Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum True LH Waterfowl shotguns before I pull the trigger on a VersaMax?

I am usually very up on all things Guns Left Handed. But I've slipped the past few years....other things on my mind like paying a divorce attorney. I am a Die Hard Waterfowler. And my POS lefty 870 goes bang on occasion and cycles 38% of the time. Total garbage. The camo lefty VMs are now available to buy. Pretty certain I'm headed that route. But maybe I've overlooked a few models? Between that, a Benelli M2 and SBE 2....and I overlooking any auto loaders that are backwards? And please don't tell me how you've shot a right handed gun for years.....not interested in what works for you....it doesn't for me

Beretta makes some very nice lefties. I would check them out before I purchased the Remington.

Read your post but cant tell if you are looking for only an auto loader. But if a pump rocks your boat take a look at the Browning pump (BPS). It ejects out of the bottom and the stock seems to have neutral cast. The one I own shoulders and points very nicely.

Benelli they work!

Money IS an issue.....$1899 for an SBE II for a mud crutch is too rich for me. Yes...Buy Once, Cry Once....but the possibility of this ending up at the bottom of a lake or river is higher than normal.

I'm a lefty duck hunter and I kill an awful lot of ducks every year with the same old right hand 1187 I've been shooting for over 25 years, in a salt water marsh. It won't shoot the latest 4 inch super magnum shells, but for some reason, the ducks just die when I shoot them.

Benelli SBE is the way to go, pay once and cry once.

Find a good price on a used M2 if you dont shoot turkey or goose heavy loads

My LH SBE2 has been a piece...won't cycle consistently. If you do a google search, you'll see a lot of posts on forums saying the same thing. They mostly go the same way: guy posts that he's having problems w/ his gun cycling, then gets told he's an idiot and doesn't know how to clean a gun. They make a Wolff recoil spring that supposedly fixes the problem but who wants to pay that much for a gun to need to replace a part. It does shoulder and point very well and the recoil management system is awesome, which is why I bought the gun.

I was unaware they were making the VersaMax in a LH model now, I might have to check it out. Escort also makes a LH gun, not sure if you've seen them, but they generally have good reviews online.

I have never had a failure to feed from my SBE, low brass , high brass or magnums

Since you mention that money is an issue, any reason you don't have your current LH 870 fixed? As prominent as that model is, there should be plenty of parts and smiths available to fix whatever has it acting funky.

On the 8th day, God created the M2

I have an SBEII. It goes bang when I want it to, but recoil is becoming an issue in my old age. Inertia vs. gas, gas wins every time. I just ordered a Beretta A400 Xtreme in lefty. Shop around for price - internet, Dicks, etc. My SBEII has an offer pending otherwise I'd make you a hell'uva deal.

Another vote for the Benelli SBE. If I had to limit myself to one shotgun to do everything, it would be the Benelli SBE.

I'd hold out for a Beretta over the Benelli every time.

Beretta just came out with the A350 Extreme. 3.5" chamber with Max-5 camo. It has a simple reverse-able safety and you don't need a gunsmith to do it. It doesn't have a all the bells and whistles of an A400, but it's MSRP is $1150 as compared to $1950. My guess is that you could find it under a grand.

BEA175 is right... I have a SBE, and a M2.

You can't beat a raised rib, and adjustable stock drop to custom the pattern to how you shoot.

- Huh, I thought Bea175 was a much older guy... almost old fart class old.

The Franchi Affinity is out there as well. You can get one for around $800. I am shopping for one right now. Supposedly it is based off of an older Benelli action. Maybe an m1? I'm sure someone else here would have more knowledge on the subject than I.

I bought a used black LH SBE for half of the price mentioned above. Have intentionally loaded mixed magazines of target, 3", 3.5" shells. Never a hiccup. Three seasons to the duck blind. Only issues have been the nut pulling the trigger.

My LGS had a used LH SBE with a dark brown hydrodip camo for right at $1000 earlier this year. Shoot me a PM if you would like their contact info...

Generally, the problems come when people shoot light cheap game loads or light reloads and expect it to function with everything from 20 ga. Eqiv. loads to 10 ga. Equiv. loads

RE: 870 issues....Remington declined to send me a box to ship the POS back to them in under a year of use. The 1st volley at birds on it's Maiden Voyage yielded two rounds crammed on top of the lift follower that needed a barrel to be removed to remedy. Nothing like phhhuking with a POS during the Morning Show and the birds are all over you.

I've almost thrown it to the bottom of the marsh so many times. It's often a failure to extract, then a F2F and all kinds of wonky stuff. The bolt doesn't have a hard stop....meaning....with the barrel removed....racking the action...will yield the entire bolt, pump and action bars flying forward out of the receiver. It's a lefty...there are not a bin full of useable parts lying everywhere

I see a Beretta X400 Extreme in lefty. But not a 350. Gunbroker prices on the camp X400 are $1550ish.

The handful of VersaMax's are $1250ish

PLEASE ?????

Beretta makes LH autos. Mossberg makes LH pumps. If you haven't used a Benelli, you should try one before buying. The experience of shooting that design is different.

I am a lefty and bought an Escort Extreme at the beginning of dove season this year. It is a true LH shotgun that us in Max 5 Camo, with rubber inserts in the stock and forearm and even came with stock shims. I put a Limbsaver pad on so the felt recoil is soft. The only issue I had was a failure to go into battery a couple times but it takes about 100 rounds to be broken in an I just put 25 rounds through it but ended up shooting my
Remington 11-87 most of the time

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/37_235/products_id/719009257

http://www.beretta.com/en-us/a350-xtrema-max5/#Features Click on features tab, then click on button where the safety is forward of the trigger. Easy, reversable safety - MSRP $1150.

That's not a Left Handed gun...that's a reversible safety. Not at all interested.

I AM interested in your SBE II tho

Recalling this thread to the top. I am looking for a LH semiauto shotgun and wondering if anyone since this thread was posted, bought a semi? I got the NRA mag and see a Benelli SBE II and this got me thinking of looking for one. I am not a waterfoul hunter but want to do turkey and predator hunting with this.

What about the M2 that I should consider? Should I buy a used one from GB? Will the internals be worn out? If bought new I will probably have to order from a LGS/Dicks as local stores do not carry Lefty!

I am interested primarly in the 3" shells but could go for the 3.5" if this is necessary for turkeys.

Yeah Bea...I thought he would be older. And Bea your SBE did a number on that coyote.

That's what I'd do. I'm also wondering how the 870 got fu cked up. Mine (LH 870) is damned near 40 years old and still works flawlessly. I've put a chit ton of ammo through it too, as I used to use it for a lot of money shoots and local trap shooting...

Just got back from a 10 day Pheasant hunt with my LH Benelli Montefeltro 12 Gauge, love the shotgun, never has had a hickup in 4th year of owning. Shoots lo base to high base without a problem. Light weight is crucial on our hunts, and shimmed it to fit to POI.

I currently have two left handed M1's in the house, had to buy the 2nd when junior got into turkey hunting with me and he decided he liked mine, alot!

I bought both used and have zero regrets. internals being wore out? Not likely at all.

Took me about a year to find the identical twin to mine for him, Found it on Gun Broker and paid about 900 IIRC.

Regarding the SBE, I'm one who thinks the 3.5 shells are not needed, especially for turkey. With a good choke a 3" shell is good for 50+ yards,

Shot a 3.5" Mossberg once, just once.

Two thoughts re-reading this thread:

> Benelli Reliability. Our duck guide has a Benelli Nova with black furniture and ZERO finish left on the shotgun. His shotgun is a tool. Rides on the front of four wheelers, back of pickup trucks, bottom of the duck boat, never in a case. One of my friends asked him how often he cleaned or maintained his shot gun. He picked it up and pointed to the oil hole on the side of the bolt behind the recoil spring. "Two years ago I put a couple drops of oil down in here..." Not the way I maintain a shotgun. But his goes bang every time he pulls the trigger, and he consistently kills ducks. I would not worry about a properly maintained Benelli "wearing out"...

> 3.5" shells. Our entire group has migrated to 3" shells with #2 or #3 shot. One guy brought the same partial box of 3.5" Remington shells to the duck blind for the past two years to give away. Ended up leaving them with the guide to give to the next group of hunters. I found out that Federal Blue Box, 3 inch, #3's pattern well in my shotgun. Ordered a flat and called it good.

My vote for the LH Franchi Affinity....I got mine in 20ga for less than $700.00, couple years ago. Wonderful, reliable, points well, and easy to break down for cleaning. Look for a deal out there.

LH Benelli Monte 12 G

I'm the OP...I ponied up and bought the VersaMax. I've hunted it 3 mornings so far. It seems to fit me well. I've hit with it a few times so far. Like many listing....this left hand version was somewhat F'd up on the website and with 2 calls to Remington themselves. This was RE: Included chokes. It was shipped to me with 4 total extended Pro Bore chokes. Waterfowl chokes saying Timber, Pass and possibly Decoys. And a Turkey/Coyote choke.

Remington told me twice that it only comes with 3 standard flush fitting chokes. And it is NOT the Waterfowl Pro version, but does come with the Waterfowl chokes. Who knows.

I do know it's gone BANG every time I've pulled the trigger And that is with 50 shells of cheapest Federal Dove and Quail 8s on clay targets and some Winchester 3" #3s for ducks.

I do see a few small spots of rust on the internal bars that carry the bolt group. Disappointing for just a few outings. And the fore ends moves quite a bit up and down where it meets the receiver. YouTube kid said he added a shim and it's better now.

Should I need to Rig a Shim for $1362?

Jesse,

I got my son a youth 870 camo 20ga and the barrel/action does tend to rust slightly and I got to keep it oiled. Unlike my other rifles/shotgun this one rusts slightly. Apparently Remington is cutting corners this way and I was hoping Remington wised up and made some changes to this but apparently they have not and with them charging over $1k for this shotgun you bought why not make some improvements. This is why I am looking at something else for a scattergun.

Kenneth,

I agree that I probably do not need the 3.5" but SBE is advertised as shooting all three 2 3/4, 3, and 3.5" but I am wondering if there may be issues with this shooting 2 3/4 when it can accommodate 3". This is why I think I probably should look for the M1 since 3" is the most I'd shoot.

I got the LH Beretta A400 Extreme. 70% reduction in recoil is nice. Very nice. It cycles extremely fast and I don't get any of that annoying jamming of my finger from the trigger guard like I did with my SBEII.

As for 3' or 3 1/2", I shoot both. I usually get a case of 3" #2s for duck season - the Fiocchis have been patterning well for me. I burn about half that for late season ducks and geese with 3 1/2" shells which gives me a few more pellets on target a little faster. I still use 3 1/2" turkey loads, but with the 70% recoil reduction both goose & turkey loads are no big deal in recoil anymore.

To the OP- After shopping around I found my A400 for a little less than what you paid. My Beretta A390 has been a solid shooter for a couple of decades now. Never a hang up and will shoot dirty, clean, and in-between. I have a good feeling that this current model will perform the same way.

valad - My SBEII would shoot any size round. Only issue I had was on a batch of questionable reloads. I ran a factory box through it right after and it performed flawlessly. I could take it from the skeet field to the goose field with confidence.