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I'm in the process of looking for a "do-it-all" shotgun. I previously owned an original SBE and sold it prior to the birth of the twins to help pay those expenses. I was a big fan of the shotgun, and immediately look at the SBE 3 as a contender to replace it with. Should I purchase a new shotgun, I will use it for turkey (once the family responsibilities allow me to get back into it), recreational clay busting, and possibly dove hunting. Currently, my only shotguns are a Franchi I-12 Limited with fancy wood and white gold inlay, and a "tactical" defensive shotgun with an 18.5" barrel.
Are there other shotguns to consider looking at? 1301 perhaps? M2? I am somewhat inclined to choose ID over gas, but I'm open-minded.
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From your description, you need another 12 gauge. Seems like another Benelli would do the trick.
I have and like the wood stocked Montefeltro, and with that particular model, really like the handling of the 26” barrel (most of the Benellis have very long actions, such that even a 28” barrel seems too long). The only thing I did to mine is sending off the trigger group to improve the trigger ($85).
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I have two of the old SBE!'s from H&K... they are the bomb. Don't really care for the new autoloaders. Get what you had...
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went" Will Rogers
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Benelli M2 or Beretta gas gun that suits you.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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"use it for turkey (once the family responsibilities allow me to get back into it), recreational clay busting, and possibly dove hunting"
Seems like the Franchi you already have is a clay and dove gun. You need then a turkey gun. The modern tungsten turkey loads mean you can go to a lightweight subgauge. 20 gauge is a big gun now. No foolin'. A 20ga Benelli M2 with an upgraded recoil spring makes a good turkey gun.
Personally, I much prefer a 20ga O/U for turkeys. The tang safety is tops for turkey work. Being able to open and close the action silently is a big plus, too.
Living in a world of G17s and 700s, wishing for P7s and 202s
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"use it for turkey (once the family responsibilities allow me to get back into it), recreational clay busting, and possibly dove hunting"
Seems like the Franchi you already have is a clay and dove gun. You need then a turkey gun. The modern tungsten turkey loads mean you can go to a lightweight subgauge. 20 gauge is a big gun now. No foolin'. A 20ga Benelli M2 with an upgraded recoil spring makes a good turkey gun.
Personally, I much prefer a 20ga O/U for turkeys. The tang safety is tops for turkey work. Being able to open and close the action silently is a big plus, too. Yeah the I-12 can do Doves and Clays just fine. I hadn’t considered a break action or a 20 ga. I wouldn’t mind a little weight savings.
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Weight savings... Benelli M2 20 gauge.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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Unless you’re covering a lot of ground in a day of bird hunting, I would think twice about lighter guns. Lighter is faster, quite true, but also more demanding.
A quick, light dove or target gun is a fool’s errand.
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Since you already have that I-12, think about a 20 GA. Lots of good SA options.
I feel my self moving that way on almost everything, duck, dove, turkey.
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Do it all? Nothing wrong with a good older Remington 870 pump. Or an Ithaca 37. works all the time.
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Can't imagine how I've managed to get by for all these years with pump guns. Deer, waterfowl, turkeys, predators, upland game and clays. They've done it all.
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Lots of choices but MOGC hit it pretty square with a 20ga m2. I’m thinking very hard on either an m3 or montefeltro in 20ga. With the new loads they are about all a guy needs unless you plan on a lot of waterfowling.
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Whether you can imagine or not, pump-action shotguns are not my preference, which is why I didn’t ask about them. But thank you for the contribution, snarky as though it may be.
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I will consider the m2/20 ga. Maybe I can find a shop with them and compare to some of the others.
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Whether you can imagine or not, pump-action shotguns are not my preference, which is why I didn’t ask about them. But thank you for the contribution, snarky as though it may be. I understand. Lotta folks out there these days that can't drive a stick shift and others that just don't want to..
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Whether you can imagine or not, pump-action shotguns are not my preference, which is why I didn’t ask about them. But thank you for the contribution, snarky as though it may be. I understand. Lotta folks out there these days that can't drive a stick shift and others that just don't want to.. “ Originally Posted by tylerw02 Whether you can imagine or not, pump-action shotguns are not my preference, which is why I didn’t ask about them. But thank you for the contribution, snarky as though it may be. I understand. Lotta folks out there these days that can't chew gum and walk at the same time.” I see that edit. Be glad you edited I can drive a stick and do from time to time, but I don’t on my daily driver. My daily driver from 1996 until 2018 was a five speed manual. And as I mentioned earlier, my defensive shotgun is indeed a pump action. So don’t pretend to be superior to those that don’t share your preferences.
Last edited by tylerw02; 05/03/21.
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Take your time and look around. Handle and if possible shoot everything you can get your hands on. Which ones fit and feel good? Shopping for new shotguns is more fun than looking through a mail order bride catalog.
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Whether you can imagine or not, pump-action shotguns are not my preference, which is why I didn’t ask about them. But thank you for the contribution, snarky as though it may be. I understand. Lotta folks out there these days that can't drive a stick shift and others that just don't want to.. “ Originally Posted by tylerw02 Whether you can imagine or not, pump-action shotguns are not my preference, which is why I didn’t ask about them. But thank you for the contribution, snarky as though it may be. I understand. Lotta folks out there these days that can't chew gum and walk at the same time.” I see that edit. Be glad you edited I can drive a stick and do from time to time, but I don’t on my daily driver. My daily driver from 1996 until 2018 was a five speed manual. And as I mentioned earlier, my defensive shotgun is indeed a pump action. So don’t pretend to be superior to those that don’t share your preferences. You didn't mention that your defensive shotgun was a pump action. I forgot to mention lotta folks these days just too lazy to drive a stick or manually operate a shotgun. And I should be glad I edited ? LOL.. Enjoy whatever you buy.
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Hard to say but shopping for a new shotgun is alot more fun than paying for one. I've got an old Belgium Sweet 16 that I shoot and enjoy a lot more than my newer guns. To be honest about it I have a variety of action types and enjoy using all of them. Like Blackheart said the 870 gives ultimate utility setup with a Rem choke barrel. I've looked at a CSX Citori more than a few times but can't see that it will do the job any better than the old Red Label I've had for 34 years. Lots to choose from, good luck. Mb
" Cheapest velocity in the world comes from a long barrel and I sure do like them. MB "
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I'm probably the wrong person to ask, but my preference is for sxs shotguns and I own them in 10, 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge. Some of them are hammer guns, too. The newer ones come with choke tubes, can shoot steel and, if you prefer, a single trigger. There's something about them that just screams "Shotgun!" in a way neither semiautos, pumps or over/unders does. Take a look at the CZs and the F.A.I.R. lines.
But I'm an old guy and I like old things.
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