Shotguns which semi auto ?

[Scrumbag]

I’m in a similar boat and considering a Maxus.

 

[Gunnfun]

I should have suggested you do a search for ‘Benelli click’. Its not just me that had those issues.

Very true. My 20g M2 had this 'click" issue. I sent it in for repair. It did it again one time in a dove hunt 2018 and then it never did it again. My preference is Benelli despite this issue. But older M1 super 90s. True workhorses. Only issue was snow goose hunting it did not cycle well laying on my back. For that hunt I would use a gas gun. Many folks over look the Browning Silver. Very fine shotgun for the money.

 

[acloco]

I have Remington 1187's (I LIKE to shoot them...in ALL weather, but they are getting long in the tooth for wear).

I moved on to a CZ1012 inertia semi auto - shooting 3" BB and BBB is NOT fun in this lightweight. Even 2 3/4" is not much fun after the 3rd or 4th round of clay/skeet/wobble skeet/etc.

Currently using a Remington V3 - because I did not have to purchase chokes - uses the same as 1187/1100's. Purchased the synthetic stock version and used a gunskin for camoflauge.

The most recent semi purchase, is a CZ712 with turkish walnut. With 200ish rounds thru the barrel at the trap/skeet range, I like it. Have to shim the stock a tick and should be perfect for me. I looked, HARD, for 6 weeks to find a CZ712 or 912....and finally found a new 712 in Iowa. Has NOT been to the blind yet....wood is too pretty.

For you, FINDING what you want, may be a tall order right now. Sorry.

 

[ben lurkin]

Fwiw Winchester sx3 here. It’s been ultra reliable and never misses a beat. I can’t say I’m an expert in all things autoloading shotgun though I have shot a few different brands/models.

 

[284winner]

Another A5 guy here. Not a light shotgun by no means. Began it's use in a duck blind where weight didn't matter. Then was used for pheasants and upland birds. Being much younger at that time, weight didn't matter. Today, I'm not liking that downfall of the Browning A5. I use an over/under for upland birds now and sure miss the 3 more follow-up shots offered with the semi auto. Probably because most of the time I can't get the job done with 2 ! Funny part is, it usually only takes 1-2 to get it done with the A5. I shoot that thing like very well unlike any other shotgun I own.

 

[johara1]

I may have tried every one and in the safe a K-80, CG. impact A Benelli and a new A400.... But the most used and the most dependable is a old 1100 trap a wire shell catcher in the barrel extension... It has extra barrels a skeet and a 3" one for geese and ducks all have had the forcing cones extended ..... It is the softest shooting and the most dependable of all..... Parts and up grades are everywhere. they will last till they crack infront of the ejection port... The other winners is an old 870, it sits with a full mag of OO buck.. Jim

 

[stacy]

THE SUPER X 4 ARE SWEET ALSO MAY CHECK THEM OUT

 

[jonbearman]

I like my 1187 but my Benelli always seems to be the number one.I have an early M1 Super90 and love it.

 

[Mark W]

I am a big fan of old Browning A-5's and use them for nearly all of my shotgun needs. If I were to buy a new auto, it would be a Beretta. The Benelli's feel good in my hands and do shoulder well but I cannot stand that soft closing bolt. I have heard the "Benelli click" way too many times from my friend's shotguns in the field to ever consider buying one. Was pheasant hunting in KS once with a buddy who had a brand new Montefeltro. Multiple times during that trip, a pheasant would flush in front of him and I would only hear him cuss because his new Benelli failed to fire because his bolt had been bumped open just slightly while he was carrying it. If that were me, I would have been tempted to tie that expensive new Benelli into a bow around the nearest fencepost.

Another A5 guy here. Not a light shotgun by no means. Began it's use in a duck blind where weight didn't matter. Then was used for pheasants and upland birds. Being much younger at that time, weight didn't matter. Today, I'm not liking that downfall of the Browning A5. I use an over/under for upland birds now and sure miss the 3 more follow-up shots offered with the semi auto. Probably because most of the time I can't get the job done with 2 ! Funny part is, it usually only takes 1-2 to get it done with the A5. I shoot that thing like very well unlike any other shotgun I own.

I‘m another A5 guy too. My uncle let me hunt with his Belgium made 12 gauge when I was a kid. That thing was heavy and as long as I was tall at the time....lol. The one I have now is a Japan made Light Twelve that my wife picked up for me on my 50th birthday. They just fit me well and I shoot them better than other shotguns that I’ve tried.

 

[Gabe22BR]

I‘m another A5 guy as too. My uncle let me hunt with his Belgium made 12 gauge when I was a kid. That thing was heavy and as long as I was tall at the time....lol. The one I have now is a Japan made Light Twelve that my wife picked up for me on my 50th birthday. They just fit me well and I shoot them better than other shotguns that I’ve tried. View attachment 1217852

Didn’t know any other semi automatic existed !!! Nice !!!
I have a similar experience...

 

[M W R]

View attachment 1216476

I want that shotgun.

 

[nilebartram]

I really like my Benelli SBE, but if i have to shoot all day, I like my 70's made Remington 1100. nilebartram

 

[rebel]

From a NC grouse hunter that hunted with an 11 87 for years. SBE 2 will not fail you. I can go full Jerry Miculek on it.

 

[284winner]

I have an old belgium made A5. Handed down from grandfather to father then to me. I also have a Jap made A5 I purchased in the late 80s. Can't tell them apart other than the "Made In" engraving. Also the Belgium is a 28" mod choke. The 30" Jap gun is an invector choked model. Both shoulder and shoot better than any other shotgun I've shot. Pretty much why the love Is so strong. Heavy, Yes. I just can't really miss with it. Shooting steel shot is another story. Haven't really learned how to shoot it very good. Mostly misses.

 

[Downeast]

I had a Benelli years back and it was a great shooting gun but it never fit me properly. No matter what I did with the spacers it always shot low. I finally sold it to a good friend and it fits her perfectly and she kills everything with it. I decided right then and there that I was going to buy a shotgun that felt good in my hands and "fit" and forget price, make, or model. At the time Gander Mountain was still in business and they had a good selection of shotguns on the wall that you could pick up and swing. I started at one end and picked up every semi-auto shotgun they had. Beretta's, Browning's, Remington's, Benelli's, ad nauseum. Surprisingly it came down to the Stoeger 2000 and the Winchester SX3. Like I said, I did not look at brands but how they swung and came up to the shoulder. I later purchased the Winchester at another outlet on sale. That was over 10 years ago and the Winchester is still killing ducks and geese. I always read and heard that a shotgun has to "fit" and be an extension of your physique. I believe that. So when I hear folks talking about various shotguns they always talk about brands and so forth and rarely how that gun will fit the individual. I have two good friends that I duck hunt with and both purchased new Browning A5's. It's a joy watching one shoot it like it was a musical instrument while the other shoots his like it's a piece of metal pipe. But let him replace the Browning "pipe" with his old parkarized Remington 1100 and things start to fall from the sky. There's nothing wrong with the two identical Browning's, except that in this case, out of the two shooters the Browning only "fits" one.

 

[normmatzen]

For myself, I have a Spanish made Kestral side by side that I bought when I lived in Scotland. I also have an early 1900's Rem Auto that was the only shotgun my father ever had. I also have an early 1900's Rem pump that I bought for a song in mid 70's.
All are sweet shooters.
Why do you need a new one, some of the early shotguns are wonderful!

 

[johara1]

Adjustable comb and saw you can make them fit pretty good, but the only thing that will take the kick away is weight. Gas guns have less felt recoil than a recoil operated one. Stocks that are higher in the front of the comb .... kick you in the face...... jim

 

[johara1]

For myself, I have a Spanish made Kestral side by side that I bought when I lived in Scotland. I also have an early 1900's Rem Auto that was the only shotgun my father ever had. I also have an early 1900's Rem pump that I bought for a song in mid 70's.
All are sweet shooters.
Why do you need a new one, some of the early shotguns are wonderful!

Yep, like an old model 1912 nickel steel Winchester pump with a rib...... jim

 

[Schandler]

I love shotguns and love to dove and squirrel and rabbit hunt in Days gone by. I have an old A303 that is my favorite. Several A5’s that are heavy but i love them and they are thumb friendly and i believe they would shoot a terd if that’s what you loaded in it. I do not own an 1100 but it shoulders the best of all shotguns I’ve used. Why i don’t own one is because of the thumb getting caught while reloading in a hurry. Benelli close to a beretta but recoil is so much less on beretta. Would try a versa max but the price would have to be right and think the thumb would suffer. You can shove your whole arm in loading an A5 and it would be slick pulling it out of an a5. i guess it depends on what your hunting. Shooting clays it would have to be beretta or a5 for the money. Duck and dove in late cold season old a5 with a dang poly choke

 

[TrapperBR549]

I have been very pleased with SX3's. Have had several and will handle anything from 3.5" goose loads to 7/8's oz. skeet/trap loads.