Good 12 ga shotgun?

[Orange Dust]

BPS if you can find one. Not the field grade either. Smooth action, and bottom dump. 870 stift action. It takes sometime to brake in. Fixable in the field, wher

Pump guns have their issues too. Short shuck one in the field and you will have a mess. You better have a knife in your pocket to fix it. I've fixed the problem many times for folks in a duck blind. The most reliable is an O/U if you keep the firing pins clean and dry

 

[Mike Matteson]

Pump guns have their issues too. Short shuck one in the field and you will have a mess. You better have a knife in your pocket to fix it. I've fixed the problem many times for folks in a duck blind. The most reliable is an O/U if you keep the firing pins clean and dry

I had a friend that had an 1100 auto. We called him "1 shot Richard" Quickly he would be down to 1 shot in his shotgun. Pumps I could correct a problem in the field if need be.

 

[Orange Dust]

I had a friend that had an 1100 auto. We called him "1 shot Richard" Quickly he would be down to 1 shot in his shotgun. Pumps I could correct a problem in the field if need be.

I've seen 1100's run nearly forever. Just keep them clean with a good o-ring. Like I said... maint!!!

 

[Rosebud]

I guess I am old school, but I like the old humpbacks, Browning A12. Been shooting two since '72.

And your shoulders still work ok? Those puppies bit.

 

[Rosebud]

Pump guns have their issues too. Short shuck one in the field and you will have a mess. You better have a knife in your pocket to fix it. I've fixed the problem many times for folks in a duck blind. The most reliable is an O/U if you keep the firing pins clean and dry

When I duck hunted many years ago, my favorite shotgun was a Beretta Silver Snipe. It fit me like a custom made gun. But if we were hunting on mud flats, it was the 870 Remington. No matter how filthy the gun gets, you can hold it under water and shake it off . Back to shooting. Take it apart when we get home and clean it. Repeat the next day.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Like I said, you have to learn them, especially in wet, freezing weather. You will have a single shot in these conditions with ANY gas gun, or a lubed up Benelli if you don't prepare it properly. I have had good luck with all of them using CLP. Trick is to get the gun clean, lube it, then wipe off all the lube you can with paper towels. I mean all of it. There will be enough left in the pores of the metal for the gun to run if you use it all the time and nothing else. Sorry, but the SBE is no more reliable than the others if they are all prepared properly for the conditions you are hunting in. They do kick more if you are into that. I've had three 12ga SBE's that are now gone and have a 28ga SBE that is going to find a new home. That thing kicks worse with 3" 28ga shells than my SX4 with 3-1/2" shells.

Graphite helps with the freeze up problem.

 

[birddog 68]

???? SX4 comes with shims

Bought mine brand spanking new and did not come with shims. Apparently this was to cut costs but after seeing their mistake the newer ones come with them.
I wish they were available when I had mine because I really liked it.
I edited my previous post since I didn't know that they decided to add shims on later production.

 

[Straight Shooter]

For an extremely good value, you can look at the Girsan MC312 family. Since the patent went out on the Benelli Inertia Drive system, there are a number of clones out there. I picked up a Girsan MC312 synthetic stocked one from Bud's a couple years ago before they got strict on their MAP pricing. With all the good reviews on line, I couldn't pass it up for $320 delivered. It fits me well and handles everything from 1oz dove loads through 3-1/2" turkey and waterfowl loads. Function has been absolutely flawless with all loads. It is a treat to shoot after nearly 40 years of shooting a Remington 870. The MC312 is said to be compatible with Benelli parts, although I have not needed to test that. They also accept Benelli Mobil chokes.

^^^^^^ I did the same thing for a coyote shotgun a few years ago. I had been using an 870 before that. I grew up shooting a gas gun when I was a kid. We sometimes had trouble in the goose pits because we would get dirt in the action or on really cold days they would freeze up. Then we went to 870s so if we got dirt in them we could just grind them out. When I got the Girsan a couple of years ago I got it because I got it because it was a Benelli clone and everyone bragged up the Benelli. I didn't know anything about inertia driven actions. When I took it out to pattern my coyote loads it knocked the stuffin' out of me. I couldn't believe it. Kicked worse than my 870 with heavy goose loads. No more inertia driven semis for me. However. It is still my coyote shotgun. As usual I don't notice the recoil while shooting at game.

 

[74honker]

I would just say Beretta, if you have $2000 for an O/U. My wife's A300 (semiautomatic) works flawlessly, and was about $1200. But, again, they are hard to find.
I would never buy another Benelli. I hate the buttons and way the action works because it is so illogical. It is difficult to empty the magazine at the end of a hunt.

The autos have the exact same buttons.

 

[74honker]

???? SX4 comes with shims

When they came out they did not have shims! No way to adjust. Made no sense why they did that when all the super x2 and 3 before it did.

 

[Orange Dust]

When they came out they did not have shims! No way to adjust. Made no sense why they did that when all the super x2 and 3 before it did.

Maybe they did a run without them, or just left yours out. I bought one of the first ones, and My daughter conned me out of it. Took a year to find another one like it. I also have one in 20ga. All came with shims. I'm confident if you buy one today, they will be in the box.

 

[74honker]

Maybe they did a run without them, or just left yours out. I bought one of the first ones, and My daughter conned me out of it. Took a year to find another one like it. I also have one in 20ga. All came with shims. I'm confident if you buy one today, they will be in the box.

Interesting. Not doubting you at all but also know several others that didn't come with any and actually had salespeople say they didn't have them at the time. Personally I like the feel of the 3 over the 4 for what that's worth. As others have said it's all about the "feel" in ones personal hands. All of the Super Xs have been pretty reliable.

 

[mdmiller]

Krieghoff, Kolar or Perazzi.

We talking Trap guns????

 

[3chester]

Maybe just get an old Winchester Model 12 ,with a 3" chamber, 30 or 32 inch barrel, solid rib, and a couple cases of 3"Bismuth shells. See if you can wear that rig out in a lifetime of goose hunts.