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I don't. I can't stand FB. I make one exception, but that pretty much it.

Maybe after you let me try yours...

Hum? Make sure you get all the blood out of the meat.

Never heard of recoil operation in a Beretta gas semi. What are you referring to?

That can be arranged. I'll tag you in the next ads that I see

A few weeks back there was one with a synthetic stock that the guy only wanted 700 bucks for

What's up with needing a cannon to kill a goose?? All this talk of needing 10 gauges or 3/3½" 12 gauges slinging two ounces of shot has my head spinning. I have used nothing but 12 gauge (and a few 16's and 20's) in 2 3/4" with 1 1/8oz. of lead-like shot. The hundreds of birds I killed over the last ten years is proof that skill trumps cannons, no matter how much the glossy magazines, manufacturer's hype, and old wive's tales would have you believe otherwise. In this day and age of lead-like non-toxic shot there's no excuse for using steel shot which is the basis for the "more is better" myth. Expensive you say? Sure, but when compared to what you spend for licenses, trucks, decoys, blinds, guns, clothing, dogs, meals, etc., etc. that $2-3 per shot when filling a two goose limit is small potatoes. (Not to mention that with lighter loads you won't flinch as much and your shooting will dramatically improve- a win-win situation.)

The flyways were decimated 100+ years ago by market gunners shooting the lightest (most cost effective) loads they could- typically an ounce of lead out of a 12 gauge. Look me in the eye and tell me you believe geese are harder to kill now than they were 100 years ago.

This is interesting as I am strongly considering hunting this year with a 20. I've been shooting a lot of sporting clays and focusing on passing type shots and realize that a lot of my crippled ducks this year were not due to poor steel performance but marginal hits with only a pellet or two on the bird. So many variables for incoming birds that can really only be practiced shooting clays.

You've shot hundreds of birds over ten years
My guys shot 328 just this season.

Htl loads are prohibitively expensive. I buy steel by the case.

Hesse aren't harder to kill, but they are much more call any and decoy wary. And recoil in modern autos is zilch. My Gold ten is like a 20 gauge

I shoot a lot of ducks with a 20 and we even hold a couple of sub gauge goose hunts a year. But I don't care what anyone says I've never seen geese crumple like they do when getting hit with a pad of big pellets from a big 10

Lead-like shot is expensive for guys who shoot a lot of geese (or shoot at a lot of geese) in a year. Big steel shot patterns a lot better out of a 10 ga than a 12 and the guns are typically heavy enough that the recoil is far less than a 12

When the original Xtrema appeared it was unique. It combined a self-adjusting gas operating system with mechanical design elements typically associated with inertia/recoil operated autoloaders, specifically the forward mounted recoil and return spring. The Xtrema design integrates forward operating arms with the bolt into a single piece, allowing the forward mounted recoil spring to buffer bolt operation, much like recoil/inertia driven systems. While I haven't followed the most recent iterations, I'm under the impression this combination of mechanics remains unique to the Xtrema and its lineage. IIRC, this was talked up considerably when Beretta first launched the original Xtrema. In those days, Benelli owned the hearts and minds of the high dollar shotgunning waterfowling crowd, and Beretta was king of the clays. At the time, I remember thinking that Beretta's integration of design elements unique to their inertia driven competition was both curious and brilliant. I wondered if Beretta Holding's 2000 purchase of Benelli might not be a coincidence. Back in the 90's, the divide between Benelli's inertia fans and Beretta's gas gun fans was vastly wider than it is today. For a while the message coming out of Italy seemed set toward easing the passion of both sides. More recently, it appears as they mean to re cultivate these sorts of distinctions, but in a much softer, fuzzier, inclusive way—especially if it will keep buyers away from shotguns produced outside the Beretta Holding Group family.

The group I hunt with is headed up by my buddy who owns three farms on the Eastern Shore, bought mainly for goose hunting. We have 11 pits and and a half dozen permanent blinds set up, not to mention the portable blinds. The group (including guests) passed the 500 mark a couple weeks before season's end but I don't know the final tally. My personal score is lower than some because my arthritis started to dictate my times in pits starting about ten years ago.

Out of the eight "regulars", one insists on using a Mag10 and steel mainly because he's one of those guys that has to be bigger than life in everything: an F350, 5000sq.ft. house, .300 Weatherby for deer, etc.- you know the type- and coincidentally he's about the worst shot I ever knew. An other guy uses a Benelli 3 1/2" because all the magazines tell him it's the best tool for the job. His kills are in the basement too. The rest of the guys woke up to reality and pile up the birds.

Most of us reload, and load stuff like ITX #2's by the case. Cheaper than steel? No, but not as crazy expensive as factory loads and just as effective. I stand by my statement that a couple bucks per shot per bird is still not worth talking about when considering the godawful costs a dedicated hunter can rack up in a season- even in a honey hole like ours.

Birds are warier now? Maybe so. Fewer birds? Definitely. But immaterial to the discussion when the hunter is skilled at calling, the blinds are skilfully built, and the adjoining river is black with geese as dawn breaks.

Try hitting them with a wad of lead-like #2's from a tightly choked 12/16/20 too. Dead is dead.

Sometimes we get bored and do sub-gauge days- 28's and .410's. It calls for will power to wait and shoot until they're within bayonet range and pass up edgier shots do-able with a heavier gun, but again dead is dead.

Yes but the beretta standard bore is .722ish. So when they overbored them 10 thousandths it is a mere .732, only 3 thousandths over standard American bore. Where as the FN winchester/Browning guns are overbored to .742. The choke tube length isn't all that important as long as they are 2" long most guys use extended chokes anyways and they have a longer taper and parallel section so it doesn't matter. I have a gold and had 2 others also had a SX2. they patterned better than the 2 M1s and my SBE and my 391. Very consistent with heavy loads and or big shot sizes.

Thanks Troy.

Thank you for the explanation. I searched through Beretta's current literature and did not see any reference to what I was asking you about.

I've never noticed Berett gas guns to have less felt recoil than others, but it could be a fit issue. I've tried two, a 3901 and A300 and even with shims they didn't fit me well.

The original Xtrema didn't fit me well. The LOP had very limited adjustment. IIRC it bottomed out at 14.25. Which is too long for me when bundled up for nasty late season hunting.

They remedied this with the Xtrema 2, which has enough adjustment to fit me pretty well. At the end of the day, the biggest plus for me is the Aqua coating.

Currently, I'm amidst a shotgun buying moratorium, which ironically is the first step toward buying a new shotgun. We'll see what happens. I might have to Huckleberry Finn Gnoahhh into making me some of his super loads.

I'm trying to keep from buying more shotguns too. Currently have 12 but have an itch for the Remington V3 and Fabarm XLR5 Waterfowler.

This place is no cure for such an ailment.

I'm shopping for a new turkey gun now. And am seriously considering one of the sx3 lomgbeards

Use your new 10ga.