Good 12 ga shotgun?

[Orange Dust]

We talking Trap guns????

All three make excellent game guns if you can afford them... Mostly in the $20k-$60k range, but you can pay more... Much more if you want. I was at the World Champs on Vendor row one time. Found an MX8 that was absolutely stunning. Decided to freak out the wife. Ran up the hill and told her I had found a new gun and needed my check book. Just as I thought, she said "I'm going with you!" I said ok and we hurried back down the hill. It was practice day before most folks show up and the first day the stores were open. We got to the store and it was gone. I pretended to be sad. Price was $250,000. Some lucky someone bought it and was gone within 20 min of the store opening and I was literally gone maybe 10 minutes.

 

[Straight Shooter]

^^^^^^ Exactly
Meant for previous post.

 

[3chester]

If dove, duck and goose hunting with a 12 gauge are the only criteria, options are almost endless.

 

[Orange Dust]

^^^^^^ Exactly
Meant for previous post.

The good news is the wife never bats an eye when I buy a new rifle. She totally freaks out though at the word "Shotgun"! She has learned rifles are dirt cheap compared to shotguns. She's just hung around them too much.

 

[Orange Dust]

In all seriousness folks. Best advice I can give is 1st, choose your action style, 2nd, choose a gun that has the features you want and feels good in your hands, 3rd, spend some time at the patterning board and adjust it to fit you, or find someone to help you that can. 4th shoot several flats through it at clays to break it in and get used to it. 5th, go shoot some birds. There is no wrong answer, and there should be no real issues with any major brand. Shotguns are more personal than rifles for the most part.

 

[nhenry]

I'm sure this is a bit late, but I will never replace my Beretta AL390 and if you can get one for a good price, they're great guns.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I own several shotgun for different manufactors. I found the BPS had the smoothest action out of the box.

 

[coueskiller43]

Beretta 390, 3901, or 391. They run forever. Get a used one with the plastic stock. Have the stock dipped in your favorite camo then cerakote it. They are easy to tear down and clean. Replace the recoil spring every few seasons for $9 and you're good to go.

 

[Orange Dust]

Beretta 390, 3901, or 390. They run forever. Get a used one with the plastic stock. Have the stock dipped in your favorite camo then cerakote it. They are easy to tear down and clean. Replace the recoil spring every few seasons for $9 and you're good to go.

Old 300 series guns fetch a premium with clay shooters. They will often bring more than a new a400. There is a lesson here somewhere, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Very popular semi when money is on the line.

 

[Turkeytider]

Old 300 series guns fetch a premium with clay shooters. They will often bring more than a new a400. There is a lesson here somewhere, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Very popular semi when money is on the line.

I have a Browning B-80. They were built by Beretta in the 80`s for Browning and are essentially a Beretta 303 with a Browning buck mark on them. Absolutely great semi auto shotgun. I`ve read where some consider the early 300`s the best auto shotguns Beretta ever built.

 

[mdmiller]

All three make excellent game guns if you can afford them... Mostly in the $20k-$60k range, but you can pay more... Much more if you want. I was at the World Champs on Vendor row one time. Found an MX8 that was absolutely stunning. Decided to freak out the wife. Ran up the hill and told her I had found a new gun and needed my check book. Just as I thought, she said "I'm going with you!" I said ok and we hurried back down the hill. It was practice day before most folks show up and the first day the stores were open. We got to the store and it was gone. I pretended to be sad. Price was $250,000. Some lucky someone bought it and was gone within 20 min of the store opening and I was literally gone maybe 10 minutes.

I have a Kolar combo, 2 years old now!!

 

[Orange Dust]

I have a Kolar combo, 2 years old now!!

I love mine too. I even took it duck hunting on a pretty day last year with the 12ga barrels. I was scared to death the dog would shake muddy water on it, but made it through the hunt without putting a scratch on it, or getting it dirty. Might take it again once or twice this year, but don't want to push my luck. Great duck gun BTW, but just too stressful to hunt with on a regular basis. I have taken my old F3 Supersport several times and still haven't put a scratch on it either, but it needs to be refinished, checkering and blueing is pretty worn and it has over a million rounds through it. Lost count of the times it has been rebuilt. That's the thing about high end O/U's, they last several lifetimes if you take care of them, and are the only choice if you want to shoot them nearly every day. They are actually a bargain if you want to shoot a lot. I mentioned earlier if the OP wants a gun he can shoot clays with all summer, and birds in the fall, there is no better entry level, do all gun than a Beretta 690 series, or an old 682 for 1/2 the price. 682's that need to be rebuilt can be a real bargain, and it doesn't cost much to rebuild them, less than $500. Just make sure it is new enough to have 3" chambers. You can get very good with a shotgun with one of these, win some money and kill lots of birds. If it were me, and I could have only one shotgun, I would get one of these with 30" barrels and an adjustable sporting stock. Never miss the third shot unless birds are pretty thick.

 

[Rick79]

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.

I still have a Model 12 Featherweight. The only down side to it is it doesn't have the 3" chamber. Probably the best shooting shotgun I've ever owned. My dad bought it used at a garage sale for me in the early 90's when he got tired of buying .410 shells for me to shoot!

 

[nhenry]

Beretta 390, 3901, or 391. They run forever. Get a used one with the plastic stock. Have the stock dipped in your favorite camo then cerakote it. They are easy to tear down and clean. Replace the recoil spring every few seasons for $9 and you're good to go.

Can you guess which one's mine?

Came straight from Beretta like that.