New Shotgun??

[MN. Marshman]

I have been shooting pump shotguns all my life, but I'm thinking about getting an automatic. Something in the $500 to $700 range.

Any Suggestions?

[dux_99]

There is a lot to consider when deciding what to buy for your next gun. I would start with what will be the primary use of the gun. If you are looking to spend $500-$700 My initial response would be to buy a Remington 11-87 with a 3" chamber possibly in camo or black synthetic if it makes the budget. You could also get a Winchester SX2 with a 3" chamber.

I would look into something prettty rugged if you are going to use this gun strictly for waterfowl. I wouldn't worry too much about buying a 3 1/2" because for what you are looking to spend; you can't find too many well made automatics that will cycle a 3 1/2" round. Mossberg makes the 935 that will, and I have talked to a couple of guys that I know that shoot them and they have had good luck with them. They have only had them for a short amount of time though; so it is really hard to say how they will do down the road. I had a pump Mossberg that I beat the snot out of for 5 years when I was a kid and it took it like a champ. I took good care of it when I got home though. Some guys never wipe down their gun or oil them and then complain that the gun is not well made. Common sense will tell you otherwise.

If you think you need more knockdown power that you can't get from a 3" steel load; buy a box of Hevi-shot or some other non-tox load. They work great for geese. They cost a little more but so do 3-1/2" shells and guns that shoot them. It all comes out in the wash.

You could also look into a good used gun. The only thing about buying a good used waterfowl gun is that waterfowlers are just plain rough on equipment by nature. It is not necessarily intended neglect; but it is hard to avoid when your favorite place to be often involves water, mud, boats and wet dogs. I hope this gives you a better idea of what is available to you. I am a pump man b/c I am a south paw I stick with the BPS.

[Killer Miller]

You get what you pay for. I'd just not mess around and go spend the extra $$$ and buy Benelli. You won't regret it, even though they are cashy. hence their slogan "Performance worth the price"

[deanf]

I agree. I have an 11/87 and a Stoeger 2000 for several years with no problems.The Stoeger was $395 at Dick`s if you got one close. It`s more important that it fits you. Go to a store that has a good selection and shoulder them. I also have my first shotgun, an old mossberg 500. It went thruogh more than it should have with no problems. My dad works at Cabela`s and said the 935 is hands down the #1 gun returned for warranty work. I know one guy with one, he didn`t have any thing wrong yet. They all make good ones and bed ones I don`t care how much they cost. All of mine are 3". They shoot good enough to kill geese at 50+ so I don`t use a 3.5". If I want to shoot far I use my BPS 10. It`s all about gettin` em in close.

[nor'east honker hunter]

i agree with Killer Miller i just bought my new benelli and love it best gun i ever shot i have only hade it for a month and all ready shoot it better then my old remington 870. i have taken down 3 boxes of skeet. but if you really dont want to spend benelli money i suggest the winchester sx2 that is another good gun but not that much cheeper
GOOD LUCK :D :D

[huntntyme]

Spend the extra 500 dollars on Benelli's SBE, I did and laugh at all the other autos that jam in the marsh. The SBE rolls out the shells. I have owned the SBE and will probably never have to buy another.

[Trent-Hermsmeyer]

Whoever said that you can't get a 3 1/2 in. chambered Semit-auto for under $500 is sorely mistaken. My two buddies own Mossberg 3 1/2's and Me and my brother both shoot Baikals. I absolutley love mine, and know 3 other's that swear by them. It comes in Black Synthetic or Wood with a nickel action and 24, 26 or 28 in. barrels.

Don't get me wrong, I am aware that ALL guns have their good batches and bad, but I am a firm believer in the Baikals. They are good looking, and if you do what is instructed in the manual, they'll shoot all loads from 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 w/o incident.

It took me about 2 cases of dove loads to get mine cycling consistently. By that I mean after the first case I don't think I had a jam.

Also, to say that a waterfowler that is looking to buy a new WATERFOWLING gun doesn't need a 3 1/2 in. chamber is completely ridiculous. Why spend $500-$700 on a gun that might not fit the bill for every hunt? I agree, hevi-shot does have the extra knockdown for geese and long range ducks, but why not have the option of the 3 1/2 in. HEVI-shot load?

[dux_99]

I think I should clarify my earlier post since there seems to be some misinterpretations of it.

The statement that you cannot buy a 3 1/2" for under $500 is not what I said. I said that I would not buy an automatic for less than $500 since they are usually of questionable quality and would not be something I would want in the blind. No gun that I bought has ever taken a case to break in lol. There definitely are autos out there that you can purchase. Sorry for the confustion on that.

The original post asked to some suggestions and that is what I posted; my suggestion not to be taken as fact.

I also suggested that not having a 3 1/2" chamber is not the end of the world. Yes; you can buy non-toxic shells in 3 1/2" but why? You wouldn't shoot a squirrel with a 30-06; so why do you need that much shot. If you want to spend the money on them knock yourself out; but it it not necessary.

It just all comes down to what you prefer. I prefer a 3 inch gun that shoots well over a Wal-Mart auto.

[deanf]

I can`t argue about the SBE. They are nice guns and do fit me great. My cousin has one for several yesrs. I did see his jam a couple times in the blind. You have to make sure you push front on the bolt when loading it or sometimes it won`t shoot the first shot even after it was cleaned. Works great as long as you remember that. If you`re buying one gun for everything go with a 3.5, but my 3" shoots great and I can buy shells at Walmart after the season for $5. It`s all in what you want and how much you want to spend.

[Killer Miller]

Deanf, you talked about an SBE not going off if the bolt wasnt shut good. I believe this is called being in battery. And I think it is a safety feature. The benelli's bolts or breaches use a trist-lock system. If you look closely, when the bolt closes, the tip of it that is right on the shell that is in the chamber twists and kinda locks in. If it doesnt trist, the gun won't go off. My gun is 3 years old and twists really easy. I can let the bolt go a few inches from the closed and it will twist in and be ready to fire. I have bumped it a few times accidently and this results in the shell not fire when I rose to shoot. But very rarely happens to me. Just for the record, my dad has an original SBE from the first year of their production that you can get 4 shells in with the plug still in. I think he got it in 1996 or around there and it still eats shells up and spits them out jsut as good as mine does:flawlessly.

[SMOKE]

another thing to keep in mind is now that winchester has the super x3 coming out you may be able to track down a super x2 3 1/2 for a pretty reasonable price. check out places like scheels cause they always have used guns. my budd lives in omaha nebraska and he said they had quite a few used sx2s. Bass pro usually has a big gun sale durin the summer too and with it not really being waterfowl season whats the rush for a new gun.

[deanf]

I`m not saying anything bad about them . His did this a couple of times before he figured it out. If he points the barrel down it works, or pushes on the bolt. It never did it until two years ago . He talked to a gunsmith who said the springs are a little weak just to keep an eye on it. His is from about `96 also. Other than that he never had anything go wrong. He wasn`t happy when it did it. I will never say anything bad about benelli but did you guys ever read the article when benelli sold the patten to stoeger ? Benelli sent the SBE2 and the stoeger 2000 to Argintina dove hunting. They shot from 800 to 3000 shots a day.They had very few problems with any of them, but actuly had less with the stoeger. A stoger never ever will be a benelli but acording to benelli themselves just as reiiable. I don`t want to start a war just telling you what I`ve read. About the 4 shells, If he gets caught , that not an excuse. I know a guy with a mossberg that paid that fine with a factory plug.

[Max4Gooser]

In that price range you might take a look at the Franchi 912.

[SMOKE]

a beretta 390 wouldnt be bad either. i know muntz has had his for a while with no problems

[hoosierhunter]

Someone on here hit the nail right on the head! Do you want a gun for a few seasons? Or do you want a gun for a long time? The Mossberg 935 is a heavy tank that I would not waste my money on! The Remington 11-87 is a decent gun, but again it is sloppy heavy, and doesn't cycle light loads well! The Winchester SX2 is a good bang around gun for the money. Don't waste your money on the Browning Gold Hunter, I had one and hated it, it was a pain to stop jamming (it was a camo parkerized finish though). The Beretta is a good gun, but if you are going to spend that kind of money, why wouldn't you buy a Benelli? Much better track record and recoil system! I personally think the best gun for a smaller budget is definitely the Stoeger! Don't bother with any other cheap Italian guns! Definitely don't waste your money! Buy something to last either Stoeger or Benelli! You'll thank me in the long run! By the way, get a 3 1/2, you might as well! I shoot 3" shells 95% of the time, but it is nice to know if you got some high flyers you can rack a 3 1/2" in. :D