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Thread: Semi-auto shotgun for hunting and sporting?

  1. #11
    Site Supporter ccmdfd's Avatar
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    In my personal/humble opinion, shotguns are the most finicky firearm when it comes to individual fitting. Much more so than handguns and rifles. Or in other words, what works well for you will almost certainly be what works the worst for the guy next to you at the store.

    Thus the only way you will find the best, is to try several out and see what works and what doesn't.

    At the current time between my wife and I we have an older original A5 20, an A400 20, 391 12, Monte 12, SBE3 12 and a gaggle of old OU's that my grandfather gave me. I've shot family guns including new A5 12, and Browning B80 12.

    The gun that gets the most use overall is the 391, especially when hunting. The gas design and stock design really handle the recoil well. If shooting 2 3/4 shells, the benelli's are nice, but for 3 or larger, no way anything other than the 391 or my cousin's B80 (which actually points the best for me, too bad it's no longer in production). I want a gas system for those larger shells.

    Of course some would consider me a wimp and love shooting 3 inchers through other guns.

    cc

  2. #12
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ccmdfd View Post
    In my personal/humble opinion, shotguns are the most finicky firearm when it comes to individual fitting. Much more so than handguns and rifles. Or in other words, what works well for you will almost certainly be what works the worst for the guy next to you at the store.

    Thus the only way you will find the best, is to try several out and see what works and what doesn't.
    As a relative newcomer to the shotgun world, I absolutely hate this advice (however well-intentioned it may be), and I'll tell you why: it's the single biggest way to turn/scare someone away from the shotgun sports. I will give you to examples.

    Example 1: Me
    When I decided I wanted a shotgun for shooting flying targets, I started this thread. In the end, it was good because I got educated on a lot of things about the different games that I didn't understand, and I got some guidance on some entry-level guns. However, all the talk of fitting very nearly put me off the entire endeavor. I don't want to get "fitted", I want to shoot the goddamn events I was/am signed up for. I started to get nervous that if I didn't have just exactly the right gun, "fitted" by just exactly the right gunfit jedi, that my entire experience would be totally shit. WRONG. I bought what I now consider to be the Glock 19 of "sporting" shotguns, and I couldn't be happier.

    Example 2: My wife
    A bit after I bought my gun, my wife went along on a shooting event, tried my gun briefly, and then decided she wanted a gun of her own. "here we go" I thought, "this is going to cost me!" We went and took a couple's class together and they gave her (IIRC) an over-under 20 guage costing $2k or so. Eventually we wound up just getting her an a300 of her own and i figured having two of them wouldn't be bad if she hated it. She's fine with it. We encountered one of the local range hens that was running a ladies-only event one day, and the woman says "oh, you need a woman's gun, not this man's gun". Wife comes back to the cart and says "fuck that bitch, I like my man's gun" (have I mentioned how much I love my wife?!). We shot at a range out of state, and rented two guns, and they had a Syren. "oh, here we go again" I thought, "she's going to want one of these damn $2k+ shotguns when we get home". She shot the whole course with it, and at the end said "I don't see what all the fuss is about, didn't seem any different than my own gun".

    So while I do think that this advice is generally well-intentioned, and I don't think that people are, generally, trying to offer this advice out of some sort of arrogance or snobbery (even though it can sometimes come off that way), I absolutely hate seeing it because I think the best advice is to get a gun and go shoot.

  3. #13
    Site Supporter ccmdfd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    As a relative newcomer to the shotgun world, I absolutely hate this advice (however well-intentioned it may be), and I'll tell you why: it's the single biggest way to turn/scare someone away from the shotgun sports. I will give you to examples.

    Example 1: Me
    When I decided I wanted a shotgun for shooting flying targets, I started this thread. In the end, it was good because I got educated on a lot of things about the different games that I didn't understand, and I got some guidance on some entry-level guns. However, all the talk of fitting very nearly put me off the entire endeavor. I don't want to get "fitted", I want to shoot the goddamn events I was/am signed up for. I started to get nervous that if I didn't have just exactly the right gun, "fitted" by just exactly the right gunfit jedi, that my entire experience would be totally shit. WRONG. I bought what I now consider to be the Glock 19 of "sporting" shotguns, and I couldn't be happier.

    Example 2: My wife
    A bit after I bought my gun, my wife went along on a shooting event, tried my gun briefly, and then decided she wanted a gun of her own. "here we go" I thought, "this is going to cost me!" We went and took a couple's class together and they gave her (IIRC) an over-under 20 guage costing $2k or so. Eventually we wound up just getting her an a300 of her own and i figured having two of them wouldn't be bad if she hated it. She's fine with it. We encountered one of the local range hens that was running a ladies-only event one day, and the woman says "oh, you need a woman's gun, not this man's gun". Wife comes back to the cart and says "fuck that bitch, I like my man's gun" (have I mentioned how much I love my wife?!). We shot at a range out of state, and rented two guns, and they had a Syren. "oh, here we go again" I thought, "she's going to want one of these damn $2k+ shotguns when we get home". She shot the whole course with it, and at the end said "I don't see what all the fuss is about, didn't seem any different than my own gun".

    So while I do think that this advice is generally well-intentioned, and I don't think that people are, generally, trying to offer this advice out of some sort of arrogance or snobbery (even though it can sometimes come off that way), I absolutely hate seeing it because I think the best advice is to get a gun and go shoot.
    Yes! I can see why you love your wife!
    Quite nice.

    Just to clarify some things;
    By "fitting" I'm not talking about going off to one of those uber expensive shops and having a professional fit the gun to you (although if I had a butt load of expendable cash right now, and no other pressing needs, I would love to do that some day).

    Not only is it expensive, but if you're a newcomer to shotguns, a proper fit requires you to have a very consistent mount, and that can take a while to achieve. without a consistent mount the fit is useless/waste of money.

    It should also be noted that many modern designs allow for some minor fitting themselves. I know my Benelli's have different cams you can use to adjust drop and cast. Again w/o a consistent mount, it's not going to help much.

    Probably a better way to make the point I was trying to make in my post would be to say that with shotguns moreso than rifles/handguns, what works best for one is not what works best for another. Thus a 1000 posters could say the XYZ is the best shotgun for us, the guy who initiated this thread may well find out that another brand works much better for him.

    Unfortunately the only way to find out for certain is to try a variety out, and that can be quite difficult/impossible to do, even if you are a member of a gun club. So by default, "get a gun and go shoot" is what most people are left with and have to do.

    The other major point of my original post is that for shooting heavier loads, gas operated guns have a significant recoil advantage.

    cc

  4. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Dagga Boy View Post
    My wife and I are both shooting Beretta A400 Extreme Pluses for clays and upland birds, turkey, and I would have zero issues for using them for defensive shooting, hogs, or just about anything.
    DB don’t you also have a 1301? Do you think an Aridus CROM would fit the A400 EP?

  5. #15
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ccmdfd View Post
    Yes! I can see why you love your wife!
    Quite nice.

    Just to clarify some things;
    By "fitting" I'm not talking about going off to one of those uber expensive shops and having a professional fit the gun to you (although if I had a butt load of expendable cash right now, and no other pressing needs, I would love to do that some day).

    Not only is it expensive, but if you're a newcomer to shotguns, a proper fit requires you to have a very consistent mount, and that can take a while to achieve. without a consistent mount the fit is useless/waste of money.

    It should also be noted that many modern designs allow for some minor fitting themselves. I know my Benelli's have different cams you can use to adjust drop and cast. Again w/o a consistent mount, it's not going to help much.

    Probably a better way to make the point I was trying to make in my post would be to say that with shotguns moreso than rifles/handguns, what works best for one is not what works best for another. Thus a 1000 posters could say the XYZ is the best shotgun for us, the guy who initiated this thread may well find out that another brand works much better for him.

    Unfortunately the only way to find out for certain is to try a variety out, and that can be quite difficult/impossible to do, even if you are a member of a gun club. So by default, "get a gun and go shoot" is what most people are left with and have to do.

    The other major point of my original post is that for shooting heavier loads, gas operated guns have a significant recoil advantage.

    cc
    I understand and agree with a lot of that, but I also think that for some guys it all becomes an impediment to just having some fun.

    that's part of how I arrived at the a300: it appeared in my early research to the the "Glock 19" such that it was an inexpensive quick entry and got me out on the field. Frankly, hoisting a bunch of shotguns in a store got me nowhere because I didn't know enough to know what I was looking for. This is my main objection to "fit" checking by newbies in the store for *any* gun: you don't know what you don't know. If I hoist a shotgun to my shoulder and death-grip the forend and discover I don't like the checkering/rib/whatever that doesn't mean anything in the real world because I may be holding it altogether wrong.

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Super77 View Post
    DB don’t you also have a 1301? Do you think an Aridus CROM would fit the A400 EP?
    I have a TX4....the pre 1301 with a Aimpoint Micro on it. I think the CROM would fit, but it’s got a bead front. If I can’t get a short barrel with an S1’s for the A400 Extreme Pluses for self defense and Turkey, we may do a 1301 Comp PRO with an S1’s.
    Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
    "If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".

  7. #17
    Can’t go wrong with a Beretta autoloader for hunting/sporting use. I’ve had a few Benelli’s but over the years sold them off and transitioned to Beretta’s. They shoot softer, spare parts are easier to come by on Brownells, etc. The primary reason I switched is I hunt a lot of brackish and salt water in eastern NC and sometimes guns go in the drink. It just happens. The Benelli M2, Super Black Eagle Series and a few more of their models have the recoil spring in the buttstock of the gun. If you don’t service that spring after dunking the gun it *will* rust. My buddy’s M2 spring was rusted in half because he never tore the gun completely down after 5-6 hard seasons. Beretta’s action spring goes around the magazine tube, making it easy to clean and replace. I’ve got an original A400 Xtreme and picked up an Xtreme Plus earlier this fall for this season. I like the higher rib of the Xtreme Plus. I’ll probably add an A400 Lite 20 gauge for dove hunting next season.
    Shoot more, post less...

  8. #18
    Beretta and Benelli make fine shotguns so whichever way you go you should get a quality shotgun. While both can "do all" they are a bit different and might work better in some situations.

    If clays will be the focus I would lean heavily towards Beretta for the softer shooting gas operated system in a heavier gun.

    If ducks will be the focus they are both good but I might lean a little more towards the Beretta. One note on the Beretta is that while some models do not have have Springs in the buttstock, others do due to the kickoff system.

    If wild upland hunting is your focus then I would go Benelli. They are generally lighter to carry all day vs an equivalent Beretta.

    I just went through this process to replace my broken autoloader and for me it came down between the Benelli SBE3 and the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus and I went with the SBE3. I like the Beretta but it weighs close to 8lbs which is too heavy for me and my upland focus. I also found the Benelli "felt" better in hand. I've been smashing clays with it and am extremely happy with the decision. I'd still like to pick up an A400 through.......



    *EDIT* Wanted to add to check out a Browning Maxus. Lighter than the SBE3 and with a gas-operated system very soft shooting. I had one for 10 years and was very happy with it. It had finish problems so I had to trade it off but I believe they have fixed this issus.
    Last edited by Coal Train; 01-17-2020 at 02:54 PM.

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