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New waterfowling piece...

4K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  DuckmanOK 
#1 ·
Ok guys, my recent hours of over time working the storms has afforded me the chance to buy a new duck gun. It has been years since I've purchased a good quality shotgun.I've been shooting the same 1100 since the early eighties. I have visited all the brand web sites, read countless reviews and the shotgun forum here on DHC. My next step is to go out and handle some of the guns and shoulder them etc...

I don't want anyone to say "buy this one" or "that one". All I want to know is has anyone bought one of the newer semi autos lately or had any friends with one? I'm not saying I'll get one, heck, I could end up with a good used double gun. This is going to be a fun, long, process, and I want to make the right decision. It's not that I don't like the 1100, it's one of the best guns of our time, and I've killed countless birds with it. I have an itch and I want to scratch it. :help:
 
#2 ·
Remington has gone downhill recently sights fell off a buddys 870 after 10 shells. Issues with another buddies versamax cycling certain loads. Browning is affordable and reliable but the maxus cannot take mag extensions, new A5's seem great but have some kinks to work out of the new design still. Benelli is reliable and solid with a well tested design. Benelli click issue can still happen with the inertia system and the felt recoil is in my opinion on the upper end of the autos. Beretta tried and true company. Owns Benelli. New recoil systems take some getting used to but work very well with heavy loads once broken in. This keeps your barrel level and muzzle on target... Optimal HP chokes are somewhat of a pain bc you aren't recommended to fire steel out of anything tighter than a modified... but they pattern incredibly well at 40 yd with a mod... After shopping for a year and shooting everything that swung good to me I chose the new A400 Xtreme unico and I am very pleased with it. The biggest surprise to me was the crisp trigger pull at 5# (feels like 3# with angleport trigger shoe). Gun runs very clean and fast with the new gas system. (I can dump 5 3" shells before the first shell hits the ground). Have yet to have a failure and I have shot some nasty corroded shells. Buy what feels comfortable and swings best for you.

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#3 ·
I bought the SBE II american edition. I didn't need the reduce recoil stock on the newer SBE II. I bought it at ***** in NH and the ticket price was a bit over 1000 on sale. Already a decent price. Then I open a ***** credit card for another 10 or 15 % off. Even better deal. The gun has shot well for me with little issue with it stove piping a couple times. But other than that it has been a great gun for a great price. I shot 44 ducks with it this year. My best year by 38 ducks and I don't know whether the gun or myself but I am happy with it.
 
#5 ·
I bought a Vinci in 2011. Not a bad word to say about. I have yet to have a failure to fire with it and everything i've shot in the last two seasons was taken with it.
One of my favorite things about it is the modular system. Makes take down and assembly super easy and takes less than a minute to break it down and put it together.
The good thing about the benellis is that they include shim kits which allow for a custom fit.
 
#6 ·
SBE II is my vote.... I bought a gun last year and did all the research, played with them etc... I wanted a 3.5" just so I could shoot big shells if the situation presented its self. The browning I found to be very complicated. I had a beretta that I liked but the SBE shouldered better for me. After 2 seasons with the gun I don't have any complaints... I have many over and unders but have found my self on the sporting clays course more often than no with the SBE.

If you watch Cabelas you can get the American version for $950ish.

Good luck in your search...

PS the reason i did not get the Vinci was because of the trigger guard. It just felt wrong in my hands...
 
#7 ·
I shot the Remington 1100's for years as well, love'm. When I got into duck hunting, I went through a few different guns to find the one I felt was the best for me. I ended up with a Beretta AL390. I also had a Winchester Super x2 that was a very natural fit. :wink:
 
#9 ·
I also bought the SBEII American. I broke mine in with a few 3-1/2's and now it cycles anything you feed it. Heard a guy even say his would cycle a bic lighter if he fed it to it. $1000 plus a $27 Limbsaver pad and you have a duck killing machine. All the "B" guns are solid IMO. Get what fits and feels best to ya

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#11 ·
I'm a big fan of the Benellis, I've shot the m2 and m4 quite a bit, and wound up buying the Vinci about 2 years ago. It functions perfectly, and I've shot plenty of waterfowl, turkeys, and even coyote w it. My only issue w it is that u can't get accesories or different barrels for it. Benelli offers NO accessories AT ALL for it. I would like at least a slug barrel for it, but no luck. If I had to do it again, I would stick w benelli, but go w a M2, as there is no end to the extras u can get for them. As it stands, I have had to hang on to my 870 in case I want to shotgun hunt deer.
 
#12 ·
I'm a Remington guy. I own a 1100 for target shooting, a 1187 for turkey hunting, and a Versamax for duck hunting. The versamax hasn't given me any problems yet, and I was pretty rough on it last season. My brother got a brand new Beretta 391 during last season and it was giving him problems on the first hunt. It wouldn't shoot the third shell and the pin that holds in the trigger kept working its way out. I don't like Benelli autos because I'm not a fan of the inertia system, but I do like their pumps. My dad owns a Benelli Supernova and it is a great gun with no problems.
 
#14 ·
My shopping is done guys. My short list consisted of all the upper end semi autos...
Versamax
AL390
SBE2
Vinci
A5
Maxus
Affinity
Pretty much, I put all the semi autos under the microscope. It makes no sense to get into why I didn't choose a certain model.In the end it came down to fit and feel and the feel of quality in my hands. And the winner is?

Browning Maxus 3.5in in Max 4 Camo
 
#15 ·
I'd go for the A-5. I'm addicted to my (Edited by Mod) 3" A5 and have gotten over the sacrelige that Browning did by calling this new gun an A-5. What I've herd is it is incredible. I am getting away from 3.5 loads. Traded my 10 gauge BPS and only take my NOVA when it is salt water nasty. ALL other times it is my A5. I even leave my Citori home , now.
I had a A390 and loved it. Gave it to my son, otherwise I'd still have it.
I would go for the camo finish with what ever you chose. Not that I think a black gun isn't as effective, that movement is 100% flare factor, just that the new camo finishes are great in protecting the steel we all love.
There's still something that I cringe about taking a shotgun that is over $1K and having it bounce around in an aluminium boat and eat salt and marsh mud and handled by salty hands. I would consider the Stoeger Semi Auto at $600 and be at peace.
 
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