BEST AUTOLOADER????

[channel bass]

I'm looking at getting a new autoloader, 12 ga, 3.5"


Can I get some feedback and opinions???

You read the gun magazines, but the best info is from those that own the guns!

Thanks

[HOOK1]

CB,
What do you plan to use it for? Deer, ducks , geese?

[channel bass]

All around---But 95% for ducks and geese. And reliability is very important b/c of all the mud, sand and salt water over here on the eastern shore!

[HOOK1]

I bought a Browning gold hunter 3 1/2" 12 ga. when they came out. Now all I do with it is hunt deer. I think its a little bulky or heavy for toting around the woods, but it does shoot real well. Since all I do is hunt deer, I think a 3" would do just fine with a little less weight.

I think the real advantage of a 3 1/2", is in waterfowl shooting so I'd say you're on the right track. Maybe some of you waterfowlers out there can weigh in on the gold hunter 3 1/2"....

I also have a Rem. 870 3 1/2" special purpose pump (turkey) gun, it kills at both ends........

I think the gold hunter comes with a factory barrel that has a lengthened forcing cone (backbarreled).

Hook1

[Dave Sikorski]

Benelli SBE 1 or 2

and Beretta Extrema 1 or 2

-D

[stanley111]

look at the winchester superx 2 , great gun , bought mine two years ago and love it , a real tight gun , just feels good

[Durado]

Super Black Eagle....it has perform flawless for me. I'm sure all the rest are excellent guns as well. I can not comment on them, but my Eagle is a solid, cycling, killing machine!!![smile]

.....it does not like water though, and tends to rest at the mere mention of it. [sad]

[bay prowler]

i second the browning gold hunter.i bought one in oct and i have killed a bunch of ducks and geese this year.its was hard to put down my old auto 5.[grin]

[Gary Gilliam]

THE SBE the browning gold have shot well for me. but I shoot a 3 inch Mossberg 500 hundred and kill everyting my buddies kill if not more I get off on getting it done with a 200 dolar gun but that is just me. thats why I bow hunt two! My olds man puts me to shame with a 2 3/4 inch Browning A-5 he says just know your gun SON!!!!! Good luck hunting Brother with what ever you get.









[wink][wink][wink][wink][angel][wink][wink][wink]

[ketch69]

Browning Gold Hunter all the way. I too had a Benelli that did not like getting wet so I sold it and bought another Browning which performed great this year, even in the rain.


DEAN

[HOOK1]

Lots of the debates about shotguns revolve around their patterns. This leads us to choketubes. Maybe we need another thread for choketube arguments. The chokes that came with the gold hunter have performed well for me.

hook1

[interface]

I have had all of them and they all work well if cleaned. If somebody claims theirs jams all the time, ask them when they cleaned it last. Shoulder all the guns you are considering and make your decision based off that. This year I went with a Ruger Red Label over under in the all weather camo version. Swings so much better than those auto's!

Good Luck

[cskiff]

Franchi 912, about half the price of SBE and just as good in my opinion

[jeff k]

SBE 1 or 2

[HOOK1]

Interface is dead right about the clean gun, dirty gun thing. I agree totally.

One thing about the gold hunter. they say it shoots low brass as well as magnum loads, but mine jams within ten shots everytime, with lowbrass dove loads, and thats when its clean. The light loads just don't have enough kick to cycle that magnum action.
Its great for everything else.....

hook1

[ajg]

SBE ALL THE WAY!!!!

[pbramble]

I have the SBe little brother, the M-1 super 90 in a 20 gauge. Yes it's a smaller gauge, but it is the lightest 20 I've ever owned, and I'm pretty sure the SBE 12 gauges are not a lot heavier. IF you plan on trudging through the marsh to get to your spots, you may want to consider the SBE for this reason. I also have a beretta 391 urika. Great gun. Mine is several years old, and I've had no problems with it. I am going to buy the stainless steel spring for it though, as I have spent a lot of time in saltwater areas and the spring is getting rusty.

As far as reliability, Interface should have mentioned that nothing is more reliable than an over and under. You give up a shell, but it shoots every time, and much easier to clean as well. Two different chokes is nice as well, IC for that first shot when they are in your face, Mod for that second shot once you get over the impossible that you missed, and now that bird is screaming away from you at 200 mph

Interface is also dead on about cleaning. If you run across a a Beretta ES 100 Pintail, pick it up and see if you like it. They are a Benelli produced under Beretta's name, and there is no easier to clean automatic. It is almost like cleaning a over and under it is so simple. Unfortunately they quit production of this gun, which is a shame. I completely take apart my beretta 391 and my M1 every 2 or 3 shoots because they are a pain to take apart and put back together, but the ES 100 gets stripped after ever shoot because it is so darn easy to disassemble. I bought it as a back up to my 391, but now it has made its way into the starting lineup because it shoots well, and cleans so easily.

[mikehn]

I have the Mossy 935. At $500-$600, a fraction of the cost of higher end autoloaders. I've dropped it several times in water and mud and hunted in the rain and dont feel bad about it at all.

[HI TIDES DRIFTER]

I love my new Franchi I-12, although it's only 3in mag it patterns everything from buckshot to bird shot. It's light, comes w/ 5 choke tubes and comes in shadow grass camo. The same inertia system as the SBE for half the price. I have the hardwoods camo; $650, my son bought the wood version, blued barrel for $640. I hunted doves after Christmas and killed one at 75yrd w/ the full choke. Will be shooting pheasants w/ it this Sat. can't wait to see how it does.

[Harry]

Benelli SBE 1 or 2. Pricy but very reliable and easy to take down and clean.

[a pirate looks at forty]

If money is not an issue, SBE is the gun, but most modern autos will perform if properly maintained. My Remington 1187 has never given me any trouble. I use it for everything, deer, dove, ducks etc. I also clean it on a regular basis.
I agree with Hook1, pattern your gun. Every shotgun will shoot different. Check pattern with your choke tube, and remember changing shell brand and size of shot can sometimes make a big difference.

[Fishsmell33]

best gun for the slop- mossberg 500 the shotgun of choice for law enforcement and the military-cheap, shoots great, and very reliable in slop, muck, etc. The benelli SBE is also a great weapon. I had mine freeze once in freezing rain so not great in extreme conditions, but shoots great and easy to clean.