trust me, i feel the pain you speak of...
here in southern wv, (mingo county) we are not allowed to use a gun, of any kind, on anything bigger than a ground hog.
coyote are the only exception i know of, they can be hunted year round. with just about anything you like...

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

I would too "IF" I were counting on a slug gun for elk...

Not this guy though. I have a Tikka 270 WSM for cow elk that has that 200 yd zero and 3 shot groups I could cover with a nickel and the reach out and touch something range.

Still a tough choice... gun or hunt?

My friend's son brought his first shotgun last year, he just deer hunts and wanted a Benelli but for a week's worth of hunting it was a wise purchase. I told him to get the 1187 with the Monte Carlo stock, but he didn't listen. He mounted a scope and with the normal stock vs the Monte Carlo stock what a difference, the scope lines up so much better the MC stock. Yes there are better semi auto shotguns on the market, but for the money you can't beat the 1187 or the 1100 from Remington

The action on the Savage could be stiff/rough, I lapped the bolt and bolt rails, and it became smoother, and I agree even with it done it's not as smooth as my Sako
Here is a picture of my two 1187s (20ga on top, 12ga on bottom)

Age old answer... buy whichever you like. I'd go for the 20ga myself. Ithaca makes a nice pump, and if ya got the $, Tar Hunt is a beast. I'm not a Remmy fan but would take a Browning A-Bolt also.

Easy choice. Hunt.

There's always going to be some piece of gear on our wish list. Never let the wish list compromise that hunting season you'll never get back.

I figured you had a rifle already and it was a choice between a slug gun or an elk hunt.

Never buy so many toys that you can't afford to play with them...

I'd also be going on the hunt. Watch the used market later and save some money on the gun, and go on the hunt now.
-Jake

12 gauge all the way

Could not agree more.............go shoot the s___t out of the place !

Make sure to have some fun along the way !!!