# Weatherby SA-08



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I'm considering getting a semi-auto shotgun. I'm interested in a 20 gauge in the $500-700 range. I've looked at a lot of shotguns in this category--Franchi, Mossberg, Beretta, Stoeger, and Weatherby. However, I can't find any gun stores in Salt Lake or Utah County that carry the Weatherby SA-08 in stock. 

Any of you have any leads on where I could find one? Most places can order it, but I'd like to handle one before ordering. I've visited and called almost 10 stores with no luck. 

I'd consider a Winchester SX3 in 20 guage, too. But again, haven't found a place that had a 20 gauge in stock that I could take a look at. 

Thanks in advance for any tips.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I am pretty sure that is the model that I have, if you are down my way anytime soon I would be happy to go shooting with you and let you try it out.

I think Cosmo is supposed to be back in June.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/28-trading-post/169698-20-ga-franchi-affinity.html


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

My niece has the Franchi but in 12 ga, I helped her mother pick it out for her for a Christmas Present. It is a good shooter. I am pretty sure Franchi is owned by Beretta made in Italy.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

AF CYN said:


> Any of you have any leads on where I could find one? Most places can order it, but I'd like to handle one before ordering. I've visited and called almost 10 stores with no luck.
> 
> I'd consider a Winchester SX3 in 20 guage, too.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any tips.


Gunnies


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

bowgy said:


> M I am pretty sure Franchi is owned by Beretta made in Italy.


Benelli makes it.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> http://utahwildlife.net/forum/28-trading-post/169698-20-ga-franchi-affinity.html


I really like the Franchi, but my hand naturally settled low on the pistol grip, which made me stretch for the trigger. I tried to convince myself to buy it and just get used to it, but I want something that doesn't force me to adjust my grip or reach for the trigger. I may still do it because I loved the gun, but I want to check out the Weatherby first.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

AF CYN said:


> I really like the Franchi, but my hand naturally settled low on the pistol grip, which made me stretch for the trigger. I tried to convince myself to buy it and just get used to it, but I want something that doesn't force me to adjust my grip or reach for the trigger. I may still do it because I loved the gun, but I want to check out the Franchi first.


The Affinity and the SA-08 are a toss up for me too. I will have one or the other before next season.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Loke said:


> Gunnies


Gunnies was the second store I visited. They didn't have any SA-08s, or an SX3 in 20 ga.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

We've got a Compact SA-08 in 20 ga. My kids mainly shoot it...but I've shot it some as well. It's a great shotgun for the money. I've got other 20 ga autos which cost 2x's as much as the SA-08.... but non of them shoot any better.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

I'll have to check on Wednesday, but I thought we had both the last time I checked.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Loke said:


> I'll have to check on Wednesday, but I thought we had both the last time I checked.


Thanks for taking a look. Let me know.

Bowgy, I may take you up on your offer if I can't find one up here to look at.


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

I got a 20ga SA-08 from the Farmington Cabelas this fall, I ordered it online and they shipped it to the store for free. All I had to to was fill out the paperwork at the store and it was good to go. The SA-08 is a great semi, it's nice and lightweight and handles really well. Mine is the Deluxe model but I also ordered a compact stock from Weatherby, for my wife and kids to shoot. Great little gun for not a ton of money!


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Pumpgunner said:


> I got a 20ga SA-08 from the Farmington Cabelas this fall, I ordered it online and they shipped it to the store for free. All I had to to was fill out the paperwork at the store and it was good to go. The SA-08 is a great semi, it's nice and lightweight and handles really well. Mine is the Deluxe model but I also ordered a compact stock from Weatherby, for my wife and kids to shoot. Great little gun for not a ton of money!


Good to know. Did you get a 26" or 28" barrel?


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

I love my SA-08, I live in west Valley and you are welcome to come and handle it, even take it out for a while and shoot it. I have some dove loads you could use. I would go with but bad timing here. Its 28 in barrel 20 gauge in the wood.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Benelli makes it.


Correct, I intended to say Benelli, I don't know why I wrote Berretta, senior moment.s


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

The Tristar Viper G2 is the same gun made at the same factory as the SA-08 and it runs about $100 cheaper. In my limited experience, tristar has had good customer service and extra stocks are about 1/3 the price of weatherby. I have an SA-08 in 28ga and I shoot it a ton, really like the gun, but did not like weatherby customer service and will not buy another gun from them again. My 28ga has a 28" barrel and it is the bomb for ducks, however, it feels too slow for doves compared to a 26" barrel.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

AF CYN said:


> Thanks for taking a look. Let me know.
> 
> Bowgy, I may take you up on your offer if I can't find one up here to look at.


My daughter lives in Provo, her and my son in law are coming down this weekend to go to Front Sight with me. I could send it back with them unless you have plans to come down south sometime soon.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Man, you guys are awesome! Thanks for all the insights and offers! Dunkem, Bowgy, and Loke, I've sent you pm's.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

AF....ours is a compact, but your welcome to check it out as well if you'd like.


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## Winglish (Mar 28, 2015)

I have owned two Weatherby SA-08 shotguns in 20 gauge. They have been GREAT little guns for me! 100% reliability with mine so far. 

I bought mine at Sportsman's Warehouse. I will send you a PM.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks for everyone's feedback and for those of you of went out of your way to help me out. I've ordered a synthetic 20 gauge with a 28" barrel. I can't wait to give it a whirl. I'll keep you posted on it's performance.


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## Winglish (Mar 28, 2015)

AF CYN said:


> Thanks for everyone's feedback and for those of you of went out of your way to help me out. I've ordered a synthetic 20 gauge with a 28" barrel. I can't wait to give it a whirl. I'll keep you posted on it's performance.


It comes with a little doohickey that you swap out for light loads versus heavy loads. Just make sure to have the right doohickey in at the right time. Mine cycles everything without a hitch.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I took the new SA-08 out today with NHS and Wagdog. We all enjoyed shooting it. It hit where we pointed and recoil was minimal. It was a pleasure to shoot. Here is my review of gun.

*Value--A.* This is a lot of gun for less than $450. 
*Performance--A.* I shot four different loads, Estate, Winchester steel, remington game loads, winchester high brass game loads. It cycled everything fine and killed a bunch of clays for all of us.
*Trigger--B.* It felt pretty crisp when I was shooting moving targets, but it was a little mushy when I patterned. It was nothing special, but not as bad as some shotguns. 
*Fit/Finish--B.* All the machined pieces integrate well and the exterior pieces fit together nicely. The blueing is low budget with some blemishes, but nothing major. The delux model is much, much nicer than the composite I got, but I wanted a utilitarian gun. 
*Overall--*I'm happy and would give it an A based on what I paid and what I was expecting. It's probably a B, B+ gun if you were comparing it side by side with an SX3 or M2. Wagdog brought a new Tristar Viper, and the guns are very comparable. I like the Weatherby a little better, but that's because it's my gun. ;-) I'd recommend it to anyone considering it as an option.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

cant wait for my SX3 20ga to get here! Fowlmouth and I are going to be tearing up some ducks this year with the 20's................thats the plan atleast


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

goosefreak said:


> cant wait for my SX3 20ga to get here! Fowlmouth and I are going to be tearing up some ducks this year with the 20's................thats the plan atleast


I was very intrigued by the SX3 in 20 gauge, especially since it came with 28" barrel option. Those are sweet guns.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

If you got that Weatherby for $450 you did really good. I paid $499 and thought that was good.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

goosefreak said:


> cant wait for my SX3 20ga to get here! Fowlmouth and I are going to be tearing up some ducks this year with the 20's................thats the plan atleast


I can't wait to shoot something different than a 12 gauge at ducks and geese.


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## wagdog (Jan 6, 2009)

As a followup to what AF CYN had to say about the SA-08, here is my never to be humble opinion:
1. The forend is thinner than a Viper G2. Not saying that is bad or good. It is just the way it is.
2. To me, the SA-08 felt a touch lighter than my Viper G2.
3. The SA-08 cycled light loads out of the box. I can't say the same for my Tristar. I had to oil it heavily and run about three boxes of 3 inch shells through mine before it would cycle mouse fart loads with ease. 
4. Both shotguns point well and there is very little felt recoil with lighter loads. Once you throw some heavier 3 inch mags in there, you will feel it but it isn't bad at all.
5. I would take either duck hunting. I hunt ducks with an SX3 in 12 gauge but I wouldn't hesitate to take either of these. My son has killed plenty of ducks with size 4 or 6 shot (Kent Fasteel I believe) with a 20 gauge Mossy 500. You may just need to let them get in a little closer before pulling the trigger.
6. Shooting these guns helped me tweak my technique a little. I've been shooting different 12 gauges extensively for quite some time. It has made me a little sloppy because I could get away with it. A 20 gauge is still more forgiving than a .410 but I had to "tighten up the screws" a little before I was hitting more clays than missing.

Yes these guns are extremely similar and as mentioned previously in this thread, I would imagine they come from the same joint in Turkey (Armsan I believe). There are minor cosmetic differences and the gas systems are different but fit and finish on both are excellent. The price is hard to beat.

My wife bought me mine as a Christmas present and surprised me with the camo finish Tristar. I think that adds to the overall price a little but these are hunting guns, not gun cabinet dwellers. I'd use mine as a paddle if I had to and if it gets beat up a little, no big deal. No fancy wood or high polished bluing to worry about gooberin' up. You can't go wrong with either.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks for the review of the Tristar. I am going to pick up a Tristar Raptor 20 ga. for my wife and kids. I'm not sure if I will get the youth model or full size, leaning toward the youth right now. I am reading a lot of good reviews on the Tristars.

Well went and got the youth model Raptor this morning. My daughter and I took it out behind the house and shot a few clays with it. Only ran a box and a half through it, but zero issues with heavy and light loads. I really like the feel of this gun, hell I even busted a few clays with it.


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## wagdog (Jan 6, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> Well went and got the youth model Raptor this morning. My daughter and I took it out behind the house and shot a few clays with it. Only ran a box and a half through it, but zero issues with heavy and light loads. I really like the feel of this gun, hell I even busted a few clays with it.


That's excellent! Not sure why my Viper was so picky about light loads from the get go. I ran one box of 3 inch magnums through it and then went straight to light loads. It wouldn't cycle target loads but it would cycle winchester fast steel loads. I got it cycling everything after doing another cleaning, an excessive amount of lubrication, and two more boxes of 3 inch mags. This was the reason I was so impressed by the SA-08. It didn't have one hiccup. Sounds like your raptor is good to go as well!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

wagdog said:


> That's excellent! Not sure why my Viper was so picky about light loads from the get go. I ran one box of 3 inch magnums through it and then went straight to light loads. It wouldn't cycle target loads but it would cycle winchester fast steel loads. I got it cycling everything after doing another cleaning, an excessive amount of lubrication, and two more boxes of 3 inch mags. This was the reason I was so impressed by the SA-08. It didn't have one hiccup. Sounds like your raptor is good to go as well!


I just picked up the SA-08 this morning. I will go out behind the house and give both the Raptor and SA-08 a workout this afternoon. I'm really Looking forward to shooting a 20 gauge this next hunting season, should be fun.


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## Stimmy (Sep 10, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> I just picked up the SA-08 this morning. I will go out behind the house and give both the Raptor and SA-08 a workout this afternoon. I'm really Looking forward to shooting a 20 gauge this next hunting season, should be fun.


20 is the new 12!! I have not shot my 12 gauge in 5 years plus. killed just as many, probably more birds.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

wagdog said:


> That's excellent! Not sure why my Viper was so picky about light loads from the get go. I ran one box of 3 inch magnums through it and then went straight to light loads. It wouldn't cycle target loads but it would cycle winchester fast steel loads. I got it cycling everything after doing another cleaning, an excessive amount of lubrication, and two more boxes of 3 inch mags. This was the reason I was so impressed by the SA-08. It didn't have one hiccup. Sounds like your raptor is good to go as well!


The Raptor eats up anything I put in it. The SA-08 didn't like the light loads with the heavy load piston. I shot 3" mags with zero issues, but the light 2 3/4" 1200 fps stuff didn't work. I swapped to the light load piston and didn't have any problems shooting the 2 3/4" loads after that. I will clean them up good and oil them lightly, hopefully the gun will break in over time where I can just use the heavy piston for everything. I have to get used to the magazine cutoff switch too, I don't have that on my SX3. Overall I'm pretty pleased with both of these guns.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

​


Fowlmouth said:


> The Raptor eats up anything I put in it. The SA-08 didn't like the light loads with the heavy load piston. I shot 3" mags with zero issues, but the light 2 3/4" 1200 fps stuff didn't work. I swapped to the light load piston and didn't have any problems shooting the 2 3/4" loads after that. I will clean them up good and oil them lightly, hopefully the gun will break in over time where I can just use the heavy piston for everything. I have to get used to the magazine cutoff switch too, I don't have that on my SX3. Overall I'm pretty pleased with both of these guns.


Awesome!


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## Winglish (Mar 28, 2015)

Fowlmouth said:


> wagdog said:
> 
> 
> > That's excellent! Not sure why my Viper was so picky about light loads from the get go. I ran one box of 3 inch magnums through it and then went straight to light loads. It wouldn't cycle target loads but it would cycle winchester fast steel loads. I got it cycling everything after doing another cleaning, an excessive amount of lubrication, and two more boxes of 3 inch mags. This was the reason I was so impressed by the SA-08. It didn't have one hiccup. Sounds like your raptor is good to go as well!
> ...


Nah. You gotta have the right doohickey in the gun for fail-safe operation. At least that has been my experience through two SA-08's.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Thats really the only issue I've had (pistons) but only takes a second to change them out.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I read somewhere that the SA-459 bolt handle will fit the SA-08. I would rather have the tactical bolt handle then the one it came with. Anyone have the tactical bolt knob on their SA-08? I e-mailed Weatherby about it and waiting for a reply.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

This the post? http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=247&t=401443


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> I read somewhere that the SA-459 bolt handle will fit the SA-08. I would rather have the tactical bolt handle then the one it came with. Anyone have the tactical bolt knob on their SA-08? I e-mailed Weatherby about it and waiting for a reply.


 That does look much easier than the stock one, the one they showed was on the youth model?


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

gdog said:


> This the post? http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=247&t=401443


Nope, that wasn't the post I saw. That's what I was looking for though. Thanks! That bolt just seems like it would be the cats meow.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Once you give the first hand it works thumbs up...I"ll be following suit. Thanks!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

gdog said:


> Once you give the first hand it works thumbs up...I"ll be following suit. Thanks!


I ordered the tactical bolt handle today. I will let you know how it works out.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I received the tactical bolt handle today and got it put on the SA-08. What a big improvement over the original. I like everything about the SA-08 except the bolt handle. Does it work? yes, but it was smaller than all of my other autos. The tactical knob sticks out 1" and makes pulling the bolt back so much easier. This will be extra good for my wife and kids. Anyway for $22 shipped I think it is a nice improvement.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Great upgrade. I may have to do the same thing. Thanks for sharing.


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