Thoughts on best skeet/dove gun?

[Deleted member 40394]

Thoughts on best skeet/dove gun?

budget: $2000

seriously looking at Benelli Montefeltro silver. Always wanted a nice bird gun and I like semi autos.

 

[jcnelsn1]

For doves/pheasant I like my benelli ethos 20 gauge. I shoot it for skeet and sporting clays also, but many prefer an over/under for that. I like to shoot clays with the guns I hunt with.

 

[dchum]

Get a Beretta silver pigeon O/U. 20g or 12g
Kind of a classic. You can show up to any hunt with that gun.

 

[Dawg2019]

1+ for the Beretta O/U

 

[Fixfire]

Since you said semi, get the Beretta A400. Retails at about or slightly under your budget.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

For now, my 40 year old Beretta A-303 will do. I don't shotgun hunt or shoot skeet much anymore.

Randy Wakeman writes a lot about shotguns and seems to like the Fabarm L4s

RANDY WAKEMAN OUTDOORS: Shotguns & Wingshooting

Randy Wakeman Outdoors is the independent resource for candid, hard-hitting firearms information, evaluations, and opinions.

randywakeman.com

 

[CBeck]

Since you said semi, get the Beretta A400. Retails at about or slightly under your budget.

For a semi, I second or third as the case may be the Beretta. I have an A350 that has been flawless with everything from light field loads to 3.5 heavy steel shot.…it has truly been abused and neglected and is wonderful to shoot.

The A400 can be had in an attractive model too….which my A350 is not.

 

[woods0824]

Benelli M2 20 gauge my go to semi-auto for doves. Lightweight, but swings and points naturally with little recoil.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

I am a Benelli or inertia guy. Have a few Benelli and franchi. But I plan to go somewhere and handle the berettas some.

 

[chashardy]

I second the recommendation of a Beretta Silver Pigeon. It's a workhorse over/under shotgun built with Beretta's 686 action that is reliable as any in the world. Buy it and you can shoot it the rest of your life, then bequeath it to your son, grandson, etc.
It fits your budget (in fact should be just under your budget) and for doves I would go with the 20 gauge, though a 12 might be more versatile.
I'm not knocking Benelli. They are good shotguns. Benelli is a wholly owned subsidiary of Beretta.
There's a reason Beretta has been in business for over 500 years. They make guns that are tough, reliable and beautiful.
Just be sure whatever you buy is a shotgun that fits you. Go to a store that has someone who knows about gun fit.

 

[WAB]

For now, my 40 year old Beretta A-303 will do. I don't shotgun hunt or shoot skeet much anymore.

Randy Wakeman writes a lot about shotguns and seems to like the Fabarm L4s

RANDY WAKEMAN OUTDOORS: Shotguns & Wingshooting

Randy Wakeman Outdoors is the independent resource for candid, hard-hitting firearms information, evaluations, and opinions.

randywakeman.com

IMO the best Semi Beretta has ever made. The 390 wasn’t bad either, but the 391 was a pain in the ass to keep running.

 

[TucsonFX4]

Well under your price range, and not as sophisticated as the prior suggestions, but my go-to is a Mossberg 930. Mine has been flawless and a great value, which can be tough to find in the semi auto market.

 

[WAB]

It really comes down to what floats your boat.

A traditionalist may go with a SxS. You give up a little in accuracy but it’s not a big factor in most hunting scenarios. It is a big factor in competitive shooting which is why they’ve disappeared from those venues.

An O/U will give you the best combination of precision and balance. There is a reason this configuration dominates competitive shooting.

A Semi is a nice mix of precision, lower recoil, and a more attractive price point.

A pump should not be a beginners gun, although it often is. Shooting a pump gun effectively at a high rate of fire takes a lot of training and practice.

Contrary to others comments on O/U’s, I have a strong preference for the browning platform over the beretta. After roughly 150,000 rounds we stripped my competition gun (Miroku 9000 with Birmingham proofed barrels fit for me at H&H). The gun was as new after that much use. The Kreighoff rep/smith who did the work and reset the triggers made the comment ‘if everyone shot Browning’s I’d be out of business’. Nuff said.

I’m a bit of a contrarian, so I take great pleasure in shooting low gun skeet with my Model 42 Skeet gun. When you run a straight with a .410 pump shooting low gun, you feel like you’ve done something.

Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy it and have many years of shooting pleasure.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I’m a traditionalist. That’s why every September I traditionally shoot lots of doves (or try to) with my almost 40 year old 20ga Remington 1100 Lightweight. I do have a 12ga Remington V3 and I believe they make it in 20ga now. For $2k, you could buy three of them and with the remaining $200 you could buy a box of dove loads, if you could find one. LOL

 

[Foxi]

...........and take 76 cm barrels
The swing is much better.
Love my 20 Beretta

 

[BeeMaa]

I’m not a traditionalist, so a semi-auto is not out of the question. Considering the number of doves on some hunts, it could be an advantage as well. A 20 bore Benelli SBE would be nice and under your budget.

That said, I’d prefer a O/U and I see many here have recommended the Beretta 686. I’ve owned a 12 and 20 bore and never warmed to them because they did not fit properly. Not the guns fault, it just didn’t fit. Beretta makes a great gun and you wouldn’t go wrong with one.

Whatever you decide, make sure the gun fits properly. It will make all the difference in the world.

 

[Fixfire]

Well under your price range, and not as sophisticated as the prior suggestions, but my go-to is a Mossberg 930. Mine has been flawless and a great value, which can be tough to find in the se

Well under your price range, and not as sophisticated as the prior suggestions, but my go-to is a Mossberg 930. Mine has been flawless and a great value, which can be tough to find in the semi auto market.

No offense, but every spring some budget-minded gun club member shows up with a Mossber or Stoeger and within 6 weeks is replacing a sear, firing pin, piston, etc. They may be acceptable guns for hunting but wont take the rigor of a 1,000 rounds a months. For $2,000, stick with a Beretta or Benneli - will last your lifetime.

 

[Tbitty]

Browning A5 or Maxus, depending on your preference for inertia or gas gun. I have and love both.

 

[Tbitty]

Or, if you really want, buy 2 Browning Silver's, one each in 20 & 12 and you'll cover just about everything.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

IMO the best Semi Beretta has ever made. The 390 wasn’t bad either, but the 391 was a pain in the ass to keep running.

Yep, the A-303 and it's clone, the Browning B-80 were just really good. My 303 is a 3 incher that came with a 26 inch barrel and the mobil chokes. I found a 30 inch B-80 barrel that was also a 3 inch and used it for skeet and sporting clays for years. The choke threads are different (of course) so I have a set of Briley chokes for each barrel.