First Shotgun Question

[HankMorgan]

Hey Guys!

I’ve been shooting skeet and sporting clays with borrowed guns since I was a kid. I’m also an adult onset hunter. I’ve been turkey and pheasant hunting with my bow for the past 3 years, but now I am in the market for a semi auto shotgun that will spend most of its time running through the woods, but most of its rounds busting clays. I had planned on picking up a Mossberg 940 Pro Field, but come across a really good deal on a used Remington 11-87 Premier at my LGS. The 11-87 felt really good, but I’ve always preferred the Mossberg manual of arms.

Does anyone have experience with both guns? I’ve not had the opportunity to handle a 940. I had my mind on a 12 gauge since I’d like to hunt ducks too, but maybe 20 would be a good option?

 

[Jack321]

I have an 1187 as my "backup" gun that got used quite heavily by my brother this past fall after he had an unfortunate situation with his primary shotgun. I had it cerakoted, cuz in the muck and the cold/rainy/snowy days of waterfowl hunting, I didn't want it to rust.

With that being said, if I were starting out (and depending on price) there's really only 2 shotgun I'd consider:

1. Benelli SBE2 or SBE3 (expensive at $1600-1800, but worth it.)

2. Winchester SX4 (if price is an issue at $1k)

I know a lot of guys look at Beretta...i dont necessarily hold anything against Beretta....but almost everyone I know and 98% of the guys i hunt with shoot Benelli's because of the inertia system is basically indestructible during crappy duck/goose days. I'm not huge on gas guns. I only have my 1187 as a backup. To finicky in crappy weather that's usually associated with waterfowl hunting.

I've had my SBE2 for over 20 yrs and in every condition and weather. I hunt over 60-80 days a yr from pot holes of N. Dakota, to prairie of the Midwest, to duck boats on the rivers. From 80°F days early season wheat fields to -20°F afternoon PM hunts, to 40-60mph winds, rain and hail to white out snow conditions. Ducks geese and snow geese....I live for waterfowl. I also turkey hunt with it, pheasant hunt, shoot sporting clays, doves, etc. Countless rounds and everything from light 2.75" loads to 3.5" goose or turkey loads.

my SBE2 has ever once jammed and cleaned/lubed at the end of season and then whenever it rains/snows just to dry off. It's effortless to break apart and pull the gun apart for cleaning. This yr, I just put a new butt stock recoil spring in it and that's the ONLY thing I've ever had to "repair" and that's minor.

My SBE2 is like another extension of my arm.

Now I understand the ol timers who sit around and nostalgically talk about the old Browning A-5s and the pre-'64 Winchesters!

 

[Kurts86]

I would stay away from anything Remington at this point because anything they have made 2006- present is pretty terrible quality. The 11-87 is a 1987 rework of Remington 1100’s from the 1960’s to be make to shoot 2.75 or 3” shells without swapping the barrel. As far as modern working semiautomatics go its way behind modern offerings, even Remington succeeded its design with the Versamax. In short the 11-87 is a dated design with spotted QC over half its production life.

Mossberg 940’s are decent shotguns and are certainly a more evolved design than an 11-87. That said they are still a mid tier design.

As mentioned with semiautomatics Beretta and Benelli are the top tier and any other option is at best an equal, but likely lesser. As far as Beretta vs Benelli they are really using two different systems (gas vs inertia) to achieve the same goal, reliability and quality. When you shoot sporting clays you will see Beretta dominate because they are heavier and lighter recoiling and Benelli tends to have a slight edge in the hunting world. Benelli inertia guns have fewer moving parts, they are lighter than most gas guns and are somewhat more tolerate of zero maintenance. The down sides is that they are pickier with target ammo under 1 oz or less and they have some quirks like bolts that won’t fully close if done quietly (SB1 & SB2).

For both Beretta and Benelli you can get into a decent shotgun for $800-$1200 with the A300 or M2 lines. Both have good reputations if you can’t swallow buying a $1800 gun.

 

[Longleaf]

Stick with one of the B guns and it will last forever, you can do just about anything now with a 20ga TSS and bismuth as you can with a 12ga.

 

[Jason Snyder]

A used Beretta 391 is pretty hard to beat.

 

[Jack321]

I would stay away from anything Remington at this point because anything they have made 2006- present is pretty terrible quality. The 11-87 is a 1987 rework of Remington 1100’s from the 1960’s to be make to shoot 2.75 or 3” shells without swapping the barrel. As far as modern working semiautomatics go its way behind modern offerings, even Remington succeeded its design with the Versamax. In short the 11-87 is a dated design with spotted QC over half its production life.

Mossberg 940’s are decent shotguns and are certainly a more evolved design than an 11-87. That said they are still a mid tier design.

As mentioned with semiautomatics Beretta and Benelli are the top tier and any other option is at best an equal, but likely lesser. As far as Beretta vs Benelli they are really using two different systems (gas vs inertia) to achieve the same goal, reliability and quality. When you shoot sporting clays you will see Beretta dominate because they are heavier and lighter recoiling and Benelli tends to have a slight edge in the hunting world. Benelli inertia guns have fewer moving parts, they are lighter than most gas guns and are somewhat more tolerate of zero maintenance. The down sides is that they are pickier with target ammo under 1 oz or less and they have some quirks like bolts that won’t fully close if done quietly (SB1 & SB2).

For both Beretta and Benelli you can get into a decent shotgun for $800-$1200 with the A300 or M2 lines. Both have good reputations if you can’t swallow buying a $1800 gun.

+1
Agreed, great post.

 

[KurtR]

I ended up with a franchi it felt better in my hand and pointing than the benelli. Same operating system. Have had it for two years and used it a lot with no problems

 

[MTPipeliner]

Similar to others above, no experience with either of the guns you mentioned, but I have a Benelli M2, and my wife has a beretta A300 and they’ve both been good reliable guns.

My benelli seems less tolerant of being super dirty than some others, but if I keep it reasonably clean with a couple drops of oil it reliably cycles both heavy and light loads in temps from 90 to -20. I did change out the recoil spring in mine to one that was a little stronger which seemed to help.

 

[HankMorgan]

Thank you all for the feedback! Sadly, my budget isn’t quite up to some of the suggestions, and I’m pretty much limited to whatever I can trade my P226 for. Mid tier is my goal here. Good to know about the 1187 is crappy weather. The one I have the option to get is a pre 2006 gun, I am pretty sure, but I’ll be sure to verify that before I do anything. I don’t have any immediate waterfowl hunting plans, but it is something I want to try when I can. Sadly where I live, we rarely get below 20 degrees anymore, so the minimum temps won’t be too crazy. The gun will mostly be spring turkey and sporting clays. If it weren’t for the sporting clays, I’d just get a pump gun and be done with it.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

if confined to mid tier, i'd probably look for a franchi affinity, beretta a300, or maybe a benelli montefeltro. Winchester SX3, and browning silver are also good options.

 

[WCB]

Franchi Affinity or a Winchester SX4 is what I would go with...IMO there is ZERO reason the guns with B's on them cost 2x as much. I've seen plenty of issues with them.

 

[Gen273]

Outside of being on the heavy side, the Remington 11-87 is a good gun that will last for a long, long time if you take care of it. I rabbit-hunted with one for several years.

I, like many others, am a fan of Benelli, Browning, and Beretta. But there are a lot of good shotguns on the market, such as Franchi, and the Winchester SX3 or SX4.

With all of that said, for the price, a $550-$600 Stoeger Semi-Auto is hard to beat.

Also, just FYI, Benelli, Franchi, and Stoeger are all owned by Beretta.

 

[Macintosh]

If clays is on the menu a used beretta would be high on my list. They’ll do a good job handling both target loads as well as heavier duck/turkey loads, and while they are not any more foolproof than others, parts and service are readily obtainable because they are so popular among clays shooters that wear them out. A used 391 or a300 ought to be in your price range.

 

[Steve300xcw]

The 12gauge got parked the day I got a 20ga.

Also it is unamerican not to have a pump shotgun. Never found one to be a handicap shooting sporting clays or skeet

 

[Smallie]

I shoot a Mossberg 930 and it feeds everything put into it. Just takes more maintenance like any other gas gun. My Dad shoots a Stoeger and swapped out some parts for Benelli parts ( like the recoil spring) and it’s basically a Turkish made Benelli now but for half the price. That gun has been lights out and swings like a dream. I would consider both of those guns as reliable mid tier for around $600 so we don’t feel bad about beating them up. Used for waterfowl all over the country in every condition without issues so far

 

[GSP for the win]

I will agree with the comment above.
1. Benelli SBE2 or SBE3 (expensive at $1600-1800, but worth it.)

2. Winchester SX4 (if price is an issue at $1k)

You will not regret the upgrade over the two guns you mentioned.

 

[Rich M]

1187 is a fine gun.

I predate Benelli, Beretta shotguns and as such don't have or use any. Have Browning, Remington, Mossberg, ithaca shotguns right now. Had a Winchester semi for a while and got rid of it.

My suggestion would be to buy a nice O/U or SxS. You'll shoot it better and have a classic. Can even get an all-weather SS version.

 

[TheHunt7]

Hey Guys!

I’ve been shooting skeet and sporting clays with borrowed guns since I was a kid. I’m also an adult onset hunter. I’ve been turkey and pheasant hunting with my bow for the past 3 years, but now I am in the market for a semi auto shotgun that will spend most of its time running through the woods, but most of its rounds busting clays. I had planned on picking up a Mossberg 940 Pro Field, but come across a really good deal on a used Remington 11-87 Premier at my LGS. The 11-87 felt really good, but I’ve always preferred the Mossberg manual of arms.

Does anyone have experience with both guns? I’ve not had the opportunity to handle a 940. I had my mind on a 12 gauge since I’d like to hunt ducks too, but maybe 20 would be a good option?

I have a Franchi affinity 3.5 and I absolutely love it. I put it through some tough conditions that the gun worked flawlessly. 2 of my buddies switched to Franchi after experiencing mine. All 3 of us are hard waterfowl hunters and had them covered in mud, snow, rain, ice and all shoot great no issues. I will forever have Franchi shotguns. A lot cheaper than berretta or Benelli, which are both good guns also no complaints with them

 

[MOwhitetail]

I used to work at a gun shop that sold several dozen shotguns a week and the best advice I can give you is to stay away from Stoegers. There are plenty of people out there who like them and have good luck with theirs, but if we had a gun come back that had issues it was ALWAYS a Stoeger.

In the mid-tier price range I’d be looking at the SX4 or Franchi Affinity like others have mentioned. If you want a gas gun go with the SX4 and if you want an inertia gun go with the Franchi.

Or if you can get your hands on a good used Beretta A390/391 those guns are shooters.