So I am needing a new shotgun for mostly coyote hunting and want to upgrade to a semi-automatic and one that has provisions for mounting some type of sights (read: drilling and tapped).

A Stoeger m3500 in black will set me back about $550. A SBE III will be north of $1700. Is there enough difference to notice it? Is there $1100 worth of difference?

What about barrel length. I am thinking 24" but even Cabelas doesn't catalog either of them in this length.

Why not split the difference and get a Franchi Affinity. The Stoegar is a Turkish product. The Franchi is made on the same assembly line as the Benelli in Italy. It is a quality product. About the only difference is the position of the recoil spring under the forearm and the lack of a comfortech stock.

But is the Franchi any more pleasant to shoot than the Stoeger? Is the Stoeger prone to be problematic? I will only shoot about 40 rounds a year through it most likely.

Beretta A350 Outlander would give you less recoil, lower price, same quality as the Benelli. You can get it in a turkey version with 24" camo barrel.

The Stoeger is not any worse recoil-wise than the Affinity, but it is of lower fit/finish quality. Both are going to kick with 3.5" shells. The SBEIII will feel nice than either in the recoil dept.

If you're going to spend big money, you'd be better off with the Remington VersaMax, in a Tactical version 22". That will be by far your lightest recoiling shotgun, and waterfowlers have proven them now with the bugs worked out.

The Remington Tactical and the Beretta Turkey are the only two I would consider at all if you are going with 3.5" ammo. Buy the one that you can afford and a good choke, and you'll be all set.

Though they don't have pics on the website, you might consider the Stoeger 3500 with the Steady Grip stock. I'd think the pistol grip buttstock would help handle recoil of coyote loads. It also comes with a 24" barrel.

The shortest sbe3 barrel your going to find is 26”, that’s what mine is and remember the receivers on the sbe3 ‘s are long so it feels more like a 28” barrel.
That said, I absolutely love mine

I shoot 3.5" shells in my Nova almost to exclusion of anything else. The recoil doesn't bother me in the least. If I were shooting high over my head, where I could roll with the kick I might notice it more.

As for the pistol grip, I don't think I would like it, might sprain my wrist or something trying to shoot it in an awkward position.

I can't find an A350 Outlander, only the Xtrema. The Outlander is A300 which is only 3" chamber. The 350 and 400 are 3.5". That A400 Xtreme looks nice too

At 40 rounds per year, the Stoeger is a no brainer IMHO. I have an old Stoeger M2000 that has run almost flawlessly for many years. If you were a dedicated waterfowler, I would make a different recommendation, which still wouldn’t be a Benelli.

I've never shot a goose or a duck in my life (with a shotgun) but I have killed hundreds of coyotes with a 12 ga.

Another vote for the franchi affinity.

My 3 inch one doesnt miss a beat and the new ones can be had in 3.5 inch and drilled & tapped.


We have guys trap shooting with a mixture of stoeger's makes and I wouldn't recommend one.

And that would be??

and why?

Get a Stoeger 3500 for $550 and forget about it, for the money they cant be beat........Hb

On other forums it seems more than a few SBE 3s have had point of impact issues. Being short stature I preferred my 2 to the SBE3. I know a couple people that had stoegers (feeding problems) and now have benellis. Never owned a franchi but handled them and read a lot of good reviews on them. I would vote for the SBE2 or the Franchi. There are some deals on the SBE 2s since the 3s hit the market, got one new in camo for 1200.

I'll have to fondle all of them at the SHOT show next week.

My son just bought a Stoeger 3500 a couple of weeks ago and so far likes it. Sample of one and he hasn't put that many rounds through it yet.

The Stoeger will serve you well with limited use. I would just personally prefer spending a little bit more for a higher quality gun in the Franchi Affinity.

I will look at all of them at the SHOT show and see if I can get past the Stoeger. I've always wanted the SBE but $1700 is a hard pill to swallow to shoot coyotes!

Yes, you are correct, it's listed as an Xtrema. The A350 is supposed to be the 3.5" version of the Outlander, meaning they are a bit cheaper. The A350 is actually a better gun in my opinion, as it uses the Blink system which the Outlander does not.

I'd go with that or the Remington Versa Max Tactical, which many guys love since it clearly has the softest recoil of any 3.5".

IMHO there are great, possibly better choices for far less money. Beretta A300, Winchester SX3 or the Remington V3, to name a few. Our group puts out guns through heck while hunting in Arkansas every year. Overall, the Benelli guys fuss about the performance of their guns more than the rest of us do. Extreme cold really slowed a few of them down last year.

Remember, I am not waterfowling with it, only shooting coyotes. 3.5" chamber is a must. Semi-Auto is a must. Ability to mount optics is a much. After that, I am wide open. I am not brand loyal nor wary. A lot of those on your list are 3" guns. The Versa- Max tactical is sounding better!

Been looking at the shotguns. The biggest loser is the Remington Versa Max. Might be OK for sitting in a duck blind all day but who would want to carry it and the ergos of the stock- ouch.

Stoeger is 2nd worst

Winchester SX4 is the clear winner in my book. They even make a turkey gun with a cantilevered scope mount.

Will look at the Berettas tomorrow. Didn't see any SBE but did see the super Vincis. What a weird looking gun that is!!

I have an original SBE and love it. It is the easiest shotgun to clean and maintain I have ever owned. Not a dirty gas operated shotgun. I put a Limbsaver recoil pad on it and a mercury recoil suppressor in the stock. Don't feel much kick even with 3.5" shells. I shoot sporting clays with light #8 shot loads all the way to heavy 3.5" loads. Try getting a used SBE that is in good condition and you can't go wrong. It is so fast you can shoot 5 shells before the first hull hits the ground. If you can shoot accurately that fast. When I bought mine, no one except Benelli was using the recoil operated system. Now, Franchi and Browning are doing it. Don't know if anyone else is. Should be able to pick up a SBE or SBE II used cheaper than a new SBE III. Would have to shop around or look online and have one delivered to your gun dealer.

You guys claiming gas operated shotguns are dirty are pretty much full of gas.

I love my 3500. I have had a sbe11 and and beretta a300. The stoeger shoots just as well. No issues at all. Been from ducks to doves. Freezing to sweating and it just works.

Well.....my 11/87 was a filthy pig.
The crud would come off in chunks, no lie.
My sbe3, totally different bird.
The junk stays in the barrel...what little there is.

A gas gun will always be "dirtier" than an inertia. Whether that matters is up for debate, but the basic physics isn't.

I looked at pretty much everything. I really like the SBE III but I also like the SX4 at $900 less. Aimpoint has a sweet optic for shotguns in the S-1 micro.

If prices was no obstacle, I would spring for the SBE. I have no issues with a gas gun as I won't be shooting it enough to worry about getting it dirty.

No way would I buy the Benelli over the SX4, or the SX3, for that matter, considering the price points of the two. Heck, I’d buy the Winchester if they were both priced the same.

I can't really argue with that. I really liked the SX4 but the legendary reliability of the SBE factors in a little.

Tim, anyone have any deals on the SX4 3.5" that you know of? I may be in the market unless I can run across a good deal on a used SBE 2.

I watch the “legendary reliability” of the SBE spit and sputter a bit every year while hunting in Arkansas. Don’t get me wrong, they do work very well overall, but they do trip up some. The best Benelli that I have seen out there is a Cordoba. The only gun that I have seen quit out there was a Remington. We worked on it that night and it ran for the rest of the week.

Hey Brad,

Check your PM.

For shooting coyotes, any of the guns listed should serve you well. Running one hard after ducks and geese is a completely different challenge. That is where you will start to see hiccups and failures. I would have a lot of confidence in an SX3 or SX4 for waterfowl, therefore coyotes would be a no brainer IMHO.

That's what I figured. My calling buddy ordered a SBE III and it came in today. Wish it were mine!

The Stoger is heavy. I do a lot of walk in public land waterfowl and bird hunting. You couldn't melt a Stoger down and pour it on me but only because the weight.

If you can find an SX3, I'd take that over the new 4 model. They are tough as nails, reliable, and don't have cheaper plastic internals like the new 4 version.

But shotguns should always be picked on "fit first, then features."

Other than the trigger guard, what is plastic on the SX4 that isnt on the SX3? I had read the gas piston on the 4 now is all metal wheras the 3 had a plastic ring on it. The recoil spring tube is aluminum as is the magazine tube. Trying to find out the real differences in the two as I'm in the market for a new waterfowl gun and I'm strongly considering the 4 due to the new larger controls. I've shot a M1 the last 10 years so going to a gas auto would be a change.

I dont understand the disdain for good polymer parts. I've never seen a broken trigger guard on a Benelli, Glock, XD or any other name brand firearm that uses polymer.

The SBE III sure patterns nice with W-W varmint shells