good all around auto shotgun

[bear204]

i am looking for a reliable auto, something that will shoot clays all summer long and shoot the 3.5 in the fall. my brother and uncle shoot browning golds but it seems like they have problems with them. any suggestions to what you guys think would be great

[island guy]

I had the same question a couple of years ago. I asked a friend who is also a gunsmith. He told me to find used remington 1100. (they don't make the 1100 anymore). They don't shoot 3 1/2 inch and may not be the best for shooting clays. I bought my 1100 for around $300. It was going to be my backup gun. I have a browning gold that was my main gun. The 1100 is all I shoot now. I hunt hard, lots of dirt field hunting, cold weather, rain, snow you name it. It has never let me down! Dependable!!! Maybe I just got lucky and others will have a different idea.

Good luck

[sdghsdgj]

an auto? Isn't that illegeal without a permit or something?

[irvingdog]

By "auto" sdghsdgj means auto-loader, which is not illegal. Auto firing is another thing......

[DrKen]

Look at the benelli's and the beretta's. Awful nice auto's and I'm a true pump man. One of them has a new 12 ga that handles everything well according to reviews.

[koWALLEYEski]

My Winchester Ranger does the trick. Shes old but I have never had a problem with it. I also hunt hard and i dont feel bad now when my gun gets full of dirt or getting wet.

[bear204]

was at gander mountain today and was looking at the super black eagle but i just couldn't spend the money today. Anybody have any thoughts on the reliability of this gun

[riverrat56]

If you aren't stuck on the 3 1/2 i would deffinatly look at the 1100, they do still make them by the way, My father owns the full set ( minus the 28 ga, he sold that for some reason) Never once has one of those guns let me down and they go through alot of dump, pheasant huning in the dust, busting brush on deer drives, and then more pheasent hunting in the sloughs, they keep right on shooting as long as you remeber to clean it once or twice a year. Great guns, would be great for trap as the point quick, i do happen to find the 12 a bit heavy though but maybe thats because im used to the 20 ga. BTW it was rated 5th or 6th in F&S's list of the top 50 guns ever made.

RR56

[Neiko]

Bear, what kind of problems do they have with the golds? I have one and love it. I have 2 friends that have 1100 and they hate them. Nothing but problems with jams and they have tried multiple manufactures and still a problem. They steer clear of remington because of them. I will admit my gold maybe a little heavy but I really like it. I use it for Turkey,Goose and grouse also.

[knoppers]

best semi-auto that I ever owned that shoots low brass shells the same as high brass shells is a benelli. I have 3 good shotguns, since I bought my benelli, the other 2 no longer get used.

[Walleye Guy]

Check out the Winchester X2. You won't be disappointed. I would also look at the Benelli's. I hun with a couple guys who shoot the and they swear by them.

WG

[BlackLabGuy]

I've shot my Browning Gold 12 for alot of years, for both sporty's, waterfowl and upland and never had a problem. I use all variety of shells and seldom (every year or two!) clean it. I wouldn't trade it for another!

[spearingboy]

knoppers-what kind of benelli do you shoot? I have a M190 Field and have trouble with it cycling in the cold weather. I get my first shot off and then it won't cycle all the way and the next shell won't get chambered. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot.

[Nova]

Benelli by far is the best gun on the market. Hunt a ton of cold weather ducks and never a problem. Also shoot trap in the summer and it's perfect. The super black eagle is spendy, but worth every single penny. If you want one to last and be dependable, Benelli is the gun for you.

[lawdog]

Benelli's are good guns, I won't dispute that, but I don't like shooting them. They don't fit me well and the feel of that recoil action is strange. That's why I like a gas operated and without question, the finest gas operated auto made in my mind is the Beretta. I have a 303 and a 390. They are just plain awesome guns. My 303 has put out over 6000 shells as it used to be my trap gun back in college when I shot a lot. It still fires and cycles wonderfully.

[barebackjack]

I own an older 1100 and I shoot thousands of rounds through it every year with little cleaning the thing still works like a champ. Here is the one thing alot of people are unaware of, if you own an older 1100 with 2 3/4", you can use most 3 inch shells in these guns. I have only used them in slugs but I have talked to guys that use them for everything,I am not a gunsmith so dont take my word that any 3" shell can be used without fail in these guns.

[Rost]

I love my Benelli M1, but it is not the only gun out there.

Remington 11-87- my bro swears by his

Winchester X2- buddy loves his

Beretta- I believe it is basically the same as an X2??

You should be happy with any of these choices. Just don't buy an off brand (charles daily, etc..) Listen to us! We are smart people

Spearingboy- What year did you buy your Benelli? I bought mine in 1996. Back then they had two different springs. A stiffer, stronger spring that went in the SBE and a lighter spring that went to the M1's. I had the same problem with cold weather. I put a heavy spring in for $8. No more problems. Now all Benelli's are sold with the heavy one. Hope this helps.

[cyberamish]

When you can find them the old Browning A-5 is tough to beat. Had mine for years and the only trouble I have had was a broken firing pin. Although they won't fire 3.5" the A-5 Mag (which I have) will handle 3" or 2 3/4".

[Nova]

This is a little off the point, but what does a guy do when he reads all these posts and everyone is giving a different option. I personally know of 2 of these guns that have been suggested that are jam masters. They rarely work in cold weather and not real good in warm weather. I don't want to slam anyone, but I don't want a guy to take this advise and end up with a lowsy gun.

[BigDaddy]

This is a tough one and the reason that forums like this should only be one source of information.

I look at a couple of things, one is quality control. A gun that is a "jam master" may just be made by a company with poor QC. The poster may in fact have a gun that functions well while most others have problems.

The other area is use/maintenance. I've known guys with Autos that lube them to high heaven and then wonder why they jam.

Just my $.02

[spearingboy]

Rost- My M1 is only 3 years old. I was just out shooting crows Saturday and I'd get the first shot off and then it ejected it and grabbed the shell in my magazine but didn't load it all the way. It stopped half way. I don't know what to do with it.

[Rost]

I'd start by asking a gun smith what spring you have in your gun.

Sounds like your gun might be super dirty. Or you put too much oil in it (which goops it up).

[Maverick]

I have a Beretta AL391 and love it, I have put over 6000 rounds through it with no trouble other than bad loads. My dad has an 1100 and has troubles with the O rings breaking in his gun. My 391 will handle 3" shells but if you are looking for a 3 1/2" gun check out the Beretta Extrema it will handle 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2" shells. It's worth checking out.

[Stratosman]

I bought an Extrema two seasons ago and I absolutely love this gun, It fits ME very well and I shoot it more accurately on birds than any other gun that I own, I can shoot 2-3/4" clay loads without failure up to 3-1/2" goose and turkey loads with everything in between. There are alot of guns out there and I have not shot even close to them all. My friends shoot Benelli's without problems, Beretta owns Benelli, so essentially the same gun I think. The 11-87 is pretty much bulletproof as well, have not heard too much on the superX2's. But you do get what you pay for.

[Shorelunch]

I'm a fan of Beretta's AL391 Urika models and Bennelli's M2's. I believe you'll have to jump to an Beretta Xtrema to load 3 1/2 shells. Basically, if you want gas and keep your gun half-way clean get a Beretta. If you want the "inertia" system, with a little recoil increase, go for the Benelli. If I was just hunting ducks I'd go for the Benelli because of less parts to clean but like the Berettas for an all-around gun. Can't go wrong with either.