I have a customer hunt coming up and need a good shotgun to bring. My only shotgun is a Mossberg Persuader 12ga, 8rd tube with 20" barrel.

I've been doing a lot of research and the A300 Ultima comes up and a really solid option. What do you guys think? Looks like the 28" barrel gets me good hunting performance and decent sporting performance.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:
I have a customer hunt coming up and need a good shotgun to bring. My only shotgun is a Mossberg Persuader 12ga, 8rd tube with 20" barrel.

I've been doing a lot of research and the A300 Ultima comes up and a really solid option. What do you guys think? Looks like the 28" barrel gets me good hunting performance and decent sporting performance.

Yes that Beretta would be a fine choice for an all around shotgun. The 28" barrel is generally considered the perfect length for either upland bird hunting or clays games. The Beretta has a recoil reduction system which would be nice for new shooters also.

One thing about shotguns to keep in mind, the "fit" is important for you to shoot it properly. If possible I'd suggest seeing it in person so you can mount it to the shoulder and make sure you are naturally sighting down the rib. If so buy it and enjoy!

I picked up the tactical version of the A300 a few weeks ago and it is an outstanding shotgun. I see no reason why the field version wouldn't be an equally fine firearm.

I had a A400 Upland for a while and it was a fine shotgun. I used at the clay range too. Another vote for the Beretta.

Jack of All Trades shotgun?
Mossberg 500 series
Remington 870 series

How long does it take to switch barrels? A minute? Toss a plug in the mag tube, and you’re good to go.

Up until a year-ish ago, my one and only Remington 870 was my Jack of all trades.
Composite stock with pistol grip, surefire light for the fore grip, side saddle and sling. 18 1/2 and a 26 in barrel for HD or geese / duck. Didn’t take much to switch them.
Yeah, I got some looks when I went to the nice trap/skeet clubs and people were taking out their high end Berettas, H&H, Krieghoffs, and I whip out a riot gun. But if you know how to shoot, you know how to shoot.

Now if you’re looking for an excuse to buy another shotgun
I love my new Beretta 1301!
Haven’t heard anything bad about the 300’s or the 400’s.
Give or take $400, they’re all about the same price range, until you get into the OU’s.

Thanks guys! I appreciate the input.

How much do you want to spend, are you recoil sensitive (then look gas) what type of weather will you be hunting in?

The Beretta is a good choice but their semi-auto hunting shotguns do not fit me as well as a Benelli or Browning. I’d go down to a local sporting goods store and swing a few shotguns until you find one that just feels and points naturally for you. There are as big a difference in shotgun design as there are handguns. Keep in mind that saving a few bucks for a gun that doesn’t fit you well may spoil the hunt, as you just won’t be on track like you would want.

If you want to keep cost down but still want a reliable shotgun the Beretta you mentioned is a good choice. I’d also look at the Benelli M2, Winchester Silver, Mossberg 940 Pro hunting, and Remington V3. Beretta, Browning, and Benelli also make higher-end models but you’re looking double the A300 in price.

Jack of all trades for hunting will generally have a 28” barrel. If you are smaller or will be doing upland game, 26” barrels are faster lighter guns. I have the same guns with barrels ranging from 26-30” in length. As I have gotten older, I have started using the shorter barreled guns more.

I also wouldn’t worry about having to have a 3 1/2 action. Unless you are planning on late season goose hunting, a 3” action is plenty. Indeed for upland game, I only use 2 3/4” or many times drop down to a 20 gauge.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
How much do you want to spend, are you recoil sensitive (then look gas) what type of weather will you be hunting in?

The Beretta is a good choice but their semi-auto hunting shotguns do not fit me as well as a Benelli or Browning. I’d go down to a local sporting goods store and swing a few shotguns until you find one that just feels and points naturally for you. There are as big a difference in shotgun design as there are handguns. Keep in mind that saving a few bucks for a gun that doesn’t fit you well may spoil the hunt, as you just won’t be on track like you would want.

If you want to keep cost down but still want a reliable shotgun the Beretta you mentioned is a good choice. I’d also look at the Benelli M2, Winchester Silver, Mossberg 940 Pro hunting, and Remington V3. Beretta, Browning, and Benelli also make higher-end models but you’re looking double the A300 in price.

Jack of all trades for hunting will generally have a 28” barrel. If you are smaller or will be doing upland game, 26” barrels are faster lighter guns. I have the same guns with barrels ranging from 26-30” in length. As I have gotten older, I have started using the shorter barreled guns more.

I also wouldn’t worry about having to have a 3 1/2 action. Unless you are planning on late season goose hunting, a 3” action is plenty. Indeed for upland game, I only use 2 3/4” or many times drop down to a 20 gauge.

I would second this advice. While a 3” chamber is nice to have, I don’t see the need for 3” magnum shells outside of waterfowl hunting (which isn’t really my thing). For my larger hunting needs (turkey and deer) I do better with 2-3/4” high brass - they are way more controllable and I’m back on target much faster between shots. For small game and clays, I’m fine with 2-3/4” low brass.

My personal jack-of-all-trades shotgun is an older 870 field gun from the mid 80’s with a 3” chamber. I have a 28” vent rib barrel with chokes and a 20” rifle sighted barrel that also takes chokes. I can cover a lot of bases with that 870.

If I were starting from scratch today, I’d look hard at a Beretta A300. Most likely a 28” barrel if my primary use was clays and small game or a 26” barrel for larger game.

An 1100 Remington or a Browning BPS.
One semi the other a pump. Both great Shotguns and should be able to find very inexpensively. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
An 1100 Remington or a Browning BPS.
One semi the other a pump. Both great Shotguns and should be able to find very inexpensively. Good luck.

I've got an older Japanese BPS Invector 12ga. Love it.
Got it from my lefty uncle, so the ambi load/eject/safety works from either side.

If you like the way the Beretta feels, it should serve you well. I grew up hunting with over and unders, but I've been hunting with an A300 Outlander for the past several years and it's worked well.

I have an A300 Outlander. It's the older, more barebones version of the gun. I absolutely love that thing.

I had been loosely in the market for a semi-auto shotgun when my son noticed this poor thing in the used rack at the LGS amidst a bunch of cheap Turkish clones. Somebody had given it a really bad paint job and at first it looked like there was some rust, but that turned out to just be brown Krylon. A couple hours with some lacquer thinner and it was looking almost new. I got it for $300.

I had always been a Remington guy and had thought I wanted an 1100 or 1187. But this is "twice the gun and half the gun" as one of those. It's lighter, balances better, is more reliable, eats anything you feed it, and softer shooting. Plus, it's made by a company that still supports it, whereas the new Remington won't do crap for you if your gun was made before the post-bankruptcy re-org (I'm going through hell right now trying to find parts for one of our 870s at work).

If the A300 fits you, buy it. You'll be happy.

11-87 with extra barrels

870 Wingmaster is the most versatile shotgun choice.

Big fan of the Beretta A400. It’s what I shoot Trap with, every week. Can take a beating, always goes bang.

If I could only have one shotgun it would absolutely be a Benelli Super Black Eagle II. It is the very definition of do everything, they run when they’re dirty and wet, they are slimmer and handle better than Berettas imo, and having an “only” shotgun that can’t shoot 3” shells would be an obvious dealbreaker.

I’ve got a bunch of shotguns but Id sell them all before my SBE II.

Did you mention what type of hunt? Released pheasants or other game birds? Wild?

I’m more a 26” guy for all around use, 28” fine. You could go with a lower cost pump, of higher $$ semi or O/U.

Never know, you may end up going more in the future.

Are after specifically a pump/auto?

If not, might I suggest the Weatherby Orion 1. Solid gun, Weatherby quality, and a decent price.

Here’s a couple links for you …the shotgun finder is a pretty good tool to get your options all on one page…also got a link for one guy’s opinion at TFL.

You didn’t say what you were hunting…I assume upland. Wild birds or pen raised birds? Looking at your location in NC I am also guessing you’ve got a pen raised “plantation” quail hunt. We hunt pen raised birds with .410 bore, 28 and 20 gauge. 12 gauge would be overkill.

If that’s what you’re doing and you want a semi-auto I would get a 26” barrel. If you want O/U or SxS then I would go 28”.

Personally I like Beretta and Weatherby as they fit me. It’s much about what fits YOU.

Beretta A400 SA is all Beretta. Beretta A300 has a Beretta name but made with outsourced parts for Beretta if that matters to you. Not disparaging the A300 (I’m a Beretta fan) but it’s the main reason for the price difference amongst other features.

We have a couple Weatherby Orion SxS’s with mechanical double triggers and choke tubes that we hunt quail with and are fantastic (best in class IMO) for their sub $1,000 price point. We shoot them in .410 and 28. Most of the flushes are close or under foot and I don’t like blasting unnecessarily directly over my dogs.

Also have a CZ Bobwhite G2 SxS in 20 gauge that my son uses. It also has mechanical double triggers and choke tubes in their 20 ga. and larger bores. Trigger pull weights from the factory were uneven and heavy. CZ got it tuned in under warranty and it’s delightful now but, honestly, the Weatherby’s are much better in all regards out of the box for similar price.

In mid-range budget O/U’s and SxS’s, I like sticking with mechanical triggers for reliability versus single inertia triggers from what are going to be Turkish made guns.

Depending on your budget, Beretta 686 20 gauge O/U is a gun you’d likely never part with. It is my favorite shotgun to use when I really care about hitting what I am shooting at.

For what I think you’re doing, 28 or 20 gauge is where I would be looking. 20 gauge is more versatile for other pursuits with its 3” chamber but the 28 gauge is a sweet, sweet bird hunting gauge if you’re going to make a habit of upland hunting in the future. It’s not too much and not too little.

https://shotgunfind.com/?utm_s...e=youtube&price_max=

https://youtu.be/JfoHNshFtjw?si=d0sqy6I5tJG23_qR

I have an A300 Ultima. It's been flawless at the range and in the field. Recoil is light. It's easy to break down and clean. I wish the design would allow an extended magazine tube, but it doesn't. If you can find one at the price you like, it'd be hard to go wrong.