New Shotgun delimma

[quicktime]

I need a new waterfowl shotgun and have narrowed it down to either a Benelli autoloader or the new Beretta auto. Does anyone own, shot, or handled either one and what are your thoughts? Thank you in advance for the assitance.

 

[BridgeWalker]

I shoot trap with a Benelli Montefeltro. I like it. I chose it over a gas gun because I liked the reliability and simplicity of the intertial system.

 

[rcmodel]

I bought a a Benelli M-1 for turkey hunting. I sold it a year later.

It kicked harder then my old recoil operated Browning A-5 with heavy mags, and the little shell cut-off do-dad kept me wondering if it was going to be loaded or not every time I used it in the dark.

My next new one will be a gas operated Berretta or Browning Gold for the reduced recoil & simple mag cut-off, if nothing else.
Just not sure which I like best yet.


rcmodel

 

[ArmedBear]

I don't understand the point of a Benelli turkey gun. I saw a guy at the shop drooling over one, for way too much money.

I can see a gas-operated shotgun for recoil reduction, but otherwise an 870 will do fine. No need to pay for a Benelli. Our limit is 1.

 

[BridgeWalker]

To me, the point of a Benelli is that it is not a pump. I dislike working a pump. It's a distraction on the trap line and for me personally, working the pump is hard because my shoulder is injured so yanking it forward sharply like that would be bad. It is slower. It messes up the sight picture (such as it is)(husband contributed this one; I haven't used ours enough to experience this). And on purely asthetic grounds, it wears the finish off the mag tube in an unattractive way.

Versus a gas gun, I like the quality of the recoil better in the intertia gun. The recoil is not much dampened, but it is slower, so it's more like a hard shove than a punch. Or at least that is how I perceive it. I like some recoil: wakes ya right up! I have not found the recoil painful though.

Also, gas guns tend to be less reliable in extreme weather. This may be a consideration for hunters especially. Also freaks like me who shoot trap in the rain. We'll see if I last all winter.

We keep an 870 for HD purposes, but for heavy general use, I think I will always prefer an inertial auto to either gas or pump. Benelli's rep in particular for reliability under extreme use is another factor that sold me over the other options out there.

 

[45crittergitter]

I have lots of experience with Benellis, far less with Berettas. My advice is that if you're going to fire it a lot (say 10,000 rounds a year), get the Benelli. If you're doing more normal volumes, get whichever one fits/feels/points better to you.