The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - New to shotguns - looking for semi-auto

BigJimP · June 15, 2011, 05:25 PM

+ 1 on OneOunces and others comments... / and for the record "discerning woodworkers always have better taste " ....

As you get into shotgunning ....its like discussing bandsaws...there's all the
14" stuff out there / then you make a big jump up to 16" and 18" ...and HP and resaw capability. You can make a 14" import work ...but you can make a 1HP 18" work a lot better - with a better tensioning system, bigger table, etc ...either one will work / depends on your budget, what you need, what you want ...what you want to keep long term. In terms of bandsaws - I've used up and broke the cheap 14" imports / I tried the still cheap 16" imports / didn't want to spend the money on the Laguna 18" / but the Jet 18" is an awful nice saw for the money ...a compromise but ...way better than most of the 14" imports ...( and I know you realize what I mean - if you're a woodworker)...

I would certainly say look the Beretta models over carefully ...they're good guns. You'll find a lot of options around $1,000 - $ 1,750 or so ..../ but if the budget is there - the UGB up around $ 4,000 is a very nice gun as well / and unique.
http://www.berettausa.com/products/u...trap-12-ga-30/

here's a parallel target 391 that I like ....they retail around $ 1,500
http://www.berettausa.com/products/a...gold-sporting/
again a lot of gun for the money / good solid gun - no frills.

Browning owns Winchester these days - so the Browning Silver hunter series /and the Winchester SX3 have the same internals ( 3" chambered Browning silver hunter with 28" barrel is selling new in my area for around
$ 850) and I think its a lot of gun for the money - good basic shotgun.

http://www.browning.com/products/cat...unter-firearms

Personally, I like the Benelli Super Sport -- and I have them in 12ga and 20ga. In either gague / its a nice light gun ...and its a gun that a lot of my grandkids and some new shooters like a lot. Kids under 12 yrs old or so / I start with the 20ga / but every kid is different - depends on their upper body strength. But they're nice guns - in the $ 1,875 price range new in my area.

http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/b...nd_sport_2.php

Benelli super sport / can be an ugly ducking ...but it depends on who's looking. Its carbon fibre ...and stainless .../ and I find it a very solid, utilitarian - does everything pretty well gun - especially in a 12ga with the
30" barrel.

Nothing wrong with a Rem 1100 or an 11-87 ....but they aren't "refined" ...and they're older technology.

Chances are - whatever you settle on now as a first gun ...or as a do everything gun ...will work / and like most of us, if you get addicted to most of the clay target games ....most of us get into dedicated Over Unders for Trap - and different Over Unders for Skeet or Sporting Clays and bird hunting. Personally, a gun I like very much - does a lot of things well - is a Browning O/U - Citori XS Skeet, with 30" barrels either in a 12ga or a 20ga ...but these days, that's a $ 3,000 gun new. Maybe not what you want to do for a first gun.

But there are lots of options --- shoot some guns ----look at a lot of guns ---talk to a lot of guys. Yesterday, I met a young fella at my club ...new to shotguns ...thought an $ 800 semi-auto was the most expensive gun he'd ever touched ! Prices are all over the board / its the steel -the quality of the internals ...and to some extent - the fancier stocks as well. Its confusing to a new shooter...but buying a good gun / will mean you've got some resale protection there as well. If you buy less expensive ...it won't hold up its value long term. Shop the used gunshops ...and you'll see what holds its price / and what doesn't. Its pretty obvious pretty quickly.

June 15, 2011, 05:25 PM	#6
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	+ 1 on OneOunces and others comments... / and for the record "discerning woodworkers always have better taste " .... As you get into shotgunning ....its like discussing bandsaws...there's all the 14" stuff out there / then you make a big jump up to 16" and 18" ...and HP and resaw capability. You can make a 14" import work ...but you can make a 1HP 18" work a lot better - with a better tensioning system, bigger table, etc ...either one will work / depends on your budget, what you need, what you want ...what you want to keep long term. In terms of bandsaws - I've used up and broke the cheap 14" imports / I tried the still cheap 16" imports / didn't want to spend the money on the Laguna 18" / but the Jet 18" is an awful nice saw for the money ...a compromise but ...way better than most of the 14" imports ...( and I know you realize what I mean - if you're a woodworker)... I would certainly say look the Beretta models over carefully ...they're good guns. You'll find a lot of options around $1,000 - $ 1,750 or so ..../ but if the budget is there - the UGB up around $ 4,000 is a very nice gun as well / and unique. http://www.berettausa.com/products/u...trap-12-ga-30/ here's a parallel target 391 that I like ....they retail around $ 1,500 http://www.berettausa.com/products/a...gold-sporting/ again a lot of gun for the money / good solid gun - no frills. Browning owns Winchester these days - so the Browning Silver hunter series /and the Winchester SX3 have the same internals ( 3" chambered Browning silver hunter with 28" barrel is selling new in my area for around $ 850) and I think its a lot of gun for the money - good basic shotgun. http://www.browning.com/products/cat...unter-firearms Personally, I like the Benelli Super Sport -- and I have them in 12ga and 20ga. In either gague / its a nice light gun ...and its a gun that a lot of my grandkids and some new shooters like a lot. Kids under 12 yrs old or so / I start with the 20ga / but every kid is different - depends on their upper body strength. But they're nice guns - in the $ 1,875 price range new in my area. http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/b...nd_sport_2.php Benelli super sport / can be an ugly ducking ...but it depends on who's looking. Its carbon fibre ...and stainless .../ and I find it a very solid, utilitarian - does everything pretty well gun - especially in a 12ga with the 30" barrel. Nothing wrong with a Rem 1100 or an 11-87 ....but they aren't "refined" ...and they're older technology. Chances are - whatever you settle on now as a first gun ...or as a do everything gun ...will work / and like most of us, if you get addicted to most of the clay target games ....most of us get into dedicated Over Unders for Trap - and different Over Unders for Skeet or Sporting Clays and bird hunting. Personally, a gun I like very much - does a lot of things well - is a Browning O/U - Citori XS Skeet, with 30" barrels either in a 12ga or a 20ga ...but these days, that's a $ 3,000 gun new. Maybe not what you want to do for a first gun. But there are lots of options --- shoot some guns ----look at a lot of guns ---talk to a lot of guys. Yesterday, I met a young fella at my club ...new to shotguns ...thought an $ 800 semi-auto was the most expensive gun he'd ever touched ! Prices are all over the board / its the steel -the quality of the internals ...and to some extent - the fancier stocks as well. Its confusing to a new shooter...but buying a good gun / will mean you've got some resale protection there as well. If you buy less expensive ...it won't hold up its value long term. Shop the used gunshops ...and you'll see what holds its price / and what doesn't. Its pretty obvious pretty quickly. Last edited by BigJimP; June 15, 2011 at 05:48 PM.