Skeet Guns must be capable of firing two shots since four/five sets of doubles are included in the regulation 25-shot round. In addition, competitive Doubles events are offered at many tournaments. The gun may be a double barrel (side-by-side or over-and-under), a pump gun or a semi-automatic, depending on the shooter’s preference. Major manufactures offer specially made skeet guns, and you should consult them or a good gunsmith before buying a shotgun for skeet. Details such as weight, choke, drop and pitch and fit of the gun vary with individual shooters. It is actually better to try out several guns, all types if possible, before buying.

Gauge

The “gauge” of a shotgun, as it refers to guns and shells, originated from the number of lead balls the diameter of the barrel needed to make a pound. For example, a 12-guage shotgun had a bore that, without a choke, would be able to take one ball, 12 of which would weigh a pound. This outdated terminology does not apply to today’s standard of measuring a gauge, but it is still used in shotgun marketing. Referring to current day shotguns, the smaller the number means the larger the gauge. This means that a 12-gauge gun has a larger barrel than a 16-gauge gun, and a 16-gauge gun larger than a 20. Because the bore is larger, a 12-guage shot shell holds more shot than a 16-gauge shell, allowing the larger gauge to hit a flying target easier.

The .410 is the smallest commercially available shotgun, but is probably not the best choice for the beginner due to the small amount of shot in its shell. A better choice is the 20-gauge shotgun. The amount of shot is less than the amount in a 12-gauge, and it produces lighter feeling recoil against the cheek and shoulder, which encourages accuracy. A 12-gauge “kicks” back against the shoulder more and can be responsible for eye closing and flinching. This can result in poor accuracy. The 12-gauge, however, is the most versatile and widely used shotgun. Other gauges available include 10, 16 and 28.

The rules of skeet shooting allow for the use of any gauge smaller than 12 for shooting 12-gauge events. Examples of 12-gauge events would be league shooting, recreational shooting and the 12-gauge or “all bore” event at a registered skeet shoot.

Types of Guns

There are a wide variety of guns available in all gauges. Several manufacturers produce “pump” shotguns in all 3 gauges and the 410 bore. In addition to pump guns it is possible to buy semi-automatics, side-by-sides and over-under shotguns in 12,16, 20, 28 and .410. The advent of the “tube set” allows for even greater variance in gun usage.

Most people shoot skeet using either a semi automatic or an over-and-under, but all of the following guns can be used in the sport:

Pump gun - Shooters operate the pump gun by moving the forearm in a backward motion followed by a forward motion. This action unlocks the breechblock, extracts and ejects the fired shot shell, transfers a live shell from the magazine to the chamber and relocks the breechblock.

Semi-automatic - The semi automatic is so named because all the shooter does after loading the 1st shell is pull the trigger and the gun ejects the used shell and chambers the new one on its own. There are two basic types of semi-automatic shotguns: the gas operated and the recoil operated. As you might guess the basic difference is whether or not the expanding gases from the shot shell are used as part of the cycling process of the guns action. Gas operated shotguns tend to have less recoil while recoil operated guns tend to jam less.

Side-by-side - The side-by-side is a double-barreled shotgun with the barrels located in a side-by-side configuration. Some people regard the side-by-side as the “classic” shotgun. It is mainly used for upland game hunting instead of clay target shooting. Many models are relatively expensive, and some users say that target sighting is hindered because the width of two barrels tends to obscure the target. Some grades also have two triggers, which makes it slightly more difficult to fire in competition.

Over-and-under - This is a double barrel shotgun but with the barrels one above the other. These are available in some 12-gauge models suitable for special sets of insertable tubes or with interchangeable barrels of differing gauges or as a dedicated gun in the gauge of your choice.

Tube Set - Tube sets are used to change the gauge of double-barreled shotguns. This is accomplished by sliding a precisely dimensioned “tube” down the barrel of the shotgun. In most instances the tube is custom built for the gun and the inside dimension of the tube is that of any alternative gauge you wish to select.

 "the holy grail" of skeet guns:

considered by many as the most effective, flexible and best gun for skeet shooters , used by many of the top shooters in this country and abroad

introducing the kreighoff K80

By Jason Harris

This Krieghoff K80  shotgun is an excellent, and typical, example of German engineering.

From my point of view the Krieghoff K80 is a difficult gun to sum up; most sportsmen would say it's not the prettiest gun on the market and therefore not to their liking.

But slap an attractive bit of wood to a nicely engraved action body and this is a gun that can be made to rank alongside some of the best guns in the world - in particular where quality of craftsmanship is concerned.

Where Krieghoff guns excel is in pure strength, they're robustly built and durable to a fault. In other words, qualities synonymous with almost anything that's made in Germany.

There's an almost limitless number of features that can be built into a K80, but at the heart of each gun is its action - a substantial frame of metal meticulously made by computer controlled machinery.

Yet everything else that fits into, on and around, is largely done by hand. 



One of the K80's most noticeable features is the sliding top breech. This might not be the most attractive way to lock a shut gun but the design is immensely strong and practical.

It also makes the fitting of extra barrels a much simpler process and this is an advantage when you realise many K80's are bought as multi-barrel sets, or an owner decides to add extra barrels later.

The hammers and sears are powered by coil springs and the pierced titanium trigger blade that used to come as an option is now fitted as standard. This can be easily adjusted fore and aft for the most comfortable position between hand/ pistol grip.

Mechanically the Krieghoff is well proven so most changes to this gun for 2008 are purely cosmetic. 



And the most obvious change has been to the woodwork. The wood quality has generally been upgraded and treated to a new factory finish called Diamond Glaze - a hard urethane shell that gives exceptional protection.

Many K80 owners travel extensively to shoot both home and abroad and widely differing temperature and humidity conditions can cause wood to swell, or the grain to raise.

This is particularly the case when a gun is used in heavy rain and then encounters high humidity.

The Diamond Glaze finish, however, can be cleaned easily and it is also resistant to minor knocks and scratches. Krieghoff claims the finish also brings out the full figure of the wood's grain and its beauty.

If the appeal of the test gun is anything to go by, I can't help but agree. 



Overall weight of this competition thoroughbred is 9lb 1oz so if you're a weakling, forget it! Whichever way you look at it this is a shotgun which has been built to do a great deal of hard work and yet remain as comfortable as possible to its user.

Barrels carry the special steel shot proof mark and the chambers with their long forcing cones have been chromed to resist wear. Interestingly, the actual bores (18.6mm internal diameter) have been left chrome-free. Each K80 Sporter comes with five extended stainless steel chokes and the barrels are finished off with a white foresight and silver mid sight.

The 32in version has a ventilated top rib that tapers from 10mm to 6mm whereas the 30in version has a rib tapering from 12mm to 8mm at the muzzle. The difference between the two ensures that the weight between both barrel lengths is roughly the same.

However, a buyer who wants 30in barrels can also order the narrower rib if he/she wants it!

All K80s are balanced around the hinge, and this is done individually to each gun. By a happy coincidence this arrangement suits most shooters, but should you have a particular preference for balance, then this can be accommodated, within reason.

The action frame on the test gun is satin silver finish with some scroll engraving which contrasts nicely with the blacked locking slide.

This Sporter is supplied with an adjustable comb stock and the palm swell and slight cast has been done for the benefit of the right-handed shooter. Stock length is 14.1/2in and includes a pad with a hard heel for smooth mounting. 


Fore-end shape is Schnabel but when you're paying this kind of money for a gun you can actually pick a stock and fore-end shape that suits your requirements.