Bill Akins
New member
Gaseousclay, you can get a semi-auto for the same price as a pump. If you have ever rapid fired a 12 gauge semi-auto from the hip, (or ever have a HD need to rapid fire one), you can spit out five shells in less time than you can rapidly count to five. The same cannot be said for a pump. Also you can short stroke a pump in a HD emergency situation and that could cost your life. That won't happen with a semi-auto.
I would recommend you to a Remington model 11, 12 gauge, semi-auto. It is a clone of the Browning auto five. You can buy one for less than $150.00 if you shop a bit on GB. I have two I bought off GB. One I got for $151.99 with a full choke 30 inch barrel and the other for $140.00 with a 23 inch barrel with Cutts compensator with a full choke, modified choke, and spreader choke tubes that screw into the Cutts comp. I plan to cut the barrel down even further and reinstall the Cutts comp. That way it has a short barrel for HD that being cut is chamber bore, but....with the Cutts comp removable different chokes on it, it now is choked again and I can select from full choke, modified choke, and the spreader tube. So even though it will have a very short barrel for HD, I can still also use it for hunting since it will be rechoked again with the re-installation of the Cutts comp. You can do this with any adjustable choke too, it doesn't just have to be the Cutts comp choke.
You can easily cut down a long barrel and either reinstall the front sight bead, or if it's just going to be for HD, leave the bead off. You don't need it for close up. Cutting the barrel will remove any choke the barrel has and make it chamber bore. Which will give you more spread,...which is good for HD.
Or you can cut the barrel down and reinstall the adjustable choke (if it comes with one). Then you have a short barrel for HD, and since you put the adjustable choke back on it, it can also reach out and shoot skeet, birds or whatever. So then you have a short barrel, very handy to move around in tight quarters, HD shotgun, while not sacrificing its range and ability to use for hunting. The best of both situations.
The nice thing about the Remington model 11, is not only the price, but chiefly that they were made from 1911 to 1947 and they are all steel and wood. No plastic, no cast parts, no picatinny rails nor bells and whistles, just all machined steel made with old school hand fitted quality. They truly are "sleepers" (and undeservedly often ignored by todays shooter's shopping), in that in this age of "tacticool" plastic stocks and plastic trigger guards, cast parts, low quality, these old Remington model 11's are quality semi-auto shotguns that you can get for less than a used Mossberg Maverick, low end pump. You absolutely can't go wrong on the quality and price.
I was telling my cousin about my Remy 11's, and he went to a pawn shop this week and picked him up a nice 12 gauge one for $200.00 total out the door, and loves it for all the reasons I stated. He showed it to me yesterday evening and thanked me profusely for steering him into getting one.
For $150.00 or even less, for a old school quality, semi-auto, you just can't beat nor go wrong with a Remington model 11. Trust me on this. Once you get one you'll like it so much you will be shopping for another one. I did, and now I'm shopping for my third one. If you get one, just make sure you understand how to set the friction rings adjustment for heavy or lighter loads, so that you won't batter the bolt and firing pin nor split the fore end from improper setting of the friction rings. It's easy and a breeze to set them for whatever load you are going to shoot. But you'd be surprised how many people neglect to do that and that is the chief reason Remy 11's and Browning auto fives have splits in the bottom of their wooden fore ends. Easily avoidable if you know how to set the friction rings for your load.
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I would recommend you to a Remington model 11, 12 gauge, semi-auto. It is a clone of the Browning auto five. You can buy one for less than $150.00 if you shop a bit on GB. I have two I bought off GB. One I got for $151.99 with a full choke 30 inch barrel and the other for $140.00 with a 23 inch barrel with Cutts compensator with a full choke, modified choke, and spreader choke tubes that screw into the Cutts comp. I plan to cut the barrel down even further and reinstall the Cutts comp. That way it has a short barrel for HD that being cut is chamber bore, but....with the Cutts comp removable different chokes on it, it now is choked again and I can select from full choke, modified choke, and the spreader tube. So even though it will have a very short barrel for HD, I can still also use it for hunting since it will be rechoked again with the re-installation of the Cutts comp. You can do this with any adjustable choke too, it doesn't just have to be the Cutts comp choke.
You can easily cut down a long barrel and either reinstall the front sight bead, or if it's just going to be for HD, leave the bead off. You don't need it for close up. Cutting the barrel will remove any choke the barrel has and make it chamber bore. Which will give you more spread,...which is good for HD.
Or you can cut the barrel down and reinstall the adjustable choke (if it comes with one). Then you have a short barrel for HD, and since you put the adjustable choke back on it, it can also reach out and shoot skeet, birds or whatever. So then you have a short barrel, very handy to move around in tight quarters, HD shotgun, while not sacrificing its range and ability to use for hunting. The best of both situations.
The nice thing about the Remington model 11, is not only the price, but chiefly that they were made from 1911 to 1947 and they are all steel and wood. No plastic, no cast parts, no picatinny rails nor bells and whistles, just all machined steel made with old school hand fitted quality. They truly are "sleepers" (and undeservedly often ignored by todays shooter's shopping), in that in this age of "tacticool" plastic stocks and plastic trigger guards, cast parts, low quality, these old Remington model 11's are quality semi-auto shotguns that you can get for less than a used Mossberg Maverick, low end pump. You absolutely can't go wrong on the quality and price.
I was telling my cousin about my Remy 11's, and he went to a pawn shop this week and picked him up a nice 12 gauge one for $200.00 total out the door, and loves it for all the reasons I stated. He showed it to me yesterday evening and thanked me profusely for steering him into getting one.
For $150.00 or even less, for a old school quality, semi-auto, you just can't beat nor go wrong with a Remington model 11. Trust me on this. Once you get one you'll like it so much you will be shopping for another one. I did, and now I'm shopping for my third one. If you get one, just make sure you understand how to set the friction rings adjustment for heavy or lighter loads, so that you won't batter the bolt and firing pin nor split the fore end from improper setting of the friction rings. It's easy and a breeze to set them for whatever load you are going to shoot. But you'd be surprised how many people neglect to do that and that is the chief reason Remy 11's and Browning auto fives have splits in the bottom of their wooden fore ends. Easily avoidable if you know how to set the friction rings for your load.
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