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Thread: School Me On 12ga Autos

  1. #1
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    Default School Me On 12ga Autos

    I got a raise, and I kinda wanna justify a shotgun purchase.

    I have thousands of shells through an old 870, and it still works great. However, one thing I don't have is a semi-auto shotgun. I had a Stoeger, but, as one can safely assume, that experience didn't turn out very well. I don't seem to read a whole lot when it comes to Remington and semis. Is Benelli as good as it used to be? What about Beretta? I'm (for some reason) leaning towards a Beretta 390, but I really don't know why.

    Use would primarily be dove, trap/skeet/clays. I may try for an occasional duck/goose.

    Anyway -- what to avoid? I know opinions are like assholes, and all... What do you prefer, and why?

  2. #2
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    I liked my Extrema but, I like my SBE more.
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


    You might take out a dozen before they drag you from your home and skull fuck you to death. Marsh Chicken 6/21/2013

  3. #3
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    Benelli SBE II, color of your choice.

    You may as well get 2 of them, Colt will be big enough very soon.

    I have several that I rotate through and when my boys are big enough they already have one.
    Last edited by Steelin' Ducks; 11-10-2017 at 10:38 PM.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steelin' Ducks View Post
    You may as well get 2 of them, Colt will be big enough very soon.
    Nope. No time soon; hell...he'll be 9 next month. Plus, wife has an 1100 and Belgium A5, both in 20, that he can use as he pleases.

  5. #5
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    My buddy just picked up a 390 for 350 bucks the other day, his first auto....nice gun...can't beat the price.


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  6. #6
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    Benelli, for me, has a huge + over Beretta because of simplicity and ease of cleaning. Basically, the bolt carrier group is very similar to that of the M16/AR15 except that the action is not gas driven, so it doesn't get nearly as dirty. To me, Benelli makes the best semi-auto shotguns on the market. Granted, I have had Benelli shotguns stop running in a dove field, but I can break it down in my lap, in minutes, and get it running again. The stoppage has always been a feather which I shoved in the action with blood soaked fingers while reloading.
    Crops are harvested, animals are killed.

  7. #7
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    If your gun jams in a dove field around here it's a piece of shit. The Jamelli moniker didn't make itself up. Buy a Beretta and be done. I don't think you need the kickoff. The Extrema couldn't be more simple.
    \"We say grace and we say maam, if you ain\'t into that, we don\'t give a damn.\" HW Jr.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Palmetto Duck View Post
    If your gun jams in a dove field around here it's a piece of shit. The Jamelli moniker didn't make itself up. Buy a Beretta and be done. I don't think you need the kickoff. The Extrema couldn't be more simple.
    Until you go to clean it. That gas piston is a bitch to get clean. I have owned more than 10 Berettas and I loved them till it was time to clean them. Like I said, for me, Benelli wins out...easily. Opinions will vary.
    Crops are harvested, animals are killed.

  9. #9
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    Buy that M2 in the tp
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    Literally translated to, "I smell like Scotch and Kodiak".
    "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees"- Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by MKW View Post
    Until you go to clean it. That gas piston is a bitch to get clean. I have owned more than 10 Berettas and I loved them till it was time to clean them. Like I said, for me, Benelli wins out...easily. Opinions will vary.
    I've owned all the higher end autos and I will 100% agree with MKW. I really like the 390 and the extrema 2 in terms of feel but my A400's out performed both...but felt bulky. I've always hated cleaning the piston in the A400's so last year I picked up my first SBE II. It's my favorite so far. So much so that I bought 3 of the SBE II 25th Anniversary Editions today. Cabelas has them on sale and I got an outfitter in MN to price match them and ship all three for $30 (and no sales tax). Full cerakote with an upgraded nickel bolt, larger bolt release, extended bolt handle, and comfort tech stock for $1299. The new A5's deserve a hard look too. If you want a brand new Beretta that won't break the bank get the A350 Xtreme which is a hybrid of the Extrema and the A400 without the kickoff system. It's a $750 Italian 3.5" and it's a workhorse. My neighbor bought mine after I ran about 1000 rounds through it.

    If you buy used, send a PM to VATransplant and get his Extrema 2. He takes care of his guns.
    Last edited by LowCountryNative; 11-11-2017 at 12:04 AM.

  11. #11
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    I had a beretta 391. Best gun I’ve owned, shot competitively with it and hunted with it for two seasons, but at the end of the day a benelli fits me better thus I shoot it better. Performance wise, beretta all the way though.
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  12. #12
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    Benelli. Berettas are nice too but I much prefer the feel and simplicity of a Benelli

  13. #13
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    Benelli is the only way to go. I have 2 SBEII's one set up for turkeys and one set up for ducks. Everything else I use a Benelli 20ga Montefeltro .
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  14. #14
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    I would check out the Remington Versa Max. Both of my sons have one and we have had excellent performance out of both of them. They have the Duck Blind model, not the Sportmans model. We have never had any problem from 3 inch duck loads to light target loads. My oldest son joined a shotgun team this year and has put thousands of rounds through his with no problems. To me, they are easy to clean and maintain. They are a little heavy but they are also one of the softest shooting semis I have ever shot. That being said, he also just bought a Fabarms XLR5 ( Gryphon) last weekend for clay shooting. He put probably 350 rounds through it last Sunday and I think it’s going to be a good one also. It spit the last hull out as fast as the first one.

  15. #15
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    Beretta vs Benelli comes down to Gas vs Inertia.

    For what you described the Beretta is the way to go for you. But I agree with others that fit and feel is important. Pick a few up and see how they feel to you. An extrema with the kick off is a helluva gun and would be my suggestion. But this thread will turn into Ford vs Chevy and half the people couldn't even explain inertia vs gas driven.

    So read up on inertia vs gas recoil. Benelli gets the advantage for most of the extreme duck Hunters since gas can freeze up (not in our weather mind you). But no target shooter says yeah I want an inertia driven gun that can't shoot low recoil shells reliably.

  16. #16
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    I love my Benelli for dove season but when duck season comes the Beretta is my choice.


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  17. #17
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    I agree with the others on benelli over Beretta. The main reason for me is I like inertia over gas. I have owned both. The simplicity of a benelli is hard to beat as well. I have a Vinci and it has not Jammed on me 1 time and I have probably 2-3000 rounds through it. It has gotten so dirty on out of state hunts that the bolt would not shut all the way and it would not fire. This can be fixed with a quick three min break down and wiped with a rag. I have shot low recoil shells and had no problems. With that being said I think benelli is getting better at handling lower recoil shells than it use to be. At least this is my experience.

    With all that said I think the main reason I don’t like beretta is they just don’t feel comfortable on me. I struggle to shoot them accurately and I don’t know why. My dad bought one and struggled for two years till he got use to the gun.
    Last edited by banded_mallard; 11-11-2017 at 06:18 AM.

  18. #18
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    Beretta is a much softer shooting shotgun, all I hear about Benelli is, that they won’t shoot this shell or have a stupid jam for that. Go. buy the beretta and learn how to clean it which isn’t bad and go hunt and shoot the shit outta it. I’ve dropped my beretta in slopping ass mud walking to the blind and picked it up and fired all day no problem. Beretta wins in my book!
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  19. #19
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    Beretta AL391 if you can find one. If not 3” A400

  20. #20
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    Shot them all, xtrema, 390, sx3. All nice but will stick with my sbe2. Some say they won’t shoot low brass, BS. I shoot clays and dove with the cheapest shit Walmart sells with no trouble. I wore out an Xtrema in 5 years. Beretta couldn’t fix it. Said it would be cheaper to replace. SBE2 has already surpassed that.
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