# Best semi auto?



## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

I'm looking to buy a new semi auto 12. I am looking at the Benelli super black eagle II, but they are pretty expensive. Are the browning golds anygood, I would have to buy a used one because they don't make them anymore in a 12.


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2010)

SBEII is my waterfowl gun of choice!! love mine, just make sure you clean it on a regular basis


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

I had a gold, hated it, best single shot auto I've ever owned. 

I shoot a Benelli SBE, the original not the II, even used they still fetch a pretty penny because they are worth it. 

Still need convincing to stay away from a Gold? Ask yourself this; why do you see so many used Gold's for sale?


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I use a Browning Gold and have for the last 8 years. I have had great success with mine and continue to use it now. You need to clean them regularly as you do all gas operated shotguns. The guys that have had problems with the Golds are usually the guys that don't clean their guns often. I would look at the SX3, Maxus or even the SX2. (Cabelas had the SX2 on sale for $549) sorry I aint a fan of Benelli, seen too many firing pins break in the field..............


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I love this topic. I asked the same thing two seasons ago, and then someone else brought it up, and another, and another, and so on...

Do you know what the answer was for every single one? *BUY A SBE-II!*

So, I did just that. And I dont regret it one bit. What a fantastic gun! It recoils like a dream, never a jam, balances well, dismantles and cleans very very easily. Although it cost a bit more than other guns on the market, it was worth every red cent I paid for it and I would easily say that I would buy another.

There really are a lot of great guns out there and I know that everyone is going to say they love different guns for different reasons, and I would say the best thing to do would be to go check them out in person to find the best fit for you. Look at the ones Fowlmouth suggested too: SX3, Maxus, Xtrema 2, and even look at a few pumps to get a good feel. Bottom line is; even if it is the best gun in the world, but you dont like the way it feels, it isnt the best gun for you.

Here is my old post that you may want to look at:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=17157&hilit=quest+for+the+ultimate+duck+gun


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## Kdub (Sep 6, 2010)

Fit and Feel are more important than brand. Its really hard to go wrong with any semiauto anymore. If price is an issue look at Tristar or Franchi line. I just bought a used 3.5 Tristar from Cabelas for $360 bucks. Its the only one I found and I love it. My dad owns a Franchi and he likes it also. I have a Browning Gold and a Beretta 390 and like them both too. Go hold some and get a feel then narrow it down to your price range. I would also suggest getting a camo pattern finish if its a duck gun. I found the black matte rusts very easily.


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## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

I can get a used SBE I for a pretty good price. Is the only difference between the SBE I and the SBE II the recoil? And is it worth a 800 dollar difference I can save, rather than going with a new SBE II.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Good suggestion kdub. Franchi is affiliated with Benelli and I know a guy that I work with that shoots one and he loves it. Also +1 on matte black being a difficult finish for harsh weather conditions, I have a friend that put his gun in a case and the next morning we got up to hunt and found his barrel covered in a light rust. Camo patterns are the best choice / finish for waterfowling IMHO


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

I know a guy that has a Extrema 2, he likes it pretty good. I have personally shot one of those new browning maxus's and that is a fine firearm. my biggest worry about an auto for waterfowl hunting is when it gets really cold, I'm affraid the action will either work slow or not work at all. I'll stick with my cheapo 870. 

Gee

Ps- if the SBE shoots anything like a nova (for me at least) I wouldnt be able to hit anything with it!


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## Kdub (Sep 6, 2010)

Gee LeDouche said:


> I know a guy that has a Extrema 2, he likes it pretty good. I have personally shot one of those new browning maxus's and that is a fine firearm. my biggest worry about an auto for waterfowl hunting is when it gets really cold, I'm affraid the action will either work slow or not work at all. I'll stick with my cheapo 870.
> 
> Gee
> 
> Ps- if the SBE shoots anything like a nova (for me at least) I wouldnt be able to hit anything with it!


Novas shoot high. Something with that huge front bead. I shot with a guy who had one and couldn't hit nothin. We patterned it and guess what we found out? Hit high.


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## huntingbuddy (Sep 10, 2007)

[quote="Fowlmouth"The guys that have had problems with the Golds are usually the guys that don't clean their guns often. [/quote] I babied my dads Gold Hunter and it still gave me problems, my dad hates the gun so much he went and bought a Benelli Montefeltro after he bought the Gold Hunter.

I have a Benelli M2 its basically a SBE II without a 3 1/2" chamber. (You don't need a 3 1/2" chamber anyways its just hype) Mine has worked flawlessly except for some operator error on my part (Didn't clean it after 2 years of sitting in a safe :O•-: ) Benelli's are amazing guns and worth the price tag if you ask me. If you can't afford the whole thing right away, put it on layaway and make payments on it. Soon enough you will have your brand New Benelli OOO°)OO -8/-


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## captain (Nov 18, 2007)

I was actually looking into buying a new gun as well. Has anyone had any experiences with the Remmingtion 11-87? I have always liked the reliability of remmington Shotguns, and it seems like it is a pretty reasonable price for a semi auto.


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## diverfreak (May 11, 2008)

captain said:


> I was actually looking into buying a new gun as well. Has anyone had any experiences with the Remmingtion 11-87? I have always liked the reliability of remmington Shotguns, and it seems like it is a pretty reasonable price for a semi auto.


My first semi auto was a 11-87. Had issues with stove piping on the lighter duck loads. Half way thru the first season the barrel fell off wear they solder the barrel to the round thingy that goes over your magazine tube. Biggest piece of HUD i ever owned. It felt really good in my hands and hit wear i pointed it, didnt use it ever again cause i was afraid something else would break. Remington sent me a new barrel over night but went out and bought a xtremma and have not looked back!

DiverFreak


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## nickpan (May 6, 2008)

First shotgun i owned was an 11-87 and i loved it. Pretty much no recoil and shot pretty much all loads great except the very light trap loads which would occasionally get hung up, but its a duck and goose gun so no need to shoot the light loads. You do need to keep them clean though if you want them to operate good, probably the only downfall. I still shoot it. I just bought a Stoeger M2000 last year (owned by benelli, same as Franchi) and so far have put a couple hundred rounds through it and haven't one issue with it. Anything from the lightest trap load to heavy shot goose loads. The are pretty much an SBEII with the only difference being the way the inertia recoil system is routed. The SBEII goes through the stock where the Stoeger runs under the barrel. They don't get the same attention to quality in regards to the final prep and finish as the Benellis do but with some emery cloth and a little time it cleans them up nice. Well worth the time to save $900 bucks if you ask me. Regardless, any gun usually performs well if taken care of.


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

I love the benelli's. My first gun was a nova, they are heavy as heck, that is the downside if you walk a long ways. I sold mine last november and bought a new SBEII, absolutely love that gun. Haven't had a problem with it and I shoot it for everything, ducks, geese, dove, pheasant, its been well worth the dosh.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I had an 11-87 when they first came out. It wasn't reliable. Magnum loads, especially deer slugs, wouldn't eject sometimes. Cost me a chance at a nice whitetail. My brother bought an 11-87 about the same time as me and had trouble too.

I got the SBE; it's great. Wish I would have waited for the SBEII though.

I have a Remington VERSA MAX ordered......just what I need. Personally, I'm a pump guy.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

you cant go wrong with barretta holdings at all! either the extrema 2 or the SBEII or vinci are all sweet smooth guns! wouldnt trade my SBEII for anything!


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

beretta is the ak 47 of shotguns..you can stomp that thing in the mud and it will still go bang bang bang!! strong action! have had mine for 11 years! only two jams I can ever recall mainly because I never broke it apart and cleaned it for 7 years!!!!! well built!! I know a few sbe2 owners that have to clean there's a lot and they are too light for me, feels like a pop gun.. people seem to like em tho.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

diverfreak said:


> captain said:
> 
> 
> > I was actually looking into buying a new gun as well. Has anyone had any experiences with the Remmingtion 11-87? I have always liked the reliability of remmington Shotguns, and it seems like it is a pretty reasonable price for a semi auto.
> ...


+1
Had an 870 break just like that and had mossberg pumps that were as good as single shots. I bought an Extrema II 3 years ago and won't ever think about buying something else. Cleaned it 3 times in 3 years and never skipped a beat!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I have to wonder about all the comments "not cleaned my gun in years" why would you spend $1500 + for a gun that you don't take care of? I clean my $200 guns as much as I clean my $2000 guns, maybe it's just me, but I know I don't have the malfunctions in the field like alot of people I hunt with........ Bottom line is this, I don't care what brand or how expensive the shotgun is, it will "F" up at some point in time if not properly taken care of.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

Sad but true. I have taken it apart several times after very heavy rain or snow but actual cleaning doesn't happen very often. It says a lot about the gun in my opinion and a lot about my bad cleaning skills.


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## wileywapati (Sep 9, 2007)

Dustin, Fowlmouth and I hunt together pretty much every weekend. We all shoot semi auto's made by different manufacturers. We shoot a lot ( mostly cause I can't hit my ass ) and the other two cause they kill birds.

Fowlmouth is right, if ya buy a mid to high quality gun to begin with and then take care of it you won't have issues. If ya buy a POS and let the gas ports clog, rust the bolt and receiver, or don't keep and eye on the springs you'll have more issues than most.

They are mechanical devices and require maintenance just like any other mechanical device. Things move things break.

That being said I own two Beretta's. An old A300 and my duck gun of choice is the 3901 with the black synthetic stock. I love that gun and wouldn't trade it for the world.
I know Fowlmouth and Dustin each take care of their gear and have yet to hear of any issues in the hundreds of rounds that have been fired in my presence.

Buy the best gun you can afford and take care of it and you'll be happy


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

I have an 11-87 Super Mag that I really like. The only issues that I have had with it is that it doesn't like to eject the light target loads. If they shoot faster than 1300 fps, everything that I have tried functions just fine in it. Make me an offer and I just may sell it. Not because I want to get rid of it, but I need to pay for a missionary.


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## nickpan (May 6, 2008)

Fowlmouth said:


> I have to wonder about all the comments "not cleaned my gun in years" why would you spend $1500 + for a gun that you don't take care of? I clean my $200 guns as much as I clean my $2000 guns, maybe it's just me, but I know I don't have the malfunctions in the field like alot of people I hunt with........ Bottom line is this, I don't care what brand or how expensive the shotgun is, it will "F" up at some point in time if not properly taken care of.


Agree 100%


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## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> I have to wonder about all the comments "not cleaned my gun in years" why would you spend $1500 + for a gun that you don't take care of? I clean my $200 guns as much as I clean my $2000 guns, maybe it's just me, but I know I don't have the malfunctions in the field like alot of people I hunt with........ Bottom line is this, I don't care what brand or how expensive the shotgun is, it will "F" up at some point in time if not properly taken care of.


+1 i clean mine constantly even if i dont use them for a while i take very good care of them and they take care of me


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

bigboybdub said:


> Fowlmouth said:
> 
> 
> > I have to wonder about all the comments "not cleaned my gun in years" why would you spend $1500 + for a gun that you don't take care of? I clean my $200 guns as much as I clean my $2000 guns, maybe it's just me, but I know I don't have the malfunctions in the field like alot of people I hunt with........ Bottom line is this, I don't care what brand or how expensive the shotgun is, it will "F" up at some point in time if not properly taken care of.
> ...


This is probably the best advice given yet. A gun is really a great investment (I dare say almost as good as gold) and if you take good care of it, it takes care of you. Then you can sell it when you get bored with it and buy another. And your's will sell first because the other guy didnt take as good of care of his


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

i've had good luck with my baikal mp153. if remington still imports it, i believe it is called the spartan spr453. it's the best sub $400 auto loader i've ever owned. it's my marsh gun and has been dunked a few times but i occasionally clean it and it works fine.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Just an FYI. Just got the Cabelas catolog and there are several shotguns on sale. The Benelli SBEII has a coupon for $80.00. Good luck.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Did you end up buying a new gun?


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## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

I think I am sold on the SBE II. I shot a friends SBE II the other day and I fell in love.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

mallardgoose said:


> I think I am sold on the SBE II. I shot a friends SBE II the other day and I fell in love.


Have you shot any other models? If not I would shoot some of the other autoloaders to compare. You can't just shoot one and fall in love with it, that's like marrying the first and only girl you date.


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## DJS (Jan 2, 2009)

deleted


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## mezner1 (Nov 19, 2007)

Love my Gold. Hate the SBE and the SBE2 they do not throw right for me. the best gun I have ever hunted with was my Beretta 302a but it can not shoot steel shot due to the extra full choke on it. I would by a new Beretta in a heart beat if I had the money.


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## FishNaked (Apr 15, 2009)

I've had an 11-87 that I've shot now for 25 years...thousands and thousands of shells through it and it still shoots great and no problems. I've also got a 5 year old camo 3 1/2" version that I duck and turkey hunt with now...never a problem...dirt rain snow slush...keeps pumping shells between cleanings. I pound gees with a Browning BPS 10 gauge. 

I can't hit smack with the Benelli's...and bought an SX2 when they were new and sold it because I didn't like it. It's all personal preference and what feels good in your hands.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

With all the advancements in firearms over the last few years, I really dont think you can go wrong with most any auto loader. 
There has been lots of publicity over the past 2 -3 years on the Escort Shotguns, Les Johnson sure seems to love em 
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/Defa ... code=84107
I think you just need to find the one that fits you well and swings well for you. I suggest the SBE-II because it really kills the recoil, but I know you can find a good one that works well for you


> Let's get to callin'


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I've shot Remingtons for over 40 years and won't shoot anything else. If you can find you an older 1100 in 3" magnum snatch it up as fast as you can. They are the most reliable auto loader ever built and won't let you down. My brother has an 11-87 and loves it. I may take a few hunts with his to see if there is any difference but once you use an 1100 and watch the ducks falling down you won't put it down. There has never been another gas operated auto loader made in the numbers of the 1100.


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