The 2 guns that I have been looking at are the Beretta A300 outlander and the Remington 11-87.
I have an 11-87 Premiere (1993 manufacture) and my brother has a Beretta A300 Outlander (2013 manufacture).
I can tell you both are excellent shotguns. My bother's A300 had a few malfunctions until it broke in, but runs great now. In 20 years of shooting, I don't recall ever having a malfunction with my 11-87. Both come up and swing well, and the sighting planes of both are very different to me, but both are good. Weight is similar. His A300 has synthetic furniture and an aluminum receiver. While my 11-87 has a steel receiver and walnut, the Light Contour barrel (which Remington stupidly discontinued) means the whole package is pretty similar in weight to the A300.
One thing I absolutely HATE about the A300 is that it is very easy to jam a shell beneath the shell lifter if you don't insert it far enough into the mag tube to hear/feel a "click." My brother called Beretta about this and they refer to it as a "feature", but I find it to be a design flaw that can give you an headache in the field if you fail to fully insert a shell. If you do jam one beneath the lifter, the only way to remove it is with a pointy stick or something similar.
11-87 Pros:
-much less recoil than A300
-bolt release location - I love the function of releasing the bolt as you load the mag tube
-prettier (at least in the case of the blued 11-87 Premier with LC barrel).
-reliable.
-better trigger (A300 is still pretty good).
-easier to install plug in mag tube
11-87 Cons:
-safety location.
-no stock adjustability.
-a bit tougher to clean (not too bad though)
A300 Pros:
-slim forearm.
-reliable (after break-in)
-little easier to clean.
-better safety location (with a nice fat crossbolt safety button).
-black oxide finish is probably more durable in the long run than the blued finish of my 11-87.
-comes with spacers to adjust the length of pull and angle of the stock.
A300 Cons:
-noticeably sharper recoil.
-very stiff and somewhat awkwardly located bolt release.
-have to push a tiny, sharp button to lock the bolt back.
-more difficult to install plug in mag tube (you have to drive out a pin and there is a tiny clip that could be easily lost).
-very easy to jam a shell beneath the shell lifter if you don't insert it far enough into the mag tube to hear a "click".
Ultimately, while they are both great shotguns, I still like my 11-87 better than an A300, mostly because of the lighter recoil and the much more foolproof loading. Of course, my 11-87 was built long before Cerberus took over, and the fit and finish is noticeably better than newer Remingtons. The A300 has a lot going for it though - just not my choice.
