All Purpose Auto Shotgun

Beretta A400

Geez, there are so many.
Any 12 ga with screw chokes and interchangeable barrel for slugs will kill anything short of African megafauna.

A friend hunts with a Benelli Ultralight but it will kick with heavy loads.

I'm partial to my old Benelli M-1. The M-2 is a newer version. The differences are mostly cosmetics though.

In the time I've had mine I'd say it is as reliable as any pump. They function when dirty better than most semis. It is light at just over 7 lbs. And for whatever reason I just hit better with mine better than any other shotgun I've ever owned.

The light weight combined with the inertia operating system means more recoil, but no more than a pump or double of the same weight. A gas gun would recoil less, but would be heavier and a little less reliable.

It doesn't shoot 3 1/2" shells, but I don't want or need them.

Any 12 ga with screw chokes and interchangeable barrel for slugs will kill anything short of African megafauna.

Click to expand...

If we were talking pumps I'd agree. But not all semis will reliably handle the wide range of shotshells available. Some will do it pretty well, some don't. In fact even the high end semis that are 3 1/2" capable will often choke on light 2 3/4" field loads. And the less expensive ones more often.

Just because an Auto won't handle every shell on the market doesn't mean it won't handle any of the game you would reasonably hunt with a shotgun.

My turkey hunting friend left the monster Magnum at home and shot his limit bird with a premium 2 3/4".

I like my FN SLP until the long barrel I wanted for it became unobtainable.

An old Remington 1100.

JCooperfan1911 and Cayle are both right; you can't go wrong with either one.

Browning Auto 5. Accept no substitutes.

Mac

For me it’s the FABARM L4S. I have the L4S Initial Hunter.

I have a Benelli SBE 2 and a remington 11-87 I would feel I left nothing behind whichever one gets left in the safe. I think the real questions are would you like a slightly heavier gun with less recoil in the 11-87 gas gun or the lighter and harder recoiling SBE 2. I use the SBE 2 more often because of the lighter weight and especially turkey hunting it's a very low count game when stepping up to the 3.5" shells.

My Mossberg 930 could easily fit the description for me. 3" magnum for when I need more power, I have a 28" barrel useful for ducks and doves, and a 24" one with FO sights I use for turkeys- both with screw in chokes. I suppose I could get one in 18.5" if I wanted to re-purpose it for defensive use, but I don't need to since I have other shotguns already set up like that. Google images even revealed several methods to mount a white light to such a 930.

Another 1100 vote here. I love my auto-5’s and prefer them to anything out there, but I also am patient with them and know how to work on them.

1100’s are easy-clean em, love ‘em, and replace that O-ring every so often and you’re in fine shape for whatever.

A300 Outlander with 28" tube, wood furniture.
Excellent guns, love mine, very reliable

I'll keep it simple and let you decide based on your budget. Stoeger M3000 if money is tight, Franchi Affinity 3 for the best value and Benelli Ethos if you're feeling rich. They'll all get the job done.

Sovblocgunfan said:

1100’s are easy-clean em, love ‘em, and replace that O-ring every so often and you’re in fine shape for whatever.

Click to expand...

I keep an extra O-ring behind the butt plate on all of mine, just so there is always a spare on hand no matter where the shotgun is.

I have a 1187 in 12ga. got the 28" bl and a 20" rs sb rc bl. for turkey and deer in 20 years of service its never let me down . I Like it

I have a Stoeger S-2000 that I like a lot. Nothing pretty but it functions every time. I actually traded Browning Auto 5 for the Stoeger (plus a Hi Point 9mm that I later sold). Some people would think me crazy for that but the Browning just didn't shoot well and required too much tinkering with the friction rings to switch between magnum and regular loads (and since it was a 3" model it could be configured for 3" loads or heavy 2 3/4" loads, but no configuration of the rings would allow it to reliably cycle light 2 3/4" loads).

Also after having a fit getting my dad's 11-87's interrupter latch stud back onto that gun I lost a lot of confidence in that design. I got it working again eventually but I hate any design that requires that you silver-solder on a part rather than attaching via pins or screws.

That Stoeger is now my tried and true go to for a semi-auto shotgun but in general I do prefer pumps - with shotgun shells coming in different lengths and power levels its just easier to reliably design a manually cycling gun.

for me, the best hunting auto, is my dads early reminton 1100 12 ga. just because it was my dads, and its a clean, and pretty gun.
hard to beat a beautiful family heirloom!
JMHO

I miss Dad.

My thirty or more year old 12 ga 1100 Trap. 30" barrel for ducks, geese and turkey, 28" mod for pheasant, 26" skeet barrel for speedy upland birds and a 21" rifled barrel for deer. Total outlay over the years, well under a grand. Only a 2 3/4" chamber but then, I've never been a fan of magnum shotguns. It has a 20 GA little brother in the safe with mod and skeet barrels and I find myself using it often, even if just for sub-gauge events.
Lots of other guns out there. I not a big fan if Turkish guns but have heard more good than bad about the TriStar Vipers.

A 3” chamber has marginal value over a solo 2 3/4” chamber but a 3 1/2” chamber over a 3” has considerably less value.

If you find a deal on a 2 3/4” only chamber shotgun, I would consider it. Otherwise, a 3” chamber will do most of what a general purpose shotgun is for.

A general purpose shotgun will usually cap at a 3” chamber in my opinion. A waterfowl or Turkey shotgun is usually not a GP shotgun. Especially, if it is a semi auto which a 3 1/2” chamber version has a dubious reputation for cycling a variety of loads.

For example, a Benelli M1 or M2 feels like a GP shotgun and a SBE or Vinci is more specialized for Turkey or geese. Same with a Beretta 391 standard vs an Extrema.

Lots will depend on your fit and preferences. Try something you find and like new or used. Doesn't have to be the last shotgun you ever own. Enjoy the journey

If you're asking about the most versatile 12 gauge, semiauto shotgun, my vote goes to the Benelli Super Black Eagle II (I have no experience with the III). Mine was bought for 3-gun competition which it served perfectly, has a camo pattern that I used for turkey hunting which I succeeded in, and has a chamber from 2 3/4" to 3 1/2" magnums without changing a thing. The 24" barrel is handy for almost everything with removable choke tubes and capacity with an extended magazine tube is excellent, but can easily be returned to limited use for things like dove hunting. It can do it all and competently.