I bought a 12 g Fabarm semi auto that is just beautiful, unfortunatly it's not what I need. I wanted it to do skeet shooting mostly and some bird hunting here and there. The problem is that the gun will not shoot 2 3/4" skeet shot, only 3" shells. Skeet shot only comes in 2 3/4". Secondly I can't use it to bird hunt because it has a full choke which will not allow steel shot through it without damage. It will shoot 3" lead shot, but you can not use lead on birds. So i'm kinda back to square one. This is my first gun so I was not all that informed on what I needed to look for in a gun. Are there any semi auto's under $1000 that will do what I need? If not what pump would be good to get to do what I would like?
Which 12g will do what I need?
- Thread starter G-Spot
- Start date
You should be able to get an auto for under $1000.00 on the EE. I have seen that Clay Smiley sometimes sells new Berettas for under a G. There are some birds that you are allowed to shoot with lead, but 3 inch lead is a bit overkill, hard on the shoulder and hard on the wallet. Is your Fab a fixed full? Just curious, but how did you get talked into buying your Fab?
It shoots magnum only, but I can make it shoot a 2 3/4. It just won't cycle and most times won't eject unless done manually. I'm very new to guns so I didn't know what I needed to know. I asumed that if it fired a 3" it would also be able to shoot the 2 3/4. I now know this isn't the case. Also it is a fixed full choke. I want to shoot canada geese and can't use lead and I have been told that steel is very inefective.
I am not up on what is out there today but know for sure in this order from my favorite of dual purpose 12ga semi's I have that can shoot skeet in the morning with 2 3/4 and hunt geese that afternoon with 3" steel or better would be the browning gold, my win superx2 and the rem 1187 3" and in that order.All have choke tubes
I had a rem 1187 3 1/2 and she would not handle all 2 3/4 even with the add on kit they came out with at the time.
I had a rem 1187 3 1/2 and she would not handle all 2 3/4 even with the add on kit they came out with at the time.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Before you spend more money on another shotgun.....why not first revisit a few existing options taking the following factors into consideration...
A) How well have you maintained your shotgun since purchase? You may already be aware that the semi-auto action can be more sensitive than other action types and could malfunction due to many reasons - foremost and more common cause is dirt build up. Best to strip the firearm completely and clean that thoroughly if you haven't done so already.
B) What 2 3/4in shells are you currently using? Are those 1oz of #7.5 or #8s target loads?
If so, swtich to 1 1/8oz of #7.5 or #8 target loads (most gun clubs allow that) and see how that works (once you have cleaned the shotgun). Experiment with 2/3 boxes of different brands and completely avoid using the cheap bulk packs i.e. if those are what you may have been using thus far.
C) While it works for Trap, the Full choke (assuming a fixed one?) is not something that one could effectively use to shoot Skeet and/or Sporting Clays type of games. In addition, more often than not, a full choke will not be conducive to most/various bird hunting scenarios.
1) As such, consult a competent Gunsmith to validate if the barrel may be compatible for shooting steel ammo.
2) Find out from the Gunsmith what is the feasibility of installing screw-in chokes or opening up the current choke constriction to something like Mod or IC (IC being more preferable since the shotgun will be used for Skeet as well) that would efffectively serve both Waterfowl and Clay shooting needs.
A) How well have you maintained your shotgun since purchase? You may already be aware that the semi-auto action can be more sensitive than other action types and could malfunction due to many reasons - foremost and more common cause is dirt build up. Best to strip the firearm completely and clean that thoroughly if you haven't done so already.
B) What 2 3/4in shells are you currently using? Are those 1oz of #7.5 or #8s target loads?
If so, swtich to 1 1/8oz of #7.5 or #8 target loads (most gun clubs allow that) and see how that works (once you have cleaned the shotgun). Experiment with 2/3 boxes of different brands and completely avoid using the cheap bulk packs i.e. if those are what you may have been using thus far.
C) While it works for Trap, the Full choke (assuming a fixed one?) is not something that one could effectively use to shoot Skeet and/or Sporting Clays type of games. In addition, more often than not, a full choke will not be conducive to most/various bird hunting scenarios.
1) As such, consult a competent Gunsmith to validate if the barrel may be compatible for shooting steel ammo.
2) Find out from the Gunsmith what is the feasibility of installing screw-in chokes or opening up the current choke constriction to something like Mod or IC (IC being more preferable since the shotgun will be used for Skeet as well) that would efffectively serve both Waterfowl and Clay shooting needs.
Last edited:
