Help advice on new hunting shotgun

B

BobWalters

New member
Looking for a new shotgun. My spending limit is right around $1,000(ish). Gun will be used for turkey, dove, quail, and ducks. I’d like it to be gas operated rather than recoil inertia or anything else.

First off, my first question here is I’ll be new to turkey hunting, so do I need or should I get a 3.5” gun or will 3” suffice? My aversion to 3.5” guns is the fact that I hear they don’t always reliably cycle the 2 3/4 light load quail shells very well.
Now on to the options:

Remington V3 (3”)
Beretta A300 (3”)
Winchester SX4 (3.5”)
Winchester SX3 (3”)
Remington Versa Max (3.5”)


I know the versa max runs plus 1,000 but I can get a good deal on it through my dealer. If I need 3.5” for turkey and or ducks then people can eliminate the V3 and A300. I’m new to these two hunting types so I don’t know how necessary 3.5” truly is. If 3” will easily suffice what I need or if it’s true that 3.5” shotguns won’t reliably cycle my light quail loads then scratch those off. Unless when comparing the versa max and V3 the versa max is a true better more reliable better stronger made shotgun.


EDIT: I know people are gonna suggest what fits me best so let me say and ask for help with that to, right now every single shotgun I own (5 models) are shotguns I inherited. Up until the last few weeks I never considered or even heard of this “fits you best” thing as I was just accustomed to opening the safe, grabbing an inherited shotgun out, and going on a hunt. I never once considered if it fit. Truth be told I don’t know how to even judge if a shotgun fits me or not.
 
Of the five you've listed, I'd opt for the A300 or Win SXS3. I've never gone after turkey, so really can't help there. I have/use a Mossberg 930 Field I use for a little bit of trap[re. practice], and all my upland bird chasing with. But, those two I mentioned above would be hard to beat. Hope this helps.
Add: those two will reliably shoot any 2.75" or 3" shell, as does my 930.
 
Since this is only going to be a popularity contest, I'd pick the V3. You don't need 3-1/2" for anything in my opinion.
 
Clays?

Have you done any clay target shooting?

A shotgun that fits makes a real difference. Try some clay target shooting for good practice and to learn about fit and point-ability.

Comfort and speed both improve with a well fitting gun.
 
In shotguns...your eye is the rear sight essentially .../ so "Fit" means does the gun Hit where you look.

The idea is --- go to a field or maybe a range...where you can use a "Pattern Board"...ot put up a big piece of cardboard. Put a black dot of about 3" diameter on board.../ screw in a Full choke ...step back to about 20 Yds...mount gun and fire 2 or 3 shells at target ( one at a time ). Make sure you mount the gun like you normally do...and see where it hits.../ if its high,or low...or left or right .../ you need some stock adjustment ( or maybe some coaching on fundamentals).

Some guns have adjustments that can be made to stocks / shims between receiver and stock / some have adjustable or parallel combs...etc..../ in general, the more adjustability a gun has the better ...so you can make it fit. Most of the lower end price options ...do not have adjustment. So take that into account before you buy.

Personally, I think a gun with a 3" chamber is plenty vs 3 1/2" ...remember shotshells are measured after they are fired --- not before. There are a lot of gas guns out there....in general, I prefer the Browning/Winchester system ...or the Beretta system. Some of the older models are just fine / like Browning Gold, etc...

Weight and barrel length are key issues on shotguns too...I'm a pretty big guy at 6'5" and 290 lbs...so I like a gun up around 8 lbs / lighter guns around 7 1/2 lbs tend to be "whippy" in my hands vs smooth on follow thru...and a 30" barrel in a semi-auto ...but I could adapt to a 28" barrel. If you go to a lighter gun, below 8 lbs, then go to the longest barrel you can get, like 30" probably, to give you a longer sight plane..and the longer barrel helps smooth out the swing on a light gun.
 
I don’t know if this is helpful information for how a gun should “fit” but I do remember noticing that when I handled the sx4 I had to lower my head down quite a bit to get a good look at the front sight. When I raised the gun more so I wouldn’t have to lower my head over so much, I got my sight and head and everything even and comfortable but part of the recoil pad was above my shoulder and not up against anything
 
I don’t know if this is helpful information for how a gun should “fit” but I do remember noticing that when I handled the sx4 I had to lower my head down quite a bit to get a good look at the front sight.
Click to expand...
Come on you shotgunners...tell him what is wrong with that.
 
Hopefully it's your last.

What is wrong with one of the 5 shotguns you already have?

I use a 20 ga shooting 2,3/4" Remington 6 shot.
 
"Crabbing" into the stock / Pushing your cheek down into the comb so the gun feels like its in position / causing the recoil pad to come up above your shoulder....is fundamentally a bad idea... because it causes tension in your neck and upper shoulders which is not good for maintaining a smooth swing / it may cause you to overgrip or squeeze the stock too much, especially the forend, and may make you steer the gun vs swing smoothly and cut your follow thru short.

Its an indication that you need a higher comb on the gun ...in order to make it fit better.

Crabbing into the stock may also cause you to raise your muzzle up too...making the Point of Impact higher than you thought the gun was shooting for you.
--------------
There may be nothing wrong with the guns you have...if they fit. Try to get out to a local clay target range...especially around Skeet shooters.../ they have fundamentally figured out Gun Fit for a long time.
--------------
Like your family when I was a kid in the 50's...shotguns were passed down / and we shot what was there. What I didn't know then, was I figured out my favorite gun based on my results...( Killed more birds, gun didn't beat me up, it just felt good )...meaning the stock on that gun, fit me pretty well for the "outfit or clothing" I wore for that game bird. It was the combination of the height and angle of the comb ...and the thickness of the sweater, vest, etc that I wore to hunt that time of year / that got me in the "sweet spot" for that gun. Its also why some of the other guns felt clumsy, beat the stuffing out of me, etc...and never felt right.

Over time...I wanted to shoot all 4 seasons / I sure didn't want to wear a sweater and vest in 90 degree weather...so I figured out what stock dimensions fit me ( sometime in the 80's probably )...and it all came together for me...killed more birds in all seasons, shot better clay target scores, consistency went way up...no neck or shoulder pain even after 3 day tournaments and shooting 500 shells...

For me...I need a monte carlo style stock / all angled combs have only one sweet spot for me ...and on the monte carlo stock I need an adjustable comb. It so happens that on the Browning Citori models ( XS Skeet, XT Trap, etc with a parallel comb ( comb parallel to rib )...that those models fit me almost perfectly. But many if not all of the Citori's with angled combs do not fit me at all...
 
Had a circuit breaker blow in my home office....??...got kicked offline...

But the rest of my point is ...there is a lot to getting the right gun that suits you / not what suits me.

But, as an example...most of the Beretta over unders have a narrow throat, grip area, that is too small in my hands -- it doesn't feel right. The palm swell, thicker grip area, in many of the Browning Citori's feel better to me / to my buddy, he thinks Citori's feel like he's holding a big sewer pipe...( he's probably 6' and 150 lbs / I'm 6'5" and 290...)...overall weight of the gun, overall length of the gun, length of pull, style of recoil pad...all of that matters in selecting a gun to "Fit" you. Its not that Beretta makes a bad Over Under...but they don't fit me ...and the Browning Cynergy, in my view, is very much like the Beretta in terms of feel. My buddy likes a gun around 7 1/2 lbs, in 28" barrel, thinner grip area..../ I like an 8 1/2 lb gun, 30" or 32" barrels ...

You have to go thru the same process on semi-autos.

Ideally you want to shoot as many guns as you can ...before you buy / talk to a lot of guys at your local clay target fields / especially the shooters, that shoot registered targets or tournaments. Some of those guys are bird hunters too...

A semi-auto I like very much is the Beretta A400 Xcell parallel target or the multi target..../ and I know you said no Inertia guns, but I also like the Benelli Super Sport in a 12ga with 30" barrel because you have all kinds of adjustability with all 3 of those guns. But just figure out what gun "Fits you" and you'll be ok. I originally bought the Benelli Super Sport after a cycling accident, and I fractured my shoulder blade...doc said it was ok to shoot, but I couldn't stand the pain of shooting an 8 1/2 lb Over Under...so I went with the 7.2 lb Super Sport ...and it turns out, when my should is bad (after shoulder blade healed, shoulder was still bad - so its since been rebuilt, rotator cuff, torn bicep ...you have to pay for the sins of your youth ... !! ),,,and on days shoulder is bad...I still shoot the Benelli and leave the Brownings at home. Super Sport is also a gun I can travel with on airlines...its a one gun option, that does a lot of things well...hunt upland birds, shoot some clays, etc.../ and I don't have to take 3 guns to do all that.

one trick ...to check mount of your shotgun.../ start with a low gun ...look at a light switch on the wall / stare at it ...close your eyes & don't move your head / then push gun straight out from your body, then go straight up, then go straight back to your should ( don't crab into the comb )... once gun is set on shoulder and comfortable, without moving anything...open your eyes and see if you are still looking down rib at light switch. Try it 5 or 6 times...and see what you find. make sure your elbows are at the correct angles, etc..

If all this stuff is new to you .....go online or to a book store...and find some of the gun digest, paperback books, on shotgunning...most of them talk about gun fit, mounting the gun properly, etc...especially if you find one on Trap and Skeet. Do some online searches on "Shotgun Fit"...and see what pops up...

Good luck in your search...and don't forget to have fun with it !
 
Last edited:
std7mag said:
Hopefully it's your last.

What is wrong with one of the 5 shotguns you already have?

I use a 20 ga shooting 2,3/4" Remington 6 shot.
Click to expand...
The problem with the guns that I have is

Mossberg 500, it’s the tactical version no choke 18.5” barrel
Savage 24d, it’s a single shot 20 gauge full choke(no steel shot)
Remington 11-48, auto 410 with full choke (no steel shot)
Franchi 48al, auto 12 with improved cylinder 2.75 chamber (no steel shot)
James brown, single shot 410 full choke
 
Quote:
I don’t know if this is helpful information for how a gun should “fit” but I do remember noticing that when I handled the sx4 I had to lower my head down quite a bit to get a good look at the front sight.
Come on you shotgunners...tell him what is wrong with that.
Click to expand...

1 - don't fit yourself to the gun; have the gun fitted to you
2 - don't take a good look at the front sight, this is a shotgun, not a rifle (unless you're shooting slugs like a rifle). A shotgun is pointed, not aimed. The hardest concept, especially for handgunners, is NOT focusing on the front sight, but on your target
I am trying to get better with handguns; after 35 years of shotgunning, NOT looking at the front sight is what I know. Trying to do that with handguns, coupled with aging eyes, means lots of trial and error for me.
 
"...need 3.5” for turkey and or ducks..." You don't need 3.5" ammo for either or anything else you plan on hunting. What you need is a barrel with changeable chokes.
"...I had to lower my head..." Stock is wrong. Comb should be higher, I think. LOP might be wrong too. You need to be able to shoulder the thing and have your eye right in line with the bead. Tested by trying it with your eyes closed, shoulder and open. What do you see? Applies to rifles too.
 
T. O'Heir said:
"...need 3.5” for turkey and or ducks..." You don't need 3.5" ammo for either or anything else you plan on hunting. What you need is a barrel with changeable chokes.
"...I had to lower my head..." Stock is wrong. Comb should be higher, I think. LOP might be wrong too. You need to be able to shoulder the thing and have your eye right in line with the bead. Tested by trying it with your eyes closed, shoulder and open. What do you see? Applies to rifles too.
Click to expand...
So based on my assessment the SX4 either would have to be adjusted or simply just isn’t for me?
 
My budget is 1000ish as stated, HOWEVER I checked online with my dealer today and 3 models of Benelli’s are actually more affordable than I thought. I know I said gas only and these are inertia, but how do people feel about these 3 Benelli’s vs the guns I’ve already listed?

M2 field (3”) $1240
Vinci (3”) $1230
Plain walnut Montefeltro (3”) $880

Whatever I get I’d rather have camo synthetic honestly, which is just a personal appearance preference and nothing more, but that Montefeltro comes in at a little under $900 I walnut which I prefer over just plain black synthetic.

Let me just add that if these benelli’s are not 200-$500 better shotguns than the A300 or V3 then I’m gonna forget these. Basically I don’t wanna pay 200-500 to basically have a shotgun marked Benelli and not beretta or Remington and nothing more.
 
Of the guns you are looking at ...the Vinci probably has the most adjustment of the group. So I would recommend you buy that - since you apparently do not know yet what stock dimensions ( drop at comb, drop at heel, lenght of pull, etc )..you need for the gun to fit you.

Benelli inertia guns - that have the comfort tech system in them / will give you about 20% less recoil that a non comfort tech system equipped gun -- and no wood stocked guns will have the comfort tech system in them.

Of the gas guns you mentioned...since you had to "crab" into the SX4, take it off your list. I think the SX3 has a little less drop at comb ...so check it out...or go with the Beretta. The lease desireable gas gun on your list would be the Remington in my view - and you don't need a 3.5" gun in my view.
---------------
Focus on adjustability...buy the gun that has the most adjustability ( to adjust drop at comb, drop at heel, cast on or off, length of pull, etc ).. in a 12ga, 3" chamber and you'll probably be fine.
 
BigJimP said:
Of the guns you are looking at ...the Vinci probably has the most adjustment of the group. So I would recommend you buy that - since you apparently do not know yet what stock dimensions ( drop at comb, drop at heel, lenght of pull, etc )..you need for the gun to fit you.

Benelli inertia guns - that have the comfort tech system in them / will give you about 20% less recoil that a non comfort tech system equipped gun -- and no wood stocked guns will have the comfort tech system in them.

Of the gas guns you mentioned...since you had to "crab" into the SX4, take it off your list. I think the SX3 has a little less drop at comb ...so check it out...or go with the Beretta. The lease desireable gas gun on your list would be the Remington in my view - and you don't need a 3.5" gun in my view.
---------------
Focus on adjustability...buy the gun that has the most adjustability ( to adjust drop at comb, drop at heel, cast on or off, length of pull, etc ).. in a 12ga, 3" chamber and you'll probably be fine.
Click to expand...
You don’t like the V3? I honestly have yet to hear someone say they don’t like that gun. What’s the recoil difference between inertia and gas, guesstimate percentage would do? Only 12 gauges I’ve fired are a mossberg 500 pump tactical from the early 90’s which to me anyway kicks like a mule and a Franchi 48al from the 1960’s which after a full day of quail hunting usually leaves me bruised up as well.
 
I don't care for any of the Remington models...internally, they are not a quality gun in my opinion. Remington semi-autos were in their prime...many years ago when the Rem 1100's and 11-87's were pretty new. They had their run...but its over in my view. Yes, you will find fans of them....but there won't be many, if any, on the clay target fields.

In terms of recoil --- Inertia with comfort tech ...and gas are about the same in my view. Inertia without comfort tech is probably 15% more than gas. All "fixed breech" guns like a pump or semi-auto will give you more recoil than any semi-auto where the action absorbs some of the recoil energy essentially ( like a revolver vs a semi-auto handgun ). When you pick a gun ....looking at the weight of gun is a big factor in recoil...1 lb in weight for a given shell...is about 15% of recoil. A lighter gun is easier to carry in the field...but you will get more recoil.

Bruising in your shoulder is probably a result of poor fundamentals on your mount or as you execute a shot ...or the gun may not fit ( or both ). Without watching you shoot...its hard to tell...but all the more reason to get a gun with adjustment - and work on your fundamentals. Most of these Tactical Shotguns...don't fit most shooters well...so its surprising it beat you up. The Franchi you have is probably beating you up because its light ...or again fundamentals...you may be pushing it around / away from shoulder, etc as your are firing at quail ..losing contact with comb or recoil pad..and its beating you up. You could try adding some "lead golf club tape" 8 oz inside forend ..and 8 oz inside stock / make sure you mark center balance point on gun ( masking tape on side of receiver - and find balance point as you hold it - mark it )...and position lead tape, so you don't change the balance point. I often add 1 lb to my Benelli Super Sport so it feels better and I swing it more smoothly...

Since my guns fit...I can shoot heavy loads ( 1 1/8oz, 1300 fps ) in an 8.5 lb gun all day for 3 days with no bruising and no shoulder pain ...( 500 shells or so easily )...and that's even with only half a bicep and a rebuilt shoulder. But 90% of the time in a 12ga, I shoot a 1 oz load of 8's at around 1225 fps as my "go to" load for Skeet, Sporting Clays and 5 stand .../ and shooting 1000 shells in 3 days is no big deal.
 
Last edited:
BigJimP said:
I don't care for any of the Remington models...internally, they are not a quality gun in my opinion. Remington semi-autos were in their prime...many years ago when the Rem 1100's and 11-87's were pretty new. They had their run...but its over in my view. Yes, you will find fans of them....but there won't be many, if any, on the clay target fields.

In terms of recoil --- Inertia with comfort tech ...and gas are about the same in my view. Inertia without comfort tech is probably 15% more than gas. All "fixed breech" guns like a pump or semi-auto will give you more recoil than any semi-auto where the action absorbs some of the recoil energy essentially ( like a revolver vs a semi-auto handgun ). When you pick a gun ....looking at the weight of gun is a big factor in recoil...1 lb in weight for a given shell...is about 15% of recoil. A lighter gun is easier to carry in the field...but you will get more recoil.

Bruising in your shoulder is probably a result of poor fundamentals on your mount or as you execute a shot ...or the gun may not fit ( or both ). Without watching you shoot...its hard to tell...but all the more reason to get a gun with adjustment - and work on your fundamentals. Most of these Tactical Shotguns...don't fit most shooters well...so its surprising it beat you up. The Franchi you have is probably beating you up because its light ...or again fundamentals...you may be pushing it around / away from shoulder, etc as your are firing at quail ..losing contact with comb or recoil pad..and its beating you up. You could try adding some "lead golf club tape" 8 oz inside forend ..and 8 oz inside stock / make sure you mark center balance point on gun ( masking tape on side of receiver - and find balance point as you hold it - mark it )...and position lead tape, so you don't change the balance point. I often add 1 lb to my Benelli Super Sport so it feels better and I swing it more smoothly...

Since my guns fit...I can shoot heavy loads ( 1 1/8oz, 1300 fps ) in an 8.5 lb gun all day for 3 days with no bruising and no shoulder pain ...( 500 shells or so easily )...and that's even with only half a bicep and a rebuilt shoulder. But 90% of the time in a 12ga, I shoot a 1 oz load of 8's at around 1225 fps as my "go to" load for Skeet, Sporting Clays and 5 stand .../ and shooting 1000 shells in 3 days is no big deal.
Click to expand...
That Franchi doesn’t even have a recoil pad, it’s just has a plastic plate on the end of the stock that is super thin. No rubber padding at all. And it is light, I’d say 7ish pounds empty. The V3 praise that I have come across is massive. Especially from Randy Wakeman. Mostly in the hunting community both waterfowl and upland people seem to think it’s the best on the market today for the price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top