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.

I have shot my Beretta 391 Sporting model over 150,000 rounds.

1100's with a little rattle can! Happiest girls in the dove field!!!!





Or you could do a little LW 28ga 870 with rattle can finesse.







DMc : )

Can't not notice the trigger fingers ;-)

Itchy I'd say. Best have your insurance paid up.

DMc : )

if you can find one for sale don't turn down a Franchi 720. light as a feather and soft on the shoulder.

at 5ft 10 i imagine she is big enough to manage a full sized 20ga semi auto in the used semis the 1100 Remington is a obvious option reliable and easy to maintain, the 720 franchi are a good buy too, not as popular as some other Italian gas Autos and you might find one at a good price.
If you are in the market for a gun something she will always want to keep forever, its pretty much a one horse race where semi autos are concerned lightness ease of handling nice to carry the Franchi 48AL 20ga is the gun to go for, nothing gets near to it in handling and opperation they function thousands of rounds without any issues the Browning A5 20ga is not as well balanced or are its Remington and savage counterparts.
The Franchi 48 al has it for me .
One other semi auto 20 worth looking for is the Browning B80 reliability is second to none, and its a nicer better ballanced gun than its cousin the Beretta 301 and 302s which do feel distinctly front heavy and lame compared to the B80 which had a little more thought put into the gun fit and balance.
Your Tri star Mossberg SA20 is not a bad idea in new guns , these cheaper modern semi autos from the far east are getting their act together now Legacy with the Escorts and Wetherby Sa series guns are no joke they are basic but work fine for the money.

Remington just re-released their new "economy" Model 1100 with a retail of only $499.00. 12 or 20ga, 28" barrel, black synthetic stocks and Matt black finished metal. You ought to be able to buy one new when Academy runs their Dove Season Sale flyer for around $450.
And Remington has some big rebates going right now on new shotguns, too. Don't think you can buy a "better" new 12 or 20 ga at that price, IMO. I'll probably buy one for a spare or loaner for the Ranch.

A nearby large sporting goods store has the Escort LSI 20 with regular price at $390. I haven't found any reviews on them. Does anyone know if they are any good?

Another gun I saw on-line is the Stoeger m3020. It's inertia driven. The few reviews I found seem good. I can't find any in stock but online prices seem to be right around $500.

Thanks for your help!

Spot on.

My grandson and I both shoot them often and have other choices. But, for upland game hunting these are excellent and carry 5 shots where legal.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/652217328
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/674248429

To be honest at that price and with a rebate its a done deal in my opinion i would get the New 1100.

I looked at a youth 20 ga 11-87 today and I think it's too heavy.

I found an old Remington that looks like the auto 5 in 20 ga but it has a fixed full choke. Price was $480. It seemed ok but I don't want to mess with opening up the choke. It was an interesting gun and if I had the spare $ I'd probably by it to play around with.

I also found a Beretta 3901 in 12 ga. It was decent and price was reasonable I think. I definitely want to stick with 20 ga but it was good to see one in 12 ga. I'll keep an eye out for one!

I handled the CZ semi-auto in 12 ga and I didn't like it. I don't know how to describe what I didn't like but I won't consider it in 20. It was marked Huglu so I'll skip those!

The search continues!

That model 11 is a nice shotgun last her her lifetime if its good order and wont lose any money whatsoever they are just steadily creping up holding its own with inflation, and add to this a joy to use.
if you are too heavy on the Remington 1187 1100 the Model 11 although slightly lighter is no super lightweight, if you are in to a 20 in that model 11 kind of weight area, but new cheap and multichoke i would go with a Hatsan escort, adjustable for stock length and multi chokes, not a high grade gun by any means but they do function well are simple and low maintenance just a o ring to keep an eye on like 1100s no problem.
We have an escort here had it years been good all the kids had it as starter gun.
Dont be put off by the plain finish they are good for a low budget tool.

find a Franchi 720 or older 620 and enjoy. light as a feather and the gas system is light on the shoulder. you should be able to have one for well under 700.00 and closer to 550.00
i love my Beretta Urika 2 and if you could find one in 20 ga i think you will be most pleased. but it will go north of 700.00

The Mossberg SA20 and the Tristar Viper G2 are both "copies" of the Beretta 300 series, but newly made and well-made.

You won't go wrong with either one, but the Tristar is the pick of the litter right now due to a great warranty and aggressive customer service.

The search continues...

Today she used my friends 686 20 ga today for a round of trap. One of the senior guys coached her and she did good, but I could see near the end she was feeling the weight of the gun. I think it weighs 6.5 lbs.

She definitely likes the semi-auto better and I could understand that.

Keep the recommendations coming!

Thanks!

The Wby SA-08 is essentially the same. That's why these guns work, good design copied and built well.

I don't think you could beat either the new 1100 Express or the Wby SA-08 in that $500 price range for a brand new gun. Both work extremely well, but the Wby DEFINATLEY "prettier". For a young lady, I'd let her choose the one that feels and handles the best to her. Neither would be a wrong choice. Kids usually appreciate it better if they get a say in the decision, IMO.

And for the money, I'd take either one of those every day and twice on Sunday over a Mossberg or Stoger.

The Weatherby SA-08 is made by the same people in the same factory as the Mossberg SA-20/Tristar Viper G2. All three are essentially the same gun.

Mossberg/Tristar are exactly identical, just different labels.

Weatherby nearly so, but has a differently-shaped trigger guard (irrelevant) and a plastic sleeve single action bar, whereas the other two have a nicely-machined metal two action bar sleeve. The Weatherby uses a two separate valve system which must be changed for light vs. heavy loads, while the other two use a very simple self-compensating gas system with nothing to swap similar to the Beretta 300 series.

Tristar offers the most variety/options in the Viper G2 lineup, has the best warranty, and the most responsive customer service. They will also sell parts much cheaper than the other two, and those same parts can be used interchangeably to fix the other two brands when needed.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say Tristar has the "best warranty". Their web page says they will repair/replace for ONE YEAR from date of purchase to the original owner only. They will provide you with parts (no labor) for 4 years.

Doesn't sound too impressive to me - but when you say they have the most responsive customer service, that carries some weight. Poor customer service can lose even the most dedicated user of any product.

I did not know that DD. Good points if that's the case and the price point is cheaper too. I was just going by the friends I know that have the Weatherby's and love em. I know they are light and trim and swing well and seem to have very low recoil. I'm old school and still think the new 1100 is a bargain. Mainly because that's what I grew up shooting and never had one fail me.

Personally I finally sprung for a new Benelli Silver Ultralight 20 ga auto this year. I just hope like heck I can hit a bird with it.

You couldn't give me an 1100.

And nobody has mentioned THE upland gun. Which is the Benelli M2 in 20 gauge.




Dave

That's because its expensive!

Buy once, cry once.

The Franchi Affinity is darn close to it in awesomeness and much cheaper. I just saw one for $699.

The magazine cut off alone makes them well worth it.



Dave

Might look for a deal on a good condition used one. Can't wear them out, there's not much to break and have chrome lined bores so cosmetics is the only issue if it matters to you.

tarzan,

You might also want to take a look at the SX3 if your primary purpose is clay targets. They're a bit heavier but no so bad you can't hump it all day without problems. The only thing I don't like about them is the lack of a magazine cut off.

I prefer the lighter guns but all we do is hunt so the lighter the better for us. The SX3 we have has seen a lot of dirt and shells and has never had a single malfunction.

Same for the Franchi Affinity and my M2. But that goes without saying...




Travis

The Weatherby has a "benelli-style" magazine cutoff also.

The Mossberg and Tristar have an intergrated magazine cutoff that works simply by depressing the shell carrier up into the gun halfway while emptying the chamber.

*Tristar warranty is for 1-year they do all the parts and service for free, and 4 more years of free parts but you pay to fix it or fix it yourself.
*Mossberg is a 1 year limited warranty (not sure what that really means).
*Weatherby has no express warranty (but are known for having good customer service if it is their fault).

Buy them an 1100 LT Magnum in modified or full.
Then get them a 2 3/4" Remchoke bbl.

The Magnums come with recoil pads. Kinda nice.

The diffs between mag and standard are

1, Gas ports .............(on a 12 ga mag they have a single port-only had one LT 20 standard, don't remember what it had). On a standard 12 they run 2 gas ports (again 12 ga). Gas ports are of diff dim depending on target or field bbl and length.

2. Action sleeve............on mags they are heavier.

Yup, the 1100 won't let you shoot every type of shell with one barrel. Big whoop. Who does that crap anyway?

Buy a 2 3/4" bbl if not shooting hot stuff (my magnums cycle 1300 fps target stuff fine).
A different action sleeve if wanting to run super wimp loads is an easy swap.

Can buy a little tool for it or make one.
Gotta be sure you put the heavy sleeve on it to run mags.

I bet some mags have been sold used with wrong action sleeve in place. Nobody ever checks for that. Well some of us do.
Can buy standard action sleeves new. Magnums Big Green won't sell.

Numrich's gets them now and then, $60 for a 12 ga used.

I could swap stuff around. I'm too lazy even for an extra bbl. I run three 1100's and one 870.

I'd get a youth model LT for smaller shooters.
Could get youth stock for a reg 12 ga 1100 for those that will get bigger sized.

Buddy had a Montefeltro 20.......felt great. Might be a dandy dove rig.
Never know.............he sold it

Yrs ago some folks would drill a 2nd gas port on a magnum bbl, and tap the hole for a set screw.
Run both ports open for reg shells, and put the screw in and run as a magnum.
Read that Cabelas offered that yrs back.

I got a Remchoke magnum bbl the prev owner had drilled a 2nd gas port (not threaded). The original port was left alone, so I tapped the offending change and epoxied a set screw in it. Ran 10 turkey loads through it and the set screw is fine.

If the repair doesn't hold, I can send the bbl off and have a new bbl ring soldered on for around $100 (putting it back to factory spec).
New Remington bbls now say "designed by Remington". Nice bluing, proper choke tube machining, but the rib anti glare doesn't match that on the receiver.

This bbl is an older Remington made Remchoke (done right). so would be worth the $ to restore if need be. Bastardized, 3 inch chamber and two ports..........somebody not knowing could have run it and bashed their gun. I got it for $40 bucks LOL.

Getting back to the original quest, get a gun that fits them, not you. 20 ga Lightweight, gas operated, 24" barrels, shorter stock.

This is what a goat fugk sounds like ^^^^




Dave

How short should it be for a kid that's 5' 10"?




Dave

Turkey and bunnies..............short bbl fine.
Dove, geese and clays..............26" seems kinda short.

What a kid prefers at the start, may not be what they like after getting a little experience.

Magnum vs standard...............if hunting big birds and busting clays, might need two guns.
Simplifies things.

Some folks need it really simple.

Simple is a O/U, SxS or pump.

Maybe. Inertia trigger or double triggers?
Buddy's GF had a turkish youth 20 ga auto................got into skeet.
She runs a Citori now.

Funny, way back Remington advertised buying a Magnum 1100 and getting a 2 3/4" extra bbl as a "do all" combo.
I think it still a sound concept.

I'd like to find a deal on an LT20 mag, and try some steel dove loads in a standard bbl, see if it'll run. If not, swap in standard sleeve.
Not a big deal IMHO.

If it works, buy a youth stock and let my youngest run it.

3-5" -3.75"

Ramblings of a genius.




Dave

Well the average male in the United States is now 5' 10". So I guess everybody is carrying the wrong gun.




Dave

DD

An FYI

After we put some rounds through the Wby guns with the magnum sleeve we find that all but the most anemic loads cycle with it installed. That means we would only use the standard sleeve for clays, if even then. I don't buy the minimum loads ever, since what we hunt requires a bit more oomph, even the valley quail.

This is exactly what I did. I got lucky and found a 620, new in the box. A lady had won it in a raffle and didn't need it. My thirteen year old daughter has been shooting it for over a year and she loves it. The piston can be reversed to handle heavy loads. The 620/720 are gas guns, so recoil is very minimal. Let me tell you, this is one sweet dove gun! This set up would be tough to beat IMHO. Of course a 390 in a 20 gauge would be ideal as well. I would also give strong consideration to a Winchester SX3.

A little shorter. Of course this is a gun for the current 5'10" girl that will be passed on the little brother. In my experience, young ladies are usually handed a gun that is too heavy, too long and too much recoil for them to learn and appreciate the experience. It is much easier to shoot too short a gun, than too long a gun.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/675989797
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/675969407
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/665410462
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/675883263
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/651411450
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/676475437

They come into shops and like the short light M500's. Pieces of chit. Whop 'em pretty good.

Drink less.

Or more.

Whichever makes you less dumb.




Dave

Good to know. Thanks.

Benelli M2 or Franchi auto would be my pick .

The ones I have a lot of experience with that I can recommend highly are largely Benelli's, specifically the M2, the Montefeltro, and the Ultralight. These are three top tier SA shotguns; of course the legacy would be the same but fancier and more expensive. And I've used Franchi's and Beretta's too. There isn't one of the other recognized names I'd carry except as a club.

I believe the Ultra- has a magazine limit of two with one in the chamber, at least this is true of the 12 ga. I've never found that limiting even in SD pheasant fields where there might be a dozen birds in the air simultaneously.

As to cost, I would add that it's all relative not just to the other shotguns' costs but to everything else. It's kind of amusing to me that some will spend $55k on a new truck but will balk at a $1k shotgun that'll have many times the life span of the vehicle and can be handed across or down to other family.

Hard to argue with that, George.




Clark

20 guage Montefeltro on classifieds right now for $700. Thats a steal for somebody.

That being said, it is also hard to justify not spending $3-500 on a decent reliable shotgun that fits and then selling it a few years later at a small loss, and buying a legacy gun when the user is done with it.

i'm partial to the Franchi Affinity. The ONLY drawback i could think of with it is its kinda stiff to load especially when new. it would be fine for a grown man and my 13 yr old son does fine with his but has learned how to load it best. thats all the negatives i can think of. i absolutely love mine.
good luck,
Big Ed

One made by a company with a name that starts with 'B' and ends in a vowel, but not 'a'.