Trap is a simple game. The shots aren’t difficult, and the targets are the same everywhere you go. All you have to do is not miss. Then, you get into a shoot-off with everybody else who didn’t miss, and you don’t miss some more. Then you win. Being simple doesn’t make trap easy. It takes tremendous mental toughness to stay in the moment and focus only on breaking the next bird in competition. When you trust your gun to move well, and to shoot where you look, and to hold up in the stress of competition, it becomes easier for you to remain on the important task of breaking every target, one bird at a time. In short, getting the right trap gun for you can really help. And so, with that in mind, I've compiled the list below of the 11 best trap guns on the market today, at a wide range of prices.
What to Look for in a Trap Shotgun
Good trap guns have the following traits:
Long Barrels: Long barrels add weight to the front end of the gun and smooth your swing.
Heavy Weight: Heavy guns absorb recoil, and they are fast and sure-pointing.
Twelve Gauge: Period. While you certainly can break trap targets with 16-, 20- and 28-gauge guns for fun and hunting practice, everyone shoots a 12-gauge in serious competition.
High Combs and High Impact: Trap guns have much higher combs than field guns and, therefore, much higher points of impact. A high-shooting gun gives you built-in lead on rising targets, and it lets you “float” birds over the barrel so you can keep them in sight.
Adjustability: A trap gun has to shoot exactly where you look if you’re going to make long runs of broken birds. Many have adjustable combs that can be raised, lowered, and moved side to side. Some have adjustable buttplates as well, so you can alter pull, toe in, and out, and drop. Some models also feature adjustable ribs to let you raise or lower the point of impact.
Durability: A trap shooter may fire thousands of rounds a year, even tens of thousands, and their gun has to hold up. A sound design and good manufacturing quality helps a gun hold up.
While hardcore competitors spend five figures on guns, you can find a lot of the necessary features on guns costing much less. At the low end of the price spectrum, you can start with some very affordable entry-level guns that will be all the gun you need to get a taste for the game, and all the gun you need if you want to shoot recreational and league trap. Prices go up from there, and you can spend as much as you want to on a trap gun. Here are some great choices.
Related: The Best Shotguns for the Field and the Range, Tested and Reviewed
Browning 825 Trap
New for 2025, the latest version of the Browning Citori, the 825, comes in a trio of trap models. If you don’t need full adjustability offered by the higher-priced 825 models, the basic trap gun makes a great choice at under $4,000. Browning O/Us are renowned for their durability, and the 825 is no exception. The 825 Trap adds a Monte Carlo stock and high rib that elevates the point of impact. The stock wears Browning’s proprietary Inflex recoil pad that does an effective job of reducing felt recoil. Many trap shooters are choosy about triggers, and this gun boasts Browning’s Firelite 2 trigger that has a crisp, 3 ½-pound pull. The gun comes with Invector Plus DS II chokes, designed to seal the choke/thread area to keep it clear of fouling. It comes in 30- and 32-inch barreled versions. If you want more adjustability than what the basic trap model offers, take a look at the 825 Trap Adjustable Comb, the 825 Pro Trap, or the 825 Trap Max.
Winchester SXP Trap High Grade
The SXP is a good gun for league or scholastic trap, which is all many people ask of a trap gun. It has a super-slick rotary-bolt action that practically pumps itself. Originally made only in a hardwood-stock and matte-metal, it now comes in a new High-Grade version as well. The High Grade has satin-finished Grade II/III walnut with a Monte Carlo stock and a long forend to accommodate any front-hand hold. It has a glossy black receiver and blued barrel. It comes in 30- and 32-inch models with an Inflex recoil pad and three flush-mounted Invector-Plus chokes to handle any yardage from 16 to 27. In the end, it's all anyone need to get started, and it's an great value, retailing at $629.99.
Browning BT-99
The single-barrel trap is an American invention, made for our one-shot games of 16-yard singles and handicap. The BT-99 makes a great starter gun, and its one that will take you several rungs up the competitive ladder, too, before you will ever think of upgrading. The BT-99 has a livelier feel than most O/Us for singles and handicap events. The gun has an extractor only, and it has no safety button at all, so you’ll never lose a target by forgetting to take it off safe. Browning keeps the price down by using lower-grade walnut, a thick urethane finish, and no engraving on the metal parts. It does come with three choke tubes. There are other versions of the gun, with adjustable combs and/or buttplates, and some good-looking higher-end models, but for many shooters, the $1,719 no-frills version will suit them right out of the box.
Related: The Beginner's Guide to Trap Shooting
CZ-All-American Trap Combo
A solid value in a single-barrel/Over-Under combo, CZ’s All-American sets you up for singles with an unsingle barrel with an adjustable rib to change point of impact and a flat-shooting O/U set for doubles. It features full adjustability with both a comb and buttplate that can be moved to fit almost any shooter, while the forend is a hand-filling beavertail that lets your front hand absorb some of the recoil. The gun has handsome Turkish walnut furniture, blued barrels, and a silver-finished receiver that makes it good-looking in an understated way. The ported barrels are 32-inches and have lengthened forcing cones for better patterns. Inside and out, this gun gives you a lot for $2,999.
SKB Century III
A fully adjustable single-barrel trap gun from Turkey, the Century III has a good reputation in terms of gun for the money. It features Turkish walnut and a silvered receiver for looks, and also has a host of performance features from its lengthened forcing cone for better patterns to a clean trigger pull. The stock has both an adjustable comb and buttplate for complete adjustability. It has an extractor and a manual safety. It comes in 30-, 32-, and 34-inch barreled versions, in both standard and youth sizes. It also offers both right- and left-handed stocks with appropriate cast and palm swells at no extra cost, which is rare and, speaking for fellow lefties, welcome. The gun retails for $1,699.
Tristar TT15 Unsingle
The Turkish-made TT15 Unsingle gives shooters the advantage of an unsingle design at a very affordable price. An unsingle (“un” for “under”) places a single barrel where the bottom barrel of an O/U would be. In theory, the lower position of the barrel directs recoil straight back into the shooter’s shoulder, where their body can absorb the blow. The ported barrel of the TT15 is designed to work with that lower unsingle barrel to even further reduce face slap. The stock is Turkish walnut, fitted with an adjustable comb and fully adjustable buttplate. It comes with extended competition tubes and sells for just $1,739.
Browning Citori CX
Billed as a “crossover” target and hunting gun, the Citori CX presents a hybrid style, with a raised trap-style vent rib and a stock that’s halfway between field and trap dimensions. It has a 3-inch chamber, too, so this is a gun you can use in the dove field and duck blind as well as for trap, skeet, and sporting clays. Browning claims the gun has a 60/40 point of impact, which works for field and for target sports. You can choose among 28-, 30- and 32-inch barrels depending on whether your main emphasis will be on targets or birds. The grade II walnut stock has a gloss finish and the blued receiver has gold accents. Like all Browning barrels, these are overbored and have lengthened forcing cones for better patterns, and the gun comes with extended Midas-grade choke tubes all for $2,529.
Fabarm Elos N2 Allsport Type T XL
The popularity of scholastic clay target shooting has left many parents searching for a one-gun solution to all clay target disciplines. A great answer to mom and dad’s problems, and perhaps yours, too, is the N2 Allsport Type T. This well-built Italian break-action comes as a combo set with both O/U and an unsingle barrel for singles and handicap. The O/U barrels come with two instantly interchangeable ribs, one that offers a 50/50 point of impact for skeet and sporting clays and the other raises POI to 65/35 for trap and trap doubles. The comb and length of pull also adjust, so this gun can go from trap to sporting clays to trap doubles in minutes.
Fabarm is known for the quality of its barrel-making and choke tubes and is one of the very few gunmakers to build its choke tubes in house. It's true that $5,895 would be a lot for one gun, but the N2 Allsport is like buying two or three guns in one. The “XL” in the name refers to the 14.875” stock length, which does adjust. There is also a standard 14-inch length-of-pull model.
Beretta A400 Xcel Multi-Target
The Xcel Multi-Target is another gun made to shoot for all disciplines, and it’s an excellent choice if you want the recoil relief of a gas semiauto. Built on Beretta’s super-reliable A400 action, this gun has an adjustable comb and rib, plus an optional weight system to adjust the gun’s balance for different disciplines and shooting styles. It can also be ordered with Beretta’s Kick-Off recoil-reduction system for even more painless shooting. It comes with a walnut stock, silver anodized receiver, and an enlarged bolt handle and release button. The only thing you need to add for trap singles is a $15 accessory shell catcher. The A400 is extremely easy to maintain for a semiauto, and it shoot hundreds and maybe thousands of rounds between cleanings. It lists for $3,179.
Caesar Guerini Summit Trap
Guerini U.S.A. has a deserved reputation as a maker of good-looking, well-made Italian shotguns backed by excellent customer service at their Maryland headquarters. The Summit Trap is a great example of Guerini quality. The walnut stock has a hand-rubbed oil finish that complements the gray nitride-finished receiver with traditional acanthus engraving.
The gun is about more than superficial appearance, though. An over-sized locking lug and replaceable, modular wear-points mean this gun will shoot for a long time, and it will be easily rebuildable when the time comes. It has an adjustable comb and rib, as well as internal weights that let you adjust the balance and Guerini’s Exis chokes for better patterns. The trigger not only adjusts for reach, but for over-travel and takeup. It’s not a cheap gun at $7,795, but if you want a gun that looks this good and shoots good, you have to spend some money. The Summit Trap comes as an O/U, top single, or unsingle.
Krieghoff K-80
If you get very serious about your trapshooting, you will eventually want a very serious gun, built to handle the tens of thousands of rounds you’ll shoot in a year. For a lot of top shooters, that’s a Krieghoff K-80. It’s the successor to the K-32, which was essentially the old Remington Model 32, a gun that failed in the states during the Depression but caught the eye of German engineers, who knew a stout design when they saw one and bought the patent. Built around the Model 32’s unique sliding top-latch action, the K-80 is one of the world’s great trap guns, winning at both ATA and Olympic trap. The O/U not only lets you adjust point of impact, but the hanger that connects the separated barrels adjusts too, so you can set the bottom barrel to shoot high for the first bird on doubles, and the top barrel to shoot flat for the second. Krieghoff cuts no corners in a K-80, so you’ll pay upwards of $15,000 for a basic gun, and more if you add upgraded engraving, wood, chokes or a release trigger. For a lot of serious shooters, it's worth it.
Read Next: How to Shoot Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays
