Bobdale

I am seriously considering buying a light-weight semiautomatic 12 gauge shotgun for turkey hunting to replace the heavy and cumbersome gun that I am now using. I have identified Stoeger, Charles Daly, Traditions, and Verona models as being light-weight (aluminum receivers- all less than 7 lb.) and relatively low cost, but all are foreign made. I have heard that there are often major reliability, quality, and repair/parts concerns associated with such foreign made shotguns. I have also heard that some of these companies have made major strides in addressing these problems in recent years and now make reasonably good quality guns.
Of the four brands above, only Charles Daly offers a 3.5 inch chamber (in its 6 and7/8 lb. 24 inch Maxi Mag models); the others only offer 3.0 inch chambers but are a little lighter, for example, the Traditions 3.0 inch model is listed at 6 lb. I would really like to have the 3.5 inch chamber but this is not critical if one of the other brand' s 3.0 inch guns were clearly superior relative to the cost.
I would be grateful for any information regarding your experiences with or knowledge/advice about any of these guns or comparable light-weight semiautomatics from other companies. Also, what are your opinions on whether a 3.5 inch shell offers significant advantages over 3.0 shells in regard to killing power and patterning/spread? Thanks for your input.
BoB Dale

TScottW99

http://www.franchiusa.com/model912/

Comes in at a little over 7 pounds, great shooting gun! Also the price tag is cheaper then it' s Benelli Big brother, around $650 in my neighborhood.