Recommendation for semi-auto

Onagoth

Onagoth

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You guys have any ideas?

I am leaning away from the 930 now just because of availability and hearing about some issues with them.

I think if I can find a used Benelli M2, that might be something I look at if its cheap enough. Any other thoughts?

Max budget is probably $1200.

Primary use will be 3 gun.
 
I broke down and bought a Benelli M2 last week. Should be here in two or three weeks, I'll let you know what I think when it gets here. I currently have a 1100 that I'm not a big fan of, shot a friends Benelli at the trap range and that was enough for me to switch.

I'm using it for 3 gun as well.
 
Benelli M2 is a nice rig ;)

It does need abit of tweaking Ie: oversize bolt release, short stock and bolt mod "so you can float a round"

Nothing better then a legal 7rd semi-auto " 5+1+1"
 
M2 Pros
-Light and fast handling
-Can use different barrels "for hunting"
-Easy to clean
-Simple operation
-Surefire flash light forend available
-Quality is outstanding!
-Easy to load
-Safety is in a great spot and can be made left handed
-Sights a are great
-Floating a round is awesome! 5+1+1
-3 Chokes
-fast shooting
-durable



M2 Cons
-Safety is small "after market ones available"
-stock is to long "new Urbino stocks out there now"
-bolt release is way to small "GG&G one solves this"
-Pricey
 
I think the new Remington Versa Max is another good one out there. Not sure about availability or price, but it's basically a M2 with a couple slight differences from what I've read.

The ghost load on the Benelli was the deal clincher for me!
 
For the price of the 930, it can't be beat.

The only issues you should be aware of for 930's is this:

In the original runs, the front sight tower was off by a few degrees. This can be anywhere from 1 to 10, causing major problems when sighting in at different distances. That said, there were only a few examples of this that left the factory and I have not heard any other issues regarding this.

What to look for: turn the shotgun upside down on a flat surface so the rear sight and front site are resting on the surface. There should be no movement. If you can wobble it, the tower is off move on to the next one. This only applies to SPX models or is moot if you are running optics.

Receiver picatinny rail was over-torqued causing some stripping.

You'll have to convince the shop to let remove the rail to see this.

New out of the box 930's have issues cycling the lighter bird shots (like #4 from Walmart) You will get stove pipes or failure to eject.

Solution: Run 1 box of 3" magnum slugs should be sufficient enough to break it in.

The 930 is a fine and reliable fighting shotgun, but is crying out for these two upgrades:

Larger bolt release and a Larger safety.

Other than that, it needs little else (unless you need to satisfy yourself with the tactikool-aid like I do:))

If there was ever a question of reliability in a competitive environment, I always flash this video around:

[youtube]iXF-I3GfwI0[/youtube]

In order from right to left is an M4, another M4 (I believe) Remington 1187, and me anchoring with a 930 SPX and yea, I know I missed a few :)

I myself was in a quest for an M2 or M4 and I was nearly there but the price of a 930 is just too difficult to resist. I ended up snagging a 930 SPX and buying a case of 12 gauge ammo.

A 930 Tactical is $569 and a 930 Home Security is $499 at Frontier compared to $1300 for a used M2 I saw in the EE.

Another viable choice is the Beretta 1200FP which is nearly identical to the M2 and will fit most of the accessories that fit on the M2 at nearly half the price (about $700-$800 in the EE when one comes up) The reason I don't have a 1200FP is one never came up when I had the money :(

Hope that helps you somewhat, good luck with your purchase :)
 
There is no Availability issue for the Mossberg 930. If you want the 8-shot SPX model - maybe.
Like Cyanide Ride pointed out above. High Quality Semi for about $500-ish. You can't go wrong.
Throw on your own goodies and buy a case of slugs and you are still under $1000
 
Determination will get you what you need :)

I hee'd and haw'd for about 6-7 months before making a decision to buy a semi.

Then came the research and the selection process for an appropriate model.

Then came the actual search for my choice (which was an M2) then I ended up with a 930 :)

Did I mention the trigger on the 930's? (I would assume the trigger groups are all the same for 930's, but you never know) Trigger pull is light and crisp, no take up. It's a beautiful thing compared to my 590.

Just so you know, and I'm not associated with the sellers in any way, but there is a nifty M2 for sale $1300 in the EE and Frontier is "showing" stock on 930 Tacticals and 930 Home Securities... Decisions decisions :)
 
Depending on how important additional bells and whistles are to you I'd like to recommend the Baikal MP-153, which impressed Remington enough to create a copy of it, the SPR-453. Like I was saying, the additions that can be made to the shotgun are fairly limited but it's proven to be very easy to handle and reliable since I purchased it used about 3 years and 1200ish rounds ago. I've never had this shotgun malfunction on me and I really don't take very good care of it...
 
I think the biggest thing is, once you decide on a model, go out and handle one of have someone familiarize you with the weapon.

For some crazy poop reason, ALL shotgun manufacturers load, reload, bolt release differently than others!.

ie: empty chamber, empty elevator, pressing the bolt release button will dump 1.3 shells into the elevator jamming the gun up, on a Benelli, it will release 1 shell into the elevator. To unload a Benelli (I think) is to cycle the bolt until empty. A 930, press the elevator up and press the bolt release and it will dump shells from the magazine tube. 1187's to release the bolt, you push up on the elevator. etc.

It'd be nice to have one standard but I have to admit, companies sure are creative about what buttons and elevators do in addition to the typical functions.

Again, I was dead set on getting an M2 a few years ago but then I happened across a 930 and never looked back because of it's similarity to my 590 (ambidextrous safety) This may involve an ego check because what you want, may not necessarily be what you need :)
 
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