Auto Loader

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okespe04

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What is a good auto loader to start with? Mainly for upland game and duck. I would like to keep it around $500 or so. Thanks.

Also any links to unbiased reviews of your favorite choices would be great.
 
Any of the standard brand shotguns, such as Browning, Remington, Franchi, etc. You may have to buy used to meet your budget.

I also suggest that for upland game, you buy a light gun, such as the Franchi 48. For other shooting, you need a heavier gun to absorb the recoil.

Buy good used guns and you can afford to buy both a heavy and a light gun. If you tote a heavy gun doing uplands, you will thank me for this advice.
 
You could get a used Remington 1100 or 1187 under your pricepoint. And there is a beretta sold at some wal-marts and cabelas, new, for just a little over your pricepoint. I own an 1100 and 1187 they are good guns but considered a little heavy by some for upland hunting. There are a host of third world Turkish made semi autos at or below your pricepoint but I've had no experience with them so I can't comment as to if they are good.
 
Let's start with this:

What kind of upland game?

You talking about hunting a pheasant field a few times a year, or going after Chukar?
 
I'm a newb, I have been a few times, saw some pheasant but have never bagged anything. I gotta start somewhere.
 
Yeah, but if you're talking about pheasant on relatively flat ground, you can use, say, a 12 Gauge like a Mossberg 930 or a "Wal-Mart" Beretta 390. That will work well on ducks, also. These aren't the lightest guns, but they're not too heavy to walk with (and they're a lot lighter than an 11-87 Sportsman, which I would avoid like the plague anyway). Get a loop sling if you want to hang it on your back occasionally.

Chukar live on steep slopes, in canyons, etc., and you will want a lightweight gun of some sort, that you are willing to drop. I use a matte/synthetic 20 Gauge.:) Not the best duck gun.

Check out a 930 or 390, and see how they feel to you.:)
 
$500 is pretty limiting these days. Check out the Franchi, Stoeger, Mossberg, and whatever Wal-Mart has. I won't buy another Remington autoloader due to poor quality and poor customer service.
 
Mossberg 930 can be had for under $500 new. I don't own one but if I were buying an auto loader that's what I would get. For me it feels and points really well.
 
CZ 712 is an excellent choice at only $450.00

The new CZ 712 is a fine shotgun for the price range you are in. I have shot both the 712 12 ga and the 720 20 ga and was quite impressed with them . The recoil is very mild and the gas system is excellent. I bought the 20 ga for my wife and she hunts with me. It is well made as the bore and all internal parts are chromed finished, including the gas system, and a real breeze to clean. You wont find a finer gun NEW for the money in my opinion. The company is first rate too with a excellent warranty. My 2 cents
 
Oh, by the way

You get several different choke tubes with the CZ semi auto guns. I like the quality and price so much I asked Santa to bring me a 12 ga for Christmas.
 
I'd stick with Beretta, Browning, Remington, and maybe Winchester for gas guns. They all make 2-3/4" - 3" guns which will cover all your bases. I am a name brand kind of guy in this game. I have been fixing guns for a long time, and you can fix most any repeater - if you can get a part.
Pick the one that feels best to you. Don't be afraid of used. You can get a whole lot more gun for the money. If you're going to be doing many miles of walking and want a lighter gun, and don't mind a recoil operated, the Franchi 48 is in a class by itself in my opinion. I don't like inertia actions, but with the right loads they do work, but Benelli's go dear. I wouldn't trust a take off.
I am sure there's lot's of other folks who will assure you that a Brand X Whizzer for $399 like theirs is just the ticket, but you did ask for opinions.
There are no unbiased reviews or opinions. Take anything you read with a grain of salt. Maybe 100 grains.
 
I am looking for the same thing and have pretty much decided on the 930 Field/Deer combo with a 28" smooth and 24" rifled slug barrel. Pretty amazing deal at just under $500. It will sleep nice next to my 590A1. I am sure the shotgun snooters will be entirely disgusted that someone would even think of paying as little as $500 for an auto but who cares. From what I have heard it shoots good.
 
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I am looking for the same thing and have pretty much decided on the 930 Field/Deer combo with a 28" smooth and 24" rifled slug barrel. Pretty amazing deal at just under $500.
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That sounds like a good deal. When you get a little trigger time in give us a review. I have been thinking about getting a 930 too.
 
Another vote for the Mossberg 930 on ergos alone. Love the tang safety. People that actually own 'em like 'em. I haven't bought one. I have this old Winchester 1400 that shoots great. I just got a call today that my trigger is done. I took it to a smith to have a left handed safety installed, crossbolt of course. They'd told me it'd be 2 months, but it's only been 3 weeks, not that I'm complaining. :D Not a tang safety, but at least, for the first time in the 20 years I've owned it, the safety will work in the proper direction for me. :D It's almost gonna be like a new gun. LOL
 
I bought a Winchester Super X-2 new several years ago. It's been absolutely flawless since day one. Eat's every shell you can feed it.

My only criticism is that it's somewhat heavy, especially if your shooting upland for extended periods of time. I usually use it for sporting clays and skeet.
 
Yes great! Keep the cheapo junkers that work rolling.
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My only auto-loading shotgun is a Winchester Super-X Model-1 that I like a lot. If that qualifies for keeping "the cheapo junkers" rolling, I'm glad to do my part for the cause. :D

Les
 
Another vote for a used Beretta AL390. There aren't many of them out there - probably because the owners like them a lot. When they do sell they are in the $450-500 area.

Another Beretta you can sometimes find on the used market worht looking at is the FP1201. The gun uses the exact same inertis recoil design as the Benelli Montefeltros. Very light, and kicks pretty hard too.

If you had to have new - the Mossberg is probably a good choice. I don't own one, but my Uncle loved his.
 
I did find a used Beretta 1200 for $550 and a barely used Remington 1187 for $550. Seems shops want a lot for used guns. Both seem at the very upper end of what they should sell for. If I could find a 390 or 391 for a decent price I would probably jump on it.
 
......870 wingmaster you can get them used for $250-$350 the only problem is there not good for duck.
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I dare say there are possibly a million duck hunters that would disagree with that statement just a bit. Glad I didn't know it before I bought one in 1974.... specifically for waterfowling.
 
you guys amaze me, allways talking about the <PROPER NAME BRANDS> guess yall dont care bout the options out there. Escort auto fits bill vey well. Several years ago I bought one for 250 brand newand proceeded to try to tear it up. With several of us shooting clays in a clay pit we ran about 10 cases of Remington and Estate through the weapon with no problem from gun. We would not have cleaned it then but my gunsmith wanted to what it looked like on inside. We would ron the gun so hot that you could barely load it without burning hands. yes it does thump a little becauise it is fairly light and definiteley is not going to win a beauty contest, but it proved to be one tough gun. by the way what got me interested in the auto was the Escort pump that I already had and was very hapy with. We really gave that gun hell. It is still in our group and shooting well still. Now lives a life of luxury with cutdown stock for young deerhunter. Check gunbroker or Legacy Sports for current price. by the way I have another 1 in safe that I still shoot. ps they come w/drop and cast shims just like high dollar weapons. Sorryt I took up so musch of your time God bless all
 
Well we're even, because "you guys" who are so determined that some << no-Name Brand >> el cheapo shotgun is as good as anything else made on the planet amaze me. I do have to admit that we name brand proponents do not have near the library of stories to support our choices either. Yep, amazing.
 
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