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Looking for a New Turkey Gun

TN Whitetail Freak

TN Whitetail Freak

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Nov 29, 2009
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Location
Dyersburg,TN
I know a discussion like this can turn into a which one is better ford or chevy conversation but im looking to upgrade my setup. I know I want a semi auto gun i could use for dove and occasional duck hunt when invited. However I need it to be lighter than the heavy 28" pardner pump i use now. needs to be camo dipped, and shoot 2-3/4 through 3.5" Maybe one that is able to interchange the barrels from 28" to 24" depending on season would be cool but i do not know if such gun exist. So with the following must haves listed, what are my options? budget can be $200-$2000
 
TN Whitetail Freak":2pgcukvb said:
I know a discussion like this can turn into a which one is better ford or chevy conversation but im looking to upgrade my setup. I know I want a semi auto gun i could use for dove and occasional duck hunt when invited. However I need it to be lighter than the heavy 28" pardner pump i use now. needs to be camo dipped, and shoot 2-3/4 through 3.5" Maybe one that is able to interchange the barrels from 28" to 24" depending on season would be cool but i do not know if such gun exist. So with the following must haves listed, what are my options? budget can be $200-$2000
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Benelli Super Black Eagle II
 
The SBE2 is a great gun, and I don't blame anyone for suggesting it.

However, the feel and fit of the gun to you are going to be the most important thing.

I bought a new A5 about 4 years ago. I used it for a year and liked it. I eventually caught the SBE2 bug, and I sold the A5 and bought a SBE2. I'll never complain about the quality of the gun, but it just didn't feel as good to me. I didn't shoot it real well, and I had a bit of a tough time finding a good turkey load/choke combo. I sold it and bought another A5 and have never looked back.

I won't say the A5 is better than a SBE2, a SX3, a Versamax, or any of the other popular auto-loaders, but it simply fits me best.

For turkey hunting, I'll never use a 12g again. I got hooked on 20g with TSS last year and it's all I'll ever shoot from now on. I get outstanding patterns and performance from lighter guns with less recoil than most 12g guns.

A 20g is also plenty for dove. However, I want a 12g for "random" duck hunts. If I knew I'd always be hunting over decoys and shooting them in the face, a 20g would be fine. I'm like you though - I just go when invited, and I like to have a 12g for those situations.

Go to some gun stores (somewhere like Gander with a huge selection) and hold as many things are you can. All of the major manufacturers make reliable auto-loaders. You just have to find the one that fits you best.

If I could only own one shotgun, it'd be a new A5 12g with a 26" barrel. Instead, I split my work between a A5 28" 12g and a M2 26" 20g.
 
If you're interested in an autoloader and do not want to break the bank, I would suggest either a Franchi or Stoeger. Both of these brands are subsidiaries of Benelli and have several similar features including inertia driven actions. In general, inertia guns are lighter, have fewer moving parts, and more felt recoil than gas operated semiautos. When I was younger, my dad bought me a Benelli Super Black Eagle 1 that I used as my go to shotgun for all game and I loved it... Sadly, that gun was stolen while I was in college and having a much lower budget, I replaced it with a Stoeger M2000 with a pistol grip for turkey hunting and used a hand me down 20 ga for small game hunting. The Stoeger served me well and was very reliable and I killed several birds with it but it only chambered 3 in shells. About 4 years ago, I sold the Stoeger and bought a Remington Versamax Sportsman. The Versamax was a very reliable shotgun, but heavy and for whatever reason I could not shoot it well. I just sold the Versamax and will be replacing it most likely with a Franchi Affinity. The Affinity is a 3" chambered gun (which is all I desire to shoot now anyway) but they do have a 3.5" model called the Intensity. Stoeger has replaced the M2000 with the M3000 and has also added a 3.5" model to their line up called the M3500. See MSRP's below...

Benelli SBE3 - $1899
Franchi Intensity - $1099
Stoeger M3500 - $679

I read a magazine article that compared the 3 brands listed above to General Motors Vehicle Brands

Benelli = Cadillac
Franchi = Buick/GMC
Stoeger = Chevrolet

Hope this helps.
 
Here's the email I got...
 

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Roost 1":32skvr4v said:
Whitakers Guns has SBE2s on sale for $1200 right now, $35 to ship and NO TAX for TN residents.
Be hard to beat I'd think.
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They had this sale or very similar last year and because of roost1 telling me I bought one. It doesn't have the flex tech stock and I could care less. I bought it for ducks as I shoot an 870 for turkeys but may give it a whirl this year. It has a 28" barrel and I love the way it fits me. Like TnReb said go shoulder them all to see what fits you. I went to Gander Mtn and narrowed it down to the SBE2, Winchester SX3, beretta a400, and stoeger m3500.
 
Thanks for the replies guys unfortunately I hit a snag in my search, wife gave an ultimatum, new high end semi auto shotgun or lifetime hunting license but I cannot get both! I'm leaning toward the license. Bummer. :?
 
TN Whitetail Freak":2iopn1fj said:
Thanks for the replies guys unfortunately I hit a snag in my search, wife gave an ultimatum, new high end semi auto shotgun or lifetime hunting license but I cannot get both! I'm leaning toward the license. Bummer. :?
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eh... go with the shotgun. License is easier to pay each year!
 
TN Whitetail Freak":11c5df22 said:
. . . . . wife gave an ultimatum, new high end semi auto shotgun or lifetime hunting license but I cannot get both! I'm leaning toward the license. Bummer. :?
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Well, then, might I suggest you simply buy the shotgun for your wife? :tu:
And surely she'll let you use it when she's not.
 

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