Shotgun for a beginner

Best snot gun Remington made

The best semi shotgun Remington made was the 58 . Arguably the receivers did crack in 12 gauge unless they get the receiver stress relief slit that the 1100,s got later. Other than that the 58 with the internal gas piston is in my opinion the much better gun. Many agree and many don,t.
t-star said:
indeed, the remington 1100 DOMINATED the t&s scene for many years- all you need do for maintaince is the usual lube, and replace the springs and o-rings once in a while; i would venture it's the best gun remmy ever made
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roccoskeet said:
The best semi shotgun Remington made was the 58 . Arguably the receivers did crack in 12 gauge unless they get the receiver stress relief slit that the 1100,s got later. Other than that the 58 with the internal gas piston is in my opinion the much better gun. Many agree and many don,t.
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Mark me down as one who agrees ! Having owned and shot an 11-48, 58, 1100 and 11-87, the 58 was the best of the bunch. The Winchester SX-1 is a damn fine autoloader as well.

I currently have a Beretta A391-Parallel Target(SL), while my wife has the
A391-PT(RL). Both are very reliable... much more so than any of the previous auto-loaders I've ever owned. I purposely shot the gun from new without cleaning it (other than an external wipe-down) for 10 flats of factory target loads before taking it apart. Not a single malfunction within that time, and as I shoot mine virtually "dry", there was very little build-up of crud internally. Re-assembled and followed with another 10 flats ... same deal, and no malfunctions. The very odd malfunction I have experianced is my fault, usually something like a sloppy crimp on a reload that I failed to notice.
I now give the PT a thorough cleaning only once a year, (unless it happens to get soaked in the rain, but otherwise just a wipe down after each use and a good bore and choke cleaning once a month with Ed's Red.
(You'd be surprised how much plastic builds up in the chokes ! )

At a big Sporting Clays event I took note of the auto-loaders on the racks and being carried by competitors between stations. Berettas easily outnumbered the Remingtons, Benellis, Brownings and all other assorted makes of semi's by easily, 15 to 1. (used to be that way back in the 70's with the 1100) Says a lot for the poularity of these guns.

The original poster might try to "beg or borrow" the use of a few different types of guns from fellow shooters at the Club before purchasing. Most shooters are very accommodating in this respect. Ask questions about reliability, break downs, fail to feed, cleaning regimens, any repairs, etc.
On a budget, a good or better condition used 1100, 11-87and SX-1's are quite often available for $500 or less and A391's for a little more. Good condition Browning Citoris and Beretta 68x series O/U's are out there for around the $1000 mark or a little better, depending on model. Watch for excessive wear on target model guns ... some of us use them a lot ! Take a knowledgeable buddy with you if you are shopping used.

I would suggest you would find, as many have, that an inexpensive O/U is for the most part, a big (or even huge) disappointment. You may well find a few good pearls of wisdom in this regard listening to the discussions (and even asking a few good questions) around the Club House.
 
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beretta boy said:
Mark me down as one who agrees ! Having owned and shot an 11-48, 58, 1100 and 11-87, the 58 was the best of the bunch. The Winchester SX-1 is a damn fine autoloader as well.

I currently have a Beretta A391-Parallel Target(SL), while my wife has the
A391-PT(RL). Both are very reliable... much more so than any of the previous auto-loaders I've ever owned. I purposely shot the gun from new without cleaning it (other than an external wipe-down) for 10 flats of factory target loads before taking it apart. Not a single malfunction within that time, and as I shoot mine virtually "dry", there was very little build-up of crud internally. Re-assembled and followed with another 10 flats ... same deal, and no malfunctions. The very odd malfunction I have experianced is my fault, usually something like a sloppy crimp on a reload that I failed to notice.
I now give the PT a thorough cleaning only once a year, (unless it happens to get soaked in the rain, but otherwise just a wipe down after each use and a good bore and choke cleaning once a month with Ed's Red.
(You'd be surprised how much plastic builds up in the chokes ! )
At a big Sporting Clays event I took note of the auto-loaders on the racks and being carried by competitors between stations. Berettas easily outnumbered the Remingtons, Benellis, Brownings and all other assorted makes of semi's by easily, 15 to 1. (used to be that way back in the 70's with the 1100) Says a lot for the poularity of these guns.

The original poster might try to "beg or borrow" the use of a few different types of guns from fellow shooters at the Club before purchasing. Most shooters are very accommodating in this respect. Ask questions about reliability, break downs, fail to feed, cleaning regimens, any repairs, etc.
On a budget, a good or better condition used 1100, 11-87and SX-1's are quite often available for $500 or less and A391's for a little more. Good condition Browning Citoris and Beretta 68x series O/U's are out there for around the $1000 mark or a little better, depending on model. Watch for excessive wear on target model guns ... some of us use them a lot ! Take a knowledgeable buddy with you if you are shopping used.

I would suggest you would find, as many have, that an inexpensive O/U is for the most part, a big (or even huge) disappointment. You may well find a few good pearls of wisdom in this regard listening to the discussions (and even asking a few good questions) around the Club House.
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As usual well said. But if you could in the future please do not mention the Win. SX-1 and and the rem. 1100 in the same sentence. The SX-1 is leaps and bounds better than the rem. Best Autoloader ever made.
 
Thanks for all the advice! I'm pretty sold on a Rem M1100. I was just wondering what'd be better, the 12 or the 20ga?

I understand the 20ga will have much less recoil, so good for a beginner. But It kind of limits my options outside of clay targets. Plus I get more shot per 12ga shotshell, which I can only imagine makes life easier.

Really though, I just need to find someone at a local range that has a Rem M1100 and see how it feels.
 
See if you can borrow/beg (like Baretta Boy suggests in post #22) the model you want and try putting 50 rounds through it, shooting a round of trap, clays or whatever, basically a test drive.

I recently tried sporting clays and used a Browning 625 Field O/U, the gun fit like a glove no discomfort after 100 rounds.

Then I tried a remington wingmaster pump, nice gun but it didn't fit properly, not enough drop at the comb, LOP may have been a bit too long too? My face was numb after 25 rounds through it; after this I will never own a Remington unless the stock is custom fit to get the same configuration as the browning.
 
i wouldn't bother with the 20 unless you were a woman or youth- you'll find you soon outgrow it- just use lighter loads in the 12 and that way you need not re-learn the gun
 
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