Looking For A New Shotgun...

A

AndrewNS

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Nova Scotia
So I am looking for a new semi auto shotgun for skeet shooting and possibly duck hunting.

Here's my criteria:

Reliable
3-1/2" Chamber
Semi-Auto
As little kick as possible (Incase I convince my wife to come out with me)
Interchangable chokes


I'm ok with used and would like to stick to around the $1000.00 mark.

What should I look for?
 
Baikal 153. Throw a limb saver on and it's a real pussy cat. I rarely use 3.5" shells in 12 ga. There is no gain. Just more noise more muzzle rise and more recoil
 
Unless your primary use for the shotgun is pass shooting at high-up Canada geese, you don't need a 3.5" chamber. The new loads for 3" are excellent!
I'd get a Weatherby SA-08, it's an excellent copy of a 300 series Beretta, and I've found it to shoot reliably and pattern well. It even comes with two valves, so your wife can shoot the very lightest loads and it'll still cycle reliably. Just change over to the regular valve(it takes 15 seconds) to shoot standard or heavy loads. For self defence against nasty critters, the 20 gauge SA-08 I got for my son, with plug removed, carries 5 buckshot shells in the magazine and one in the tube. If you ever have an issue, Weatherby customer service is excellent! All this for about $500! :)
 
A friend has a Benelli Super Vinci. He loves it but it's significantly more than your $1000.00 goal at about $1800

I tried another friends Stoeger model 3500 at the range. It was ok, but never got to try it shooting skeet. Retails around $700
 
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Wholesale had a Browning Silver Stalkers for $805 a little while back. That or the Winchester sister gun would be my first choice!
 
As much as people say that the 3.5" chamber is a waste, it's not. Why not get a gun that's capable to shoot it? Say you run out of ammo in the duck blind, and all your buddy has to hand you is candlesticks; you'll be happy you have the 3.5".

I've personally shot my 3.5" Browning Silver for both clays (~10,000 rounds a year) and birds (2 cases of steel during the fall every year) and love it. The SX3 is almost identical, sharing the same action and is another excellent shotgun.

-Nick
 
NickKrete said:
As much as people say that the 3.5" chamber is a waste, it's not. Why not get a gun that's capable to shoot it? Say you run out of ammo in the duck blind, and all your buddy has to hand you is candlesticks; you'll be happy you have the 3.5".

I've personally shot my 3.5" Browning Silver for both clays (~10,000 rounds a year) and birds (2 cases of steel during the fall every year) and love it. The SX3 is almost identical, sharing the same action and is another excellent shotgun.

-Nick
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How much oil are you using in your action? I'm still trying to find the sweet spot for lube with mine.
 
You should only need a couple drops in each rail where the bolt travels and wipe the outside magazine tube down with an oily patch . any more than that it going to just collect residue and dirt .
 
Good to know, I've been keeping the mag tube dry so I'll try some light oil on that.
Kind of a dumb question, but I have been looking at the action and gas system and I have no idea how it works... can you explain the process of firing the shell cycles the action? I see the gas ports in the barrel where it attaches to the mag tube but I don't get how the bolt is cycled back.

rembolt said:
You should only need a couple drops in each rail where the bolt travels and wipe the outside magazine tube down with an oily patch . any more than that it going to just collect residue and dirt .
Click to expand...
 
RatFink said:
Good to know, I've been keeping the mag tube dry so I'll try some light oil on that.
Kind of a dumb question, but I have been looking at the action and gas system and I have no idea how it works... can you explain the process of firing the shell cycles the action? I see the gas ports in the barrel where it attaches to the mag tube but I don't get how the bolt is cycled back.
Click to expand...

It's a short stroke, gas operated system. The gas pushes back on the piston/piston sleeve assembly which is turn unlocks the bolt. From there momentum carries the bolt to its rear most position which ejects the fired hull. The recoil/return spring in the buttstock then pushes the bolt forward to chamber a fresh round. The spring on the mag tube simply pushes the gas piston/sleeve assemble back up into the gas chamber before the returning bolt slams it back in at high speeds thus preventing un needed wear and tear.
 
So does the gas piston/collar and the plastic sleeve travel back from the ring that secures the barrel to the mag tube?

VLT79 said:
It's a short stroke, gas operated system. The gas pushes back on the piston/piston sleeve assembly which is turn unlocks the bolt. From there momentum carries the bolt to its rear most position which ejects the fired hull. The recoil/return spring in the buttstock then pushes the bolt forward to chamber a fresh round. The spring on the mag tube simply pushes the gas piston/sleeve assemble back up into the gas chamber before the returning bolt slams it back in at high speeds thus preventing un needed wear and tear.
Click to expand...
 
Grouse Man said:
Here's a question to start: how good of a wingshooter are you presently?
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That's a good question. I suppose that's open to interpretation. I consider my self to be descent. I very rarely miss single clays, but when two clays are thrown at the same time, I get all excited and tend to miss the second clay... This is also with a pump action shotgun.
 
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