Help With a Semiauto for Waterfowl

My vote is the beretta. I have an al391 synthetic and it's been the most reliable gun I have owned. My good friend has had issues with the versamax.
 
orange3 I have owned my SA-08 for about a year. Shoots great,light to carry in field,has never failed to fire any shell light or heavy,factory trigger is good,field strip is very easy. Only thing is the piston swap for light and heavy loads. Takes about 45 secs to change. If you can get past that. Great shotgun. I bought the gun because it was in my price range. Picked up the Franchi Afinity & Browning A5 in store and they both fit and felt very nice.
 
I own a SX3 and in nearly 4000 rounds I have had no issues apart from two occasions where the hull got caught upon ejection (FTE). I can't see a reason to own a 3-1/2" gun but if that's your thing go for it. My experience is that 2-3/4" loads are two-thirds the price with the same killing power if you are on target. The SX3 is a pleasure to shoot as recoil is reduced by the gas operated Browning short impulse action. This action has been proven for a great number of years as it is the same action used in the Browning Gold and Silver semi-automatic shotguns. The SX3 has the automatic adjusting piston so no need to swap a piston out when moving between light and heavy loads.

With respect to LOP, the type of stock matters. In wood you can go down to 13-3/4" but in composite stocks you can only go down to 14-1/4". Mine came with two 1/4" spacers which gives you the ability to add up to an additional 1/2" to the LOP. I actually prefer shorter LOP and so I shoot mine without the spacers. I suspect you will be going with a camouflage pattern which means you need to be okay with a gun that has a 14-1/4" minimum. The SX3 comes with shims that allow you to adjust the cast and drop too.

If you like Browning, the Silver hunter is the same gun internally, with a different finish and receiver design. Keep in mind that if you want to drill and tap for a scope rail, that you check if the model you are buying has a steel or aluminum receiver. I believe the Universal Hunter comes drilled and tapped but I couldn't find where I read that. I have an 2012 Winchester catalog at home, and I would guess that to be the source so it might not even be true in the newer models.

So anyway, I recommend the SX3 IF it fits you. Bring your gear when you try it in the store because you can't go shorter than 14-1/4" and composite stocks can be a PITA to modify, especially since the stock is held on to the gun but a nut and spacer using the threaded end of the recoil spring tube.
 
My son is in outdoor retail... he told me that they had to take back almost half of the Versa Max shotguns they sold in his store for warranty repair. A used Maxus or 391 is your best bet IMO.
 
Hoytcanon about the versamax was it recently or around 2010 when they first came out?
I'm asking that because i was looking at one...
 
For the SX3 owners, do any of you have issues with loading the mag when wearing gloves during cold weather? Do your gloves get caught on the carrier?
 
orange3 said:
For the SX3 owners, do any of you have issues with loading the mag when wearing gloves during cold weather? Do your gloves get caught on the carrier?
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I have had that happen with a few shotguns not just my SX3, but I find if you use the tip of your thumb you can load wearing gloves.
 
I have had the VersaMax for about 4 years. I love the way it shoots due to lack of pounding it give. It is very soft shooting. Also easy to take apart and clean. I have never had a problem in cold weather. I always lube it the same and maybe a bit heavy at times. Never had it complain because it was too cold out. I would buy my gun again. Good selection of chokes also.
 
For me the main reason to use an auto on waterfowl is recoil reduction, currently use an 870, I'm finding the recoil objectionable at times for sure. I shot a browning gold at the club the other day and was really suprised at the lack of recoil reduction. I'd been contemplating a Sx3 as well as an A400 and a VersaMax and can definitely say I'll stick with my boat paddle pump over an SX3 if they are the same system. Based on recoil reduction alone in my case. Hope to try a few of ther others and see. In my mind a gas auto shouldn't have the same felt recoil with heavy target loads as a pump.
 
I stopped in SAIL today and looked at a couple more, here are some thoughts and a questions or two

1. Franchi Intensity, (its the 3-1/2" version of the Affinity), fit great liked it a lot, slim fore end just felt good. My concern is being inertia driven,.... what is the recoil like compared to say an SX3? Anyone shot both?

2. SX3, still a great fit, built well, great value, chokes, spaces for LOP, drop and cast adjust,....but the bolt is stiff as heck. Really hard to pull it back, took quite the effort. Can anyone tell me if this "lightens" up over time? I cycled it a number of times in the store and compared to everything else it was extremely heavy. Does this go away with time and use?

Thanks.
 
The inertia gun is going to have a bit more felt recoil but not excessive . the 3 1/2" inertia action is not likely to operate reliably if you chose to shoot light target loads just something to think about . not sure why the heavy bolt pull on the sx3 would be of concern . as you only need to pull the bolt open once to load the gun after that the bolt will lock open when the gun is empty .with a bit of use and proper lubrication I am fairly sure it would be smoother to operate .
 
rembolt said:
The inertia gun is going to have a bit more felt recoil but not excessive . the 3 1/2" inertia action is not likely to operate reliably if you chose to shoot light target loads just something to think about . not sure why the heavy bolt pull on the sx3 would be of concern . as you only need to pull the bolt open once to load the gun after that the bolt will lock open when the gun is empty .with a bit of use and proper lubrication I am fairly sure it would be smoother to operate .
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Very good points, thank you.
 
The SX3 does have a strong spring. Some people actually upgrade it with a Wolf brand spring. It is not a concern because it locks open when the gun is empty so the only time you are opening the action manually is to load it initially or for inspection.
 
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