Originally Posted by
BOWHUNTERCOP
With today's sabots and firearms, there is no need to subject yourself to the recoil of the 12ga., the 20ga. will take down what the 12ga. will without the recoil. The 20ga. is similar to a .50 caliber muzzleloader, people never question that .50 caliber. I do like the 3" shells for the 20ga., and the 2-3/4" for the 12ga. I own many slug guns in both gauges. To me the most accurate gun I own is the Savage 220f with Remington Accutips, next would be my H&R Ultra Deluxe, then my Remington 1187 (12ga & 20ga), my Mossberg 500, and my Ithaca in 12ga & 20ga.
May I ask why the M2? I think the Benellis are fine shotguns but are over priced for a slug guns, for waterfowl maybe worth the dollars. Save yourself money and buy something else, if a semi is what you want get yourself :
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...etic-deer.aspx
with the money saved get yourself a quality scope, like Leupold VX-2
If you want a dedicated shotgun then look into: Savage 220f, or 212, H&R Single Shot, Browning A-Bolt
I think with today's slugs you will be happy with the results of the 20ga.
Great input and thank you for taking the time. I have looked at many other less expensive guns and for one reason or another I either did not like the way they felt when in my hands or brought up to my shoulder. I did seriously consider the 11-87 purely for cost effectiveness. I am a research hound for anything I buy. It's a kind of a disease for me but I enjoy it.
The draw backs for me on the 11-87 is it seems "bulky" to me. Don't get me wrong I'm a 6'1" 210 lb hefty guy. I'm not afraid to shoot anything and for years when I "did" bird hunt I used a 12 ga as a small boy, that is not the issue. The other draw back was it weighs in hefty at 8.5 lbs for the 12ga and 7.5 lbs for the 20 ga. The M2 comes in at 7.3 and 6.5 respectively which make a difference when carrying it all day as a spot and stalk hunter.
As a reloader of metallic shells I look at ballistics on a lot f different guns and cartridges and will do the same when I purchase this gun to find the "best" fit for this gun. from the charts I have seen on various factory ammo I was of the same opinion that todays sabots in 20 are just as effective as the 12. But, I wanted to hear from folks with first hand knowledge since I have been mostly a rifle hunter for quite awhile.
I agree with you that the benelli, and most other high end guns, are quite pricey but I also am confident this gun will outlast me as would a 11-87. That basically brings it down to while in the field am I gonna b*&ch about bulkiness or weight? Knowing me like I do :-) I will...
The A-Bolt and Savage both seemed "stiff" with the action but that is probably because I am spoiled with the butter smooth action of my Tikka 270 WSM