u/Ok_Demand_3197

Some background:

My dad wants to go shooting with me for the first time. He’s like 5’8” and 130 pounds. In contrast, I’m a recoil-absorbing fatty - 5’11” and 185 pounds.

I was thinking about buying him some low-recoil rounds. I see a lot of 980FPS, sub-ounce loads. Would these make it harder to shoot skeet or trap than a standard 1200fps, 1.125 ounce?

Okay, please roast my gun choice, or give me alternatives.

Currently shooting trap, would like to get into other clays.

• I was originally set on a A400 Multitarget with the high rib, but I tried it out and found that I strongly dislike the high rib.
• I tried the Beretta 688, and I loved everything about it except for how front-heavy it is. I'm currently just practicing, and sometimes shoot like 250 shots in a session. I think my left arm would die just from high-volume shooting.
• Browning Citori CX just didn't feel as good as the Beretta 688, so I wrote it off.
• The AX800 felt really awesome, but I'm not sure about the whole rubberized thing it's got going on.

I believe I've decided on the A400 XCEL Sporting KO. It was light enough for my wife to shoot with me, and the whole gun was just delightful to shoot. So I guess I'm going to come in under budget? Unless you guys sway me in a different direction...

Trying to decide what to purchase, and I'm completely flip-flopping on what I want.

• I originally set budget at ~$800, but I think I'm seeing scope creep everytime I go shopping. I still think it's prudent to probably keep a first shotgun under $2k.
• I'm going back and forth between auto, over-under, and single barrel.
• Going to be doing quite a bit of informal shooting with friends, and I would like to get into light competitive eventually. This gun will never be used for hunting.
• I was pretty set on a Franchi Affinity 3, but I shot one, and it was just extremely unergonomic. I just didn't like the small forend grip, the aggressive knurling, the balance, or anything about it.
• I shot the Beretta AX800, and fell in love.
• The A300 felt okay, and seems like a real possibility for purchase.
• I have limited experience with single-barrel and over/under besides holding them in stores. I'm very interested in maybe picking one of these up.

Any advice for someone who's completely lost on what to purchase here?

I am shopping for my first shotgun… geared towards trap. I’m also partial to automatics.

I love everything about the Franchi Affinity, except the forend grip feels terrible. It feels really thin, and the knurling is really abrasive. Overall, extremely uncomfortable and just not ergonomic.

In contrast, I held the AX800 suprema, and it was by far the most comfortable, but it’s more than I want to spend. I loved the rubberized forend and stock.

Is there anything I could do about the forend grip on the Franchi? I didn’t see any aftermarket forends available. Is there another shotgun in the $1000 range that I should try?

I bought a 2012 Pilot about a decade ago because folks had good things to say about the reliability. This thing is basically falling apart...

- It burns 1 quart of oil every 3k miles.

- Control arm bushings are out.

- Passenger CV axle is going out.

- Both front shocks are gone.

- Both front wheel bearings were replaced.

- Motor mount is cooked.

- CCV went out.

With most of my other cars, I usually go 300k+ miles with only 1-2 issues. I have a Dodge with 320k Miles, a Toyota with 330k, another Toyota with 150k, a Ford with 252k, and another Toyota I sold at 680k miles. None of these cars have had as many issues as this stupid Pilot. An extremely-well maintained 145k mile car shouldn't have these issues!

​PICTURE IN COMMENTS

I found my dream 6.0 for sale for $8.2k. I've wanted this exact-spec truck since I was 13 years old, and finally bought it!

- 2006 Lariat FX4, Single-tone black, Dually, Crew-Cab, Long-Bed with 250k miles.

- New engine 20k miles ago. No rust.

I've been on a quest to refresh the whole truck and prep it to go another 250k Miles. Here's basically what I've done:

- All new fluids and filters

- New radiator and hoses with CAT ELC coolant

- New oil cooler with bypass coolant filter and bypass oil filter.

- Blue spring with new fuel pump

- EGR delete and delete tune

- Vacuum system and AC rebuild

- New glow plugs, harness, and FICM

- Everything on the belts is new... tensioners, idlers, alternators, water pump, PS pump, Fan clutch

- Wiring harness rebuild

- Front axle rebuild + new shocks and ball joints.

- 6.7 powerstroke starter

- Undercoating to prevent rust.

-SoCal Billet Up Pipes.

I am now $7.5k deep in parts, which is exponentially more than I planned on spending!! But the truck drives like it is brand new, and is also looking great!