I want a nice autoloader shotgun and I find myself in a confusing bit of wandering in the wilderness.
Now I find the modern thermoplastic camouflage guns to be absolutely ghastly. They may be functional and designed for rough handling but if I am gonna spend a lot of money on a gun I refuse to spend it in a ghastly looking plastic piece of ........
It has to be a nice wood stock and foregrip. I am a little flexible in the metal finish as I am fond of the satin finish but I would prefer a nice pretty blued gun like my Winchester Super Grade.?ÿ
Anyway. I have been looking at the new Browning A5 the Beretta A400 the Winchester SX4 and last but not least the Benelli SBE3.
The Benelli and Browning use similar inertia recoil systems.
The Winchester and Beretta use gas systems.
All of them have good reputations.
The only significance difference is the gas system guns require more cleaning and maintenance and they tend to be a bit finicky in cold weather but they are soft shooters.
The inertial recoil guns tend to be thumpers but they are not prone to the dirty gas cleaning issues and they are pretty bullet proof.
Help me figure this out.
I am leaning toward the Browning A5 and actually considering 16 gauge but will likely stick with a 12 gauge.?ÿ
Remington 870 Express and Express Super Magnum
They're all great shotguns.?ÿ I purchased a Win SX3 about 2007 because I liked the feel.?ÿ I'm left handed and it was the least intrusive to shoot.?ÿ I haven't shot the SX4 but I understand it's pretty much the same with some ergonomic refinement.?ÿ The gas system is the way to go.
Check out this clip of Pat Flanigan getting off 12 rounds in a little under a second and a half with the SX3.
With a little practice one can get the rounds off really quick.?ÿ It makes everybody at the range come over to see what I'm shooting...but I'm not near as quick a Flanigan.?ÿ I don't have the extended magazine either.
Oh hell no, I have no need for yet another pump gun.?ÿ
That is probably the best shotgun on the planet.
The Remington 1100 auto has never failed me either and has dozens upon dozens of interchangeable barrels to suit your needs.
It is easy to operate and easy to clean.
Available in a left-handed model.
In a previous youthful lifetime we were into clay target shooting. At the two gun clubs that we used in our region, the top shot by far in both skeet and trap had the nickname "Possum" and he had what must have been a 1950's era Browning A5, with the square back black receiver, that looked like it had been made on an anvil. He must have had interchangeable barrels for it, for skeet and trap, because the A5 was the only gun he ever used. He got ridiculed over that gun and they nicknamed it "Utu" after the movie meaning the Maori word for "revenge" about the 1850 wars. Anyway, I can still remember those hot southern hemisphere Christmas Shoots and the last shoot was the Turkey Shoot where you shot DTL and moved back a station until you missed, and always Possum won at around 80 yards. He was also a very nice fellow and even though I was say 16 to 25 years old at the time, he always spoke to me as an equal. We never had automatics, always Winchester U/O (all got stolen 10 years ago), but that's my story about the A5.
I have 2 pump guns already a Mossberg 535 3 12" chamber and another in 20 gauge so I am not in the market for another pump gun plus my old man has a Winchester Model 12 that will be mine. The 870 is a good gun but I just don't need another pump.
I've nothing against a 1100 it just didn't make the list for no reason than I didn't add it because I don't think the 1100 is chambered in anything other than 2.75". I don't think they have 3" chamber models. I've shot a few of them and they worked as advertised.?ÿ
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Well Dang.?ÿ I just sold a 12 gauge Browning A5 for $350.?ÿ That was $200 more than I paid for it 40 years ago.?ÿ Working on heavy construction sites there is always some one who is over extended and needing money.?ÿ If you keep a little cash you can get some real deals.?ÿ Less than a case of shells through it.?ÿ It shoots great but as I age I prefer the recoil of my 20 gauge A5.
Andy
Lots of variables. What's your primary use for the shotgun??ÿ The SBE3 is the recommended shotgun down in Argentina where it's easy to shoot hundreds of rounds in a day.?ÿ It will function better than all others under intense and continuous use. I've also heard from coastal hunters that the SBE is superior in saltwater corrosion resistance.
Outside of a few unlikely shooting conditions, I would make the choice based on the feel of the shotgun. Although everything can be modified these days, how does each one feel when you shoulder it??ÿ Is weight a concern??ÿ
Like many, I am a fan of John Browning designs and this alone would make me aim in the direction of the A5.
Is there a reason you've ruled out the Remington Versa Max?
Birds and rabbits.
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I know nothing about the Versa-Max but if it is one of the camouflaged monstrosities I see nowadays I will not give it a second look. I cannot bear to look at those plastic pieces of crap.
Gonna go look at a A5 16 Gauge.?ÿ
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If you're not going after turkeys, I think you're on to something with the A5 16 gauge.
I'm in the market for a BPS 12 gauge 26" barrel for a turkey gun. I like the idea of a camo coating but I agree that it takes away from the looks.?ÿ I also worry that any type of coating will be prone to breaking down over time.?ÿ Some of the early camo guns start to get a tacky feel to them.
I guided fishing and helped self guided hunters in Alaska for a few years when I was in my early twenties.?ÿ That experience convinced me that synthetic stocks are the way to go when you can't avoid rough treatment of a firearm.?ÿ?ÿ
When I visit my home state of Maine, I still prefer my Dad's old 20 gauge side by side,d despite its 30 year old hairline crack in the wood stock.?ÿ?ÿ
SX4, awesome gun. I have the black syn. Great beater gun. I've taken out various critters in Alaska, Dakotas, Canada and back home.
Ducks, pheasants, huns, quail, deer, turkey, dove........
I prefer a beater gun, I don't want to fret with pampering a mantle decoration.
Strictly for birds or bunnies, I'd consider the baretta ultralight 20 ga.
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I have my Mossberg 535 that is chambered for 3 1/2" for the big loads such as for turkey, geese, ducks or home defense. I have a 20 gauge but my son has claimed it so technically I don't have a 20 gauge. But that Browning Sweet 16 has piqued my interest. 16 Gauge is coming back and i am glad because that 12 gauge begins to hurt after a while and the 20 just sometimes doesn't have enough ummmpft.
I'm gonna look closely at it.
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Andy, the old Browning Auto 5 that you sold is 100% different than the new Browning A5. The new gun is nearly identical to the Benelli guns with the inertia recoil system, whereas the old Browning Auto 5 utilized a long recoil spring and sliding barrel to dampen the recoil shock. As a result of that difference the only thing the two guns share in common is the Browning name.
So you as far as semi-autos go the original Auto 5 was in a league all by itself in that it could handle light or heavy loads simply by changing out the friction rings and all the spent gases went out the end of the barrel. Gas guns still require adjusting the gas valve, which is no big deal.
I would have gladly paid you for the old Auto 5 you just sold. Did you have all the friction rings to go with it?
Glad to hear that 16ga is making a return.
A few decades ago the shells became near impossible to obtain and I was really fond of the poly packs as they added distance and accuracy.
My favorite hunting gun of all time is my Henry Arms outside hammer double barrel Sweet 16.
@just-a-surveyor Yes it had all the rings. I downloaded an owner's manual for the A5 to make sure I was putting the rings in the correct location for the various loads. I still have a pre 1950 A5 light 12 that belonged to my father.
Andy
I have a hard time with the idea of a beater gun and can't help but cringe at the thought of abusing a gun. I don't mind the black guns but I just find those camouflaged guns to be ghastly.
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I think I have settled on a Winchester SX4 Hybrid. The Ceracoated finish is appealing but I still am not fond of a synthetic stock but I will check it out before decide for sure.?ÿ
My other option right now is the Beretta A400 Xtreme but doggone it is pricey.
Remington 11-87, left handed model.
It depends upon the barrel and then there is this option
It should be noted that while many folks refer to the original Browning long recoil spring shotguns as the A5 they are correctly called the Auto 5 because they held 5 shells.
The new guns are called the A5 to distinguish between the original and the new.
