Best auto for feeding low brass

H

Hiker 1

New member
I'm thinking of getting an auto for trap, skeet and birds. I want something that feeds low brass very well. Thoughts?
 
'Low brass ' and 'high brass' don't have much meaning anymore .It's the pressure and charge weight that matters not the construction of the shell.
 
Most any will work just fine. How much you want to spend? Beretta, Benelli, Remington, Winchester and several others make guns that will suit your needs
 
>>'Low brass ' and 'high brass' don't have much meaning anymore<<

In fact, if you mentioned these terms to today's "youngsters" they'd have no idea what you were talking about. Most commercial loads nowadays are low brass, so any modern shotgun is designed to shoot either.
 
Hiker 1,
The Beretta autos are very popular on the target fields. Something from the $645 Standard 3901 (recently extolled by .300 Weatherby Mag) to the $3,975 UGB25 Xcel Sporting will fit your needs.
 
Budget ??

Do you want a "gas operated gun" or an "inertia gun" ??

+1 on the other comments / high and low brass are irrelevent ...but some semi-autos don't seem to like "Light target loads" around 1150 fps / or anything below 1200 fps .../ although the newer guns are getting better at cycling a wider variety of shells.

Remington makes a shell they call a "Nitro" in low brass ....with 1 1/8oz of shot at 1300 fps ..../ that will flat clear out your sinuses ...as a " max Dram EQ or a Handicap distance - Sporting clays or Trap shell in 7 1/2's " ....and somewhere - some dumbass convinced himself that he needed a few cases of them - when they were on sale a few yrs ago for $ 50 for 10 boxes --- so, "it was me" --- and I bought 10 cases ! But I usually give them to my 32 yr old son to shoot / and then I make sure he understands not to drop them in the dirt ...I want them clean so they can be reloaded for "normal" shells... He's starting to figure out why I'm making him shoot them ...but he can't beat the price ( they're free ) ...
 
Well I want something I can run Remington sport loads 2 3/4 length, #8 shot. You can get pack of 100 at Wally for about $23 and I want to be able to go up to 3 inch mag as well.

Budget would be no more than $1000 and I would certainly buy used as well.

Thanks for the input!
 
In that budget range ....you have quite a few choices ....look at the Beretta offerings 391's and 3901's / and the Winchester SX3's or Browning Silver series. Browning owns Winchester now ...so they're basically the same gun.

All of those guns are gas operated ...and good solid options.

There are some less expensive semi-autos on the market .....Mossberg, Stoeger, Franchi, etc ....and all of them have pretty mixed reviews...some good/some terrible....

Picking a shotgun is all about "Fit" - so the gun hits where you look / because the rear sight is your eye. There are a lot of subtle issues on shotguns / like is there any adjustabilty built into the gun --- like changeable shims between the receiver and the stock, adjustable combs, etc .../ but stay with something in a 28" or 30" barrel and in a 12ga / and you'll find a lot of guns chambered in 3" ( so you can shoot 2 3/4" or 3" shells). I'm presuming you were talking about "Remington Gun Club" shells - they're a cheaper alternative to the more expensive Remington STS shells ...and they're decent shells. You might also look around for RIO /or maybe Estate shells ...sometimes gunclubs in your area might sell flats of 10 boxes for a good deal.

Ideally before you buy --- you should shoot a number of different guns /and try and figure out what "Fits" you ....length of pull, drop at comb, drop at heel, etc ...are pretty big deals. Most stocks can be modified / with stick on comb pads, etc to adjust the fit ....and some guns come with shims and some don't ...

Have fun with your search ...
 
This gun might be a good choice ....

Beretta 3901 target - around $ 800 - $ 900 probably
http://www.berettausa.com/products/3901-target-rl-12/26/

Here are links to Browning and Win ...

In Browning semi-autos …in the silver series I like the Silver Hunter …and I still see them selling in my area for under $ 900.

http://www.browning.com/products/ca...11&type_id=350&content=silver-hunter-firearms

here’s one of the Win SX 3’s …almost identical to the Browning options…

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=017C&mid=511053
 
Big Jim, my friend, the Beretta 3901 Target is a great gun, but…
It's a youth-sized comp gun that Beretta offers at an attractive price to encourage young shooters. It's a super deal for youngsters and small women.
 
Woops ....( thanks for catching that Zippy ...) no wonder its cheap ...:o

That's what I get for pretending I know anything about Berettas ....I'll go back to my Browning site where I belong ....:cool:

--------------------------
OP ...please replace my ignorant recommendation ....with this one ...but a little over your budget maybe ...but a pretty good gun ....and its probably selling new in the area of $ 1,250 or so ....

http://www.berettausa.com/products/al391-urika-2-parallel-target-sl-x-tra-grain/
 
BigJimP - thanks for the great info! I have a good ole' Remington 870, but it's time to kick it up a notch as I have been getting into skeet lately and will probably transition into pheasant hunting next season.

What's the advantage of gas vs inertia systems? Any difference in reliability.
 
I'm thinking of getting an auto for trap, skeet and birds. I want something that feeds low brass very well. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

As Zippy stated, I'm quite a fan of the Beretta 3901.. It feeds the low brass without a hitch... One caution, it is recommended that at a minimum you shoot 2 3/4, 1 1/8 ounce, 3 Dram loads to allow for proper cycling. These are the standard 12 gauge, 1200 FPS loads used for skeet and standard game loads. Although I haven't tried it in this gun, other gas operated autos are fussy about cycling the 2 3/4 DRAM loads, my 1100 being one of them. So you are not able to use many of the light or low recoil loads, which isn't a big deal as the gas system soaks up much of the recoil anyway..
 
Once you're through the break in period, all of the newer autoloaders will cycle the standard 1 1/8 oz loads. I shoot a 12 ga 7/8 load at about 1200 fps, and have no trouble with it cycling through my 390 or 391. It also cycles well through my youngest sons Silver. It's hit and miss in my 11-87 Trap.
 
My Winchester 1400 has never let me down on the skeet range :) Seriously, I got it for $260 in '89.

But seriously, I've heard nothing but good things about the 3901. I'm looking of a cheap used on myself.
 
Gas vs Inertia ....in my opinion ..

Gas guns shoot a little softer / unless the inertia gun has some kind of built in recoil supression / like the Benelli comfort tech system on their synthetic stocks.

Todays gas guns cycle pretty quickly.../ old technology not so much.

Inertia guns shoot a lot cleaner - because the gas does not cycle the action ... and they cycle quickly ...

Inertia guns are often lighter / maybe three quarters of a pound or more ...

I like the Inertia guns / like the Benelli Super Sport model - because its Inertia and it has a lot of built in adjustability. But nothing wrong with the Beretta or Browning / WIN gas guns either. Even the Rem 1100 and 11-87 can be fit with a nice parallel and adj comb system by Jack West's company in southern Oregon / making them a good option as well - especially if you find a good clean used one that has screw in chokes.
 
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