doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Not a double gun; looking for a gas-operated semi

I apologise, gentlemen, for asking about a semi-auto in here, but on other boards there seems to be a constant presence of "sponsored" people who push you heavily in one direction and stifle any factual conversations.

I have several Benellis, and looking for a gas operated semi for the softer shooing and ability to cycle lighter clay loads. My most important criterion is reliability. I want it to discharge every time I pull the trigger as long as I keep it reasonably clean. Looking for top quality and money is not an issue.

Would appreciate any first hand experiences or recommendations.

Regards.

'Old Reliable' Remington 1100. I've never found auto loaders to be very reliable if you don't spend half of your waking hours cleaning them. I'd rather have a pump for ultimate reliability and they don't require endless hours of cleaning time.

Doubles aside, I prefer Pumps too. Auto, Sporting clays courses, Beretta is the most often seen. My old 391has never failed, I clean it, no more than any other gun.

Boats

Beretta, without any doubt.

SRH

The Remington 1100 is popular for a reason: They work, point, and shoot well.
Yes, you have to clean them; but it isn't that hard.
You can buy a used one for a fairly reasonable price. I would recommend one that uses choke tubes. It seems to me, a person starts out with "full," and then with some experience, ends up shooting a more open choke.
Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

I wanted a mudder for my duck hunting and I've been impressed with Remington's new V3. The first time out with no "break-in" it cycled everything perfectly from 3" steel all the way down to some very light 3/4 oz powderpuffs. Recoil is very light. The gas system is different as the valves are located in the chamber area and the number in valves in action are dependent on the length of the shell. The gasses are much hotter right there, so they basically blow clean on each shot. It's not as refined at the $1200+ gas guns, but for my down and dirty duck hunting it hits all the right buttons. It's new, so I can't say any more than I have, but I think the design is clever and it has the potential to be a good one.

A good friend and doubles enthusiast purchased a Benelli Cordoba for a South American high volume dove shooting trip. He sold it upon his return. However, aesthetics aside he said it shouldered and shot well, over several thousand very stiff rounds (he had to use locally supplied ammo) it never once jammed. While he appreciated the soft recoil, particularly with the ammo he used and shooting volume, he felt that it was one of the ugliest guns he'd ever owned.

Steve

Sounds like I had the only Remington 1100 Lemon ever made. Kudos on the Beretta, however. The kid, now a man, still shoots it after 35 years. Gil

I have been shooting the Beretta A400 Xcel Sporting for the past four years without a single FTF. However, I do clean the gun after every outing. It is Beretta's dedicated clays gun and worth a look.

Remington 1100, clean it and it will work.