Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl Best semi auto for the $

I don't waterfowl hunt. I do have a Winchester SX4, Browning A5 and a Browning Maxus II, among others. The SX4 and the Maxus II are very comparable. Both are Browning-made in the same factory. Both are short-stroke gas guns. The Browning is a little more refined with a quick-load feature and a magazine cut off lever that the Winchester doesn't have. The Maxus has a center bead, the Winchester does not. The sleeve assembly on the Maxus is all steel, and it's fiber reinforced plastic and steel on the SX4. Both are equals in terms of function and shootability. The Winchester seems a little lighter. Both have chrome plated chambers and bores. The gas piston assemblies look exactly the same. The recoil pads feel like exactly the same material, except the Maxus pad is a little more roudned while the SX4's has some sharper edges. The SX4 is $700-$800 less than the Maxus. You can find SX4s for $799.

I say the SX4 is a sleeper shotgun. I've run 2 3/4" #4 and #6 through it for squirrels, 3" 00 and #5, and 3.5" 00 and #5 without a hickup. I'm looking to pick one up in 20 gauge.