Shotgun help????

J

JKump

New member
Okay, I have deceided to move up from my old pump and get a new Auto shotgun. I have narrowed it down between 3. In no particular order, the Benilli M2 field, A Winchester Super X3 and the Remington Versa Max. I guess I need real world comments on each shotgun. Which one would you chose and why. Thanks :confused:
 
It really depends on what you want to do with it? Clays? Hunting? Upland or waterfowl?

The one I recommend is none of the ones listed. The Beretta 391 is the best all around 12 ga. shotgun available. Period. Price is within the range of the others listed.
 
I am mostly a hunter. And that is mostly Turkey hunting, However, got alot of friends trying to get me into duck hunting.
 
The 391 has been supplanted by the new A400 from Beretta. The Xplor Unico is a field gun that weight 7# with their KO system, can handle everything from my 3/4oz reloads through 3.5" uber-mind-numbing loads and has never missed a beat as far as reliability goes. Order one from Joel Etchen in PA and they run about $1410 w/o the KO system or add another $75 for the KO system
 
Couple of things....

a. You have to decide what chamber length you need. Personally 3" is plenty for me / but some waterfowlers think 3 1/2" is necessary....

b. If you go with a 3 1/2" then probably stay with a gas operated gun...vs an Inertia gun ( like the Benelli )...

c. Most all of the big companies will make decent guns....but they will have different drop at heel, different drop at comb and length of pull.....and some of them will come with shims to change these dimensions a little ..and some won't.....adjustability is a good thing ( so the gun fits -- meaning it hits where you look -- because your eye on a shotgun is the rear sight )..

d. Before you buy --- shoot as many different guns as you can / see what suits you...
 
I am with you 3" shells are plenty. I know both the Benilli and Winchester has shims and adjustable combs. I guess really it is between these 2.
 
I think in the long run the Versa Max will prove to be the 870 of Semi Autos. Built like a tank, tough and reliable. But will never be considered elegant or swift or high fashion. Just like the 870.
 
The Beretta 391 is the best all around 12 ga. shotgun available. Period. Price is within the range of the others listed.
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Umm... OK... If you say so.

Don't get me wrong - the 391 is a great shotgun. But when people throw out such superlatives, by BS meter is immediately pegged.


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The Beretta 391 is the best all around 12 ga. shotgun available
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USED I might agree. No longer available new unless it is old stock. And going that route, many would argue that the 303 was the best Beretta ever made
 
The M2 is considered one of the most solid bases for a tactical shotgun. The recoil is more than the other two, but it is a solid and durable shotgun that weighs less than either the VM or the SX3.

The SX3 is a gas gun and has a very fast cycle rate, which makes no difference at all for your pursuits. In the very harsh cold, it can have some function issues due to the geometry of the gas system. It can take 500 to 1000 rounds to get it all ticking properly, but then it is a solid system. It will need the most maintenance of the three.

The Versa-Max, depending on which version, has full adjustability in the stock and replaceable risers. Probably the easiest of the three to fit, and it has the least amount of recoil. The trigger group and operating systems were "borrowed" from the Benelli M4 with the addition of a self cleaning and self regulating gas system.

Having owned and shot all three, I currently use the Versa-Max for both competition and hunting.
 
The M2 Field....has the comfort tech system in it...and while its lighter than most gas guns / the comfort tech will make the recoil a little heavier than a gas gun but not a lot in my experience.

but the M - 2 Field is only 1 of the 22 models that Benelli offers...
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It would be hard for me to believe that Remington - in their versa max / or any other shotgun....has any relationship with Beretta - who is the parent corporation for Benelli.

Winchester and Browning are now part of the FN group / although it looks to me like Browning is running the shotgun division ....but my point is, the gas systems in Brownings silver line of semi-auto shotguns and Wichester's appear to be the same to me....
 
Benelli let several patents expire, so there is no collaboration with Remington, just use of an unprotected design. Many parts are interchangeable.

If you decide to tell a Benelli employee, that Beretta is their parent corporation, I would pay to see that. Beretta owns several competing brands incluidng Benelli, but that competition is fierce. :D
 
I doubt there is any animosity between Beretta corporate and Benelli ...or the Benelli guys wouldn't be there..../ Beretta after all is paying the bills....

in any event....all of the semi-autos that Beretta mfg's under their own name are gas guns / all of the Benelli's are inertia guns ( with the exception of the M-4 being a gas gun ).
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We've discussed on the forum many times ...on whether Benelli parts are interchangeable with other inertia guns in the Beretta line of companies like Franchi and Stoeger....and I don't know for sure, but I suspect they are not...
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I like the Benelli semi-autos ....I have Super Sport models in both a 12ga and a 20ga....they're good "travel" guns, when I want one gun to do most everything pretty well...for clays, upland birds, etc.../ and they're good training guns for some of my grandkids on clay targets...light, easy to swing, comfort tech manages the recoil pretty well, easy to maintain for me and they shoot very clean....
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I don't know anything about their patents....
 
I love my Beretta A400! As BigJim pointed out, Beretta is owned by Benelli and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you bought the gas gun instead of their inertia gun and I'm sure your should would be much happier:)

The Beretta also come with the shims to adjust the cast and drop. They offer an adjustment for the length of pull but it has to be purchase. :)Ask me how I know you have to buy it.
 
BigJim posted it right Beretta Owns Benelli, Franchi, Stoeger, and others, and Burris/Steiner optics.

Benelli does NOT own Beretta!

Beretta is a huge company.
 
And Beretta got their big boost in this country as a result of the politically motivated switch to the Beretta 9mm from the Colt 45 ACP. They build some excellent guns, but that will always stick in my craw.
 
The oldest

Beretta def. owns Benelli, not the other way around.

Have seen it said that Beretta is the oldest company in the world. If they are not, don' know who the next oldest is. Seems like they have been around since the 1600's??

Beretta is a very large corporation.
 
"Owns" and "Parent Company" have different implications. There certainly is a competitive animosity between the rank and file of Beretta and Benelli. They are both very proud of their products, rightly so. That does not mean their is corporate infighting in any way. The consumers likely end up with a better product from both as a result.
 
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