Reliable Semi Auto for Home Defense and Hard Hunting

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stonewall50

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What are some brands for reliable Semi autos for home defense and hard hunting (think muddy and cold). I know the A5 is actually proven (I've seen it go through some rough muddy goose hunts and never fail). I am just curious what else is out there. 12 gauge preferred.


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Kept reasonably clean most any semi-auto is pretty reliable. But when you start including hard use and abuse the inertia actions such as the Benelli M-2 get my vote. I have a couple of older M-1's that have proven themselves to me. The main differences between my older M-1 and the newer M-2 is mostly cosmetic with a better stock design on newer versions.
 
jmr40 said:
Kept reasonably clean most any semi-auto is pretty reliable. But when you start including hard use and abuse the inertia actions such as the Benelli M-2 get my vote. I have a couple of older M-1's that have proven themselves to me. The main differences between my older M-1 and the newer M-2 is mostly cosmetic with a better stock design on newer versions.
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I have heard good things about them. I'm definitely in the camp that benelli is not a bad gun. I do know that autos have a reputation as less reliable in the shotgun world though. And my thing is...if it can be proven in the duck hunting world...it can be proven in home defense in terms of "keeping it clean."

But I still like my pumps. Just curious about Semis that are out there.


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I do know that autos have a reputation as less reliable in the shotgun world though
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Says who and compared to what? No one short shucks a semi. Watched a few friends today playing with pumps they hadn't shot in a while. Both forgot to p[ump, short shucked the pump and even worked it so well, they loaded and ejected live ammo. It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian.
You want reliability, get a SxS with double triggers and extractors.
 
Caveat: I've only really been hunting with shotguns for about ten years, so I'm no expert by any means.

However, I've never seen a semi-auto shotgun up to the $2500 price range that didn't have FTF issues after getting dirty enough. Maybe above that price they get significantly more reliable, I don't know.

However, as a personal example, I and a group of friends (between 6-10) have been going quail hunting every year for the last seven years. All of them went semi-auto (Benelli, Browning, Franchi, Remington, etc.) for their bird guns, and all of them go at least $1500, up to $2500. Every single one of them has had FTF issues either during practice sessions or in the field. Every year. Not all at once, or even all of them every year, but every one of them has had an FTF more than once in the last seven years.

Now, with my mossy 500 I have short-stroked a round, and even forgotten to pump a live round more than once. But it's never failed to eject, feed, or fire, as long as I did my part.

In your OP you stated that you thought your weapon would probably get muddy. IMHO, I wouldn't trust a semi-auto shotgun to be reliable if I got mud in it. Just my two cents.
 
If I was going to be in mud and crud, I would stick with the pump action Mossberg 500. To meet government requirements, they are set up loose and open so they can withstand the mess and still work reliably.
 
I have been waterfowling with Remington 1100s for coming 54 years from the Gulf Coast, to Manitoba, to the Chesapeake, to Ontario, to Pamlico Sound, around both fresh and salt water. I have never had a problem except when it was one of my really trashy reloads years ago, or brush from a tight blind getting in the action. No it is not as flexible as some newer designs, and no it does not run as clean as some newer designs, but I don't mind a quick 5 minute spray and wipe after shooting so that was never an issue. In that time span over 40 other semi autos have come and gone, but only a very few had reliability issues. I will not own or carry an unreliable gun. I have seen plenty of 1100s and 11-87s malfunction, and I blame the nut on the back of the stock. But, I would not recommend an 1100 unless you like them as much as I do. Just too many other options in a waterfowl gun for a new buyer out there.
Practically any new name brand semi will work if you do minimal cleaning and maintenance. I do not like inertia guns, but if by hard use you mean not cleaning them I would definitely look at them. And I have seen plenty of Benellis, Stoegers, and Franchis have issues, and again I blame that nut on the back of the stock. Every new A5 I have shot had an awful trigger, but I have a friend who loves the square back profile and it works for him. Berettas usually work, the VersaMax has an excellent reputation, the Franchis have most of the benefits of Benelli without the price tag, Fabarm has a good reputation and feels good to me, and of course there is also the 11-87 if you do not need 3-1/2" capability. I have seen enough issues with SuperMags I am a bit leery. I don't know anyone with a Mossberg well enough to comment. Get whichever one you like best, and if you take care of it, it will likely take care of you.
 
If money wasn't an issue I would say FN SLP but the Mossberg 930 seems to be making quite a name for itself
 
What are you hunting with this? Semi auto defensive shotguns have smaller gas ports to make recoil more manageable with buckshot and slugs, and to put less abuse on the gun. Semi auto shotguns set up for hunting have larger opened up gas ports so that it will run light birdshot loads reliably. Many semi defensive shotguns have problems cycling birdhshot due to the smaller gas ports, and running full power buckshot or slug loads through a waterfowl semi with larger gas ports is going to have more recoil and put more abuse on the gun. Without breaking the bank for a Benelli, id recommend the Remington 1100 Tac 4 with a 9+1 capacity for a total of 10rds on board. I plan to grab one at some point, though I wont be hunting with it. My only complaint with semi auto shotuns is that you really cant shorten the stocks too much if at all since the recoil spring tube takes up most of the length. On all of my rifles and shotguns I prefer a 13" LOP which I'm not sure is an option for semiauto shotguns.

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I've owned dozens of shotguns over the years. Probably somewhere close to forty or more. Of all the guns I've owned and hunted with, and I've hunted a lot, the Benelli shotguns were head and shoulders above anything else for reliability. Here's the thing about the Benelli guns.....you can take them apart right down to the smallest parts in under two minutes and put them together just as fast. They are very, very reliable under all conditions. I used them for Team Challenge matches for several years and not once in thousands of rounds did I ever have a misfire or failure to feed and eject. At different times I've had as many as five of them in my safe. Presently I have three. They'll be the last guns I own when it comes time to get rid of my stuff. Lots of good guns out there, I'm not disputing that. Benelli are just a bit better for simplicity and reliability under "harsh" conditions.
 
FITASC said:
Says who and compared to what? No one short shucks a semi. Watched a few friends today playing with pumps they hadn't shot in a while. Both forgot to p[ump, short shucked the pump and even worked it so well, they loaded and ejected live ammo. It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian.

You want reliability, get a SxS with double triggers and extractors.
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As much as I understand that...if someone has little to no experience with a pump...I can understand short shucks (aside from going from a 3 inch to 3.5 inch chambering) and ejecting live ammo. Someone who has used one for a while should probably be ridiculed unmercifully by their friends or family. But seriously...I don't foresee that being an issue for an experienced user.


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Says who and compared to what? No one short shucks a semi. Watched a few friends today playing with pumps they hadn't shot in a while. Both forgot to p[ump, short shucked the pump and even worked it so well, they loaded and ejected live ammo. It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian.
You want reliability, get a SxS with double triggers and extractors.
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I'm not sure those friends should even be close to a gun.
 
Those friends are excellent target shooters; but like anything else, when you haven't played with something for a while - and the pump isn't even close to the quality of good target shotguns - there's a re-learning curve.

I'll wager there are a whole lot of folks who have a pump tucked in a closet corner somewhere for Just In Case, just as there are a lot of handgun owners who have their gun in a sock drawer.
 
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Let's not turn this into just ANOTHER Remington vs Benelli vs Beretta vs Franchi vs Browning etc. etc. Nothing mechanical is ever going to be perfect, and the only perfect person died over 2,000 years ago, and look what we did to him.
 
In all the years hunting with a semi-auto shotgun, especially when hunting waterfowl; the one that has proven the most reliable for me when the weather and conditions turn foul is my Benelli Super Black Eagle II-though I hear this model has been updated to a "III". They are on the pricey side though...:(
 
In all the years hunting with a semi-auto shotgun, especially when hunting waterfowl; the one that has proven the most reliable for me when the weather and conditions turn foul is my Benelli Super Black Eagle II-though I hear this model has been updated to a "III". They are on the pricey side though..
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With the price difference, I would expect it to be very reliable. It's a little like comparing a Honda and a BMW. Because of the price difference, you expect the BMW to be slicker and smoother in use but the Honda does a good job and will last at least as long. We all like premium but some of us are cheapskates that drive Hondas and shoot Mossbergs (I do both--Retired 14 years ago at 55 and have been buying guns since then).
 
I was giving my opinion as to the op's question:
What are some brands for reliable Semi autos for home defense and hard hunting (think muddy and cold).
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He didn't ask what is the cheapest choice.
 
Can of worms question.

In my experience most people don't hunt hard enough to muddy up their guns unless they're special. The real question is where are you getting your mud? I have different guns for different reasons. Over/unders and side by sides work great in the field. But if you're going into the swamp low buck is key.

I'll use my Browning Citori all day long in the field but when it comes to duck hunting where I would like to use it out comes the Mossberg 500. Lots of videos show duck guns being dropped into the water and that's where the Mossberg shines. Lose it and you won't cry to hard. Tie a string to it and it's easy to clean in the field. I would hate to dunk my Citori.
 
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