Upland & Duck hunting shotgun

[johns360]

I am looking to purchase my first real hunting shotgun. I've borrowed for years and figured its time to buy my own.

I want a good all-around gun. Wondering if this Beretta is a good option for use in both upland and waterfowl hunting?

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/beretta-a400-xtreme-plus-semi-auto-shotgun-in-mossy-oak-bottomland

Any pros/cons of barrel lengths or is this just a personal preference of gun size? Any other recommendations?

 

[DCT1983]

I’ve shot a Super Black Eagle 2 for years (well 14 to be exact). I would recommend it to anyone. Like so many things though you just need to go see what feels the best to you. What is comfortable in your hands and shoulders up the best. I’m not a big Beretta fan I think they are too bulky feeling to me. My Buddy absolutely loves his though.

 

[Bearwhisky]

I second Berettas being bulky. They work great and are good guns, but they are just too big for my liking (and I’m a big dude at 6’5”). I’ve had a Winchester Super X 3 that has been around the world with me the last 9 years and proven very reliable. Last year, I shot a Retay Masai Mara, and I shoot that gun better than any I have ever owned. Time will be the test for durability, but no issues so far.

I primarily waterfowl hunt and am very hard on my shotguns. They get banged around in boats, dropped in rivers, covered in mud, etc. The Winchester lasted about 10k rounds, and I sent it to my gunsmith to get a bunch of internal springs etc replaced and it is back to running like a champ. I will say that on my trips to canada, the mix between shooting several boxes of ammo per day and the grittyness of their soil required me to clean the Winchester every day or two in order to run reliably. All of the guys I hunt with use Berettas, and they would NEVER clean their guns. 10 days, 3 CASES of shells, dirt mud, etc. and zero issues with no cleaning. They hunt 100+ days a year and dont even know how to take their guns apart to clean them and they just keep running. (These are older model berettas, not sure exactly which, and one a400). I just personally dont find them comfortable to swing and shoot.


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[Jim1187]

There is so much about shotguns that is very personal about your own tastes, fit and feel that its almost like picking a wife for someone else. That said the Beretta semi's in general and the A400 have a solid reputation for reliability. A general rule for field guns is that the B gun companies (Browning, Beretta and Benelli) produce good guns. Franchi and Winchester(SX3 fan myself) are also worth considering, in my opinion. Franchi for example I like the way the Affinity 3 or 3.5 feel better than most Benelli offerings just something about the balance point. A 3" 12 gauge shell will do everything you need to do with a shotgun and I wouldn't get too hung up on a 3 1/2" chamber but I see lots of guys do and most only shoot the roman candle looking shells for one season (if that) before they loose their appeal. I shoot mostly 2 3/4" 12 gauge shells for all my hunting with a 12 gauge. If you pattern your gun, load and choke and spend some summer evenings breaking clays with your hunting guns you'll be in a better position for success than most, regardless of shell size.
For an all around upland and waterfowl semiauto I prefer a 26" barrel but when I talk upland hunting my frame of reference is mostly ruffed grouse and woodcock in alder and willow thickets and over grown apple orchards with the occasional preserve or prairie partridge/pheasant hunt. I'd like to try a 24" barreled gun but those are harder to find. If upland hunting was primarily chasing pheasants and prairie grouse mostly in agricultural lands I'd probably lean towards 28". That said all but one of my 12 gauges have had 28" barrels on them for bird hunting and I did not find them a terrible handicap. I've gone to a 20 gauge for most of my wing shooting and find it really shines in the uplands.

 

[DCT1983]

I also have an Affinity 20 gauge that I love. I haven't had it for very long, and I don't carry it near like I do my SBE2 but it is an awesome little gun. If I were in the market for a new shotgun an Affinity 3 or 3.5 would defiantly be high on my list.

 

[KurtR]

I have the affinity 3 in 12 gauge and so far it hasn’t let me down. I think it carries nice coming from a 870 wing master which will be my favorite gun of all time

 

[willidru]

Love my A400 fast action swings well. I like the 26” barrel for all around

 

[Vandy321]

I'd get an OU for double duty. Lighter for upland and less shit to break in the duck blind, more dependable.

 

[DCT1983]

I'd get an OU for double duty. Lighter for upland and less shit to break in the duck blind, more dependable.

There’s just not very man O/Us I would want to take in a duck blind. If you’re spending the kind of money most good O/Us cost you just as well buy a SBE3 (if that’s what fits you right).

 

[Vandy321]

There’s just not very man O/Us I would want to take in a duck blind. If you’re spending the kind of money most good O/Us cost you just as well buy a SBE3 (if that’s what fits you right).

ruger red label or a CZ drake/redhead for 1/2 the price...yog won't care if if gets beat up in the blind, and it'll be a hell of alot better to carry in the field

Carrying a semi auto in the field sucks for a variety of reasons.

 

[DCT1983]

ruger red label or a CZ drake/redhead for 1/2 the price...yog won't care if if gets beat up in the blind, and it'll be a hell of alot better to carry in the field

Carrying a semi auto in the field sucks for a variety of reasons.

A buddy of mine has not had good luck with his CZ Redhead. Other than that I don’t have much experience with them. I guess I’ve never carried and O/U in the field so carrying a semi auto doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s always been kind of a stigma with O/Us of being nicer and more expensive. And let’s be honest here, who doesn’t want to have that 3rd shot?

 

[Vandy321]

A buddy of mine has not had good luck with his CZ Redhead. Other than that I don’t have much experience with them. I guess I’ve never carried and O/U in the field so carrying a semi auto doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s always been kind of a stigma with O/Us of being nicer and more expensive. And let’s be honest here, who doesn’t want to have that 3rd shot?

3rd shots are for sky busters (let's not deny folks typically take that 3rd shot at a flaring duck 50+ yards away)...never seen a guy go 3 for 3 on some ducks hitting the dekes, 2 for 2 is doable with just 2 shells. Don't get me wrong, i hunted an A400 in the duck blind for years, but for a versatile gun, I'd go with the cheaper OU.

 

[DCT1983]

3rd shots are for sky busters (let's not deny folks typically take that 3rd shot at a flaring duck 50+ yards away)...never seen a guy go 3 for 3 on some ducks hitting the dekes, 2 for 2 is doable with just 2 shells. Don't get me wrong, i hunted an A400 in the duck blind for years, but for a versatile gun, I'd go with the cheaper OU.

I definitely see your point, and a fair amount of the time yes that third shot is a wing and a prayer, but plenty of times have I seen that third shot be as deadly or more deadly than the first. It’s all just preference in the end. If that Gun fits you well and it’s comfortable for you then that’s what you should carry afield.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Def recommend an A400, 26 or 28 in barrel is the norm, just personal preference.

 

[cacklercrazy]

I am looking to purchase my first real hunting shotgun. I've borrowed for years and figured its time to buy my own.

I want a good all-around gun. Wondering if this Beretta is a good option for use in both upland and waterfowl hunting?

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/beretta-a400-xtreme-plus-semi-auto-shotgun-in-mossy-oak-bottomland

Any pros/cons of barrel lengths or is this just a personal preference of gun size? Any other recommendations?

Nothing wrong with any of the big name shotguns. For me it's about fit and sight. I like a 50/50 pattern gun. I shoot more waterfowl than upland birds. Most upland guys run a higher ribbed barrel that gives them a 60/40 pattern.

 

[ianpadron]

I've never understood the love for Beretta Semi-Auto shotguns. Heavy, bulky, etc...the only thing they have going for them is the minimal recoil...but what 8# gas gun wouldn't be a soft shooter?

I have a shotgun in my hand for cumulative weeks on end every year and think there is a 2 gun tie for the best combo semi auto bird gun, the Benelli M2 and Franchi Affinity...both in 20 gauge. Both are light as a feather, swing like butter, and are incredibly well made and low maintenance. I bought the Affinity as a duck gun and literally everybody I hunt with is obsessed with that little gun. The M2 is a tad bit more polished, but I feel the Affinity swings/balances better due to having the recoil spring in the forend instead of the buttstock.

 

[Couescrazy33]

Ive had remington 1100s and love them but now I have the winchester sx3 as mentioned above and its been my go to shotgun lately

 

[bayoublaster7527]

I've never understood the love for Beretta Semi-Auto shotguns. Heavy, bulky, etc...the only thing they have going for them is the minimal recoil...but what 8# gas gun wouldn't be a soft shooter?

I have a shotgun in my hand for cumulative weeks on end every year and think there is a 2 gun tie for the best combo semi auto bird gun, the Benelli M2 and Franchi Affinity...both in 20 gauge. Both are light as a feather, swing like butter, and are incredibly well made and low maintenance. I bought the Affinity as a duck gun and literally everybody I hunt with is obsessed with that little gun. The M2 is a tad bit more polished, but I feel the Affinity swings/balances better due to having the recoil spring in the forend instead of the buttstock.

Guilty as charged, berettas are bulky and heavy. End of the day it comes down to how much time the shotgun is carried versus how many rounds are expended on a hunt. Upland bird hunting equals lots of carrying and relatively few rounds fired versus waterfowl hunting (ducks/geese) where generally speaking the shotgun is carried very little but potential for a very high round count. I concede the berettas shine more in the latter scenario but I tote my 391 all over regardless. This is admittedly a small sample size, but my experience sharing a pit/blind with M2 and franchi owners has cast some serious concerns with their reliability in tough conditions.
Just my personal experience though.

 

[HoneyDew]

Depends if you want a hunting gun or a walking gun. My hunting gun recommendation is a Remington 870 wingmaster. It’s a simple pump gun that’s lasted me decades. Simple to disassemble in the field and works EVERY time. If you want a walking gun I have no recommendations because I haven’t found one worth keeping yet.

 

[BigCam47]

I have had a Benelli SBE 1 for 15 years and it has never let me down. You can’t go wrong with inertia guns and just like others have said, you can pound tons of shells and never worry about cleaning (not that you never should clean it). If you’re looking for an upland/waterfowl firearm I would suggest SBE line or Franchi Affinity that way you have capability to shoot 3 1/2” magnum goose loads all the way down to 2 3/4” dove loads.

I get antsy and want to buy a new upland gun every season but never do since I’m so comfortable with my SBE. I worry of inconsistency shooting when switching between different guns.