In the next few weeks I am going to upgrade from a pump to a semi 12gauge. I am looking to spend around 1000$ maybe a little more if necessary. The biggest thing to me is reliability and versatility. I want somthing that cycles as reliable as my remington 870. I would like somthing that will cycle cheap 2/3/4 which i use for rabbits and also 3.5's for birds. Everyone keeps preeching the winchester sx 3. Is it what its cracked up to be? I pearsonally like the browning silver better,but im also awear these are the same guns internally. my uncle has a browning silver in 3.5 and said it wont cycle light loads reliably. maybe its just dirty who knows. I would also like to know am I better of with a 26 or 28" barrel? Any help will be apreciated! thanks
semi auto
- Thread starter Chevyguys
- Start date
- Location
- West Quebec
How about this for versatility: http://www.gunblast.com/Remington-VM.htm
Had no problem with 1oz loads in browning gold, maxus and win x2 or x3.
Some guys have no issue with 7/8 but I have never tried them and if you ask browning etc they are not designed for less than 1 oz. Never had a jam over 1oz in any of the guns but yes I keep them super clean
All are good guns but if I had to keep one it would be the maxus. Also 28" barrel would be my choice
Some guys have no issue with 7/8 but I have never tried them and if you ask browning etc they are not designed for less than 1 oz. Never had a jam over 1oz in any of the guns but yes I keep them super clean
All are good guns but if I had to keep one it would be the maxus. Also 28" barrel would be my choice
x2 on the beretta, and I suggest if you go with the silver not to get the wood stock, they are beautiful but have seen 2 that had hairline cracks in the forend and have heard from my dealer of several others that came back to his shop. I was looking for a semi last year and the silver was the one I wanted but got a great deal on a urika.
Going from a pump action Remington 870 to a or any semi-auto is a downgrade in reliability and versatility if you ask me! That being said for a 3.5" semi-auto the Browning Gold, Silver, Maxus and their Winchester siblings, the SX2 and SX3 shotguns are very hard to beat for the money! The Berettas are much in the same league, just a little more expensive, but I don't like them as my trigger finger can out run the action speed and it causes issues. That's probably not something you will have to worry about though. Benellis are over priced. Cheaper 3.5" semi-autos are to be considered if you are the average hunter that doesn't expect to shoot more say 5000rds thru the gun...in many cases (but not all) once you get above that many rounds reliability goes downhill due to excessive wear of internal parts. An average hunter will shoot less that 250rds a year, most of the time much much less than that!
Here are 3 options for you: Winchester SX3, Browning Maxus, and Beretta 391. Try them and see what fits you better, then throw your money away 
SX3 and Maxus all have the action very similar to Browning Gold (not Silver Hunter). Beretta is a different animal. All of them are reliable for semi-autos but don't expect them to be as reliable as your pump
All can be had under $1000, with probably the exception of a Maxus.
SX3 and Maxus all have the action very similar to Browning Gold (not Silver Hunter). Beretta is a different animal. All of them are reliable for semi-autos but don't expect them to be as reliable as your pump
All can be had under $1000, with probably the exception of a Maxus.
Don't see the need for 3.5". If you can't hit it with 3", 3.5" won't help
SX3 can be had for just over $900 at sail.ca
SX3 can be had for just over $900 at sail.ca
Spend just a touch more, get a Remington Versa Max. For $1200 you'll end up with your versatility. Its practically right in the name. I've shot everything from a 3 1/2" Black cloud to a 2 3/4" 7/8th's handload in it. It just works.
The Maxus (even though I'm generally a Browning guy) just seems flimsy feeling to me. I like older Gold's, and Beretta's seem nice as well. But Having shot a versa max, they're awesome.
Really really soft shooting, and can go quite a while between cleanings. I know a guy who hasn't cleaned his in about 16 months now.
The Maxus (even though I'm generally a Browning guy) just seems flimsy feeling to me. I like older Gold's, and Beretta's seem nice as well. But Having shot a versa max, they're awesome.
Really really soft shooting, and can go quite a while between cleanings. I know a guy who hasn't cleaned his in about 16 months now.
I would like to agree about the VersaMax but I can't. Handled them in the store, very nice, shoulders well, on the real heavy side though, plastic fantastic with overmoulded rubber. But... One day at the club a couple ofnchaps were shooting sporting clays and kept on swearing. I approached and asked what was happening. It turned out one of the chaps was shooting VersaMax and it jammed every single time. I asked what they were shooting and it was 1 oz target loads. I was very surprised.
On the side note, Remington doesn't consider Canada as their priority market and I'm afraid quality of recent has gone down significantly. Here is an unrelated research by some professional gun writer proving my point... http://randywakeman.com/ClunkerOf2009Award.htm
On the side note, Remington doesn't consider Canada as their priority market and I'm afraid quality of recent has gone down significantly. Here is an unrelated research by some professional gun writer proving my point... http://randywakeman.com/ClunkerOf2009Award.htm
I've shot several flats of 1 oz target loads (and not high end ones either) and have had one Fail to Feed that I suspect was a dropped shell with a bent rim.
And if the original poster wants versatility in shooting a 2 3/4 to a 3 1/2" shell I'd be looking at a Versa Max or a Benelli Super Vinci. The Latter is about $600 more and no more reliable.
I'd agree that quality has gone down, but I wouldnt agree that it includes the VersaMax. That article you posted doesnt even mention the VersaMax... So here is related research by the same professional gun writer proving my point.
I'll save you the time and post the pertinent info here. Also, I wouldn't think that any manufacture considers Canada a priority market. Why would we be thier first concern when there are about 300 million people below us and about half of them own a firearm? Doesn't really seem relevant, or a reason to not buy a well designed gun.
And good review from Randy indeed. What is to blame for the jams I witnessed then? Factory camsoline? I handled it, it fit me well, I liked the rubberized points where you hold it, a little on the heavy side though.
Apparently I'm not the only one who witnessed this... Here is the link to one unhappy owner talking about his misadventures with VersaMax -- http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=199810
Here is an excerpt from the forum:
here we go, a true test of a shotguns durability, walking 5 miles through chest deep mud and thick weeds.... So, at the end of the day, heres why I decided that I hate my versamax (which I no longer have, a buddy of mine really wanted it, so I sold it to him..)
1) That F&*@(ing magazine cap.. it doesn't matter what you do, it will come loose after you shoot with it for a while
2) Its overly long.. I don't understand why a 28" barreled gun has to be so long.. its like the receiver is at least 30% longer than it should be
3) Hello 7.7 lbs... hello heavy shotgun...
4) Its a pain in the @$$ to unload this shotgun... you have to eject the shell out of the chamber, then either close the chamber and dry fire it to release the next shell, or manually release the shells from the magazine with your fingers.. good luck doing that with cold hands.. and having to dry fire your weapon to release the next shell is just begging for an unfortunate malfunction to happen eventually.
5) The shell carrier has a U notch in it that opens up into the receiver, when you are walking in the weeds, vegetation hangs up on this U notch, tears off, then finds its way into the receiver. Hello failure to feed malfunction, how are you today? Me, I'm pissed, because you are causing me to fire a single shot weapon!!
6) It doesn't kick any less than any other 3.5" gun I've ever shot, and they toot their horns saying it does... a 3.5 kicks hard no matter what it comes out of I guess. Even a 7.7lb shotgun...
7) Good luck finding a replacement barrel to make your ridiculously long 28" barreled gun shorter.. can't cut the barrel and rechoke either, because its tapered and fatter at the end of the barrel.
8) Did I mention that out of 1 box of Kent 3.5" #2 @ 1550 FPS, I had 4 jams where the next shell got stuck on its way into the receiver? Cost me a few birds. Might as well get an H&R single shot.
Well... I couldn't stand the idea that I payed so much for a shotgun that I really can not stand. A buddy of mine fell in love with the idea of the versamax and was going to go buy an identical one to mine anyway- so he bought mine off me for $100 less than what I payed for it. So he's happy, I'm happy, and also the happy new owner of a Winchester SX3 in max-4
Here is an excerpt from the forum:
here we go, a true test of a shotguns durability, walking 5 miles through chest deep mud and thick weeds.... So, at the end of the day, heres why I decided that I hate my versamax (which I no longer have, a buddy of mine really wanted it, so I sold it to him..)
1) That F&*@(ing magazine cap.. it doesn't matter what you do, it will come loose after you shoot with it for a while
2) Its overly long.. I don't understand why a 28" barreled gun has to be so long.. its like the receiver is at least 30% longer than it should be
3) Hello 7.7 lbs... hello heavy shotgun...
4) Its a pain in the @$$ to unload this shotgun... you have to eject the shell out of the chamber, then either close the chamber and dry fire it to release the next shell, or manually release the shells from the magazine with your fingers.. good luck doing that with cold hands.. and having to dry fire your weapon to release the next shell is just begging for an unfortunate malfunction to happen eventually.
5) The shell carrier has a U notch in it that opens up into the receiver, when you are walking in the weeds, vegetation hangs up on this U notch, tears off, then finds its way into the receiver. Hello failure to feed malfunction, how are you today? Me, I'm pissed, because you are causing me to fire a single shot weapon!!
6) It doesn't kick any less than any other 3.5" gun I've ever shot, and they toot their horns saying it does... a 3.5 kicks hard no matter what it comes out of I guess. Even a 7.7lb shotgun...
7) Good luck finding a replacement barrel to make your ridiculously long 28" barreled gun shorter.. can't cut the barrel and rechoke either, because its tapered and fatter at the end of the barrel.
8) Did I mention that out of 1 box of Kent 3.5" #2 @ 1550 FPS, I had 4 jams where the next shell got stuck on its way into the receiver? Cost me a few birds. Might as well get an H&R single shot.
Well... I couldn't stand the idea that I payed so much for a shotgun that I really can not stand. A buddy of mine fell in love with the idea of the versamax and was going to go buy an identical one to mine anyway- so he bought mine off me for $100 less than what I payed for it. So he's happy, I'm happy, and also the happy new owner of a Winchester SX3 in max-4
