Thinking about picking one up for marsh hens, snipe and quail. Any thoughts?

I have a friend I have hunted grouse and woodcock with for years. He bought a AL 48 and he had nothing but trouble with it. Would not consistantly cycle shells. After several trips back to the dealer and trying different loads etc. it still never worked right. Finally returned the gun and went with a Benelli. I shoot Benellis and he does now too. Pricey, but no issues with them. I can shoot the cheapest loads ever made through mine and cycles every time.

Bear in mind this was 7 yrs ago, but I looked at a new one a month ago and when I dry ran the action it seemed really stiff. Did not like the feel. Was looking to buy a semi-auto for my son.

Maybe he just got a bad one but was enough to scare me off.

I bought my AL 48 28ga in '98 or '99. It cycles as well as any other semi-auto, gas or non-gas. I've owned Benelli's, do own a dozen or so Berettas from the 302 up through the 391, and shot a Browning Gold for a summer Sporting Clays season. I grew up on 1100's, spent 3 seasons with a S&W 1000. I haven't owned "everything", but I've owned and shot enough of them to know nothing is fool-proof. The biggest issue I had to overcome with the Franchi 48 was that it HAS to be very tightly planted into your shoulder, if it's not, there's nothing for it to recoil against and it won't cycle.

I think the 48 AL has got to be considered one of the most successful adaptations of someone else's design in the history of firearms. It's so flippin' light and handy I have to force myself to take anything else afield at this stage of my hunting life. I've just had one a few years, and haven't put bazillions of shells through it, but I haven't had any problems.

FWIW, I've got 2K+ through my 28ga pictured above, almost all of them AA's or Rem STS's.

I have two 48 AL 28 gauges both have been 100% reliable. It's all I pack while quail hunting.

Dink

A used 48AL 28 gauge in a local pawn shop. I check it out every few weeks

Thanks for the info/ input.

Can always use another quail Hun gun

Nice looking dogs.

My wife and I have each owned and hunted with 48 AL's, mine a 20 and hers a 28, and never had a malfuction with either that I recall.

horse1,
Those dogs look mighty happy

picked up an old one today with plain 26" barrel with IC. Got it for 300 bucks. Figured if i wanted i could order a vent rib barrel with chokes for 250 and still have way less than a new one. Hope to pop some snipe with it this weekend

My old rabbit hunting partner had one and it is one of the few autos that realy took my fancy. If I ever had to stop using my szs I'd look into one.