All purpose (hunting) shotgun?

rdnktrkr said:

I shot the Winchester SX3 or SX4 recently and was surprised at how good they felt and how well I shot it, there were 3 people shooting and the gun had no hiccups, we probably shot about 100 rnds ea. I've shot the Remington 1187 and prefer my wingmaster, I would like to try the V3 and the Winchester back to back to compare them.

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The Winchester’s and V3 are excellent shotguns IMO. The V3 has a higher comb so you’ll probably shoot it better or worse than the Winchester’s.

My favorite by far is a Beretta Black onyx. I can hit anything with it. I also have a selection of Semi auto shotguns. I would recommend a Super Black Eagle or some flavor semi auto Remington as I hit better with them as do most people. I do have a new Browning A5 and am pretty unhappy with it. Some Euro guns shoot low which I don't like. Lots of folks like Benelli and Beretta semi Autos. My guns get banged up as I hunt with them. I do avoid dropping them in mud though. In my opinion, avoid really cheap guns not so much as unreliable as they don't fit well and are clunky to handle. Nothing wrong with a Mossberg. They fit close to a Remington in my opinion. I regret parting with a couple of those.

3Crows said:

So the current Remington 1100 and 870 are okay to purchase? I am not wanting a used shotgun, I want a brand new one. I have some used ones already, lol.

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I recommend them. Good guns and most people shoot them very well. Used to see both on the trap range alot. My son shoots trap with an 11-87 which is a updated 1100.

d2wing said:

I would recommend a Super Black Eagle or some flavor semi auto Remington as I hit better with them as do most people.

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Are you referring to Remington and Benelli or just Remington?

The semis have two advantages over an equal quality O/U - cost and the ability to use shims (most of them can anyway) to adjust the fit better. With many of then using plastic stocks and aluminum receivers, this makes them lighter and more impervious to weather in the field. The major downside MIGHT be ammo issues; some will feed and eat anything, some can be finicky.

cdb1 said:

Are you referring to Remington and Benelli or just Remington?

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Just the Super Black Eagle, it seems to fit me better as well as any Remington.

Ok.

I have a 1969 Winchester 1200 fixed choke. I use it for most of my 12ga needs. I also have very wonderful S&W 3000 I shoot with. But believe it or not. My funnest 12ga is a simple NEF Pardner SB1. I just get a kick carrying and shooting it. (no pun intended)

3Crows said:

Aluminum receivers. Long ago, I was given a nice Model 1200 Winchester for Christmas. It has never given me any issue and still looks like new and functions as new. However, certain of my snoody relatives made fun of the aluminum receiver when I hunted with them. Thus, to this day, any gun of any sort with aluminum as a major structural component takes me back to my 1200 being made fun of. I realize that I probably should get over it but what is the deal with the aluminum now and shotguns? If I go hunting with my now aged snoody relatives (those that are still kicking) will I still have my gun made fun of if I get one of these new aluminum shotguns? Of course I own a couple of aluminum Kimbers, .

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When I took my shotgun instructor's course, the first thing they showed us were two ka-boomed shotguns, a Mossberg 500 and a Remington 870. The Mossberg ka-boom looked more survivable than the Remington, which had jagged "spears" from the receiver peeled back into where the shooter's face would be.
I thought it strange, but there it was!
Mossberg makes a lot stronger gun than many think.

I'm a little late to the party, read the first page, but I'd like to share my experiences. I run with a lot of shotguns in your price range. I'm an avid waterfowl hunter in the prairie country of central MN. Everything from cattail sloughs to field geese to tight shooting of wood ducks in timber. I also occasionally hunt flushed pheasant and grouse, pigeon shoots for various farmers, and I do shoot trap and skeet with my "bird" gun as fall approaches for practice. I've owned several different makes of shotgun, and had the opportunity to try many others from VERY high end to dirt cheap. The 1100 was good but ammo fussy, the Ithaca had issues with certain brands of ammo also and bit my cheek, the Nova was a solid gun, I shot it well, but I HATED the magazine cutoff. It was located in the perfect spot to activate it while cycling the action under pressure. It also carried hard due to the deep, molded serrations in the stock.

For primary hunting guns, I've owned a Rem 1100, Ithaca M37 (new made, not vintage), Benelli Nova, and currently a Stoeger M3000 (3"). Of those, I've found the Stoeger to be the most versatile and effective for my uses. It eats everything but extremely light 7/8oz target loads (any semi would choke on those) with gusto, even caked in mud, duckweed and dog drool. Balance is good, decent for trap shooting although I do shoot a dedicated target gun for that sport in summer. It's relatively light. Recoil is manageable even with heavy goose loads. I would recommend it highly. You'll get similar performance with a Benelli or Beretta at a higher price point with a bit more refinement, but I've found the shooting and carrying charachteristics of the Bs to be similar to the cheap old Stoeger and wouldn't spend the extra money for a gun destined for the level of abuse I call a good day of hunting.

The favorite that I've ever fired at the range and in the field was a Franchi pintail (if I remember the make correctly), but those are no longer made. That was just a sweet shotgun. Edit... the Pintail is a Beretta model. The Franchi model I liked apparently has been lost to memory. It was available as a 3" "waterfowl" model in the early 2Ks in a sleek matte grey finish, I think it had a "bird" name. Perhaps the hive mind remembers?

I have a Rem 1100 12 ga circa 1974. I wish I had sprung for a 3" but the 2 3 /4" has served me well over the years. I have a Remington 870 3" 12 ga with a regular and scoped slug barrel. I changed the stock out for a thumbhole stock that helps manage the recoil from slugs very well.

Mid level to bottom high level. Auto or pump. All around hunting, ducks, geese (least), quail, dove (most) etc. Some trap for fun but not serious. What shotgun would you suggest in a 12 gauge?

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I have a bunch of shotguns but none I use for everything. Some won’t chamber anything larger than 2 3/4 ammunition, that’s great for dove/quail when I can (dam fire ants) but there are better choices for ducks and geese depending on situation. I’d say you want something that will go at least 3”, if you need to and be all weather durable as the conditions I hunt dove in are vastly different than a good duck hunting day.

Yep, East Texas for me and the Bobwhite were eliminated at least 20 years ago due to them. It’s not all bad though, they seemed to have had the same effects on tic population as well.

There are a whole pile of guns that people can suggest. What I have seen firsthand is that cheaper autos typically have aluminum frames that get battered. Cheaper pumps are typically copies of old designs that have proven reliable. It’s hard to recommend a Remington right now, and Mossbergs seem in short supply. Of all the guns I have had and gotten rid of, the one that stands out far above the rest in utility and durability was the Maverick pump. It’s a Mossberg with a different trigger pack, and they are cheap. I beat the hell out of the one I had, hunted it hard, and it just kept going.

John Joseph said:

When I took my shotgun instructor's course, the first thing they showed us were two ka-boomed shotguns, a Mossberg 500 and a Remington 870. The Mossberg ka-boom looked more survivable than the Remington, which had jagged "spears" from the receiver peeled back into where the shooter's face would be.
I thought it strange, but there it was!
Mossberg makes a lot stronger gun than many think.

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That has nothing to do with the receivers, and everything to do with where the obstructions in the barrels were; the one in the 870 sounds like a 20 ga. shell dropped into a 12 ga. , then a 12 ga. fired after it. It will result in the mentioned 'peeled back' barrel.

3Crows said:

Aluminum receivers. Long ago, I was given a nice Model 1200 Winchester for Christmas. It has never given me any issue and still looks like new and functions as new. However, certain of my snoody relatives made fun of the aluminum receiver when I hunted with them. Thus, to this day, any gun of any sort with aluminum as a major structural component takes me back to my 1200 being made fun of. I realize that I probably should get over it but what is the deal with the aluminum now and shotguns? If I go hunting with my now aged snoody relatives (those that are still kicking) will I still have my gun made fun of if I get one of these new aluminum shotguns? Of course I own a couple of aluminum Kimbers, .

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Aluminum receivers on semis are just fine as they have no structural basis. Some of the best semis are Beretta and Benelli with their aluminum receivers

Can't/won't do it all with one shotgun.
But I could be happy with a 12 and a 20.
Prefer bunnies w a 20. Like it on dove too.

I could manage with some nice 28s - a heavy one on a 20 frame for targets and a lighter one for birds.....

Browning bps. Great general purpose shotgun with the added benefit of bottom eject in case you have a left handed user.

While I think it's tough to beat a 3" Remmy Wingmaster, in addition I have a 12 and 20 Red Label, a left handed Benelli SBE, a Benelli Nova, the first 12 ga single shot that my Dad bought me, and a 20 ga Browning BPS. I think a lot has to do with the intended use and budget.
Back in the day, a single 870 or Model 12 killed about anything that flew, and likely still can.....

I had a Citori magnum, nice gun. Hit too high for me though. Used a redlabel on a few hunts, worked better but just didnt feel right.

Had bos upland special 20 and it was fine. Liked the 870 version best

Had proly close to 40 diff shotguns over the yrs. Most of em Reminton 870 or 1100.
They work best for me, even if they aint fancy. 870 express supermag, 1100 sp mag and 1100 trap

Find a special field 20 and done.