Which CHEAP semi-auto shotguns are decent enough to not blow up in my face?

S

sgt.rock

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
159   0   0
Location
Yellowknife, N.W.T.
I have always seen a lot of those Winchester semi's (example, model 1400) and other remington semi's from the 60's and 70's for sale, and always paused before hitting the "buy switch", ending up with no semi-auto shotgun in my locker. Which winchester and remington semi's should I avoid?
I am not overly anxious to get a shotgun with a fixed choke. Just wondered if those cheap $3-400 semi's are durable enough for upland birds and truck gun duties.
 
What is your definition of blowing up? I think 99.9% of the time if any shotgun "blows up" it is usually the shooters fault. You may have some reliability issues (or not) with really low priced semi-autos but I don't think I would be loosing sleep worrying about it blowing up over manufacturing construction.
The Remington 1100 and Sportsman have been around for years, same as the Winchester Super X series. You can buy some nice used 1100's at a very reasonable price.
If you want a nice handling semi for upland, the Browning double auto fits the bill but it is only a 2 shot.
The other thing you gotta ask yourself is how cheap do you want to go, especially if you are concerned about construction methods/material.
 
Last edited:
I had a 1400 once. It had jamming issues with some common loads and really disliked high brass hulls. I would not recommend one.

For Remington, you cannot go wrong with an 1100. If one is running rough, it can almost always be fixed by replacing an inexpensive part or by giving the gun a good cleaning. The one caution is that you generally will buy either a 2,3/4 gun or a 3" gun to suit the load you want to shoot.

There are other interesting guns out there, many have quirks or issues. The 878, for example, works well until you break an action bar. They are the most common breakage and there are generally no parts available. You get the idea.

The 1100 is still made, as are the parts for them. An older one can have the choke reamed for steel shot, which may be preferable at used gun prices, over buying a new one with tubes.

Another gun to look at is an older Auto 5. They are reliable and serviceable and a lot of guys swear by them.
 
As often is the case with shotguns, you get much more bang for your buck on the used market. A used 1100 or 1187 will be a vastly better gun than the cheap ones on the market today. of course, you won't get your name in the ledger at CT or a shiny cardboard box to go along with it, but if you can live without those two things then you are much better off buying a used gun.
 
I bought a Rem 1100 for $325 shipped of the EE (Thanks Jimbow47) I am in the process of getting the choke reamed out to light mod. It will be my back up clays and waterfowl gun. I couldn't be happier with the performance and the ease of maintenance. I could have gotten a cheaper brand shotgun for a couple hundred more and had removable chokes, but I prefer this shotgun for my needs. Mine is limited to 2 3/4 in the chamber, but I will only hunting I will use it for is geese over decoys so 2 3/4" is fine. If I was buying a one and only semi auto I would spend a little more and buy a good one.
 
Claven2 said:
For Remington, you cannot go wrong with an 1100. If one is running rough, it can almost always be fixed by replacing an inexpensive part or by giving the gun a good cleaning. The one caution is that you generally will buy either a 2,3/4 gun or a 3" gun to suit the load you want to shoot.
Click to expand...
+1. A used 1100 or 11-87 will be a good reliable gun and parts are plentiful. Out of production guns are harder to find parts for.
 
kamlooky said:
Awwww c'mon yew folk............A-5's arrr timeliss.
Click to expand...

If someone looks around, they can even be had in 3" with factory investor chokes. Nothing wrong with an A5. (Not to be confused with the new, current production "Auto 5" or the 1990's era A-500, which are a different animal and not what is being recommended in this thread, I think).
 
To my last post...

from the Browning website:

You may notice a family resemblance, but let’s get one thing straight, this ain’t your Grandpa’s Auto-5. In fact, the iconic humpback-shaped receiver is the only thing this new Browning autoloader shares with its legendary namesake.
Click to expand...

Translation - "This is not the all-steel reliable shotgun your grandfather has used, problem-free, for 50 years. This is a totally new, as-yet unproven design that we will make for maybe 3 or 4 years before we stop support and you are on your own when something breaks."

I really laughed when I read this:

GET THE HUMPBACK ACQUISITION ADVANTAGE
The familiar humpback receiver profile melds seamlessly with the rib to extend your sight plane, aiding in natural sight alignment for quicker target acquisition.
Click to expand...

Translation - "We know the old and 'expensive to manufacture' A5 is popular, so we copied the hump for recognition reasons, though it's only real function is to look like a hump-back A5 when you sight down the barrel".

How about the awesome guarantee...

100,000 ROUND GUARANTEE -- OR FIVE YEARS.
We are so confident in the A5, we are standing behind it with a 100,000 round or five year guarantee that this shotgun will work, come hell or high water.
Click to expand...

I wonder how many guys will shoot even 2000 rounds out of one of these before 5 years is up? 100,000? they might as well have said 5 million. I'd bet not a single customer hits 100,000 on a new A5 inside 5 years. Most regular skeet shooters are lucky to hit that, and they are not shooting a new A5.

KINEMATIC DRIVE™ SYSTEM - Kinematic Drive harnesses recoil energy and converts it into the mechanical motion needed to operate the action.
Click to expand...

Translation - "Recoil operated".

http://www.browning.com/products/firearms/shotguns/a5.html

I do have ot hand it to their marketing department though, they sure make the ad copy look awesome to the casual buyer/shooter.
 
I only own a Stevens 311 double SxS right now but if I ever had to buy a semi, the only one I would consider is an auto 5.
Nothing like the old solid steel beasts. They don't make them like that anymore sadly!
There's a beaut of a work horse 3" Magnum Auto 5on there right now for around $500.
 
I purchased a heavily used A5 from the EE. 80's magnum 3" with invector plus chokes. Runs like a top. Rains geese down like nothing else.
My only issue is it can't cycle trap loads but was never meant to. If you want to play games and hunt waterfowl with full 3" loads, the old A5 isn't versatile enough IMHO. The recoil system has some adjustment but not enough to do both.
For either waterfowl or trap/upland the A5 is a great choice. Want to do both on the cheap - I'd look for a 1100 IMHO
 
There are some great deals to be had on some great older shotguns . remington has a sportsman model 58. 1148 .and s few others that work very well and can be found cheap.a little work on the choke and you have s great around shotgun .
 
safehunter said:
I purchased a heavily used A5 from the EE. 80's magnum 3" with invector plus chokes. Runs like a top. Rains geese down like nothing else.
My only issue is it can't cycle trap loads but was never meant to. If you want to play games and hunt waterfowl with full 3" loads, the old A5 isn't versatile enough IMHO. The recoil system has some adjustment but not enough to do both.
For either waterfowl or trap/upland the A5 is a great choice. Want to do both on the cheap - I'd look for a 1100 IMHO
Click to expand...

Boy, this sounds like a dare.
The A-5 3" magnum uses two sets of friction rings.
One is to remove a set of these for lighter loads.
May just have to try this theory out.
Hm hmm hm hm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............:p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom