Need relatively soft recoiling ultra reliable semi-auto.

[Virginian]

I don't disagree with you Jim, but I go wild when people start saying the inertia action does ANYTHING to reduce recoil. The whole works - sans the rear of the bolt - recoils together to the rear with a locked action as the first step in cycling, ergo zero recoil reduction is possible. To add to it, they are light. The stocks and gizmos do work, but I can't stand to have a gun moving with more than one motion. That killed the long recoil for me, too.
Beretta builds some good guns, but jeez they would explode if they didn't come out with a new and improved model every two or three years, and some of the improvements weren't. I'm still miffed over the switch to the wondernine just to placate NATO, and then they weren't real thrilled because Beretta and not FN won and built a factory in the States to pour salt in the wound.

[jmr40]

I don't claim to know "how", but my 7 lb Benelli M-1's certainly have less felt recoil than my 7.5 lb fixed breach 870's. And these are the older M-1's without the benefit of of the comfortech stock and recoil pad.

Do they recoil more than my older 8.5 lb gas operated 11-87? Yes, but that is a fair compromise for a 1.5 lb lighter gun that has proven to make a higher percentage of hits for me. It does have a "tiny" bit more recoil than a gas gun, but significanlty less than any fixed breach gun of the same weight.

When you also consider the far simpler design and better reliability I'm sold on the Benelli's. I've owned Remingtons and Berettas as well as a try with the Mossbeerg 9200. The 9200 was a joke and why I'm hesitant to recommend the newer 930. The Beretta was a fine gun, but I just like the Benelli so much better. If I shot 10,000 rounds a year in competition I'd take the small recoil reduction of the Beretta, but with the amount of shooting I do recoil is simply not an issue. The Remington is not a bad gun, but has some features just do not like.

[oneounceload]

The Italian guns became fashionable right after they won that politically motivated military pistol "competition" as I recall, and started the huge advertising push, and the gun writers of course started fawning over them, as they do anything new. The Remington haters can say whatever they like, but I have been quite satisfied with Remingtons for 49 years, and I have either owned or at least shot ALL of the others as well. I am not saying Beretta hasn't built some nice guns, I just prefer mine. I do not like the Benellis, or any "inertia" action, although they ought to win the marketing academy award. Please explain to me how any of them can reduce recoil purely by the design of the action - and sans the two piece stocks and such - when they require the receiver to move rapidly to the rear to initiate the action.

Actually, the Berettas have been around for about 500 years. In more recent times, their 30X series of gas guns beat the pants off the 1100 - that was about 50 years or so ago, then came the 39X series, and now the A400 series.

Benellis do NOT have less recoil, being an inertia (or blowback design), that isn't happening - but they are reliable with the proper ammo and easy to clean - something the duck hunters seem to love. You do not see them in any serious target competitions

[Virginian]

Beretta as a company has been around for a long time, but their autoloaders didn't start showing up over here in any quantity at all until the 80s. I know because I was selling guns back then. I agree they make good guns, but I have never found one yet to make me give up my 1100s. The only things they had going for them then (and now actually, except for the stock adjustments) was that they were lighter with the aluminum receiver, and they will go longer between needed cleanings, and they spent millions on advertising. The gun writers fawned all over them, as they seem to be wont to do all too often, and they were brand new from a reputable company, and they were good, and there was little good competition from anyone except Remington and Franchi. Both of them got criticized for being "not new and totally redesigned" or some such, which you still hear, and the Franchi was recoil operated, which puts a lot of people, me included, off. The Auto 5 was already wounded and dying from the 1100 onslaught, and Browning was having a lot of indecision where they wanted to go with their semis, or at least that's what it seemed like, and Winchester was in total decline.
I say again, I am not saying the Berettas are not good guns, but they are not the be all end all for everyone, everywhere, every time.
I clean my guns whenever I use them, and I have never shot any of my 1100s so much in an outing that I had any issues. No, I haven't been and probably never will go to South America. If I do I will likely shoot a loaner Beretta, but not a Benelli.

[checkmyswag]

Will the REM 1100 handle light loads as well as buckshot/slugs? How about low recoil buckshot and slugs?

[zippy13]

Will the REM 1100 handle light loads as well as buckshot/slugs? How about low recoil buckshot and slugs?

It depends of the barrel(s) you're using. Different barrels have different vent areas, and different vent areas accommodate different loads. One of the advantages of the more modern auto-loaders is their ability to digest a wider range of loads.

[Virginian]

A standard 2-3/4" Model 1100 will eat any normal 2-3/4" factory load. I have seen some of them have issues with some mouse fart handloads, but that's the only caveat.

[checkmyswag]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=283653891

Would I be good to go with ^this^ then?

[Backwoodsboy]

Thatwould be a god fit except depending on what your going to use it for the 18" barrel would def hold you back in almost all situations but HD. The price of a longer new barrel can cost upwards of 300 dollars depending on where you get it.

[Virginian]

Well, I would bet THAT gun will have issues with light loads. Once you get down below 22-23" they get real finicky from what I have seen. I believe the factory tactical models have larger gas ports, but I don't remember for sure, but I have seen two have issues with light loads.
What are you wanting the gun for exactly, did you say? Sorry if I missed it.

[checkmyswag]

As much as I like the idea of a semi-auto shotgun...I want it to reliably feed everything (I know that's a lot) so I'll stick with the pump for now. Maybe get a semi-auto down the road. Thanks all.

[rbernie]

My 12ga Beretta 390 will cycle my 3/4oz 1200fps and 7/8oz 1100fps loads with one hundred percent reliability, just as it does with heavy loads. It's the first semi that I've ever owned that truly has been flawless with every possible load that I've tried.

[LSnSC]

That tactical 1100 will reliably cycle standard 2.75 loads IF you do some minor modifications to the gas ports. I prefer the 22" version with the standard stock.

FWIW there are several vendors on Gunbroker selling used Beretta 1200 FP's. They were the fore runner of the Benelli inertia guns and the best of the bunch IMO. If you want a boringly reliable semi auto self defense gun, that is it. Every one Ive ever handled worked flawlessly and digested everything you put in it. The bores and bolts are chrome lined and easily maintained. The majority of parts are intechangable with the Benelli M1 and there are still a ton of parts on the market.

[Creek Henry]

if you are just using birdshot mostly, go 20ga. I'm putting a Limbsaver on my 20 O/U just to reduce an already mild recoil, but if you recoil shy and not a duck hunter, why get a 12?

[RoscoeC]

My 12ga Beretta 390 will cycle my 3/4oz 1200fps and 7/8oz 1100fps loads with one hundred percent reliability, just as it does with heavy loads. It's the first semi that I've ever owned that truly has been flawless with every possible load that I've tried.

I own 2 390's and this has been exactly my experience. I had one hang fire on one of my 390 in many thousands of rounds. I remember when it happened, I pulled the trigger, got a click, and thought, well I guess I finally got my first failure. Then as I began to lower the gun from my shoulder...BANG! Only time either gun has had any issue of any kind and it turned out to be an ammo issue. FYI, I traded in an 11-87 for one of the 390's because of persistent failure to feed issues.

[Al Den]

The 930 (SPX configuration anyway) has a varied reputation with assorted loads and reliability it seems to me.

I do love the Benelli inertia system and if reliability is paramount, that's where I'd go.

[oneounceload]

As folks can see - those shooting Berettas have zero issues, those shooting 1100's need to make tweaks to ensure reliability