Which Shotgun for all things, upland, waterfowl, and clay pigeon?

[excaliber]

As it has been said you have to throw a couple up to your shoulder and see how they feel. But, with that said I'll throw my option out here as well. : )

I think the Remington V3 is a dark horse, especially for the $$. Remington doesn't get a lot of love, but they put a lot of work into the V3 (lifetime warranty) and I really like mine. Smooth shooting and no problems. I scored a screaming deal on a demo model, but if I was buying new I'd save up for the V3 Waterfowl Pro. It does limit you to a 3" shell, which might be an issue if big honkers are on your agenda.

I have 3" Remington 11-87's from the early 80's and early 90's. I 've hunted Honkers since 1978 and never once have I said I wished I had a 3.5" chambered 12 gauge. There's just no need for one for me. Most of our geese are killed feet down in the decoys at close distances.

My two 11-87's have been great over the years and even better now that they are protected by the layout blinds.
Benelli seems to have a great following. A few of my friends have them with no complaints.

 

[ODB]

870 express, 12ga/26”. Prove me wrong.

 

[3sdad]

Remington V3

 

[S.Clancy]

Franchi Affinity. Best $600 I've ever spent.

 

[Mike7]

870 express, 12ga/26”. Prove me wrong.

It took less than 1 hour carrying around a light semiautomatic shotgun chukar hunting for me to never pick up my 870 again, except for turkey hunting.

 

[ODB]

It took less than 1 hour carrying around a light semiautomatic shotgun chukar hunting for me to never pick up my 870 again, except for turkey hunting.

And thus not proven wrong - try again! (and I just spent 3 days myself toting around said 870 boat anchor after chukars)

 

[NDGuy]

The franchi affinity elite 3.5 will be my next dance with divorce provoking gun purchases.

...worth it!

I just bought this bad boy last year thought it was a gorgeous shotgun. Shoots really nice too!


https://www.scheels.com/p/franchi-affinity-3-select-shotgun/4855-41006.html

 

[Smithb9841]

870 express, 12ga/26”. Prove me wrong.

well the fact that most of newer Remington’s rust so easily would be more than enough for me.

One shotgun that I haven’t seen mentioned that I ended up getting last year is the Weatherby Element they have a couple different model of semi auto and have them in synthetic and wood stocks. I was actually looking into an A300 last year but when I held the Weatherby I quickly changed my mind.

But definitely go down and shoulder some and see how they feel

 

[ODB]

well the fact that most of newer Remington’s rust so easily would be more than enough for me.

One shotgun that I haven’t seen mentioned that I ended up getting last year is the Weatherby Element they have a couple different model of semi auto and have them in synthetic and wood stocks. I was actually looking into an A300 last year but when I held the Weatherby I quickly changed my mind.

But definitely go down and shoulder some and see how they feel

Not familiar with the modern weatherbys. Are they making them in Wyoming? I know in the past SKB made a lot of shotguns for them.

Funny you mention rust - I picked up my 870 for 200$ because the guy said it was rusted - otherwise brand new (said he kept it in his truck) I got it and sure enough it had a very fine layer of rust. I just kept at it with Inhibitor VC-80 and now that dust of rust has vanished. My 70s 870 and wife's 16ga 870 haven't had any issues,

 

[Smithb9841]

Not familiar with the modern weatherbys. Are they making them in Wyoming? I know in the past SKB made a lot of shotguns for them.

Funny you mention rust - I picked up my 870 for 200$ because the guy said it was rusted - otherwise brand new (said he kept it in his truck) I got it and sure enough it had a very fine layer of rust. I just kept at it with Inhibitor VC-80 and now that dust of rust has vanished. My 70s 870 and wife's 16ga 870 haven't had any issues,

The one I have was made in Paso Robles Ca before they moved to Wyoming. I didn’t know too much about them before I purchased but took a look when looking at an A300 and it shouldered so much better and just felt better in the hand so I went with it.

as for the 870 the old ones are good guns the one my dad has from the 80s is in great shape still. The newer ones I wouldn’t trust.. I have a Remington 700 that rusts if you look at it funny after that purchase I have lost just about all faith in Remington

 

[fwafwow]

I have a separate shotgun for everything I could justify owning a shotgun for. I almost always grab my mossberg silver reserve ll over under 20 gauge for when i need to use a shotgun though.

I haven't read through all of the replies, but if you are a "cry once" kind of guy, then you might consider that eventually you will have more than one shotgun for some of these "needs" and go ahead and buy the best one for some of these, and know you will end up buying something else later. (Is that "cry twice"? 3x?). I think you can get by with one, but for me, I usually find the shotgun I use for ducks is not the same that I use for upland hunting. And some upland hunts will require you to use a side by side or O/U, and others may not let you use 12 gauge (even pheasant). Although I have a few shotguns, if I had to do it all over again, I'd swap my Beretta O/U in 12 gauge for a 20 in the exact same model (686 - the base model), and I'd keep my 12 gauge automatic for ducks.

 

[sdfuller]

They all can do everything. Just buy whatever works best for the hunting you’ll be doing the most. My 20ga monte isn’t the best duck gun for the 5 times per year I go, but it sure is for the 20+ days I spend chasing chukar.


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[Holocene]

Lots of great comments on this thread. In general, a 3" 12 or 20 gauge gas autoloader is the gold standard of American shotgunning today. Any of the B guns will work. I'm surprised at the love for inertia driven Benellis on here -- IMHO they are an outdated action and WAY HARDER KICKING than modern gas guns like the Beretta A400 or 300 series, Winchester SX3/SX4/Browning Gold/Maxus (same system) lines. The Fabarm L4S and XLR5 Waterfowler are neat little guns, though reputation is that they can be fussy in cold weather. The Franchi Affinity is basically a Benelli clone, so likewise it will give you a sharper recoil than the gas guns. Our program guns at ODFW are Franchi Affinity 20 gauges. They leave my shoulder more bruised than my 12 gauge Winchester SX3 personal gun.

I shoot of lot of guns at work and am a shotgun coach.

Above all, get a gun that fits your body and lifestyle. If you get in nasty conditions, you'll want something easy and "fun" to clean. Stock/shim kits allow some flexibility on cast, length of pull, drop at comb, etc.

My recommendations for the do-all gun and reasons why:

1. Winchester SX3 or SX4 $800-1000
REALLY soft shooting, easy to clean, reliable, proven design, extra barrels for turkey/deer.
2. Beretta A400 $1400
Soft shooting, easy to clean (though not as easy as SX3)
3. Beretta A300 Outlander
An older Beretta model reincarnated at lower cost. Super good value.
4. Weatherby/Mossberg SA-08
Good value gas autoloader. Needs a trigger job maybe.

 

[sdfuller]

Lots of great comments on this thread. In general, a 3" 12 or 20 gauge gas autoloader is the gold standard of American shotgunning today. Any of the B guns will work. I'm surprised at the love for inertia driven Benellis on here -- IMHO they are an outdated action and WAY HARDER KICKING than modern gas guns like the Beretta A400 or 300 series, Winchester SX3/SX4/Browning Gold/Maxus (same system) lines. The Fabarm L4S and XLR5 Waterfowler are neat little guns, though reputation is that they can be fussy in cold weather. The Franchi Affinity is basically a Benelli clone, so likewise it will give you a sharper recoil than the gas guns. Our program guns at ODFW are Franchi Affinity 20 gauges. They leave my shoulder more bruised than my 12 gauge Winchester SX3 personal gun.

I shoot of lot of guns at work and am a shotgun coach.

Above all, get a gun that fits your body and lifestyle. If you get in nasty conditions, you'll want something easy and "fun" to clean. Stock/shim kits allow some flexibility on cast, length of pull, drop at comb, etc.

My recommendations for the do-all gun and reasons why:

1. Winchester SX3 or SX4 $800-1000
REALLY soft shooting, easy to clean, reliable, proven design, extra barrels for turkey/deer.
2. Beretta A400 $1400
Soft shooting, easy to clean (though not as easy as SX3)
3. Beretta A300 Outlander
An older Beretta model reincarnated at lower cost. Super good value.
4. Weatherby/Mossberg SA-08
Good value gas autoloader. Needs a trigger job maybe.

I think the inertia guns are more popular with 20ga autoloader guys cause there’s a better selection with inertia. I would love for beretta to make an A300 in 20ga at their $7-800 price point, but I’m not about to pay $1400+ for an a400 with the ugly blue or brown anodized receiver.


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[dr.mooseknuckles]

I am a shotgun slut.

I have too many. I have been given some, I have won some, but I have only purchased one myself.

I have a 3.5" Franchi Affinity that I purchased as an "emergency" when the wood foregrip on my Remington 11-87 cracked down the center and replacement parts were 100 miles away (an excellent shotgun for me). This was on an Arkansas Duck hunt. That gun shoots great and is one of my favorite shotguns. I bang flopped a turkey a couple of years ago with a 3.5 inch load at 70 paces. No lie.

I inherited an SBE2 that is great. 26" barrel. I like to use it for turkeys as it's lighter and handles a 3.5 inch shell well for me.
I just won an SBE3 that is also great. I'll duck hunt with it, but may go back to that Affinity.
I have a 20 gauge Franchi Intensity. I turkey hunted with it primarily this past Spring using TSS loads. Bang flopped a Tom at 40 paces. I've duck hunted with it too.

I can't say enough good things about the Franchi's and Benelli's. The Remington's I have (11-87 and 1100 in 12 gauge) are great guns. The 1100 makes it on the rare dove hunt or quail hunt, though the Franchi Intensity is lighter.

Like said above, it's all about fit. I prefer synthetic guns as I beat the hell out of them. They all duck hunt at some point. Eventually I'll get an O/U or SxS for upland birds. I'd really like a cheap SxS to do all bird hunt with.

I have too many shotguns and can always find another reason to make another purchase!!!!

 

[Lrt307]

I've been shooting a Benelli SBE for ten years and have no plans to change. My dad has the Berretta and I do not prefer it in any way. It's also my everything shotgun- upland, waterfowl, turkeys. The overall feel and the shell release mechanism are the biggest factors for me.

We all shoot Beretta a400 and a391. We love em. Some buddies shoot benelli sb2 and sb3. When we trade I cant get back to my a400 soon enough. Its a love them or hate them thing. Must be the $1800 spent has something to do with it haha.

 

[Gmurray70]

I am in the market for a new shotgun. I want to buy once, cry once shotgun and would like to be able to take it pheasant hunting, waterfowl hunting and shoot clay pigeons with it. Does anyone have an suggestions? Any reviews on the Berreta a400 vs Benelli M2? Thanks guys for your help.

If you don’t care about the price you spend then I would go with the Benelli SBE 3 or the supervinci! Both are slick guns and have never heard anything bad about them! They will do it all for you!

 

[TheArdentOutdoorsman]

See which one fits you best. There are quite a few dependable, well built autoloaders that would work great for you. I have the A400 Xtreme and in my opinion I see more features to justify the price tag versus comparable guns. It doesnt quite fit me as well as I'd like so I may make the switch soon to an SX4 but it's been a very dependable workhorse, exceptionally built and gets lots of oohs and ahhs from the duck blind.

 

[JLW66]

I, like many here, have way too many shotguns in the safes. I started life with the remingtons, went to the berettas for sportling clays and then went to benelli for waterfowl and upland game. I bought an M2 years ago for $800 and could not believe that i paid that back then. But, its the best of the bunch so far. light and dependable. I would say find a used one that doesnt sound like a tin can full of nuts and bolts but even they are $800 around this area. I just bought a new SBE 3 and i know thats going to bring out the haters, but after a couple of weeks, its flipping awesome. time will tell if it hangs in there. As many have said before me, most of the time you get what you pay for in life. not all the time, but most of the time. I say buy the best you can and enjoy all aspects of the hunts, days in the field, friends and family. Thats the most important thing. Good luck on your search.

 

[Squincher]

If you have more than a casual interest in clay targets, you need two shotguns.