my friend had been mowing lawns this summer and now has some cash. he wants tobut a 12 gauge shotgun. he is looking to pay around 300$ for a pump or semi-automatic 2 3/4. he won't be shooting ducks. it will mostly be for skeet/trap. what do you guys think would be the right one? oh.. he is 15 and has a 20 gauge. i'mnot sure if his age will have any affect or effect ( which ever one it is) on your decision.

I can't answer about which shotgun to get, but "affect" is a verb, and "effect" is a noun, soit's an issue of whether it would have an effect on his shooting.

(But for $300, he might find a nice used Remington 1100...)

I have a Stoeger 2000 and really like it. It was
pretty inexpensive but he might have to add $50.00
or so. It's an auto-loader.

PKnTX

For $300 he may be able to find a nice used remington 870 wingsmaster or an 1100 auto at any sports store. I have a wingsmaster and it is considerably lighter than most shotguns and would be good for skeet/trap IMO.

i just talked to him and he says he likes this gun in walnut.
http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/index.tpl
what do you guys think about stoeger?

Save the money and use the 20 Ga...Mow some more next couple years and add to the pot and get a really good gun the first time.....one you'll have the rest of your life.

You could certainly do a whole lot worse than the Stoeger. It is essentially a Benelli M2. All of the insides are Benelli. They probably do not use chryogenically treated barrels and the trigger mechaninims are probably a bit different but Benelli is the parent company and they use Benelli technology.

Don't go too cheap on an auto. You'll just be asking for problems in the long run. Good inexpensive models are the Stoeger 2000, Traditions ALS 2100, Verona SX405. These models may cost a little more than $300.00 but would be a good investment.

For 300 I would say a Benelli Nova, Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870 field grade. They are all pumps though. I don't know about getting a cheap auto. Sometimes you get what you pay for. The benelli has the smoother action of the three and I think it shoots 3 1/2 inch magnums if he every wanted to. The forearm makes a bit of noise though. And I thought it was pretty ugly looking, but that's just me.

I agree with saving his money. Use the 20 gauge for a bit longer and save up to get the gun he really wants like a guality auto or a wingmaster pump.

I don't know though, if the stoeger really has the internals of a benelli it sounds like a pretty good deal. I have a buddy that has a Franchi trap gun as well and it seems pretty nice. It's a 20 gauge. It is very light.

Good luck,
Paul