RE: Best semi-auto shotgun for $500?
Stoeger 2000. It's the best value semi-auto shotgun on the market today. I love mine. It's fairly lightweight, patterns good, functions with total reliability, and as an added value, it comes with 5 choke tubes (Cyl, IC, Mod, Full and Extended XF Turkey), so you can hunt darn near anything right out of the box.
Mike