[Lobotomy Boy]

... and why?

Thanks in advance.

[RNB65]

... it's the best.

[Lobotomy Boy]

Thanks, and sorry it took so long to post the poll, but I know which way you would have voted.

[TrapperReady]

What do you want to do with it?

I've got autos ranging from a 1930 Browning A5 to a Beretta 391 Urika, with a couple Benellis thrown in for good measure. All function well and all have their own niche to fill, depending upon the "mission".

As long as money isn't an issue, my favorite autoloaders currently are the Beretta 391-series for clay targets and the Extrema2 for waterfowl. I wouldn't want to use either for a long day afield after upland birds.

Another good autoloader is the Winchester Super X-2. I think that is one of the models that was "saved" when FN dropped Winchester production.

[SigfanUSAF]

I went 1100, simply that's because it's one of two autoloading shotguns I've ever owned. Hundreds of rounds, 0 malfunctions! The Auto 5 wasn't a choice :mad:

[sm]

Did not vote.

Instead my vote is for whichever one fits you the best, after shooting them at moving targets.

Try before you buy.

Why? Because every person is different in build and in features. Every person has a variety of tasks a firearm/ shotgun will be asked to perform.

By actually shooting a variety of shotguns , at moving targets, and if not experienced, and enlists the assistance of a qualified shooter(s) that knows how to access and assist in gun fit, that shooter is a better informed buyer and therefore the result will a shooter with a gun that fits him, he will enjoy it more and continue become one with the gun.

[Joe45acp]

I just bought a couple of 391 Urika's (12 for me and a 20 for my wife) and they are awsome.

Joe

[duck_god1982]

I have a charls daly and a super x2 both have there own jobs and different personalites both are good guns. I use the charles daly for hunting and the super x for clays and a riot gun. It costs a little for both barrels but both guns have almost the same feel to them. Thats why I got the charles daly

[PJR]

As long as money isn't an issue, my favorite autoloaders currently are the Beretta 391-series for clay targets and the Extrema2 for waterfowl. I wouldn't want to use either for a long day afield after upland birds.

I agree although use my 391 Urika for waterfowl because I'm happy with 3" and don't feel the need for 3-1/2".

If upland were on the agenda a 20 gauge 391 Urika would be an excellent choice with the field model weighing under 6lbs.

[sargenv]

Well, I've been shooting a Gold for quite some time. I can only say that it fits me quite well and that speed feed feature is quite handy when loading. I don't have to do anything but keep feeding it shells. No need to press this, or enable that other thing to load it. I shoot mine with it's 28" barrel in hunting configuration (from the factory) and in action shooting with a +4 Briley extender to get 9+1 if I want/need it. Strap a side saddle on it and keep shooting... The fact that I can shoot everything from light 7/8 ounce loads reliably up to the heaviest 3" magnum without many issues.

Vince

[Lobotomy Boy]

Thanks for your replies.

What do you want to do with it?

Everything--sporting clays, trap, upland game (roughed grouse, sharptail, pheasant, Hungarian partridge), and waterfowl. I will get other shotguns for other purposes later, maybe a double-barreled 410 for the woods and a 20-gauge pump for upland game, but right now I want one that can do everything, especially clays. I plan to retire my old Mossberg 500 to HD duty.

I've shot pretty much every pump shotgun on the market but haven't shot many autoloaders. My brother has a 11-87, but it is so far from stock that it is not a representative example. Last summer I bought my son a Benelli Nova and have been extremely impressed with that gun and I'm leaning toward the SBE II. I've handled all the guns in a store and the Benelli seems to come up to point the most naturally for me.

Reliability is an issue. A friend bought an 1100 some years back and had nothing but trouble with it, so I'm a bit skittish about buying a Remington.

The Benelli is the most expensive, but I've got enough money in my gun account for that not to be an issue. I haven't been able to figure out if the Brownings are chambered for 3.5-inch shells or not. They look like awfully nice guns and my uncle used to use a Browning autoloading 10-gauge for goose hunting, but otherwise I don't know a whole lot about them. The Beretta is a bit of an unknown quantity for me.

I plan on buying the gun this week and as I said, I'm leaning heavily towards the Benelli. I just thought I'd take advanatage of the combined experience of this forum before I dropped $1300+ on a gun.

[Karbon]

Hands down SBE or even the M1 or M2.

Super easy to strip/clean.

Recoil operated (not gas)

Light weight.

Good quality.

Great reputation.

Only down side is that you'll want a limbsaver, being light and recoil op, they tend to kick a touch more.

I'll never buy another autoloader other than Benelli.

[NailGun]

I would recommend a Benelli SBE or M2. I had an 1100 and it was nice, but the Benelli seems to be a better engineered design. Benelli is not gas operated and stays cleaner, strips down easier, and is a much simpler design. But I am a simple guy that likes simple things. The most important thing is that YOU get the gun that fits and pleases YOU. Good luck, NailGun.

[das028]

Benelli is top of the food chain when it comes to autos.

[Lobotomy Boy]

I've been shopping for a gun for nearly a year and a half. Things kept coming up--air conditioner crapped out, had to cut down a tree in my front yard, grandchild born, family illnesses, birthdays, vacations--but I've finally squirrelled away enough money with no strings attached to buy whichever gun I want. In the meantime I've handled most every gun on the list multiple times, and the Benelli feels best to me (though they are all dang nice guns).

[Eightball]

Super Black II is the only way to go. Much better construction, better OS, better fit & finish, and it will handle any load without a hitch. Auto regulating system, very easy to clean, extremely ergonomic---those guns are the works for autoloaders, and that's just the basic models. If you can afford it, get a super black, and you will not need another semi-auto 12--ever.

[Striker]

I didn't vote because I own a few autos.

Currently have 3 11-87s twelves, two set up for trap and one for skeet/hunting. No problems with any of the to date. I keep them clean and change the O rings regularly.

Have an 1100 twenty for skeet, ditto above.

My favorite though is a 390 Beretta Golden Mallard with a Briley package. Its relatively new so I'm still getting use to it.

I also echo what sm says, try before you buy, but my experiences with Remingtons has been good. $650-700 for a new one, still leaves an awful lot of $s left in your budget for ammo and skeet/trap rounds to get use to it.

[JohnBT]

Whichever one fits & feels the best out of the major name brand guns. I wouldn't buy a recoil/inertia operated gun for clay games.

I have 3 gas guns, an SX-1, SX-2 camo & 2.75" 1100, and wouldn't hesitate to get a Browning Gold, 390, 391 or even an Extrema2. Actually, I'm waiting to see the new Brownings and Winchesters, but I'm running out of patience.

John

[Lobotomy Boy]

I wouldn't buy a recoil/inertia operated gun for clay games.

Is this because they cycle more slowly than gas-operated guns?

[ArmedBear]

No. Benellis are plenty quick.

However, my old 1100 12 Gauge has a hard buttplate, and I can't even feel it when I shoot it, at least with regular bird, trap and sporting clays loads. It just goes off. Makes it easy to fire off three quickly without being bounced off-target. No porting needed for that. A Benelli set up with a walnut stock and a hard buttplate would hurt, especially when you shoot a lot of rounds in an afternoon.

Benellis can be purchased with high-tech recoil absorbing features, though you pay a stiff price -- they're even more expensive and they're butt-ugly plastic. Without special measures, though, a recoil-operated shotgun can slam your shoulder pretty hard.

I REALLY like the new Remington 105CTi, from what I can tell (I shot one a few times). It's as light as a 20 gauge, swings beautifully like my old ribless gun because it has a light carbon-fiber rib, recoils like the 1100, drops the shells right in front of you, reloads quick and easy like an old A5, and has a really simple gas system (I got to see someone clean it, too). It's pretty, too.

However, I haven't seen one since, so I don't know the street price. And of course, it hasn't been around 1/100 as long as the guns in your poll, so we don't know what it's like in long-term use.

Shouldn't cost more than the Benellis or Berettas, though.

The Extrema 2 is a nice gun, if you need it. It is a tad heavy, though. For upland shooting, every ounce over 7 lb. feels like another pound. Unless you pass-shoot geese, I'd pass on it and get a regular 391, and save $100 and 1/2 lb. 3.25 DE loads are a bit heavy for trap and skeet, too, and that's what Beretta says it takes to cycle the Extrema 2. Some people report that lower charges work fine in it, so YMMV.

I know that a lot of younger shooters think that 7mm Rem Mag is the minimum effective rifle round and that there's something magical about 3.5" shot loads. None of the experienced hunters I know shoot that stuff, unless there's a damn good reason, and they have plenty of trophies on the walls, shot with 7x57 Mauser, 2 3/4" shotshells (3" steel), .30-30, etc. 12 Gauge is a tad small for 3.5" shells; 10 Gauge will pattern better if you really need a cannon.

Also, I know a couple guys who really love their Browning Golds, for everything from clay shooting to duck hunting waist deep in muddy water. I have never shot one, but I wouldn't discount it just because it isn't being hyped like the Extrema or Benellis.

[Lobotomy Boy]

I hear what you're saying. I've shot dozens of geese with 3-inch rounds (though I've also watched pellets bounce off geese as they flew away after being shot with 3-inch rounds).

I plan to get the recoil-absorbing plastic camo furniture. My son's Nova pump has it and it really seems to help after a long day of shooting. This gun will get used hard and won't stay pretty long--I slog through some heavy brush when hunting roughed grouse. I'll save the pretty wood furniture for a double-barrel Citori or some such gun.

[ArmedBear]

Well, given what you said, the Extrema is a pretty attractive choice. It'd have low recoil, and for a 3.5" autoloader it's pretty light. I think you'd be looking at 1/2 lb. more for an 11-87 Super Magnum, and the 1100 doesn't offer 3.5" at all.

In the environment you use the gun in, you'll be doing at least a cursory cleaning every time you go out, even if you have a single-shot, so Benelli's (probably true) claims about staying cleaner after a case of shells don't count for anything.

The Extrema will give you what you want for less money than a Benelli, and it'll kick less one way or another. It's hard to think of why you'd pay hundreds more for the Benelli.

Again, I know someone who beats up and rusts his Golds duck-hunting, and they keep working like new. I wish I had more experience with them, but again, I would see if they fit you. They're good guns.

[Longbow]

Saiga. Its the AK of shotguns! :)

But with the choices, I'd go with the Benelli. I've shot a couple and find it fast, just like as advertised.

[Karbon]

The only issues I ever had with my M1 Super 90 was withextreemly light trap hand loads. One shell didn't get enough punch to cycle. Other wise it's been great. My buddie has a sbe1 and has shot it in his trap league(s) and sporting clay. He shoots nearly a 1000 shells a week, and over the last two years...not an issue.

Fit is huge, so get what fits. I recently adjusted my M1 with the shims (between the rec/stock) and I shot 100% better. Stupid me thought it was good enough, but with a little experimentation I found the best set up. Less adjustment needed (if any now) when I throw it up to my shoulder. Should result in more dead birds this year.

After two years in the swamps, banging around in the duck boat, and tromping through the brush...its camo finish still looks good, except for a few shell ejection marks.

[Lobotomy Boy]

I priced SBE IIs and the best price I could find was $1400 at Sportsman's Warehouse. That's within my budget, but I was a little bummed that the price has crept up almost $150 in the 18 months I've been contemplating this purchase. It seems like the price of everything gun related has gone up.

Anyone know of any better deals in the Minneapolis metro area?

[NailGun]

Lobotomy Boy, three places I can recommend: J&S gunshop, Lakeville MN.; Mills Fleet Farm (If the item exists in their inventory system, they can order it, and are very price competitive); Greggerson's hardware, Baldwin WI. nice little gun shop on the side, fairly competitive, and good to deal with. Good Luck, NailGun.

[Lobotomy Boy]

Thanks Nailgun. I'd forgotten Fleetfarm carries Benelli. If I remember right, the SBE II was about $50 cheaper than the price Sportsman's Warehouse quoted me. I'll call around tomorrow. I'll check with J&S tomorrow, too. Gun Stop has great prices, but they don't have the gun I'm looking for in stock.

[mete]

In places like Argentina dove hunting may mean as many as 1000 rounds in a day !!! The two favorite guns for renters are the Beretta and Benelli ! That means more than any other comments.

[Lobotomy Boy]

I called Fleet Farm and I was wrong--it's $50 more than at Sportsman's Warehouse.

[Karbon]

Unless you need the 3.5 inch shells(SBEII) , you may want to look at the M2's. You can save around 150-200, and just loose the 3.5 option. I went full camo and skipped the 3.5. Then again I really don't take that long of shots at geese anyway.

Gander MT had a couple of hardly used SBEI last week for 999, in syn not camo. Looked like new to me and though I like Sportsman's Warehouse (lower prices on new guns) Gander sometimes moves a touch on used guns. Just another option.

[Lobotomy Boy]

Thanks Karbon. I'll swing by my local Gander Mountain (Maple Grove) and see what they have used. It's worth a visit.

[mr.trooper]

If i were in the market for a new autoloader, i would begin my search with Browning. out 1940's Auto 5 is a deam; the solid fit and finish, the reliable inovative design, the well thought out controlls. :p

After Browning, i would go to Beretta next. :D

[EVIL5LITER]

I'm an Auto 5 nut, so that is my first choice. After that, I'd probably look at the Benelli or the Beretta, depending on what I'm using it for.

And not all recoil operated guns have a punishing recoil. The Auto 5 is quite nice.

[Lobotomy Boy]

I picked up a Benelli SBE II today. I decided on the Benelli over the Beretta because the inertia recoil system seemed like it would be more convenient to use when switching from 2-3/4, 3-inch, and 3.5-inch shells without messing with the gas system.

I also went with black instead of camo. I found it easier and quicker to get the black gun on target. The camo rib distracted my eye when lining up the bead on the target. I took the $100 I saved not getting the camo and bought a couple of cases of practice ammo, some Rapalla lures, and a new tackle box.

[The Deer Hunter]

Benelli

I have a Benelli M1-S90
They are basically invincible, basically dont corrode, Look soo awsome and are reliable.

[Lobotomy Boy]

That's the same gun that my friend who I hunt and fish with owns. He's had it for years and it has been totally reliable. He said the only times it ever jammed on him occurred the first and second time he shot the gun. After that it has been like a stone. I can't wait to try it out.