW, which is essentially a deeper and more curved (more circular) grip, other than that, it is box stock.
Now, with the screw in chokes, it is more adaptable than ever. Great gun for almost all uses.

Gatogordo and Claybuster thanks much for the info on these guns. We had a gunshow in town today and went looking for a 1100 or a 870 but ended up picking up a Winchester Mod.12 trap for a sweet price. Know several people that have these and love them. This one was made in 34 and looks like new so Im a happy camper. Will be at the range in the AM busting some birds for sure.
Thanks again for your input::::::MV

Excuse me - make that made in 54:::::MV

Congrats!!! Have fun!!!Clay.

M12 was the pump gun of choice for many years for a big percentage of trap shooters. Great gun, points and handles as well as any. Only real drawback to it is that gunsmiths who work on them, which ain't all that easy, are becoming hard to find. But, they don't need much work either.

This is hard to describe in writing, but to check the wear (which is very cost prohibitive to fix if it is too far gone) on a M12,(obviously it has to be unloaded) lock it up, meaning have the bolt forward in shooting position and reach up under the shell carrier and push up on the bottom of the bolt, that is push toward the top of the receiver . The more movement it has the more worn it is. Very obvious ammounts of movement indicate that you might look elsewhere. I realize that "movement" is a subjective term, and this is not something you can do on one M12 since ALL the bolts have movement in them, but do it on a few of them and you will understand the difference between normal movement and that which possibly indicates excessive wear.