Seminauto. Oppinions please

powdergun

powdergun

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Looking into getting a good semi auto. Right now the A400 Berretta seems to be high on the list. But there are many others out there as well.

In your experienced oppinions which semi would be the most reliable, long lasting , worry free all purpose gun out there. Mainly for hunting but with a round or two of trap now and then. Budget can go to a couple thousand so not looking at lower end guns.

Thank you
 
Heard only good things about the A400 but never tried one. I own a Browning silver that works well but now its been replace by the model Maxus that i've heard is flawless. Also the Benelli Super Black Eagle is an awesome choice from what i've read.
 
The B guns, you can't go wrong. Browning,Beretta,Benelli. There all good, go to a gun shop and shoulder them all and see which one feels the best to you. One thing to remember, inertia guns will be the easiest to clean and the gas guns will recoil less.
 
struff55 said:
Versa max would be at the bottom of the list .
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Agree 100%
To the Op I have the a400 ,X3 and a maxus and all would be a good choice if they fit you
I did have a bit of a feed problem with the a400 with 3 1/2 initially but a bit of bending/ polishing and all is good. It was also new out at the time so they probally modified the latch since
Cheers
 
3macs1 said:
Agree 100%
To the Op I have the a400 ,X3 and a maxus and all would be a good choice if they fit you
I did have a bit of a feed problem with the a400 with 3 1/2 initially but a bit of bending/ polishing and all is good. It was also new out at the time so they probally modified the latch since
Cheers
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I guess that's both of yours opinion. As a Versamax owner I have a different one. The design of the gas system is the best out there bar none. Simple and maintenance free. Remington may have there quality control issues from time to time but the Versamax is solid and if you have any issues they stand behind them with great service unlike some of the b guns. Mine has never jamed. Any cheap clay pigoen shell that makes inertia guns hang up cycle perfectly. It's been flawless through 4 seasons so far. Recoil on the Versamax and a400 is the lightest.
 
prairie lover said:
I guess that's both of yours opinion. As a Versamax owner I have a different one. The design of the gas system is the best out there bar none. Simple and maintenance free. Remington may have there quality control issues from time to time but the Versamax is solid and if you have any issues they stand behind them with great service unlike some of the b guns. Mine has never jamed. Any cheap clay pigoen shell that makes inertia guns hang up cycle perfectly. It's been flawless through 4 seasons so far. Recoil on the Versamax and a400 is the lightest.
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It is not an opinion it is fact from a guy that bought one new so also a owner and had problems with it and fix my own normally but I could not redesign nor could any smith alter what was there to make it work flawless so off it went .

It is not the corvette of semi auto's more like the chevette and cannot be even compared to any of the B guns and the OP stated he was not looking at lower end guns which is what the remington is, sorry but true

But hey to each their own.

I don't base my opinions either on four seasons of use with maybe a couple 100 rounds from hunting.
And yes I currently own a few remington semi's including many 1100( more than you have fingers ), a couple 1187 and a sp-10 some for over 50 years, some with 100k or more rounds through them and still going strong.
Think your versamax would ever do that. NOT

If you want to own and see the internals of the best semi ever made buy a SUPER X-1 and yes I have them also in X1, X2 and X3 versions and probally a new X4 this year is on the list. WHY Just because
Cheers
 
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I have owned two SX-3 shotguns, an A400, a SBE2, and very briefly a Versamax. The A400 and the 3" SX-3 were flawless with all target loads, the 3-1/2" SX-3 would have a failure to function every 25 to 50 rounds with the Super Target or 1ounce Challenger loads. The SBE2 was more fussy than the rest with light loads. I shoot the SX-3 best, so I kept one as a waterfowl gum, and sold the rest of my semi autos. A good friend has a Maxus that is flawless with all loads tested. Of all of the semi autos that I owned, the Versamax was my least favorite, so it was sold almost immediately. I only bought it because the deal was too good to turn down, and I made a profit when I sold it.
 
dilly said:
These are pretty bold statements. Are they facts or opinions? What are they based on? Are you a firearm engineer who has tried every gun ever made?
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Inertia guns aside, there very simple in there design but they do recoil harder pound for pound than a gas gun.

Let's look at the Versamax gas system. 9 ports right in the chamber. 2.75 uses all 9. 3 inch covers some I'm not sure the amount. 3.5 covers more. Brilliantly simple way to regulate gas based on shell length. Self cleaning gas system which 1500 rounds later it sure seems true. Take every other gas gun on the market. More complex gas piston under the front of the forarm which need to be kept decently clean. Much less than some inertia fans would tell you but still need maintenance. Most of these gas guns will not reliably cycle the cheapest clay loads to the heaviest goose loads. They usually struggle with light cheap clay loads. I can tell you a Versamax does not I've seen 3 samples chew through 100s and 100s. The only 2 guns on the market advertised to cycle any load made are the a400 and Versamax.

3macs1- what specific problem were you having with yours? There were 2 small changes made from early production models to fix some issues.
 
fishslinger said:
The B guns, you can't go wrong. Browning,Beretta,Benelli. There all good, go to a gun shop and shoulder them all and see which one feels the best to you. One thing to remember, inertia guns will be the easiest to clean and the gas guns will recoil less.
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Agreed with the caution that the inertia guns don't handle the light loads as well as the gas guns if trap shooting is in the plans.

I'd lean strongly toward the A400. The OP should consider whether he needs 3-1/2" capability. The A400 comes with both 3" and 3-1/2" chambers and the 3" is in my experience more accommodating to lighter loads. Browning would be in second place followed by Benelli.

The Remington Versa Max is a fascinating concept with the ported chamber but I've been disappointed by Remington products in the last few years and wouldn't be inclined to take the risk.
 
prairie lover said:
Inertia guns aside, there very simple in there design but they do recoil harder pound for pound than a gas gun.

Let's look at the Versamax gas system. 9 ports right in the chamber. 2.75 uses all 9. 3 inch covers some I'm not sure the amount. 3.5 covers more. Brilliantly simple way to regulate gas based on shell length. Self cleaning gas system which 1500 rounds later it sure seems true. Take every other gas gun on the market. More complex gas piston under the front of the forarm which need to be kept decently clean. Much less than some inertia fans would tell you but still need maintenance. Most of these gas guns will not reliably cycle the cheapest clay loads to the heaviest goose loads. They usually struggle with light cheap clay loads. I can tell you a Versamax does not I've seen 3 samples chew through 100s and 100s. The only 2 guns on the market advertised to cycle any load made are the a400 and Versamax.

3macs1- what specific problem were you having with yours? There were 2 small changes made from early production models to fix some issues.
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My Browning Silver and my Mossberg can reliably cycle a full spectrum of loads and either can do it after over 1500 rounds without a cleaning. In todays world of gas autoloaders, that isnt something to brag about. A user on this forum has run over 5000 rounds through a turkish budget gun without a cleaning before he experienced his first jam! There is nothing complex about any of my gas autoloaders. I can have them cleaned and reassembled in 5-7 mins...and that includes the removal of the trigger and bolt assembly
 
prairie lover said:
I guess that's both of yours opinion. As a Versamax owner I have a different one. The design of the gas system is the best out there bar none. Simple and maintenance free. Remington may have there quality control issues from time to time but the Versamax is solid and if you have any issues they stand behind them with great service unlike some of the b guns. Mine has never jamed. Any cheap clay pigoen shell that makes inertia guns hang up cycle perfectly. It's been flawless through 4 seasons so far. Recoil on the Versamax and a400 is the lightest.
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had one but had ejection issues--nothing like my Benelli plus reminton tried to copy the Benelli Argo system--i guess you can take it as a compliment as they tried to copy the best.
 
I was seriously looking to try a Versa max when they were just out. I finally found one in a shop in Manitoba on a hunting trip. It took two minutes to walk away. The for end wobbled and could not be tightened and the rib was installed on the barrel noticeably off centre to the left side. I mentioned these issues to the fellow behind the counter and he shrugged and said, " someone will buy it". Stopped my search right there. I like Remington and own a few but the newly (at the time ) introduced Versa Max was a fail.

Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
I was seriously looking to try a Versa max when they were just out. I finally found one in a shop in Manitoba on a hunting trip. It took two minutes to walk away. The for end wobbled and could not be tightened and the rib was installed on the barrel noticeably off centre to the left side. I mentioned these issues to the fellow behind the counter and he shrugged and said, " someone will buy it". Stopped my search right there. I like Remington and own a few but the newly (at the time ) introduced Versa Max was a fail.

Darryl
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The forend issue was addressed and fixed and if you got an older one they will send you the new parts for free.

Great 100 plus page on the Versamax over on shotgunworld.com.
 
OP: are you looking for a 3 or 3.5"? You stated that it will be mostly for hunting with the occasional round of trap, so I'm assuming a 2.75 is out of the question.
Also, with your budget you could buy a very nice semi...that being said, you can spend a lot less and get a great quality shotgun.
I've owned numerous semis, inertia and gas operated. I'm 6' 200lbs, and I don't notice a recoil difference, but who does when they're hunting?!
My point is that if you look beyond the "B" brand marketing hype, there are great guns out there for a fraction of the price...ATA, Retay, Canuck.
That being said, my go to hunting gun and occasional trap gun is a Browning Auto-5 Magnum (1969). There is no better semiauto shotgun out there today. Absolute reliability, but surprisingly in a 100+ year old design...are the new semis better?...I hunted with a guy with a very nice new Bgun...guess who shot more birds?
Do some research, hold some guns, and save your money for ammo...its not getting any cheaper.
Good luck.
 
I have a Bowning Maxus Sporting & a Browning Silver. Both are great guns. I had a Beretta Urika Gold & Urika II in the past and they were both great guns. The Browning's just fit me better. Should a few or better yet, try to shoot a few and then pick what fits you best. Good luck!
 
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