semi automatic shotgun

ak51535

hey would anyone be kind enough to post the pros and cons of a semi auto shotgun, i've been talkin to shooters and did abit of research but would like to hear from people here. cheers

brieny1000

hey ak
i bought a berreta urika last year and traded it after a month. hated it. it was a lovely fit but couldnt get used to it. i have had s/s and u/o over 16yrs . u/o being my 1st choice. semis are generally lighter and are becoming much more popular. the extra round can be useful for vermin shooting(not alowed for game). personaly i dont like where the safety is located as it is more awkard to put off quickly. when game shooting you tend to break and unload the gun quiet often, ditches, fences, walking public road etc and it is easy for others to see the gun is safe, i think 1 semi is available that breaks at breach but i dont know if available here yet. its all down to personal choice and HOW GUN FITS YOU. thats my thoughts on it anyway.
enjoy:):)

bunny shooter

As far as I know it is legal, although not necessarily sporting, to have 3 shells in for game shooting ?

Use a sporting beretta semi in 12G and find it brilliant for clay, vermin and the little bit of game shooting I do.

Rovi

As far as I know, and I'm very much open to correction on this, the magazine restriction of maximum 3 rounds is for hunting game, no such restriction exists for hunting vermin.

J.R.

I find the semi an ideal gun for decoying & wildfowling. When crouched in a hide it is easy to reload from below while still scanning the skies. You are always at the ready, even as you are reloading, as the gun is not 'broken'.

When using the o/u in the hide I found one had to be extremely careful when reloading that mud didn't get into the top of the barrels if crouched down, especially wildfowling, in muddy terrain. Also a bird was bound to come in as the gun was 'broken' and reloading. As birds come in and you fire a shot, having one cartridge left in the chamber, you sometimes wonder if you should open and reload or wait a few seconds with the one cartridge, scanning the sky, in case another appears.....no such dilemna with a semi.

Also, semi's have less recoil than other shotguns. If a quality make is purchased and regularly maintained there will never be a problem with jamming. Most are very adaptable without adjustment and can fire shells from 28g to 56g.....handy for wildfowling & fox shooting.

I have a semi & o/u and use the semi all the time...keep the o/u for clays.

The semi may not suit everyone and they can take a while to get used to but they would definitely be my first choice.

If purchasing one stay away from cheap, inferior makes...they will loosen, jam & rattle, causing you anxiety & frustration.

3 shells are allowed for game and as far as I'm aware one is not allowed to remove the plug for vermin shooting......any gun firing more than 3 is on the restricted list. I never remove the plug as 3 shots is more than enough for any quarry.

The downside of semi's, in my opinion, is clay shooting. Even when empty, breech bolt pulled back, if can be difficult for all to see that it's unloaded.

I was at a flapper shoot once and a guy missed the clay with the first shot then fired two more at it!!!! ......not allowed have more than two in gun at clay shooting.....it's these guy's who give semi's a bad name and make others wary of them.

bunny shooter

Rovi wrote: »

As far as I know, and I'm very much open to correction on this, the magazine restriction of maximum 3 rounds is for hunting game, no such restriction exists for hunting vermin.

That's right (AFAIK)

Grizzly 45

PRO
Single sight plane of barrel ,faster follow up shotMost expensive semi auto is still [IMO]cheaper than the most expensive SXS or O/U in most Irish gun shops.Rugged and can take some abuse in the field that would ruin some O/U.Multiple barrel lengths usually available for different types of shooting.Personally I shoot better with a semi than an O/U.

CON
Some are pernickety in their ammo,if you dont keep them fed with their fav ammo ,they become jamm amatics.Need to be kept RELATIVELY clean to function properly.Frowned on by hide bound traditionalists who consider them unsporting for game and some clay ranges as unsafe,and by LEO types[who use them where such equipment is permitted] as some sort of assault /machine gun thingy.

meathstevie

Stay well clear from a particular Turkish brand that uses a link to a reputable other brand in relation to it's inertia recoil system. PM me if you want to know more.

Trojan911

meathstevie wrote: »

Stay well clear from a particular Turkish brand that uses a link to a reputable other brand in relation to it's inertia recoil system. PM me if you want to know more.

Ya, I got one. A 5-shot that's been back to the shop twice (whilst under guarantee).

Although it has been fine now for the past six months, and rattles off the five as fast as you can squeeze the trigger, it was a tad frustrating at the time. I will trade it later this year or next for a better make, need to upgrade my camera equipment first....

CJhaughey

I had a Beretta A 303 for a while and TBH I couldn't fault it, it never jammed or misfired while I had it. It also had removable chokes and I ran a turkey choke most of the time for long range bunny shooting.

meathstevie

Trojan911 wrote: »

Ya, I got one. A 5-shot that's been back to the shop twice (whilst under guarantee).

Although it has been fine now for the past six months, and rattles off the five as fast as you can squeeze the trigger, it was a tad frustrating at the time. I will trade it later this year or next for a better make, need to upgrade my camera equipment first....

I swapped it for a non-ejector S/S Merkel in immaculate condition with the shop. Sweet deal in my books.

meathstevie

Rovi wrote: »

As far as I know, and I'm very much open to correction on this, the magazine restriction of maximum 3 rounds is for hunting game, no such restriction exists for hunting vermin.

From a hunting point of view the restriction applies only to protected wild animals, the ones that have an open and closed season in other words. ( Keep in mind when shooting pigeons over crops under attack )

pullandbang

Biggest problem with a semi auto from a clay shooting point of view is in squad situations - trap shooting. Your ejecting shell causes a distraction to the shooter on your right who is getting ready to take his own shot.

Out in the field, it's trying to pick up your spent shells especially if you haven't marked where they fall in heavy cover. My mate shoots game with a semi and half the time he can't find his empties so they are left behind as litter.

Grizzly 45

Out in the field it's trying to pick up your spent shells especially if you haven't marked where they fall in heavy cover. My mate shoots game with a semi and half the time he can't find his empties so they are left behind as litter

Amazing in these "green " days of recycling,that no one has come up with a genuine no swelling paper or other cartridge.We used to have those,so why haven we gone back to an improved version?

ak51535

Thanks to those who replied, so would many of ye recommend it as a first gun?

Hibrion

You only have to buy half the amount of chokes too:D

My first shotgun was a semi auto but I took the cheap route and picked up a mossberg, which led to some problems, works great now after a bit of attention. I would definately recommend a semi, but just remember to keep it immaculately clean to avoid problems and do some research as I hae heard some of the more expensive semis arent always the best.

ak51535

ha yeah thats true, how much did the mossberg set ya back, hibrion?

Hibrion

Was only 250 euro, a friend of mine saw it and mentioned it to me as I was tinkin of buying a shotgun but didnt have a load of cash to be spending, said if I didnt go for it he would, as a second gun to his over and under. So I suppose he saw benefits to having a semi as well. The safety on them is on the back rather than at the trigger guard tho and that is much handier.

Have you looked at any guns yet??

ak51535

thats a good deal considering after the maintenence its ok, eh yeah i looked at a gd few alright in different shops, im knowhere near deciding on a final one yet though, im waiting to get into a gun club, the meetings tonight so im hoping there will be a vacancy, done my profeceincy test back in september.

Hibrion

Definately put a bit of thought into it and read a few reviews, even though I didnt.:rolleyes: Still the mossberg serves its purpose and after that I cudnt ask for more at that price.
Best of luck with the application.

ak51535

haha ah sure at least it worked out, yeah thanks

meathstevie

At the end of it all it's a matter of personal opinion but the bottomline is that you'll buy a very good semi from a reputable manufacturer for significantly less money than you'll pay for any of their double barrels, be it O/U or S/S.

cavan shooter

My first gun was a baikal o/u and I still have it. Cant knock it
My second gun was a Benelli semi, great gun for the field and the clays, I then swopped it for a Beretta 391 sporter (good gun) but traded it for the Bettinsoli supersport for clays and I'm happy-ish.

I have a Beretta 391 semi for the field which I purchased second hand, I like the semi for rough shooting as it is light and the 3rd shot is handy on vermin. I also found the semi great for clays (sporting) as it swings lovely.

I must say I shot better clays and won more money and competions with the semi than with the o/u.

pullandbang

ak51535 wrote: »

so would many of ye recommend it as a first gun?

That's a NO from me anyway.

ak51535

oh, just wondering, why you say that?

christyler

personally i would never go for a "first" gun. i would buy the gun i wanted to end up with. if you buy the wrong gun first time it might put you off the whole experience.
i like and own a Benelli, personally i think they are the best all round semi auto.

Hairy Hunter

Hi,

When I first got into shooting shot guns, 2 years ago, I fist tried a friends
o/u and semi.

Straight away I prefered the semi, less recoile, neater, etc.

Over time, using both I began to get to like the u/o, and even though it kicked like a XXXt.

I would reccommend, if possible, to get some practice shooting clays with both and you can make up your own mind.

When you do decide to buy. go for a good one, if you buy a quality gun, you wont go wrong.

ATB.

HH

ak51535

yeah ive shot 3 o/u's and 2 semi autos, just to get a feel of their different characteristics and i have to say i like the semi auto's better, but then again thats just my opinion and im just starting to go down the long road of owning my own ha

pullandbang

ak51535 wrote: »

oh, just wondering, why you say that?

See my previous post - No.13

ak51535

aright yeah, i just looked back at no.13 now, hey, are semi autos easy to maintain?

cavan shooter

I can only speak for Beretta and Benelli and they are very easy to clean. In fact Id say the Benelli is the easiest to clean as the action just slides out and can be rubbed gleaming with an oily cloth