Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 20 ga semi-auto recommendations????

Hi guys & gals,

I'm looking for a recommendations for an affordable, reliable and light weight, 20 ga semi-auto. It's intended for my daughter and eventually my son. She's almost 14 and pretty tall at 5' 10".

Intended use is mostly trap and skeet, but I expect that we'd also use it for bird hunting.

I have zero experience with semi-auto shotguns.

Thanks for your help!

hard to beat an Remington 1100. They run forever if you replace the o-ring every few years and clean them occasionally

The 1100 is a great gun but the standard model lacks the 3" chamber which may be a factor if non-toxic loads are needed for hunting while the 3" model may have problems with some target loads unless one drills out the exhaust port or swaps in a 2 3/4" barrel. I did the latter for my youngest step son but it was kind of a pain.

For his mother, now my wife, I went with a Beretta 390. It is as light as the 1100 if not lighter. It also came with shims to help adjust the stock to better fit a woman which is a bonus as most shotguns are stocked for a man's face rather than woman's.

Other desired features were the 3" chamber and self regulating gas system. The lack of rubber O-ring is another advantage to my eyes. Our 390 has been absolutely reliable and it has shown itself to run longer between cleanings than the 1100.

I would go with another Beretta series over the Remington but they are both reliable.

My initial search has me liking the Mossberg SA-20. What do you guys know about this gun?

I think it's a ginormous POS.

I also think you'd have to seriously dislike a child if you chose to give them an 1100. PS- I cut my teeth on an 1100.

Franchi all the way. Camo, black, wood. Matter's not. They don't weigh a ton and they go BANG!BANG!BANG! 10 times out of 10.



Clark

11-87 20 bore is light weight and super low recoil. Those people that have issue simply dont know how to maintain them and it aint hard. I have been shooting them for 30+ years and never had one that would not run perfect ever.

Another vote for the beretta.

This is the identical gun to the Tristar Viper G2. Both are absolutely excellent in their current forms. Basically, they put any current American and Italian autoloader to shame so far as internal fit and polish. You won't go wrong with the Tristar or the Mossberg. Tristar has more options including a red sporting version if that floats your boat. They are more or less a copy of the early Beretta 300 series with the return spring moved to the forend for easier maintenance.

The Weatherby SA-08 is very similar and made in the same factory, but is not the same exact workings mechanically. Excellent quality also though.

The Benelli Ultralight is no slouch.

I bought an 11-87 20 ga. "for my wife" ~snicker~ and I love it. Shoots like a dream.

Used Benelli Montefeltro is a winner. My favorite shotgun. They run forever and mine runs 7/8 ounce loads just as well as 3 inch mag duck and turkey loads. Recoil isn't mild as a gas gun but really minor with the target loads.

Beretta 390 (or 3901) is the hands down winner. Lighter than the Remington guns, less recoil than the Benelli guns, and the function flawlessly with minimal maintenance. They also will not break the bank and give you plenty of ammo options that will work without adjusting anything.

Recoil is an issue for young folks. You do not want to start out a bad habit with a light gun that kicks. You also need to keep the gun light, because females especially do not have the upper body strength to hold them up and swing like adults do. Keep in mind too that if you cut a corner and get a gun that does not function 100% correctly the frustration of that young shooter can be horrible too.

I really like my Benelli M2 20 guage.

That will be my next scattergun, and with light loads it might be comfortable to shoot, but I have to imagine with heavy/heavier hunting loads it could beat you up pretty good. I do like that the Monte can be bought with a 2-stock combo, standard and reduced length of pull.

The Weatherby SA -08 fits your bill. I bought one for my son and I ended up using it on dove shoots and pheasant hunts because I loved how light weight it was. My son really likes it. You can shoot 3 inch loads or light field loads by just adjusting a module (sometimes you have to experiment to see which module works best with a given load). The Twenty has been exceptionally deadly on South Dakota wild birds and is a joy to carry in the field.

Good luck.

Thanks for the replies!

I'm going to look for deals on the Mossberg SA-20 and Weatherby SA-08, and get which ever works out less.

Thanks for you help!

Then take a look at "budsgunshop.com". They have some mighty good prices for the two you're looking at.

For my intended use a Beretta 390, 303 or 302 is what I'd be looking for. The main reason is Beretta semi autos have chrome lined chambers and bores.
You never have to worry about the internals of your barrel. Remington 1100s do not. I've seen fired shells stick in 1100 chambers that had rust in them.

I have a couple of the early model 1100 20ga on the 12ga frame, but if I was looking to buy another 20ga, it would be one with chrome lined barrels.

Mark

passport mentions the 11-87/20ga. Mighty good gun there.

I have an Escort youth and a Stoeger 3020 (bought off a member here) that are Turkish. Both have proven reliable. I shoot 3 gun with the Stoeger, it runs great and is very light. They make a compact which I would recommend.