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Poll on *Hunting* Shotgun(Semi-Auto)*Advice

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Which 12 ga. Semi-Auto Shotgun would you choose? *and why*

  • Benelli

    Votes: 119 44%

  • Beretta

    Votes: 57 21%

  • Browning

    Votes: 42 15%

  • Mossberg

    Votes: 2 1%

  • Norinco

    Votes: 0 0%

  • Remington

    Votes: 27 9.9%

  • Weatherby

    Votes: 2 1%

  • Winchester

    Votes: 24 8.8%
  • Total voters
    273
41 - 60 of 117 Posts
#41 · (Edited)
I shoot a Browning Citori Waterfowler (3.5") for 5 stand and sporting clays as well as upland hunting.
It was getting a bit beat up duck hunting, so I bought a Stoeger 3500.
(it is supposedly a Benneli design made in Turkey)
I ended up shooting several hundred rounds thru it and it performed to my liking.

@ $600 it was a good deal and warrants a look.
I use a Tempest Gold modified choke.
It has a synthetic stock and a matte finish on the metal.
It was ideal for hunting in rain, mud, snow and handled bangs against boat gunnels as well.

Just my "frugal" opinion.
 
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Discussion starter · #45 ·
Jacob Hawkes said:
He's saying he doesn't need the 3rd shot.

To answer your 1st question, take a look.

http://www.berettausa.com/products/beretta-a400-xtreme-unico-ko-max4-12ga-35/
Click to expand...
I figured that but thought he might have been talking about another gun. This year I've actually dropped a few birds with my 3rd shot. Something I usually tell folks in the blind so rarely ever happens you might as well not put 3 in your gun. I think it's mainly been b/c of letting Paid Hunters shoot first and then attempting to follow up leaving me the last one still shooting.

What question was that? lol
 
#46 ·
That 3rd shot comes in handy a lot. I've killed a lot of ducks with that 3rd shot. Then again, I kinda know which end of the gun is which. ;-);-)

Which gun would I buy. I've had probably 4 Browning Golds, a SBE 2 with comfort tech stock (Would kick like a mule. I sold it after 1 or 2 years.), & I now have the Beretta Xtrema 2 with the KO. I looked @ that gun I posted a link to & liked it. I'll trade up for it during the summer. Of all the semis I've had, the Beretta was the best.
 
#47 ·
I bought a Browning Silver when it first came out and have been disappointed in a couple of things. shooting Black Cloud shells hass required that iit be cleaned at least every other hunting day and it is also difficult for me to put it back togather correctly. sometimes I have to break it down 2-3 times to get it right. This year I did not even bring it and will only use my Benelli pump.
 
#48 ·
I am a Remington guy myself. I like the 1187 Super Mag. I like the smaller feel in your hands vs guns like the Browning and Beretta. I also like the smaller price tag. I can justify beating the gun around in the duck boat vs a gun like the Bennelli.
 
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#52 ·
I shoot the auto but never load the third shell, the reason being on the skeet range when I shot an O/U the max number was obviously two..the sequence is something I have always been used to..I also think its safer since I always know how many shells are in my gun at all times
 
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#53 ·
caryalsobrook said:
I bought a Browning Silver when it first came out and have been disappointed in a couple of things. shooting Black Cloud shells hass required that iit be cleaned at least every other hunting day and it is also difficult for me to put it back togather correctly. sometimes I have to break it down 2-3 times to get it right. This year I did not even bring it and will only use my Benelli pump.
Click to expand...
Really? I thought that was one of the easier gas auto's to clean. You must have had problems getting the bolt link down into the spring plunger? I flashlight helps to see and just sit the stock on the floor,use the light,and just slide the bolt down. I've done it so many times that I can tell by just looking at the bolt link if it will hit the plunger. Browning Gold,Silver,SX2 all the same.
As I said in my earlier post I'm found of brownings but specifically the Gold. I like the speed load and the mag cutoff. I think now they offer that in some other guns...but my Gold is already paid for and still works. I've sunk it twice hunting in the timber,take it apart clean it,let it dry.Still shoots. The days I dunked it I just let the water drain out and kept hunting.
 
Discussion starter · #54 ·

My only experience with Borwning Maxus guns were this year when hunting in the Marsh. the guy to my right and left both had them. One was 2 years old the other 3-4 maybe. The guy on my left had an FTF and missed a chance at some birds and the guy on my right had something wrong with his bolt not going forward when he smashed the button or something like that.

Either way of course there are many happy Browning owners out there but I have to say sitting there throwing rounds down range @ ducks while they were messing around with malfunctions didn't exactly make me want to run to the store that day and pick one up.

Here's a post a guy shared with me from another forum. He has no reason to lie to me so I trust his comment on face value. Interesting for sure.

Now this was done only because we have a guide service and we shoot a bunch of geese and ducks every year..

I was a huge Benelli gun owner.. Had 6 of them... Loved them!!!! Went to a lodge in Canada for early early duck and goose hunting and when we got there they all laughed because we had Benelli.. There was not one person in our group without one... We were going to be there for a week of hunting and we asked the ole boys why would they laughed at our guns and they said because Benelli is such a hype and for the number of rounds we will shoot and number of kills we kill every year they don't last.. Benelli???? Really????


We were saying " NO WAY in ****"..
Hunting started on a Sunday and by weds we lost two guns.. By Saturday we lost another two.. Was the craziest thing I ever saw.. From jamming to, freezing up and shooting pins breaking it just amazed us.. Luckily the guides allowed us to use berettas. These guns looked like they were from the 18th century because they had been shot so much... It was crazy..


So we get back home.. I ended up selling all 6 of my benellis and bought three berettas.. We ended up buyin a farm in Vidalia and in the MS delta couple years later and my dad always chewed my as about selling the benel's.. I told him watch what happens.. First year of having both farms we killed about 1400 ducks in Vidalia and right around 1600 in the delta.. Over 1500 geese.. What happens old pops Benelli jammed up on the 4th day of hunting a really good cold timber day...

When I tell you I loved Benelli I loved them.. I had 20, 12, 2 O/U's, 2 auto's. and 1 pump, 1 auto assault..
Loved them.... Will never look over a beretta and will never have anything but beretta shotgun for the kinda hunting we do..
Click to expand...
 
#55 ·
there are probably 4 autos that are no longer in production that to this day will still outshoot and outperform anything currently on the market, due to their design and the superior materials used..IMO those are

Browning Auto 5 (Belgium and early Japanese versions)

Beretta A 303

Remington 1100 (pre 87 models)

Winchester Super X 1
 
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#56 ·
grnhd said:
Really? I thought that was one of the easier gas auto's to clean. You must have had problems getting the bolt link down into the spring plunger? I flashlight helps to see and just sit the stock on the floor,use the light,and just slide the bolt down. I've done it so many times that I can tell by just looking at the bolt link if it will hit the plunger. Browning Gold,Silver,SX2 all the same.
As I said in my earlier post I'm found of brownings but specifically the Gold. I like the speed load and the mag cutoff. I think now they offer that in some other guns...but my Gold is already paid for and still works. I've sunk it twice hunting in the timber,take it apart clean it,let it dry.Still shoots. The days I dunked it I just let the water drain out and kept hunting.
Click to expand...
You hit the nail on the head. Never thought about using a flashlight. It does break down easily. I have considered using a different shell that the Black Cloud but have not tried that yet. I can clean the pump about one a week and fine but the Browing, I have to clean it at least every other day.

Thanks
 
#58 ·
"TO EACH HIS OWN SAID THE OLD LADY AS SHE KISSED THE COW" My first serious gun was an 870 wingmaster I purchased in 1962. As a lifelong quail hunter that was "my gun" until I went to an Ithaca model 600 o/u in 1980. I've owned about 7 different autos over the years and have never seen one that did not have some sort of malfunction, (even though minor) at some time or other. I have never seen a difference in the amount of game taken at the end of the day although when I was younger and quicker it was fun to shoot a triple on a covey rise. Having said that I have also shot triples with the o/u by holding the third shell between my index and social finger on a covey rise. For ducks I have shot the Benelli off and on for the last few years and never had a major problem. However I also shoot the Beretta 686 onyx o/u and a finer shooting gun has yet to be. This year I purchased the Browning cynergy o/u in camo with the recoil reducing stock. I have to hand it to Browning, this is the best duck gun I have shot todate with respect to reliability, shooter comfort and feel. I do have to say there has never been an auto loader with the balance and feel of the good old double be it s/s or o/u. And hopefully Sheriff Biden will not bother these old guns.
 
#59 ·
I grew up on the Texas coast shooting a Winchester Model 12. Some time later I got a Smith & Wesson Model 1000 Waterfowler from DU (My only major win). The Model 12 is too valuable to hunt and I like the S&W for both upland and duck/goose. It has both a 2 3/4 and 3" mag barrel that really drops birds.
 
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#60 ·
BonMallari said:
there are probably 4 autos that are no longer in production that to this day will still outshoot and outperform anything currently on the market, due to their design and the superior materials used..IMO those are

Browning Auto 5 (Belgium and early Japanese versions)

Beretta A 303

Remington 1100 (pre 87 models)

Winchester Super X 1
Click to expand...

I don't know about the other two on your list, but I have a couple Belgium Brownings and 3 pre 87 Remington 1100's that are still shooting equally as well today as they were when bought new. The Brownings were handed down to me via my grandfather that he bought new for 56 bucks a piece off the rack and I still have the sales reciept in the stock of both of them. One of the 1100's I bought new and the other two were handed down to me via an uncle that were also bought new way back when. For some reason those guns just seem to "fit" me very well and still do to this day.
 
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Rich Martin
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