Which is best Auto Shotgun on the Market today?

[gunnie12]

Yes; I know opinions will be stated, but can we please identify which is the best quality, manufacturer customer service and worth spending money on or noteworthy modern features of engineering…

Also, address easy takedown, gun smithing and cleaning…


Thanks in advance….

[Smitty in CT]

On a budget, the Mossberg 930.

Mid-priced, Browning Gold or Beretta Extrema 2.

High priced, Benelli Super Black Eagle

[oneounceload]

As well as Remington 1100's and Beretta 391's...(used 303's and 390's also)

[RetiredLawman]

There are too many loyal brand fans to get an objective opinion. All a question of this nature does is starta fan fire.

I will bite first and recommend any Remington, Winchester, Beretta, Benelli, or other recognized brand name. They all make good guns.

The ineetia actions are easier to strip and clean. Their recoil takes some getting used to but a Limbsaver should be standard equipment on them

Gas operated semis have much softer recoil but are a mite harder to clean.

Almost all of the name brand guns are satisfactory. Get one that fits you, go by the owners manual, and you will be happy.

For my personal use, I have a Stoeger 2000 as my go to gun. It is a Benelli clone that has served me well. Plus, it is economical. Never a hiccup with it. It may not be the highest quality, most expensive semi, but it works every time without a hitch.

I have several name brand guns that I collected over the years that are much more expensive than the 2000. I don't use them because the 2000 does anything I've asked it to do. My next favorite is the Franchi 48.

I suggest that you don't spend a lot of money on a foreign made guns due to parts availability and the fact that many foreign importers change maufacturers frequently and contract with manufacturers in Turkey, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Russia, and a host of other countries. They frequently change to the lowest bidder and a brand made in Japan or Italy will be made in Turkey or Russia next year with non-compatible parts. Same name, same brand but the lowest bidder gets the contract. Example Smith and Wesson. Was a famous American made gun a few years ago, then switched to Howa in Japan, then switched over to some plant in Turkey. Same story with Weatherby. No telling where they will be made next. Charles Daly, once a prized shotgun, made in some many countries that the quality has deteriorated to less than acceptable.

Do your research by asking shooters of experience which gun maker will be around for a while. Maybe they can consult their crystal ball.

It would be hard to go wrong with the older, used Remingtons, Brownings, Winchesters, and other guns of good reputation. For a new gun, consult someone like Dave McCracken, a member with considerable knowledge of current trends.

Customer service is something that I have never needed. During my 50+ years of shotgunning, I have been most fortunate in this regard. I take care of my guns, they take care of me.

Happy shooting!

[BigJimP]

For my money - Benelli is leading the pack right now. Their "crio" barrel technology, as they say, does seem to tighten up the pattern - maybe more consistent but hard to really test. Speed of the gun to put the 2nd shell into battery - the Benelli does it very quickly - and quicker than most any of the "gas operated" semi-autos. Clean - the inertia system shoots a lot cleaner than any of the gas guns. The gun is real easy to strip and clean in under 10 min and that's at least a 20min operation on a gas gun. On their synthetic stocks - Benelli offers a "comfort tech" recoil absorbing system - and I think it makes it a good soft shooting gun / but the gas guns are soft shooting as well. Easy adjustability - the recoil pad comes off without any screws - you can easily and quickly mount a left handed version / switch back and forth. The comb insert also comes out without any screws or tools - easy to switch them as well. None of the gas guns have these options.

Benelli super sport in a 12 or 20 ga are both good guns / great travel guns - I like the 12ga in a 30" barrel and unfortunately the longest barrel the 20ga comes in is 28" but its still a good gun. They're retailing in my area for around $ 1500 - which is more than most of the gas guns - but worth the extra money in my opinion.

I think all of the popular gas guns - Beretta, Browning, Remington are all good guns - but they don't stack up to the Benelli right now.

[bluedog]

There is no doubt as the best auto shotgun....the BERETTA 391 or 390. There is a reason why the vast majority of the high volume dove shooting shotguns rented by the Argentine Outfitters say Beretta on the side....there is also a reason why the vast majority of Skeet and Sporting shooters that use auto shotguns, use one that says Beretta on the side....I have tried them all, multiple times....Remington 1100 and 1187 are good, Browning Gold is good, Win SX2/3 is good....the Beretta is great!

[Firepower!]

Well then USAS 12 by Daewoon. 20 cartridge drum fully auto.

In semi...Beretta for hunting Benelli for HD.

[Brad Clodfelter]

I've always liked the Remington autos. The 1100 was one of the best autos made when it came out. It still is a great auto. You said you wanted the best. According to one of my buddies who studies guns like scientists study science, the Beneli is the finest auto shotgun on the market. He said it's just a simple mouse trap that works. He also said it has fewer parts I believe.

I had a Browning Gold 3.5" that I sold. But it was a workhorse and very easy to maintain. I would rate it right up there close to a Benelli. The Win X2 and X3 are two more good ones. Both are made identical to the Browning Gold since Browning and Winchester have merged years ago. The Beretta autos are very well made too.

I think any of these shotguns I listed will serve you well. The Benelli is going be the most expensive.

[TheManHimself]

Remington 1100's are nice. If you don't mind a used gun, Browning Auto-5's/Remington 11's are very nice. My grandfather hunted ducks with a Model 11 and loved it; too, back when those were made, I think manufacturers paid a bit more attention to quality than they do today. Beautiful, well put together shotgun. Sadly, when he passed away, that shotgun, along with a number of his other belongings, vanished probably so a certain cousin could fund his addiction we think, but that's another story...

[PT111]

Which is the best is an open ended question that is entirely subjective based on what the poster had for breakfast. I will say that in this part of the country the Rem. 1100 and Browning have killed pretty much anything that walks or crawls for years by multiple-multiple hunters. I am not saying they are the best but you are going to have to narrow your criteria to come up with a reason they aren't.

[JP Sarte]

Benelli. Hands down.

JP

[Scattergun Bob]

Benelli is leading the pack right now. There are some very close contenders, Bretta comes to mind.

[P99AS9]

Low to mid price- Mossberg 930SPX, Mossberg 500, Mossberg 590



high to very high price- Benelli M4/90, Benelli M2 field, Benelli M1/90, Benelli Super Nova



Basically Benelli is the best thing out there for civilions.
If you are LE, and really want to pay unbelievable sums of money, I suggest the Daewoon USAS 12, Franchi SPAS 12, or Franchi SPAS 15

[wickeddeus]

Hands down the Saiga 12.

[johnbt]

The best shotgun for what use? Light for carrying afield? Short and reliable with high capacity for defense? Able to tolerate 25k rounds a year year after year for target shooting?

What price range? Under $1k, under $2k...over $100k?

John

[Luciano]

BigJimP,

"Speed of the gun to put the 2nd shell into battery - the Benelli does it very quickly - and quicker than most any of the "gas operated" semi-autos. "

It has been demonstrated that Winchester X2 and X3 reload faster than Benelli. Google it.
Benelli are great to handle and looking guns, but man do they kick! I like 'em a lot but I don't see why I'd take the extra recoil.
Oh and their advertised recoil reduction system is just that - pure unfonded advertisement.

[BigJimP]

Sorry, but I don't agree Luciano.

I have looked at the info on the Winchester X3, and since Winchester has been owned by Browning for the last 3 or 4 years, I'm not convinced the X3 is any different than the Browning Gold versions (the marketing liiterature on both Winchester and Browning talk about the active valve systems) so it looks to me like the Browning Gold and the Winchester X3 are the same techonology - since Browning owns Winchester.

Browning and Winchester talk about the Active valve system producing lighter recoil than their older gas guns - and I don't have any way to disprove it. If you're saying the newer gas guns like the X3 and the Browning Gold are softer shooting than the wood stock inertia guns, without the comfort tech system - then I agree, they are. Are the newer gas guns softer shooting than the synthetic stock Benelli with the comfort tech system - like the Benelli Super Sport - hard to really tell, but I just don't think so.

I'm a big Browning fan - and own a dozen or so Browning's - but primarily O/U's. I test fired the new Browning Gold - but I didn't think the Browning was nearly as quick into battery on the 2nd shell as the Benelli Super Sport and I thought the Benelli, with the comfort tech system, was a little softer shooting. I really tried to like the Browning - and it is a lot cheaper than the Benelli - but I bought the Benelli Super Sport in 12ga at the time I was comparing them with the Browning a couple of years ago now / and last fall I bought the Benelli Super Sport with the comfort tech in 20ga for some of my grandkids to start shooting with light loads. I will also tell you, hands down, the Benelli is a much cleaner shooting gun than any of the gas guns - and that certainly includes the Browning Gold.

I have not fired a Win X3. I'm not saying the X3 or the Browning Gold are bad guns / but other than the "marketing speak" from the Browning Corporation - I don't believie its been proven they are faster or softer shooting than the Benelli SuperSport with the comfort tech stock. So we disagree - and that's ok - but I'll still stand behind what I said / based on my own "unscientific" tests. Take care.

[LanceOregon]

A few comments on points that have been raised in this thread.

While some brands do move their manufacturing from time to time, you can pretty much count on other brands not to. Beretta and Benelli have always made all of their shotguns in Italy. Both Browning and Winchester Guns are subsidiaries of FN, which is actually owned by the local state government in Belgium. FN is thus going to heavily resist moving any production overseas also. While some Brownings and Winchester guns have been made in Japan, they have all been high quality firearms too.

As far as Beretta vs Benelli goes, Beretta easily beat Benelli in the marketplace. That is why there is no longer a separate Benelli corporation. They are now just one of the many subsidiaries that is now wholly owned by Beretta.

Franchi is another Beretta division ( Beretta bought them out too ), so fans of the Benelli inertia action can actually now buy a Franchi with that very same action. For Franchi is now using the Benelli system in some of their shotgun models. And the Franchi guns do not have the same expensive price tag of the Benelli. So that would be another lesser known brand to consider, but one that is definitely also high in quality.

Stoeger is also another Beretta division now as well, so that is why they have been also using the Benelli inertia type action recently. Even Burris Optics, the once respected American scope manufacturer, is now owned by Beretta too. Even the Sako and Tikka rifle brands from Finland are now part of Beretta as well.

Regarding the action types, it is generally recognized that everything else being equal, gas operated shotguns will have a lighter recoil. I have owned a number of Berettas, Brownings, and a Winchester Super X2, and they all worked quite well.

In my opinion, the Browning/Winchester gas system is just slighty lighter in recoil than the Berettas. But I like the ergonomics and build quality of the Beretta, so they are the only shotgun that I shoot anymore. And if you look at competitive shotgun shooting such as Sporting Clays or Skeet, you will see that these two brands dominate among auto gun shooters in these sports.

I've shot a couple of Benellis, but have never been that impressed with them. The last time was a couple of years ago, and the recoil on the gun was definitely heavier than what I have experienced with Beretta or Browning/Winchester guns. But I am not sure if it had this latest Comfortech stock technology.

I was raised shooting a Browning Auto-5, which was later stolen when my Dad's home was burglarized. So I have always been partial to them myself.

One area where the Benelli inertia system does have an advantage is regarding cleaning. Gas operated guns require quite a bit more time to clean, as you need to maintain the gas piston, and keep it clean. While I knew one guy who totally abused a Browning Gold and never cleaned the action ( and it always shot reliably ), one really should not maintain a gas operated shotgun that way. The gas system should be cleaned on a regular basis.

Fortunately there are excellent cleaning products now on the market that make doing that much easier. The Slip 2000 brand product: Gas Piston Parts / Choke Tube Cleaner , does a fantastic job with the Gas Pistons. Just soak it for 12 minutes or so, and it is done. I use it if my tube has got really dirty.

For other times, I have instead used the Shooter's Choice brand product: Shotgun and Choke Tube Cleaner. It cuts through carbon extremely well, and allows for a fast cleanup.

If you use conventional gun cleaning solvents on these parts, then cleaning is much more difficult and time consuming.

But even though they are more work to clean, you will never catch me out in field, or on a Sporting Clays course, without one of my gas operated Berettas.

[joegator]

Benelli