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WDW
01-31-2015, 09:03 AM
I'm in the market for a quality semi auto Shotgun capable of handling 3" shells. I've looked at the offerings from Benelli, Browning, Beretta, & Franchi & frankly cannot decide. Each has features I like, but that one gun that has it all has eluded me. This will be used for birds, turkey, & skeet. Any recommendations? Remington & Mossberg need not apply.

ranger
01-31-2015, 09:07 AM
Look at the new Stoeger 3000 (not the 2000).

WDW
01-31-2015, 09:18 AM
I'm sure they're fine, but I just don't trust guns made in Turkey....surely you understand.

LSP972
01-31-2015, 03:40 PM
There's a reason that Beretta dominates the semi-auto-shooting crowd in sporting clays. I think Benelli brings up a distant second place.

If I could only have one of my shotguns, for the purposes you state, it would be my 3901. Works on birds, living & otherwise, and its 26.5" barrel is short enough for turkey blinds and, in a pinch, home defense.

Beretta gas guns have a well-deserved reputation for running basically forever with little or no cleaning. I'm not familiar with the new series, but I am quite familiar with the recently-replaced 300/391 series gas guns, and they are amazing; their chief drawback being no room to extend magazine capacity because of the way the gas piston is set up.

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DocGKR
01-31-2015, 04:12 PM
Definitely Beretta for what you describe.

WDW
01-31-2015, 04:51 PM
I really like the A400. It's been a toss up between that and a Benelli M2 or Montefeltro. Also considering a 24" 1300 Comp. The loss of extra barrel length really isn't an issue except for the loss of sight radius given the burn rate of modern powders.

LOKNLOD
01-31-2015, 05:19 PM
I really like the A400. It's been a toss up between that and a Benelli M2 or Montefeltro. Also considering a 24" 1300 Comp. The loss of extra barrel length really isn't an issue except for the loss of sight radius given the burn rate of modern powders.

I've shot sporting clays a couple times with my 21" 1300 Comp. I'd grab a A400 in a heartbeat if I wanted a more purposeful dedicated "sporting" gun.

shootist26
01-31-2015, 05:27 PM
I'm not a huge shotgun guy, so to save money and space in my safe, I picked up a Beretta AL391 with 28" barrel as my one "sporting" shotgun. I use it to shoot trap, skeet, and sporting clays. I am learning how to bird hunt in the near future as well so I will be using it for that too.

Very reliable, lightweight, and shootable. I talked to a lot of more experienced people and they all recommended it as a versatile sporting gun.

vaspence
01-31-2015, 09:54 PM
You can't go wrong with either the Browning, Beretta or Benelli. I like the 24" barrel length in a semiauto for hunting. My go to shotgun for years has been a 24" Benelli SBE (ducks, geese, turkeys and a lot of deer). Its a workhorse and also very close in length to my 26" barreled Citori.

DocGKR
01-31-2015, 11:31 PM
My 24" 1301 is quite nice--in addition to what you listed, if you have any interest in 3-gun, the 1301 24" would be the way to go. Otherwise, the A400 is also quite nice.

Hambo
02-01-2015, 07:23 AM
I've been shooting and hunting with Benellis (M1 Super 90s and SBE2) for a long time. Today I'd buy an M2 and never look back.

Paul
02-01-2015, 10:38 PM
What's your budget? In the Sub $1000 range the new choices are pretty slim given your exclusions, but the used market is decent. Quality semi auto's can easily go 150,000 rounds with nothing more than minor repairs, for all but the most serious shooters they will last several lifetimes and there's little risk in buying used.

I've been using a Beretta 3901 American for years as a beater field gun and it's been a workhorse, but the lack of a recoil pad limits it's usefulness for trap and skeet. It looks like it's been replaced in the Beretta's economy lineup by the A300 Outlander synthetic. The Outlander has a recoil pad and an adjustable LOP system, which is a bonus.

Getting past the $1200 boundary and there are a lot of great guns out there. It's really a matter of finding one that fits you.

Crews
02-02-2015, 07:53 PM
Beretta, or Benelli. Pick which one you like the best. Can't go wrong with either.

If you want to save some money and it's going to be a "relatively" low use gun, the A300 Outlander is an outstanding option.

A good solid used 391 is also a great option. I own an A400 Xtreme and use it often, but I still go back to my old 391. It's just as much, if not a little bit more gun, than the new ones.

WDW
02-06-2015, 12:11 PM
Decided to go with a Franchi Affinity with 28" barrel. Price really wasn't the deciding factor. The gun simply had the features I wanted & I think it will fill the role I intend for it perfectly.
http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab217/10mm4me/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstrxpgv6j.jpg (http://s865.photobucket.com/user/10mm4me/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstrxpgv6j.jpg.html)

WDW
02-19-2015, 09:32 AM
Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with the Franchi. It's very high quality at a great price point. Ran 100 of the weakest, cheapest target loads I could find with no issues then ran a box of my preferred turkey load...no hiccups. I also left it outside overnight in the -8 12"+ of snow. Gun was frozen solid & ran just fine. Very satisfied with the gun overall.

Little Creek
02-19-2015, 04:00 PM
Benelli M2 with comfortech stock

WDW
02-20-2015, 01:20 AM
Another nod to the Franchi is the standard mag capacity. With a ghost load, you get 5 + 1 3" shells.

Rich
02-23-2015, 09:22 AM
For hunting and SD/HD I like 22inch barrel

I had a Rem 870 turkey gun with 22 inch VR barrel. I and magazine extension so it would hold more loads.
When using extra full choke I would get nice groups at 45Y using buck shot.

I also have done a lot of rabbit and squirrel hunting using 18 inch barrels.

My friend would laugh saying I could hit at distance. but I never missed a rabbit or a squirrel thats up in a tree cutting on hickory nuts.

coldcase1984
03-10-2015, 11:35 PM
I'm partial to my Benelli M2 Field 21-in. But shot a 24-in. On a snow goose control hunt that was just as quick pointing. Mine has the Nordic tube on it. I got the black one and am thinking abt dipping it; can't decide if I want standard camo or something flashy for fun.

I hit better with this little auto loader than any other SG I've hunted with, BTW.

Lost River
03-15-2015, 12:45 PM
I know I'm a throwback, but in spite of owning Benelli, Remington, Mossberg, and a whole host of miscellaneous shotguns, I still prefer the old Belgian Browning Auto 5 shotguns over them all.

The come up easy and the "humpback" receiver seems to always be lined up exactly where I want.

I know they are long out of production, but if starting over, I'd buy two 12 gauge Auto 5s and call it done.

coldcase1984
03-18-2015, 09:16 PM
Do you have one set up for social work, LR? I used to love Col. Askins tales of the Rio Grande action including A5s flinging blue-whistlers...

Deadliest dove shooter I know uses a Light 12 w a 24-in. Skeet barrel. I suspect it would be right handy w Fed no.1 FC Buck.

JAD
03-18-2015, 11:40 PM
Social A5s are some of my favorite weapons aesthetically.


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farscott
03-19-2015, 04:14 PM
This will not help the OP as he needs a three-inch chamber, but one can buy a pair of Remington Model 11 guns (a licensed version of the Auto-5) and a few cases of shells for less than the cost of any of the new gas guns. I picked up a Model 11 with a Cutts compensator choke made in 1940 for $350. I dropped another $40 on parts (new fiber buffer and rivet, spare friction piece and springs, and some screws) to keep it running for the next 75 years.

If I was the OP, I would look for a Browning Auto-5 Magnum as it is three-inch capable. Once you get the hang of how to set the friction system for the loads, there is no better autoloading shotgun.

Exiledviking
01-13-2020, 01:23 PM
I've been thinking of buying a general purpose semi-auto 12 ga shotgun and while reading about shotguns in this section I found this thread.
I do have a few questions for those in the know:
Should I stay with the same type of shotgun for the same manual of arms? I have an 18.5" HK imported Benelli M1 Super 90 that I really like. So the self-defense shotgun is covered. Should I stay with a semiautomatic Benelli for the same controls?

I found a A400 28" barrel chambered for 3.5" locally for $1100. Seems like a good deal? Pic below.
What about barrel length? There's a 24" Beretta 1301 available locally as well for $850.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200113/ac2d70de64d5156cf3977cbc7281362c.jpg

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Dagga Boy
01-16-2020, 01:15 AM
The Beretta A400 Extreme Plus is an absolute shooting machine and recoils like a 410. Could not be happier with ours.