Best all around semi auto shotgun

What’s yalls opinion I don’t use a shotgun a lot couple dove and turkey hunts a year is all so really looking for one gun that can do it all

For the price a Stoeger 3020 or a Weatherby Sa-08. Either can be found for under 500$

I like the Winchester SX3 in 20 gauge or on the less pricey side a Stoeger M3000

Rem 1100.

Belgium A-5 (humpback) Browning.

Beretta A300 Outlander

Beretta 390

I'm a little different when it comes to scatter guns-Mossberg 935

A great gun.

Remington 1100 or 11-87. Bennelli or Berretta.

For the money finding a nice used 11-87 or a Browning Gold would be the way I would go. You can look around and find a nice blued gun that is not beat up for probably $5-650 and have a nice shotgun

Beretta. Great guns. And most are easy on the shoulder.

I’ve got a Winchester SX3 and it’s a work horse. Will digest anything I put in it. I ain’t the biggest guy and 3 1/2”s are very manageable on my shoulder. Wouldn’t be my first choice for dove since it’s so long and heavy, but it’s a great gun for the money.

Before the Hurricane, volcano, flood, and sharknado, I used to have a bunch of shotguns. Belgium A-5s, 1100s, 1187, Browning Golds, but the absolute most reliable, best handling, best shooting shotgun I ever owned was a Beretta Urika AL 391. If I had to go to Argentina and shoot 2000 rounds a day, every day for a week of crap/dirty shells, it's the gun I would take.

As an FYI, if you go to any of the south American lodges to shoot doves, pretty much all they have in the way of rental guns are Beretta and Benelli's. That alone should tell you a bunch. They are the only guns that will hold up and perform day after day with that volume of shooting without major maintenance.

Beretta 300 or a benelli. As stated above, those are the only ones that hold up to the pounding in South American dove fields. Remingtons and others don’t make it a day.

Love my beretta a300 outlander

They ain't new , light and pretty,but A-5 Brownings will " hold up. "

Not in S America they won't.

Bull $hit!

Ding ding ding

No they won’t. Not to 1,500 plus rounds a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

I wonder what sort of shell counts those guns see before they wear out. About 400,000ish+/- yearly with those numbers.

Sure. Ok

Looks like I done stirred the pot

My Beretta 391 has both a chrome lined chamber and bore. So it's basically impervious to internal wear. It is made for high volume shooting.

2 dogs. I have a Belgium made 28" VR 20 gauge humpback that was passed down to me by my grandfather. I love that gun and won't hesitate to take it on a dove shoot here in the states. I've killed truckloads of doves with it over the years. But, I can promise you, in Argentina, that same gun would be in pieces getting a full gas system cleaning or you'd be shooting one shell at a time, 2-4 hrs into the first day's shoot. It will hold up as far as not physically breaking (unless you get the barrel so hot that the rib detaches) but the gas system isn't robust enough to keep functioning properly while shooting 750-1000 rounds a morning. Berettas and Benellis will.

Aw no. Say it ain't so.

Go to South America on a pigeon hunt and borrow one of their lease guns, those numbers will make a bit more sense. Referring to a reply to doekiller’s comment.

Trust me you can't convince browning bob any different.

Franchi is hard to beat

Gas system cleaning ? Browning A5s are not gas operated .

Predictable.

Best shotgun I ever owned was a Berretta with a broomhandle stock. I couldn't miss with it. Like an idiot I swapped it off.

I’m not crazily opinionated about much, but this is one issue I am. A man has to be a fool to go buy a damn turkish made shotgun, current era Remington, etc. for $500 when it is so easy to find a like new Franchi or Beretta (talking newish guns with interchangeable chokes to meet his do it all requirement) for the same or if you’re really patient, less money. Blows my mind. A slightly used Browning or Winchester SX would be great choices too.

Solid advice.

You're correct. Excuse me for calling it something that it is not. I should have said operating system rather than gas system. I call all internal components of auto shotguns gas systems because in my mind, gas runs all autoloaders in one way or another, be it a true gas system or thru recoil. With the A5 it's the gas that generates the felt recoil which starts the process. When the A5 is fired, the barrel and bolt recoil while still locked together. At the rear of the stroke, the barrel unlocks and comes forward, driven by its spring, the one under the barrel. As the barrel moves forward, it pulls away from the fired shell and the ejector kicks the fired shell free and out the ejection port. As the barrel returns forward, it trips the bolt release, letting the bolt, driven by the butt return spring in the buttstock, come forward and chamber the next round.

On an A5 it's a spring and friction ring set up. Maybe not all are like mine, but at least in my 20, it has to be adjusted to properly shoot/eject whatever load your using, be it low brass or high brass. Variations in recoil cause it problems, as does a gummed up mag tube (which is what I was referring to having to be broken down an cleaned mid-shoot). With my 20, high brass 1 oz Rios it will kick out every single time regardless of setting. But if I am mixing in shooting 2.5 dr 7/8 oz AA's in with them, it will sometimes hang them up unless I adjust it down for lighter loads and even then, it doesnt like the mixed rounds. With the Beretta or my Browning Gold, I can shoot 00 buck with 7/8 AAs right behind it and both guns never have a problem or need any adjustment. The A5 is a very simple design, probably the simplest autoloading design ever made with regard to # of moving or integral parts, and a damn fine shotgun, but it's not perfect for high volume shooting with different shell brands, loads and less than reliable "dirty" shells. My cousin had a A5 light 12 that he never could get to reliably eject light skeet loads, regardless of set up. It shot anything that was high brass flawlessly but low brass 8's would not properly eject on every 5th or 6th shot.

Here's another little tidbit a lot of people dont know about A5s. The recoil system in an A5 needs a firm backstop to function properly since everything in it recoil/spring driven. Hold it away from your body and shoot it from the hip with nothing behind the butt of the gun and some will not eject reliably. Put it firmly on your shoulder and hold it firmly and it will perform perfectly. I've never seen it myself but I've heard from others that if you put a super soft gel type recoil pad on one and use it in combination with a shoulder pad (common in high volume situations), the recoil is cushioned so much that the gun will not properly eject.

Anything derived from the 390 series is great. I would rather have the cheaper and simpler 390 however. I think the only reason Beretta changed them was because they were too cheap and worked too well.

Recoil operation is pretty predictable and reliable, but not necessarily ideal. Not to mention that an all day shoot with an A5 with loads heavy enough to make it function reliably will result in a boogered up shoulder. But I love an old A5.. Not a better looking shotgun out there, bumpback and all.

I never use heavy oil on mine , something like LPS #1 and I change out the bronze ring when worn. It'll shoot. They can be rough on your shoulder if not set properly and you don't get it up on the shoulder and fairly firm against it. I have a 69 model standard weight I'd shoot all day Saturday and Sunday and go to school on Monday with a multi colored shoulder. That would happen every weekend , but I loved it !

I would not call them a great all around shotgun by todays standards , they are heavy by todays standards , can't mix loads as you mentioned can be rough on the shoulder. However, when it comes to reliability they will always be on the short list.

That's because it's a benelli

Agreed 2 Dogs. To me the humpback takes me back to hunting with my grandpa. Not only is the A5 a beautiful gun, it's got alot of sentimental value to me. It leaves the gun safe more in Sept and Oct than all the newer guns sitting beside it, for that very reason. Would I take it to Argentina? No. Do I have other more reliable options in the gun safe? Yes. Is it a 100% a solid, reliable shotgun? Yes. Will I take it on multiple shoots a year here in the panhandle and all over south Bama while leaving all the others at home? Absolutely.

I'm going to disagree with you on not calling it a great all around shotgun. JB made a truly great gun when he designed the A5. Are there better/improved options today? Yes. The A5 led the way for autoloading shotguns and made them what they have become today. So yes, the A5 is a "great" gun and while it has some issues, if used in the right applications with the right loads, it is just a reliable as anything you can tote into the woods, and more reliable than some others.

The reason I said by todays standards it may not be a great shotgun is I don't think it would be the OPs "cup of tea". However , they are mine. They are GREAT, when the other auto's have been in production 115 years they will be great too.

Not exactly.

Benelli owns Franchi and Stoeger. Beretta owns Benelli. A Franchi is a very good shotgun but it ain't a Benelli by a longshot.

Then tell me specifically the differences between the Franchi Affinity and the M1. Yes,the Benelli has the recoil spring in the rear instead of the front,and it has a comfortech stock. Other than that,they are the same gun as far as I can tell. I do know for a fact that they are made on the same assembly line.

Now a Stoegar is a different animal all together and sometimes Franchi has used another manufacturer to build some of their O/U guns especially.

I have not shot or handled a M1. I was referring to a SBE vs the affinity. Benelli has a much better stock in the comfort tech IMO. Component fit and finish seems slightly better on the SBE but hardly noticeable unless you're looking. I haven't shot a M1 but have shot both the SBE and the affinity. The SBE has a smoother action and feel than the affinity IMO. Is it worth the $600 price difference? I honestly don't know. The affinity I shot had a composite stock on it. The affinity stock just felt cheap on the gun i shot and may be why I liked the SBE better. The SBE also felt like it was a little more balanced on the front end than the affinity which seemed to have a little more forward weight, which I don't personally like. I don't own either gun so this is strictly my opinion based on limited shooting of buddies guns. Had the affinity had a nice wood stock and not one that felt like cheap plastic, I probably would've like it better than I did. Both went "bang" every time the trigger was pulled and both were either 2013 or 2014 model guns so I haven't shot the latest models in either line.

So basically beretta is the oldest gun manufacturer in the world, started around the late 16th century... and they own all these other companys’. Gotta say I still feel good about my A300 with this kind of history. Oh and a lot of shooting through my 12 bore as well haha.

Inertia action is the same.

And that's about where it stops. Franchi quality no where near Benelli. Yes I've owned both

As have I and I agree

Yep, hunting buddy of mine is on his third Franchi in 14 years or so. I've used primarily, one Benelli and its still going (with some new springs).

This is a Chevy/Ford/Dodge/Toyota argument. There's a lot of good stuff out there and unless you get a lemon, most of it works really well for the typical shotgunner.

Shoulder a bunch of models and pick what you like.

None of that Franchie VS whatever means anything unless you are talking about specific models. Some of the Franchi and Benelli models are virtually identical in their bolt carrier groups. I know they are assembled side by side with the more expensive Benelli. I don't know for sure but bolt carrier groups are very similar,and may be identical.Yes, the spring is reversed ,but it works exactly the same.

I also have a Beretta ES 100 Pintail that uses what was the original Benelli inertia system. Beretta only made it for a year or two. They discontinued it as soon as they acquired Benelli. The original Benelli guns were made by H&K. Don't be fooled into thinking the Benelli is so superior in it's present configuration. Many things are made in the same manufacturing facility by a conglomerate like Beretta.

A lot of the big breweries have mulitple brands of beer that are run down the same assembly and packaging lines too, but that still dont make them taste, or cost, the same.

Wow. I wouldn't think it would outlast a Frenchi 3 to 1 with the same action. But who knows ?

No way it's 3 to 1...your buddy likes new guns..or why wouldnt he by beneli after 2nd one..i aint saying beneli isnt the best either but for the money franchi hard to beat never had problem in 20 years other than a recoil spring

Yep, 3 franchis to one SBE II. He had a trigger assembly disintegrate on an I-12. We never found all the parts, but a bunch had sheared into fragments. Then a bolt that cracked on his new infinity (I think that's what that model was called). He's now onto a new 3" affinity. I think his now 17 y/o son has claimed that gun and he told me had a line on a SBE I.

We burn a bunch of powder. My SBE II is probably near 7K duck loads in that time period. I sheared a shell extractor off the bolt around 4K loads. Benelli fixed it for free. Springs replaced year before last with wolff springs. Its ugly, but it goes BOOM, BOOM, BOOM every time.

I have a SBE2 as well and I agree with the boom boom boom .... Franchi's are still good shotguns for the money. I know what I paid for my SBE2 so it better go boom when I pull the trigger. Franchi's are reliable as well. But 7k rounds of duck hunting ? Dude that's insane.

If they are serious waterfowlers, not really. If they travel to hunt and that's over a 14 year period, that's only 20 boxes a year.

Key word being SERIOUS ... I suppose that's right then.

I'm 99.9% positive the early Benelli's were still manufactured by Benelli but were only imported in name only under the H&K brand due to import legalities.

I’ve had A5s for decades. I used to have lots of other Benellis, Berettas, Franchis, and such. Really like some of them. None of them would hold up to my specific hard use and high volume and sketchy cleaning opportunities, without hiccups, like my A5s. You can hose out an A5 and call it a cleaning. They’ll shake off ice, mud, and even rust on the first shot. Sometimes old, heavy, and violent big moving parts are good. Browning Auto 5s haven’t been produced since 1996, weren’t heavily imported to South America like Italian guns, and do have different recoil than gas guns. Picking guns with light recoil in 20ga is probably the biggest factor in what is shot down there....not which will last longest. At $4-$8k per hunter, per hunt, they can probably buy a lot of new guns.

To the OP, anything from any of the major manufacturers will work fine for years, for the occasional dove and Turkey use.

I work with a hard core duck hunter who has had Arkansas leases for prolly 30 years. Hunts locally and Arkansas with passion. I asked him about Benelli's the other day. He said he 'wore his out ' , was having to work on it a lot and ' put a lot parts in it'. I've never heard anyone say they wore out an A-5. For decades they were the only auto loader that would hold up to the constant pounding of the hot, magnum duck loads. I've heard stories of a couple that were dropped in Lake Guntersville, fished out, cleaned and are still shootin'.

I have an A5 that was dropped in a lake in Maryland duck hunting. My grandfather ask the guy who dropped it, how he was going to get it out. The guy said he didn’t have any way to get it and it was to cold to try anyway. My grandfather told him he was a fool. The guy said, well, if you can get it, you can have it. My grandfather stripped to his underwear and dove in. He came back up with it. The guy said, thanks for getting my gun, my grandfather told him it wasn’t his gun anymore. But, if he insisted, he would just toss it back in the water and leave it. That was 60 something years ago. It still shoots.

Maybe so I'm not sure. I do know that the H&K SBE I have is all machined parts. I've owned 2 H&K's and maybe another 10-12 SBE-SBEII's. I still have my original H&K I bought in the early 90's. I hated the comfort tech stock.

Like mentioned, I've replaced the springs with a sure cycle system and had to have the ejector replaced for free. Benelli held my gun for a month for testing cause they were impressed with the forcing cone work/angle porting and for some reason my gun would still cycle the lightest loads they had. I ran no telling how many 3.5 turkey loads thru it, they're worse than any ducks loads on it if you ask me. We used to test cases of turkey loads and choke combinations. Missed very few days of duck hunting back then too so it's no telling the number of rounds that thing digested.

Wished I had a dollar for every time that thing took a bath on mudflats and rice fields, it'd get dropped, covered in mud from dogs or what ever, I'd rinse it off in the water and keep shooting. Had to clean it that night cause some trigger group intricate parts would get rusty.

I'm shooting the "new" A5 these days,(just got the Wicked Wings Bottomland) just like the look and the guts are a Benelli basically. I've shot the old A5's and are cool but I can't get used to the cycling.

Mine have taken swims in Guntersville and plenty of other places. I’ve seen days in the MS delta mud with Benellis sitting in a corner of the pit to fix later, while everyone took turns shooting an Auto 5 to get their limits.

The day I don’t get to feel that barrel recoil when I pull up on a duck is the day I’ll quit hunting. I’ve used them for so long that other shotguns just don’t feel as good to me. Plus there’s very few softer shooting shotguns out there than a properly set up Auto 5. I’ve used my Mag Stalker for so long it’s like an extension of me and a Mag Twenty is as sweet Shooting a shotgun is you’ll likely ever find. The feel and the sound of an Auto 5 action is good for the soul of any bird hunter

Bought my Benelli Montefeltro in 1987 from Mark's for $567; still have receipt. It ain't close to "wore out" and has NEVER failed to cycle anything any condition.

Yes! THIS

I "wore out" an A5 light 12 shooting doves for years with it. One day I was shooting and all of a sudden I was holding the forearm and barrel in my left hand and the receiver and stock in my right hand. The mag tube broke off at the receiver. That's all that's holding this shotgun together!

Ya'll go ahead and keep shooting your Gas Operated guns I'll stick with my Belgium Brownings and Remington model 11's. I still have my Dad's that he bought new in 1939.

Bet the cap that holds the forearm and barrel on had backed off

Yep, sounds like there's some negligence in that story somewhere.

Yup I agree with Beadlescomb. That isn't the fault of the shotgun. You've got to tighten that mag cap down on occasion. Tighten down and back off one click. You ain't going to wear out a Light 12 on dove hunts here in the states even after many many years of em

I've seen it happen on another gun the slack gives the barrel a running start

Exactly

I'll be a douche and quote myself. Shotguns are like cars, most are really good now.

Actually, I think many shotguns these are built to be disposable now. The way they ARE like cars these days? Don’t shoot them much, and they’ll last a while.

I ended up goin with the stoeger m3000 with a camo stock can’t wait to try her out on the dove field

I want an A5.

You will pay for it.

Only once.