Need recommendations, duck gun

Any trigger time with Mossbergs auto? Im not sure that I have ever seen one, curious as to how they perform. Does anyone think that wet or cold weather would give an advantage to inertial v gas mechanisms?
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I would not rely on a Mossberg semi-auto shotgun in harsh weather. Wet and cold favor an Inertia gun over a gas gun in terms of reliability. When we shoot 3Gun matches in the rain, the gas guns go down and the Benellis keep on running. There is a known issue with the VMs and wet...in fact one of the design consultants has told them how to fix it, but they have not done so.

First choice for me would be Benelli, then Stoeger, but with a budget of $2500, just go with the best and get the Benelli.
 
Whats the known issues with the versa max and wet conditions? Never heard of it. When shooting in the cold its more about lube selection and application not wether its gas or inertia. There are a lot of people out there that will tell you inertia guns are prone to jamming and vice versa. Fit is definitely most important.
 
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Won't cycle on the first round. The pistons get some moisture and they retard the action. The Benelli M4, which has the same system, has a slightly different treatment of the cylinder walls specifically to account for this.
 
Any trigger time with Mossbergs auto? Im not sure that I have ever seen one, curious as to how they perform.
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I have a 930. I ran an assortment of shells through it to test what it could cycle. A mix of pretty much anything available in factory load at a big box store. Ran them all. I don't like the way it feels though. I would describe it as clunky.

I had an 11-87 before that was much sleeker. I didn't like the blue finish and had reliability problems with high volume shooting. Past a few hundred rounds and only with cheap trap loads that were pretty dirty.

I'm currently selling my 930 and looking for a Benelli M2.

SOmething odd I've noticed, and this isn't scientific, but polymer stocks seem to recoil harder against my cheek than wood stocks. I had both types of stock for my 11-87 and the polymer hit my cheek much harder. I've fired both in Moss 500s and Rem 870s and the polymers always seem to kick harder on my cheek. My 930 isn't unpleasant against my shoulder, but it hits my cheek hard.
I don't have any good reason for this and it has only been a few examples of each, so I am still questioning the observation myself. I am looking at the wood stock Benelli's though.
 
The only difference in reliability between a gas action, and an inertia action, or a recoil action, is in the owner/shooter. This includes using the RIGHT lube in temps down to minus 11 F. I have hunted from the Gulf Coast to the the Netley Marshes in Canada and I have not seen any issues with ANY Winchester SX3, Browning Silver or Maxus, Remington 1100, 11-87, or VersaMax, Beretta 390 or newer, Benelli M1 or SBE2 or Vinci or Super Vinci when being used by a competent individual. I don't know about Mossbergs, I just don't remember seeing anybody shooting one. Check them all out and get the one that you like best. It's 2015, semi auto shotguns from name brand manufacturers mostly just work.
 
SOmething odd I've noticed, and this isn't scientific, but polymer stocks seem to recoil harder against my cheek than wood stocks. I had both types of stock for my 11-87 and the polymer hit my cheek much harder. I've fired both in Moss 500s and Rem 870s and the polymers always seem to kick harder on my cheek.
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If you are feeling recoil against your cheek, the shotgun is improperly fit to you. One of the big benefits of the Benelli shotguns, and the higher end VMs is the ability to change the fit easily due to the shims, spacers and risers in the stock system. Yes, it adds $, but it is well worth it to me.
 
Ok in the usual non-firing manner I went to the local gun-mart two weeks ago and shouldered, swung and fiddled with the following: A400, SBE II, Rem Versamax, Browning Maxius, and the Sx3. Immediately, and despite my strong bias to purchase an American gun, I gravitated to the SBE II. The A400 had a very nice build and feel but I simply didn't find the extra $400 on the price tag justified. The other shotguns simply felt bulky, didn't pop to the shoulder as swiftly as the SBE, and lastly, they all had a little wiggle in the fore-stock. Perhaps its my love of fine rifles that compels me to purchase a shotgun without that wiggle, but to me, no non-mechanical part of the shotgun should fit loosely, or have play (and yes I tightened the tube caps). If the fit and finish of the stocks is less than ideal, what engineering tolerances can be expected for the functional components and barrel. Well anyhow, no regrets thus far. I have since picked up some Carlson's solid chokes and been out in the rain on a handful of hunts. The gun goes bang and throws steel just like the rest. We'll see how the weekend goes.
 
No MarKCO, but I obviously have at least as much as you. And your first round won't shoot stuff on the VersaMax is PURE BS. Somebody is doing something wrong. And I think you are confusing marketing engineers with design engineers. I have done both. I have shot all the guns, and I know and understand how they work. There is no magic, it's all just physics. Benelli has the best marketing on the planet, but that doesn't faze me, while it does impress me. Hell, it amazes me. How they get people to spend what they do for a very simple action is amazing. I think the Franchi inertia guns, also owned by Beretta, are just as good for a lot less money. If I was going to shoot 1,000 rounds of dirty duck loads per outing, I would probably be more interested in an inertia gun, but I'm not so gas is my preference. Like I said, they all work in the hands of a competent individual.
 
Franchi is owned by Benelli. I understand marketing. I'm just happy that there is such a strong gun market, competition and so many great choices so that each may find his own.
 
I used to guide in the Texas marshland in the 1980s. Rem1100s would routinely jam but the 870s kept on shooting.

Only other auto we saw much was Browning auto 5 and it seemed to work better.
 
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