Here is part of an article done by Bruce Buck of " Shotgun Report " of his thoughts on a couple semi autos functioning in the rain.
So, if the 391 gas gun lowers recoil, is reliable and goes a long time
between cleanings, why consider anything else? Because gas guns don't
work as well as inertia operated guns when they are wet. My Beretta
303s and B-80s (essentially a Beretta 302 sold by Browning) do not
handle wet weather at all well. The 391 is better, but not in the same
class as the Benellis or the other guns with that inertia system. In
upland hunting, the ability to operate flawlessly when drenching,
soaking, sopping wet may or may not be important, but in waterfowl
hunting, it is vital. This is where the inertia action comes into it's
own.
I won't say that the Benelli action will work under water because even
I am not dumb enough to try that one and you shouldn't either. But it
will function properly when very, very wet, the way you often get when
hunting ducks and geese all day in the rain. The inertia action
doesn't rely on carbon carrying gas to operate. It uses inertia, which
is clean. So inertia operated guns like the Benelli, Franchi I-12 and
Stoeger 2000 shoot very, very clean. They kick more, but they do it
cleanly. Clean guns are less likely to jam when wet because there is
nothing for the water to blend with to turn to sludge to stop the gun.
So, if you plan on hunting in wet weather, I'd look long and hard at
the Benelli action. I have no in depth experience with the "Inertia
Driven" Benelli style actions of the Stoeger 2000 or Franchi I-12, so
you are on your own there.
Personally, I find Benellis extremely reliable in all weather
conditions, but not as comfortable to shoot as the Beretta 391. A
great many competitive clay target shooters use the 391 and put tens
of thousands of rounds through them each year. Virtually no ranked
competitive shooter uses a Benelli. But lots and lots of hunters do.
How do the Franchi I-12 and the Stoeger 2000 compare to the Benelli?
Dunno exactly. All the companies are owned by Beretta, so my guess is
that Beretta was looking for a way to market a less expensive Benelli.
The Franchi I-12 is made in Italy, but the Stoeger is not. I think
it's Turkish. Assembly quality is definitely not as good as the
Benelli, but it costs a lot less too. The Franchi I-12 is a nice gun
and appears well made. Beyond that, I haven't put enough rounds
through either of the guns to form an opinion as to how long they will
last. Generally Benelli inertia operated guns are quite free of parts
breakage. They aren't bullet proof, but they are good.
If you do pick the Beretta 391, do you get the Urika or Teknys? For
hunting, I'd get the Urika in a heartbeat. The Teknys has a bunch of
gingerbread on it that really isn't going to do a hunter much good.
Save the money. Get the plain synthetic stocked 391 Urika for hunting.
Best regards,
Bruce Buck
The Technoid for Shotgun Report, LLC
