Semi-Auto vs Pump gun; advice?

don't find semi autos as an advantage over my SXS guns, simply because I like shooting SXS's!
The third shot is a rarety more than a given, and I have continually seen people shoot more birds with less ammo if they load only two in their guns .
This is because in the back of one's mind there is that " I have an extra shot" which prevents them from making the first shots count properly.
Many people talk about soft recoilng semis, but over decoys I don't find a need to shoot 3" magnum ammo in my sub gauge guns , and in my BP guns either for that matter.
Shoot waht you can hit with .....
Cat
 
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When I was a teen, my parents would only allow me a single shot 12 guage! I really wanted a semi-auto. When I started hunting, I had to aim very carefully to make sure that one shot counted. I watched as others with Autos shot all three shots and hit nothing! Those guys are relying on the next shot to make up for the last one. You do not want to be in that catagory of hunters. My step father's auto jammed one time he was clearing the jam....and the bolt slammed down on his thumb causing loss of his thumb nail. Thats one day i still vividly remember! He had trouble with it because he never cleaned his guns.

As an adult, I have several autos, pumps.......my step father's thumb eating auto since he passed on.....

I really like the pumps. I have never had one ever jam, they are not picky on ammo and don't require much in the way of maintenance. They cycle fast enough for Waterfoul and Bears....and are much cheaper to purchase.
 
catnthehatt said:
One of the fellas in our club got a very nice newer made semi, and after using it, sold it in favour of his Benneli pump!
I asked him why and he just prefers the pump.

Cat
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I much prefer my auto loader but with the OP's budget in mind, he's going to get a much more reliable shotgun by going to pump.
 
I will never buy another Benelli pump again. Mine was junk from day one. Would not fire when you wanted it to, and was not properly put together from the factory. I sold it, and will never buy another. Browning BPS, and for semi auto, I will be buying either the Browning Maxus, or the SX3 Winchester, both are very reliable guns at fair prices for all around hunting guns IMO.
 
I just bought another 1300. why? Reliable and fast and under $300 Can never have enough, should I need a part, I have another parts gun that complete, as parts have yet to break.
The Energizer Bunny of shotguns. If I was going to buy new, have a look at Mossberg, any Mossberg or even a Hatsan, bought one of those as well, just fine for a pump. I love the over sized action release on the Hatsan, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Win 1300 in smoothness or speed.

I'd be buying a New Hatsan Semi 12ga. Actually, I'm going to just for Sht and Giggles.
 
Unless you're hunting migratory game birds get a pump, they always go bang and they're easy to clean...and if you're a bit behind
in your cleaning you just have to exert more force to operate the action. The semi in the same situation will jam. The quick 2/3
shots while you're tracking geese are generally delivered more seamlessly and accurately from a semi.
 
Under 1000 buy a good pump. Over 1000 buy a nice semi. I went cheap with the mossberg 930 which I enjoy but had the gun for a year and it off for warranty work. In your budget is over 1000 buy a benelli or bps. Best pumps for the money. Don't buy a cheap semi trust me.
 
Jay said:
I have two shotguns I use for hunting. A Baikal MP153 semi and a Benelli Nova pump.

They are both good reliable guns. Every now & then, I see a Nova pop up on the EE for around $400.

Cheers
Jay
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Currently donating lead to the fields and money to local gun club (ie. learning to shoot trap, maybe later skeet) with a Benelli Nova.... shoot anything and everything..... I just can't hit things yet. Not the guns fault. If you're worried about the recoil, put a Limbsaver on it, I did, makes shooting 100 rds a little easier!
 
Best pump you can get IMHO for a reliable do it all would be a Benelli Nova chambered to take 3.5". Sounds like at this stage you might want to spend your money on a quality pump and keep it for a long long time. Eventually you can think about getting a semi. I saved up and bought a Benelli M2 (I personally don't see much value in shooting 3.5" for the hunting I do). And it is probably the best purchase I have made to date. It's light, fast, reliable, strips down in seconds, and I can shoot trap all day with it and never have a problem.
 
Well some semi auto shotguns can be very expensive. Pumps are cheap and easy to get for a starter it's not bad. If your doing it for fun just get a pump I have no problem hitting clays first time out I hit 100 percent of them even when it was doubles and triples. It's about leading the clay. If your doing competitions’ many people like over unders because they claim its the best thing since slice bread. It all comes down to what you want I find that I've done good with side by sides and pumps haven't tried a semi because I simply don't have one to try. I find the pump really isn't that bad unless your doing compaction were speed is key then get a semi or sxb or over under. The people I was shooting with were surprised I did so well I didn't see why they couldn't hit any of the clays I simply told them take your time follow the clay and shoot a hair in front of were it's going to be. Just make sure it has a long barrel and you can change the chokes to full (it vaperises the clays instead of breaking them) The only thing I couldn’t hit clays with was a single shot 410 shotgun that made it allot harder simply because it’s a llot less shot thrown in the air and it had a short barrel so if it was coming right at me I could hit it but in the air allot harder.
 
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I know the thread's a month old, but I've got a pump: Ithaca M37. I bought it because I really wanted an Ithaca, that's all. It's a great gun though... Shooting slugs through it gives a bit of a kick, but a Limbsaver really helps. I can cycle the action without pulling it from my shoulder, and it usually takes me about that long to get back on target anyway.

But, I agree with the general consensus of a pump to start... If you're serious about spending around $1000 on one, then I'm sure you can find a nice one. However, I paid about $250 for my 60 year old Ithaca, and I suspect it works every bit as well as a new one. If you're not convinced one way or another, you could consider buying either a used pump or semi off the EE and getting a feel for it. Or, go to your local range and ask some nice looking folks at the benches next to you... I've had some great experiences at the range with people allowing me a few shots from their firearms, be they pistols, rifles, or shotguns. If someone approached me at the range to inquire about my Ithaca, I'd be happy to let them blast a couple targets with it. Or, find a range that "rents" firearms... I know of one local range that allows you to use their guns, providing you purchase the ammunition from the shop.
 
I am in the same boat here, I own a 2008 Remington 870 Wingmaster 3", 28" rem-choke that is still "like new". I have hunted ducks and turkeys a few times with it and it fits me like a glove. I know it is probably the best pump action shotgun ever made and it is a real thing of beauty.

There is this part of me that wants to sell it and take the money and buy a $700 3.5" autoloader like a Mossberg 935 or Stoeger M3500. You just see the ads in the magazines and the tv shows showing guys using max-4 camoed 3.5" synthetic autoloaders for waterfowling, kind of makes you think this is what you need to shoot birds. LoL
 
I would say that if you wind up like most of the people on this forum the "one gun for everything" plan will go out the window fairly quickly and you will have a safe full before you know it. You won't really go wrong with either, IMHO. I have had a few different shotguns, my current favorite is a Baikal MP-153 which has been fantastic for me. You don't mention if this is your first shotgun, or if you have some shooting experience. If it is your first I would probably go with the pump. I think there is an added safety feature with being able to chamber each shell manually. Plus if you get a nice one you will never outgrow it. Save up for a semi for the second shotgun.
 
I hunted almost exclusively with a Winchester 1300 the last five years - ducks, deer, bear. A Winchester 1300 gives up nothing to a semi auto in the speed department. They call them the speed pump for good reason - thanks to the rotary bolt, they do half the work themselves, if you hold them right.

Having said that - any pump gun, if you take care of it, will shoot more than fast enough for duck hunting.

I am going to use a Baikal MP153 this year, but it's an experiment. If it takes a lot of work to clean, I'll be going back to a pump, or maybe a double. I have to clean my shotguns through and through every time I hunt, since it's mostly coastal salt marshes. If the Baikal takes too long, I'll go back to something I can clean in five mins. The Winchester was so simply - take off the barrel, pop one pin, and you had all the guts lying on the table.

A couple of my friends bought BPSs this year, and I've been impressed by them. I hear, however, they can be tricky to tear down completely. I have not tried to do so myself, so that could be a load of hogwash.
 
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