I'm looking to upgrade from my Browning Gold Hunter. I want to stick to semi-auto with 28" or 30" barrel. I will be using it for waterfowl and trap shooting the majority of the time. I may also use it for upland. I have been looking at Benelli, Beretta,Browning,and Winchester. My next step is to handle some of these guns and feel how they fit. I have shot a Benelli SBE II and a couple of different Berettas. The Winchester SX3 is tempting because of the price. The Browning Maxus has gotten some mixed reviews. Is there anything I should be looking out for with any of these guns? Once I make a decision, keep your eyes open for a Browning Gold Hunter and a Mossberg 500 slug gun for sale in the EE!!
Upgrade from Browning Gold Hunter
- Thread starter Roadhawk
- Start date
I shot a Beretta 391 with a 30" barrel on the weekend. It fit great and smoked the clay targets. I'm looking to buy new so the 391 might be not be an option. I am going to get out in the next couple days to handle a Maxus and see how it feels.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A gas operated semi will best facilitate use of lighter loads since Clay + Upland are also in the equation. Personally, I prefer inertia driven as the guns are comparatively slimmer in design and fit my hands more like an O/U. The Benelli waterfowl guns such as SBE II, M2 etc may not always effectively cycle light loads (read under 1 1/8oz).
Get a x3 then but don't expect the quality of a gold. I have one a400, maxus, x3 and golds . I grab the golds every time. Mine are 3 1/2 however and golds are built the way a firearm should be and would do a lifetime if cared for properly.
Kind of reminds me of the old super x1 days and yes I have them also
Cheers
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browninggold
CGN Regular
- Location
- Essex County, Ontario
You already own the best semi out there, no need to switch
I don't consider 3-1/2" or a 30" barrel an upgrade, and the Gold is very good as far as felt recoil is concerned.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The Golds were/are quality shotguns. Had a 20ga with 26 in bbl that was too nice to take duck hunting. Eventually sold that since my habits don't agree much with semi or pump for Upland....I find it a bit of a fuss loading/unloading when moving between grouse coverts.
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
The Gold's are excellent at absorbing recoil. You can spend your money but you won't get an upgrade.
I'd buy a gold with 3.5 and a 30". The sx2/3 and the gold/silver are all essentially the same internal design. The golds having magazine cut off unlike the others. I have an sx3 and love it.
The Benelli guns don't have the quality you have already and expect out of an FN Belgium made gun.
The Benelli guns don't have the quality you have already and expect out of an FN Belgium made gun.
The Gold was replaced by the Maxus... for marketing reasons, Browning did not want to promote three separate semi lines with less differential... it is much easier to sell a high end line and economy line. Ruger is doing the same thing with their bolt action rifle lines now.
The Browning folks I spoke to when the Silver was introduced would disagree with you...but they have a business to run so their word probably couldn't be trusted anyway.
Cool but I would not be so quick to sell the gold on the ee. You will kick your ass down the road
What was Browning's premium semi line?
What is Browning's premium semi line?
What was running as the economy semi line concurrent to both?
My son is in outdoor retail sales and told me that was the Browning strategy once they made the move to the Maxus, per their reps.
