time for a new shotgun

[another okie]

I've been using a Remington 1100 Competition Master in 3 gun matches for several years. That model isn't made any more. Yesterday it wouldn't load the magazine fully, had a couple of failures to feed, and then the Easy Loader fell off right in the middle of a stage. I realize all these can be fixed; I can fix one or two of the problems. But I realized driving home I was tired of the many types of jams the CM was giving me.

So in reading up on the web I find that the most common recommendations are the Benelli M2 and the Winchester SX2 / FN SLP.

A lot of people like their Benellis for reliability, and the downside is recoil. And a lot of people like their Winchester / FNs, and the downside is they get dirtier. That agrees with what I've seen at matches over the last five years - the Benellis and Winchesters have been the most reliable.

I went to four different gun shops after the match, and none had a single semi auto with an extended magazine. I realize Benellis can't be imported that way, but there are readily available aftermarket extended tubes. No one had one.

It made me realize that the clay pigeon shooters are the vast majority of shotgunners.

There are two stores in Tulsa I would expect to have such a shotgun, so I may drive down there tomorrow or Tuesday.

Any shopping advice?

 

[Der Verge]

My suggestion is to drop the 1100 off to a good smith, and have him run through it. He will get her sinched up and back to her old, reliable, clay bustin self.

It might be just me, but the other semiautos don't have enough of any reason for me to give up my 11-87. Why would an 1100 be any different?

 

[Virginian]

I have to say I am with Der Verge. Been shooting 1100s for 45 years with no complaints.

 

[another okie]

I have an older 1100 that is my dove / quail gun. My father bought it in the early 1960s and it has always been reliable and a dream to shoot. There's just something about this one that is not as reliable or as well made. Maybe Remington quality has dropped a little.

I went to the store and held a Beretta M2. Now, that is a nice, natural pointing shotgun, very ergonomic.

 

[Der Verge]

If you insist on getting something new, the Berettas are nice guns...

 

[coltm]

What are you using the gun for, why do you need an extended mag? If you are just breakin clay get an O/U. It will work much better for that.

 

[another okie]

It's for three gun matches. For breaking clays I currently just use my 20 gauge 1100, though I've pondered something nice in over and under.

 

[throdgrain]

I've put at least 10,000 rounds through my M2 in two years. It's jammed maybe twice, both times not seriously, just where I had to push the shell a little further with my finger so that it popped into the chamber. On one occasion I recall I still managed to hit the clay target as well The vast majority of shells I've put through it have been one ounce #8 shot, so not even birdshot, just clay.

The only problem I've had is when I used a particular type of shell it didnt like. Then it wouldnt cycle well at all. Answer : Ive not used them since, in fact I swapped them with my buddy I ws shooting with and used his cheap shells - no problem!

The gun recoils slightly more than a gas operated semi-auto, but its more than manageable, and still much less than my ported Mossberg 500. You also dont have to clean the reciever/action anything like as much as a gas operated gun, in fact Ive cleaned mine maybe 3 times. The barrell of course has to be cleaned exactly the same as any other shotgun.

 

[btg3]

It might be just me, but the other semiautos don't have enough of any reason for me to give up my 11-87. Why would an 1100 be any different?

... before the 1100 there was the Sportsman 58 which still gets the job done for me. But if you start needing parts and having to pay for repairs, then the new gun can be a better move. Additionally, if I parted out my Sportsman 58, it would take away alot of the sting of buying a new gun.

 

[another okie]

I went ahead and bought the M2, then put a longer magazine on it. I went to the range today and put about 125 rounds through it of all types, slugs, buckshot, heavy game loads, light target loads. It handled them all, and shot a nice group with the slugs, though it was too windy for real sighting in. The manual recommends putting some heavy loads through it before trying the light stuff, so I did.

I'm not selling the 1100 or the Ithaca 37. I seem to be in a shotgun phase, though.

 

[another okie]

Just back from the FNH Midwest 3 gun match. The Benelli ran perfectly. What a relief not to have to worry about which ammo to choose!

Two guys on the squad had Remington Tacticals ( the successor to my Competition Master) and it was deja vu to see them huddled together discussing all the different fixes for problems the 1100s were giving them.

Three gun is a very different discipline that puts some strange stresses on the gun. You are often in unusual shooting positions and doing a lot of fast reloading.

 

[throdgrain]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it