Browning BT-99 Opinions

[birch]

I have started a quest for the perfect all around shotgun. I am a small game hunter, but I am not the biggest or the best small game hunter. Basically I rabbit and bird hunt for the fun of getting out of the house. If I shoot a bunny, I am happy, and if I don't get one, I am equally happy.
I do alot of target shooting, and a I was given a nice clay thrower that I plan on using.

Is the browning BT-99 a good all around gun? It will be a dual purpose gun. With that being said, would I be better off with a Winchester model 12? Follow up shot are not important. In Northern Michigan, a second shot on a bunny or bird is very rare indeed. I only shoot single trap/skeet. I am just wondering if the 99 is a good sight shooter for flying/running game?

[dverna]

You cannot shoot skeet with a single barrel.

The BT-99 is a great entry level gun for trap. For an "all round" gun you may be better served with a Beretta semi-auto or even a Remington semi-auto. You can buy hull catchers for them if you want to save your hulls when shooting trap.

Don Verna

[MGD]

Get a Remington 870 Express 26" or 28" barrel, affordable, available, easy to use and easy to maintain. Also lots of barrels and accessories on the market.

[280Ackley]

Rem 870 is a good gun, although I wouldn't buy the express unless I was pressed for cash. Win Model 12 is a great all around gun and widely available on the used market. The Win Super X3 is a very good gun for the money. I have never picked up a Beretta 390 that didn,t shoot well for me and good used ones are reasonably priced. I love my Beretta 20 gauge o/u. It is my go to hunting gun and a good skeet and sporting clays gun.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I've been shooting shotguns a LONG time. I currently shoot a BT-99 for singles trap and it is an excellent shotgun for the money and very popular at my club! However if you want an all around do different thing gun, get a Remington 1100 with a 28 or 30" barrel with removable chokes! This will allow you to try the different games and also to hunt! Remington makes an excellent barrel and there are plenty of parts and accessories. It is also economical to get set up and then once you see whats going on you can make up your mind and try other things!

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rem_1100.htm

[rking22]

Another vote for the M12 you referenced in your original post. Remember also the BT99 has no mechanical safety like hunting guns. No issue on the trap field but....
I cannot think of a more limited single purpose shotgun than a BT99 , and I like them! I have shot skeet singles with one ,it was fun but definately a "trick" ,it was fixed full choke !

The M12 Winchester has filled game bags and and set Trap and Skeet records for several generations. They don't make them like that anymore. The 870 wingmaster is a fitting "modern" replacement. The express is a little rough to compare to the M12. My most recent M12 was made in 1914 and breaks skeet doubles with authority , can't wait for dove season!
Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

[Andrew Mason]

i shot a bt-99 yesterday at the trap range.

a very nice trap gun, i scored a 20-25. much better than what i had been shooting that day.

i would have to say that a bt-99 is a great trap gun, and exactly that.
its very long and heavy to carry in the filed for only having a single shot,

[Travtastik]

For a all around shotgun I love my Remington 870 wing master. My new versa max is an amazing shotgun also but it still has a few thousand rounds to go till it reaches the 870's level.

[mtgrs737]

BT-99s are great trap guns, but I would not think a good choice for an all around gun. No safety on a hunting gun is the most important reason not to consider one for hunting. It is designed as purely a single barrel trap gun and it does that very well. I would think that it is too expensive for an all around gun, I would suggest a Rem 870 or a Mossburg Pump.

[birch]

Thanks for the responses.
I didnt even realize that the BT has no safety. I could never get myself to carry a Glock or similar gun because of the no safety thing. I know they are safe in a general sense of the word, but my old man taught me at a very young age to always check to see if a gun is unloaded when it comes in the house, and always have the safety on until you are ready to shoot. I just can't seem to get over that no matter how much I try.

I was thinking that the gun might be a little to long and heavy for a afternoon of hunting, but I was also thinking that the adjustable buttstock, adjustable cheek piece and perfect fit and finish might make up for some heavyness. After reading all of your posts, especially the people who have had actual hands on experience with the BT, I do believe that I will be finding a perfect model 12. I might even opt for one that has a few bumps and bruises so I dont feel bad about tripping in a swail hole and jamming the entire gun in a perfect stew of mud and cow ****. I did this once with my first shotgun which I still have and love till this day (cheap springfield single shot 944)

It does sound like I might be interested in a BT-99 someday, but my must have list is very long so it might be a while. Thanks again.

[lcclower]

I've had a truck load of shotguns, from Savages to Perazzis.
My opinion is that the Remington 870 is the Kalashnikov of shotguns. Get one, get the stock to fit you, go shoot everything with it.

[birch]

The 870 is very high on my list, but around my neck of the woods, an 870 is in roughly the same monetary ballpark as the Winchester model 12. Granted, the Winchester might have been cut down, or had a Cutts adjustable choke/muzzlebreak on it for the 870 ballpark price. I know myself pretty well, and I would bet a hundred dollars I would go with the Winchester over the 870 even though I have heard that the 870 is the finest utilitarian shotgun in the world. The Winchester 12 heritage is so appealing.
My other "maybe" shotgun is the browning citori family. They are just so damned elegant and fine in the fit and finish department. The only problem with the Citori is that it is almost too beautiful. It would wreck my day pretty badly if I accidentally scraped the stock with some barbed wire or something similar. I also couldnt see myself trucking through the woods with the gun in a light (or heavy) rain or snowstorm. Now if I can find a Citori or Lightning that had some rust removed with a piece of sandpaper, I would probably be all over it! I might even be tempted to remove all the blueing and give it a good old WWII park job. Maybe browning should come out with a zinc phosphate all weather citori. Actually, it would probably sell like the dickens.

[Iowa Fox]

birch have you priced a BT99?

[rking22]

Birch , as much as I love the M12 Winchesters ,they command collector prices when in good shape. As I said they don't make them like that anymore and that could cause issues in repair/ spares. Also be very weary of inexpensive M12s , many "parts guns" are out there and they generally do not work as well as a gun that was assembled and fit by winchester. When parts are mixed in a bassically hand built gun they don't live up to expectations. All that said , if I had to only have 1 shotgun to do it all , I would keep one of my skeet "C" 870s with a couple extra barrels. 37s are slick , had a nice one for a while ,but barrels are not nearly as easily found nor stocks and parts. After all, there are something like 9 million 870s out there. Citoris are nice , the 12ga is heavy for a field gun (my opinion,others may vary) I chose a 20 ga 425 and like it quite well. They are tough , my son has put well over 50K rounds thru a 325 shooting international skeet without a hiccup! Still an 870 (wingmaster ,not express) would be my choice as a do it all shotgun , I shoot International skeet with mine also ,so doubles are no issue. About 7 1/4 pounds of absolute reliability with unlimited support parts that points and handles like a shotgun should. I have a Beretta 686 skeet gun but prefer the 870 ,just handles better for me (YMMV). By the way , out of four 12ga ,one 20ga and a 28 ga I currently have ,I have replaced a broken fireing pin on my first after untold rounds ,cost me less than 20$ and took me 1/2 hour.
In TN , a BT 99 generally runs 900$ used ,one just sold at auction for 550$ . M12s 350$ for a rough one to 750$ for nice, Citoris 1200 to 1400 and up.The last 2 870s were 125$ for a really nice 1962 model and 350$ for a 1966 skeet "C" with beautiful wood. Seem to bring 350 to 550 on average in my area.
What ever you choose ,take it to the woods often!

[Blammer]

I'd get something a bit lighter, that BT99 is kinda heavy to tote around all day in the woods.