Toughest question ever.

[Tangentabacus]

Saiga 12ga or Benelli M4.

[Old Stony]

Tough question? The Benelli without a question !!

[Recoiljunky]

+50 for tangent, I have the saiga 12 and is just a low end jetski. The benelli you would actually enjoy to own.

[jehu]

I own 4 Benelli's and 1 Beretta all for wingshooting and would not have anything else for that role but for HD I got a Keltec KSG that runs like a swiss watch,14+1 is hard to beat.

[Backwoodsboy]

I Don't personally own either, however I have fired both and Benelli wins hands down

[Tangentabacus]

Interesting to throw the KSG in the mix. Love that thing. Heard superb things about the Benelli but... $1,600 for the M4!!!

[Tangentabacus]

Honestly though there doesn't seem to be much of a market for more HD type semi auto shot guns. I'm mixed on the mossbergs... Enough where I don't really want one. I've shot a few Saiga 12's and have loved them, but only shot a Benelli super sport for clays and it was CRAZY light weight and the action was smooth as butter, but the guy told me he payed like $2,400 for it and I know with great price comes a great gun but I'm not sold on the Benelli price tag. There's gotta be something else out there.

[jmr40]

Benelli, nothing tough about that decision.

[Skadoosh]

To me, that's like asking "Lada...or Ferrari"?

[Tangentabacus]

I agree with your analogy however the problem I can't seem to overcome is: A lada will do everything I need for a small cost. It's versatile and easy to use and maintain. The ferrari is great but I will probably spend the majority of my life saving up the money. However it is way better in every aspect to the Lada except that it's way more expensive and more expensive to maintain. Maybe not as reliable either.

[amd6547]

I own a beretta 1201FP...based on shooting that, I'd say forget the M4 and find a nice Benelli M1S90...saw a nice looking one advertised for $950 a couple days ago.

[JD0x0]

Vepr12 Molot. It's basically an upgraded Saiga.

[Beretta686]

I've owned both and by far I'd say the Benelli.

My Saiga is a Short-Barreled Shotgun and it's a fantastic range toy to turn heads and clear the skeet range, but for practical utility it's lacking. You can't store it with an empty chamber and a loaded magazine, it's awkward to reload (though how often you'll reload with a 20-rd drum is another question), for it to reach it's potential you have to extensively modify it, the safety is awkward and a whole host of other problems.

On the other hand the Benelli is like a sports car from the factory and is ready to go right out of the box. It'll feed anything, it feels good in the hand, it looks good and it's just a friggin' nice shotgun.

Get the Saiga if you want a gee-wiz toy to wow your friends, but if you're serious about a shotgun, get a Benelli.

[allaroundhunter]

OP, you asked a question thinking that it was tough, but it really isn't. The Benelli is 10 times the gun that the Saiga will ever be. If you don't want to spend $2k on an M4, then spend $1200 on an M2 with a 21" or 24" barrel.

No need to try to say that the Saiga is a better gun because it costs less, because it really isn't.

[BigJimP]

I have Benelli Super Sport models in 12ga and 20ga ...and they're solid / and very nice versatile guns....and today they list new for $ 2,200 ...but in my area, they sell new for about $ 1,950.

I like the Benelli M-4 as well .....and I've fired a couple of them at my local range, owned by other shooters, and they're solid guns as well....and worth the money in my view.

[Fishbed77]

Benelli M4 is the easy choice here.

[semi_problomatic]

Are you comparing the basic $600 saiga against the $1600 M4? Or the tricked out and slicked up $2000 saiga? What do you plan on using it for?

[Strafer Gott]

+1 for AMD. M1 Super 90 is nimble, too. It cycles cheap ammo like a duck on a june bug as well. The Spas won't do that, just for registration.

[Arizona Fusilier]

The question was tough....the answer is easy. Benelli.

[CAOxInfinity]

Saiga 12 8 days a week.

I've had mine for 7 years and subsequently sold every other shotgun I owned. It serves as HD, range toy, hunting. I'll own and shoot it until it literally falls apart.

[Tangentabacus]

The gun would be home defense, SHTF, but also a cheap and fun way to spend more time at the range.

[allaroundhunter]

Originally Posted by CAOxInfinity

Saiga 12 8 days a week.

I've had mine for 7 years and subsequently sold every other shotgun I owned. It serves as HD, range toy, hunting. I'll own and shoot it until it literally falls apart.

What do you hunt with it?... And do you shoot clay games with it? (Trap, skeet, etc)

[CAOxInfinity]

Originally Posted by allaroundhunter

What do you hunt with it?... And do you shoot clay games with it? (Trap, skeet, etc)

I've hunted deer, hogs, turkey, duck, and geese with the saiga-12. Red dot works really well on it.

And yes I bust clays with it all the time. Its hella fun!

[Beretta686]

I've hunted deer, hogs, turkey, duck, and geese with the saiga-12. Red dot works really well on it.

And yes I bust clays with it all the time. Its hella fun!

I still kept my O/U skeet gun, 870 & 11-87 field guns and 590A1 but all those roles could be easily filled with a Saiga.

It's funny that people seem to view Saigas are one-trick-ponies when they can actually do many things.

It's quite a bit of fun to load up a 20-round drum on the skeet range and go-to-town. I'm still waiting for the game warden to come by when I'm out dove hunting with a 12-inch Saiga and a 2-round magazine.

[Jim243]

There is no comparison between the Saiga and the M-4. The M-4 will win every time, but at $1,500 for the M-4 ???????????.

I might ask why you want an M-4? Have you looked at the Nova or Super Nova or even the Weatherby 459 instead?

Jim

Weatherby PA-459, 12 gauge pump, 5+1 will accept the Nova mag extensions, 18.5 inch barrel + 1.5 inch breaching choke, railed rear sight and fiber optic front sight. About $450.00.

Jim