Best 12 ga for $600

Prof Young

New member
Shotgunners:

Suppose I have $600 and wanna buy a new general purpose 12g a. I'll shoot clays with it, turkey hunt, crow hunt and may throw on a rifled barrel for deer hunting. Auto or pump no preference, and NOT A REMINGTON.
What should I look at?

Live well, be safe.
Prof Young
 
Just a couple to look at...

Browning
Benelli

Basically, a Browning BPS or Benelli Nova/Supernova would be around that price range, both very nice guns, both not Remington. I really like the Benellis, never handled the Browning BPS, but it sure does look great, and Browning has a good name.

BTW, regardless of price range, local shops and online will get you more gun for the money than your local SUPERSTORE.
 
go with the most reliable thing you can think of, Remington 870 would be my choice i personally own 2 a 16 gauge and a 12 gauge and have never had a single problem with either.
 
Beretta 3901 autoloader.

Yes!!!

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weatherby

I have never heard a bad remark about Weatherby SA-08. I have been wanting one in 20 gauge. $475, light weight, and handles light and heavy loads.
 
Beretta 3901 or AL 390. My old 390 had done everthing I could ever ask of semi auto shotgun.


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I have a maverick model 88. They are made by mossberg (in mexico, if it matters) and I really like it. Ive got an IC barrel with ironsights, and an odd adjustable one with IC, mod, and full. It is my go to gun, but I dont own many high dollar guns, so on your budget you could probably buy a little more gun, or buy a model 88 and a reloader.
But whatever you buy, make sure it fits you first.
 
For the money your talking, go with a Beretta. The 3901 in my sons pics above are just the latest in a long line of really quality guns from Beretta. I hunted in mexico for 15 years and two of my buddies bought a model of Beretta from Bower Wholesale in LA. They were a 302 but had no checkering and had a plain barrel. These guns sold for $250, a real bargain even back in the early eighties. Then Beretta ran a special on vent rib barrels and they bought those for I believe it was $150 w/ choke tubes. So they had a vent rib auto w/ screw in chokes for about a hundred less than an 1100 cost then.They shot those guns for eight seasons down there and that is like a lifetime here with the volume of shells fired. We are talking doves to ducks, 1 1/8 Oz. to 1 1/2 Oz loads FOR YEARS. The secret I believe is in the teflon coated magazine tube. Once the bluing started to wear off my left handed 1100's magazine the reliability was over. Right about 5000 rounds in that fine dusty environment in Mexico. Any cheaper guns we tried only made it two years at best. Beretta, it's time to build a lefty!
 
two of my buddies bought a model of Beretta from Bower Wholesale in LA
Those were the happy times. I bought two O/Us, accessories and tons of components from Bowers starting in the late 60s. The last time I got components, they'd moved to the OC, but the next time I tried, they'd closed -- they're are missed.
 
You got that right. Bowers was the place to be on a rainy day. If I would have carried a credit card in those days, I would be divorced right now.
 
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