The rabbit target is 110mm in diameter, but because it is designed to roll and bounce along on its thin edge, it has to be much harder than the other targets and this can make it more difficult to break. The other targets are no match for No. 8 shot, and shot as small as No. 9 is plenty big for some presentations. At reasonable ranges those shot sizes will also break the rabbit target with regularity, but if the distance is much greater than 25 yards No. 7 1/2 shot combined with Modified choke can be a more reliable combination.

Benelli's Inertia Driven action is fast, strong, and reliable.

I usually shoot handloads in sporting clays, but I get the impression that most who participate in the sport use factory ammunition. Those who decide to get serious about the game won't go wrong in choosing premium-grade target loads such as Remington STS, Winchester AA, and Federal Gold Medal, all loaded with extremely hard shot for patterns of the best quality. The most popular shot sizes among sporting clays shooters are No. 8 and No. 8 1/2, although some switch to No. 7 1/2 or No. 9 for certain target presentations.

If you shoot sporting clays just for the fun of it or to keep your eye sharp during the off-season, there is nothing wrong with using economy-priced field loads as long as they aren't loaded with shot larger than No. 7 1/2 (the largest shot allowed in any of the clay target games). Regardless of whether you go with the best target loads money can buy or the least expensive field loads you can find, you do not need heavy loads for shooting sporting clays. Heavy loads can be used, but your shoulder may suffer more than the targets.

Most sporting clays shooters favor 12-gauge guns, but I see more and more casual shooters using the smaller bores because they are so comfortable to shoot. About the only time I shoot a 12-gauge gun is when I need to wring it out for a writing assignment, and then it's usually with light-recoil loads containing anywhere from 7/8 ounce to 1 1/8 ounces of shot at no more than 1200 fps.

The barrel is ported at the muzzle, and the sight is a .080-inch red bar at the front of the rib.

Otherwise, it's the 20 or 28 gauge for me, and I also use .410-bore guns quite often. When shooting factory ammo in the 20 gauge, I stick with 7/8 ounce of shot, and when shooting a handload I often drop on down to 3/4 ounce of shot. Regardless of whether I am using factory stuff or handloads, I stick with 3/4 ounce of shot in the 28 and use that same shot charge in the .410 by handloading the 3-inch hull.

The ComforTech synthetic stock has sharp checkering at its wrist and forearm and a nicely done faux carbon fiber finish.

Sequencing Is Critical
Targets in sporting clays are thrown as singles, as true pairs, and as report pairs. In a true pair both targets emerge from the trap house simultaneously; in a report pair the trap operator first releases one bird and then releases the second bird immediately upon hearing the report of the shooter's first shot. Both targets of a double presentation can travel in the same direction or in different directions.