Waterfowl/Turkey/Deer

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Looking to buy my first shotgun and have done countless research on the matter but like everything else, there is always more to research and learn. I plan on using it primary for Waterfowl and Turkey hunts but in Massachusetts you can only hunt deer with a shotgun so I will be using it for that as well. I really like the Benelli Super Eagle III and the Beretta A400 XTREME PLUS due to the excellent quality and reliability I have read about. Of course this comes at a big price tag as well but I have never shined away from paying for quality on anything I buy, but if I can get comparable quality at a better price I am all for that as well...

So here is what I have pondered over the two and things I like and things I worry about. I have held both in my hands and to be honest both feel equally as good. Sorry for all the comments and questions but figured this is the best forum to ask.

Benelli SEIII
* Love the feel, and it is a sexy gun, aesthetics are not important, function reliability and dependability are.
* Cycle issues? I have heard there are some.
* Shoots high and to the left? OK so people say you adjust for that or shim it to adjust for that, but for that money should you really have to?
* Quality? I hear it is among the best and will last a very long time.
* Price? Yup it is high but not crazy when it comes to quality.
* Camo, or not? Looks like you can save a couple of bones by going with a black stock is camo really that important for all three intentions I am using it for?
* Recoil? I am a bigger framed person so not really worried about recoil but would be good to know how these compare.

Beretta A400 XTREME PLUS.

* Love the feel
* Can't find any issue on line about cycling issues or any other problems. Are there any?
* I hear it is very good out of the box does not shoot high
* Camo? Same question as above.
* Recoil? So I hear for a shotgun it is one of the softest recoil shotguns due to the KO system in the stock. Makes for fast accurate follow up shots that will fire extremely quick? Can anyone verify.
* Follow up question is there a significant recoil difference between the two?

ANY OTHER OPTIONS you would suggest that would give excellent performance, quality and reliability at a reduced price?
Thanks in advance really appreciate the informative feedback on all of this.

Mark
 
All I can say is I own sbeII and love it. Never had any issues with cycling light loads. Little recoil. I’ve shot the beretta A400 that was nice as well. You can’t go wrong with either.

edit. Also stoeger is the value end of the benelli inertia system. My opinion there just as nice. My 2 cents
 
Sound like you're a novice hunter and making decisions based on others exclusively.

I'd save the money spent and just get a pump until you figured out for yourself what works for you. The gun will be dropped, dunked, slammed and muddied up. Basically it's going to get ruined until you get past those learning humps. Keep in mind that what you wear in the field being- jackets, hat, glasses, gloves and weather conditions all have an effect. Also what works in the trap and skeet fields don't translate over exactly when in the woods.

I'd say try not to over analyze it for force the first purchase. Borrow a 12ga if you can and use your own field experience to drive the want/needs and apply that to the decision making.
 
Sound like you're a novice hunter and making decisions based on others exclusively.

I'd save the money spent and just get a pump until you figured out for yourself what works for you. The gun will be dropped, dunked, slammed and muddied up. Basically it's going to get ruined until you get past those learning humps. Keep in mind that what you wear in the field being- jackets, hat, glasses, gloves and weather conditions all have an effect. Also what works in the trap and skeet fields don't translate over exactly when in the woods.

I'd say try not to over analyze it for force the first purchase. Borrow a 12ga if you can and use your own field experience to drive the want/needs and apply that to the decision making.
This 100%. A benefit to a cheap pump is they work. A cheap mossy 500 or rem 870 . You beat the heck of them and when you figure out your exact needs you will graduate from them. Or be like me and just really enjoy a pump.
 
This 100%. A benefit to a cheap pump is they work. A cheap mossy 500 or rem 870 . You beat the heck of them and when you figure out your exact needs you will graduate from them. Or be like me and just really enjoy a pump.


Not to mention hunting guns get beat up pretty good in the woods, and IDK if I would want to be toting around a 2K dollar shotgun in the woods. I would much rather bang-up an 870 or Mossy 500 then anything costing thousands of dollars... If I scratched up a Benelli SBE I would be pissed... But my Remmy 11-87... hell, that's a badge of honor...

Trust me, the deer won't know the difference.
 
I can only relay my limited experiences, which unfortunately dont include the options you listed, but as a relatively new hunter and shotgunner i can speak on a few points.

The first shotgun i owned was a newly made 870 express. It was the tactical model, and sort of sucked.The slide locked up inexplicably and then unlock with 0 effort applied. Rusted just from taking it out of the case. Dumped it after like 2 range trips and am happy i did. Id avoid new remingtons but it seems like youll do that.

When I decided to try hunting i decided on an all purpose shotgun, 12ga, and semiauto as it would probably give me the widest range of applications. I bought a mossberg 930 and its been great. I vastly prefer the tang safety and its fed every low brass bird load and heavy slug ive fed it. For $500 i dont think you can beat it. Theres a decent afternarket for it too if theres something youre into changing.

I would also say that while hunting, especially waterfowl, i wouldnt want an expensive gun id be tempted to baby. The finish on my 930 has held up great after a lot of time in the field.
 
(Not to discount any of the above pragmatics, but)...

How much should OP be concerned about preferring a make/model
which naturally aims where he wants when it's shouldered?

Ah, like in the "Stocks" section of this store's article.

Is winnowing out shotguns that Just Don't Fit so mandatory that it's implicit?

Or are most all shotguns so quickly adjustable with shims (or saws [shocked] )
that it usually doesn't matter enough to affect the choice
unless you have a really unusual size or stance?

People obsess over fit when buying skis or bicycles or ...
(And have buyer's remorse when neglecting the issue).

Even (especially?) picking a My First Hunting Shotgun,
where does proper fit fall in the shopping process?
 
I am no shotgun expert but I went through the same process a couple of years ago. I settled on a remington v3, 28 inch barrel, 12 gauge. I wanted one gun for everything except for slugs. For deer I use an inline.

I hunted turkey with it. Took two birds so far. Length was not an issue and I hunt in some thick stuff. I also want to hunt birds one day with it but I have not had the opportunity yet. Great gun. I have shot some clays with it. It is a great gun for it, I just have no idea what I am doing :)
 
Go to your Club. Talk to the clay shooters. They'll let you try out their toys, most likely. The one that feels right is the one you want.
I half agree. I have shot clays with a Weatherby pa08 on the low end and others high end trap and skeet guns. But I feel most comfortable hunting with an 870 . These guns are not the same while hunting. I do agree about what feels right feels right
 
Every year hunting duck getting in/out the kayak I always drop the gun some how and its get into the water, weeds and mud. Happened twice this year, its not that I am clumsy it just happens.
I hunt a lot, 4-5 time a week so my odds are higher but it will happen, as much as I would enjoy a nicer gun the amount of scratches and water that has been threw this 870 is crazy but still works.

Plus you will be hunting in rain and snow, leaning the gun against a truck tire, tree or rock to get gear on or take a leak, slinging it with rope or cord to pull it up a to you in a stand, it will get banged around and I want something I know will work but could care less about looks.

Plus making in the field mods to the gun happens, like figuring out your buddy forget to install his plug for duck/goose, so you find a small twig break it off sand it down with a knife blade and jam that into his tube.
Or when that one guy who wont drill his nice stock to put a sling on his gun because the "finish is to nice" drops it a few times dragging his/your deer out and wines about it all the way out, or you make a make shift sling out of para cord and duck tape it to the butt of his stock, yes that happened.

By all means buy what you want, but expect damage and don't cry when it happens cause its going to.
 
Sound like you're a novice hunter and making decisions based on others exclusively.

I'd save the money spent and just get a pump until you figured out for yourself what works for you. The gun will be dropped, dunked, slammed and muddied up. Basically it's going to get ruined until you get past those learning humps. Keep in mind that what you wear in the field being- jackets, hat, glasses, gloves and weather conditions all have an effect. Also what works in the trap and skeet fields don't translate over exactly when in the woods.

I'd say try not to over analyze it for force the first purchase. Borrow a 12ga if you can and use your own field experience to drive the want/needs and apply that to the decision making.
Browning BPS, never a hiccup in 30 years, trap, or hunting with a rifled barrel for deer and a smooth bore for birds
 
I half agree. I have shot clays with a Weatherby pa08 on the low end and others high end trap and skeet guns. But I feel most comfortable hunting with an 870 . These guns are not the same while hunting. I do agree about what feels right feels right

It's easier to try guns on at a range, than out in the field [wink]. My point was that buying Gun X from ads, reviews, videos or word of mouth may not be the best course. I have a beater A5 that's my Trap gun - it fits me, physically and mentally - but if I were hunting upland birds, I'd take a Parker. My kid's Trap gun....I hate it. I can shoot it, but the balance, stock geometry, weight distribution, and recoil impulse are all not to my liking. Other than that, it's fine! [laugh]

If OP is in a position where ONE gun has to be used for multiple disciplines, they'll need something that works OK for each, though it may not be ideal for any one of them.
 
I love my 870 Wingmaster, but I don’t really hunt anymore due to other commitments. I will echo what everyone else is saying in that whatever you buy will take a beating early and often.

As for the Benelli shooting high and left, that’s indicative of pushing the trigger, and with all the layers one might be wearing during a day in the field, it can be tough to get that stock locked in properly and tight. That’s something that easily fixed with practice and maybe getting an adjustable comb, though that’s a more expensive route to take.

Good luck - both the Benelli and Beretta are great options. I picked up a Beretta 682 Gold E Skeet here last year and love it, and have had Benellis in the past. Both are well built machines and easy to maintain. That said, I always end up going back to my Citori...
 
Every year hunting duck getting in/out the kayak I always drop the gun some how and its get into the water, weeds and mud. Happened twice this year, its not that I am clumsy it just happens.
I hunt a lot, 4-5 time a week so my odds are higher but it will happen, as much as I would enjoy a nicer gun the amount of scratches and water that has been threw this 870 is crazy but still works.

Plus you will be hunting in rain and snow, leaning the gun against a truck tire, tree or rock to get gear on or take a leak, slinging it with rope or cord to pull it up a to you in a stand, it will get banged around and I want something I know will work but could care less about looks.

Plus making in the field mods to the gun happens, like figuring out your buddy forget to install his plug for duck/goose, so you find a small twig break it off sand it down with a knife blade and jam that into his tube.
Or when that one guy who wont drill his nice stock to put a sling on his gun because the "finish is to nice" drops it a few times dragging his/your deer out and wines about it all the way out, or you make a make shift sling out of para cord and duck tape it to the butt of his stock, yes that happened.

By all means buy what you want, but expect damage and don't cry when it happens cause its going to.

Someone who gets it...
 
Everyone, thanks so much for all the constructive feedback. It is great and very helpful. Went deer hunting in upstate NY this past week at a buddy of mines cabin. Hundreds of acres of private land, quads, and permanent tree stands all over the property. I used a 30.06 he had that shot EXCELLENT at 100 yards. I mounted it on a quad and we did some walking as well in which it got clanked and hit with branches etc... which when you all were talking about taking a beating in the field reminded me of that. The rifle he lent me was used and had scratches and marks on it but worked perfectly! The thread has brought me back to reality on one thing. Its gonna get dirty, its gonna get beat up a bit especially since my hunting for the most part will not be in pristine conditions like my buddies place and land.

With that being said, I am looking for a reliable, dependable, well built workhorse at a price that will achieve all around hunting( even if it may be a jack of all trades, master of none) without having to worry about scratching up that "Ferrari".

So with that in mind what would your suggestions be that I should take a look at? Best Bang for your buck? I hear many people talk about the Remington 870 but my question on Remington is the issues I hear of them having since they were bought some time ago. Remington name has always been a staple in shotguns and rifles but is it still today or are there better options out there at price points. I definitely want to stick to semi auto's and am thinking of 26" or 28" barrel but leaning more towards the 26". Gas driven have always been preferable to me as well. I don't mind cleaning, in fact I kind of enjoy it.

Thanks in advance.
 
Used guns are still guns. I bought a used Remington Model 11 (A5 clone) because it was already...aged. now I have no fear of using it in the woods.

In your question of paying for camo, I'm sure every tiny bit helps, but if you do your job right, the color of your stick should be a tiny fraction. Not to mention, if it's the wrong pattern for your AO is it any better than black? If you really want to tart it up, paint your own pattern on the gun.
 
My 870 has been bullet proof, but is from the late 90s/early 2000s and has at least 1-15.K rounds through it. I’m not sure when their quality changed, but I agree buying used is a good way to go. I’ve met some great people, not just sellers, here on this forum.

Consider getting an old Browning A5. Those things won’t die no matter how much stress you put it under. A 28” barrel will be more versatile while the 26” is more compact. For a do-it-all shotgun, go 28”.
 
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