Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Your vote for the best...

Beretta 390. (even 301,302,303)

11-87. You might need to clean em more but none are softer shooting or point as well IMO.

Beretta 390s are great! Can't imaging anything being much better!

This may be hard to believe but I have a Stoeger M2000 that has functioned extreemly well in some very tough conditions. It shoots light loads well too.

Beretta 301,302,303,390, or 391.

Super 90

Without a doubt Benelli M1. Handles very thing you need to shoot out of it. Clean it if you want to.

I have been shooting 1100s for almost 50 years so they're number one in my heart. Having said that, I would have to say Benelli makes the very best auto-loader. I would love to have one of the new Legacy 28ga guns.

I would put the orginal Benelli Super Black Eagle and the Winchester Super X2 on the top two in my book. Benelli is a lot easier to clean and maintain, but the Super X2 is just as reliable and has to be the softest shooting 12 guage I have ever handled.

Benelli M1 super 90 (older H&K imported one)

Browning A-5

my vote goes to the Beretta a390. 16 years on mine with nary a malfunction. I still prefer it to many of the newer ones I have tried.

Just my opinion of course but I agree with the posters who have named the A5. My BIL had one for many years until he stupidly sold it for another shotgun (a Browning Gold with which he's had nothing but trouble). Anyway, he used it for duck, rabbit and sometimes for deer hunting. I've seen him use as a boat paddle and other assorted uses. It was literally covered in rust, since to my knowledge he never cleaned it. Over the years I hunted with him, I never saw a malfunction in that shotgun. Maybe he just got lucky.

Benelli. I suppose I'm in the minority, but I've seen more problems from the 390's than I ever have with 1100's. Sure like A-5's though.

I've owned several Browning A5's over the years, one Browning Gold, a bunch of Remington 1100 and 1187�s, one Winchester SX3, one Franchi AL48, a couple of Beretta 390/391 guns, and two Benelli M1S90's. The Benelli M1's are by far the best of the bunch - no contest. The Benelli M1�s have given me complete 100% reliability under any and all conditions with the simplest operation and cleaning of any repeating shotgun I�ve ever owned and that includes pump guns. The M1/M2 Series Benelli is light and responsive and handles extremely well, a great field and hunting shotgun.

Been using a Benelli Montrofeltro quite a bit and love its light weight and reliability, but my vote has to go to the original Winchester Super X-1, a bit heavy but it's a classic.

I don't know if it is in fact the best,but my favorite is my 1100 lt 20.

Well, I don't own a Monty, but have shot it a bit...

I will say just the opposite. Having spent the last 22 years around trap and sporting clays ranges, I have seen very few 1100s, the ones I have seen were usually jammed up! I would say that in the competitive sporting clays crowd, the Berettas will outnumber 1100s about 500-1...I wonder why? I have a Beretta 303 with untold thousands of rounds run through it, and had an 1100 that I got rid of because it wouldnt go bang more tahn once most of the time.

I shoot a Beretta 390 for sporting clays and have run close to 140000 rounds through it and have never lost a target do to a jam.Now with that being said a semi-auto shotgun is like a car, ATV, or any machine with moving parts you need to do maintenance on it.I have sent to gun in to have new springs put into it for a tune up.If a person cleans the gun checks for worn parts and properly lubes it you should be able to run a auto for many years. It just seems to be that the Berettas do it with less effort than many others.

Can't comment on trap, however with sporting clays the Beretta 390 series rule.

About 10 years ago I gave an 1100 a go because they balance so well. The stock dimensions are not what many competitors desire today, but with a little moleskin things can be fixed. I couldn't keep it running. At this time between practice and tournaments I was going thru 15000 plus rounds per year. I had to give up on the Remington for function and repair issues. Went to a Beretta and things were essentially trouble free with minor infrequent parts replacement.

I have seen a few Beretta semis give their owners fits. A few were stock, but most had some aftermarket modification. Usually a non-factory backbore that changed the gas dynamics.

500:1 would be a conservative estimate of Beretta 390s:Remington 1100s on the sporting clay range.

If one thinks Beretta is difficult to deal with re: customer service, at that time Remington had them beat in that arena. It was like dealing with a black hole. Another advantage to Beretta is at a larger tournament, if you do have a problem there will be many vendors who will have Beretta parts. Remington will usually be nonexistent.

Adddition: Remington shotguns is an example of an American Co. not keeping up with what the buyer wants. Believe me, many out there want to use an 1100 or some other Remington product. They don't give the customer what they want-and this applies to o/u as well as gas guns-and their active participation and support of one of our fastest growing shooting sports is minimal at best.