Heading to shoot doves in Argentina next year. I need a new
20 guage auto shotgun to take as a main gun. Will use my Weatherby
12 O/U as a back up. What do you all think is the best autoloader
that will stay together and shoot light loads reliably? Needs to shoot
about 8,000 rounds in four days.

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From what I' ve been told and read, the Berettas and Bennelis seem to have the best reputations. The Remingtons are good, but seem to have a higher occurance of breakdowns on the trap and skeet ranges.

Well, the location and use let' s out one of those Russian Kalishnakov actioned shotguns. Considering how tough the AK design is they may take alot of shooting though.

Buy a Beretta 391. No question about it in my mind.

id go the route of the 11-87, my fav gun!

i don' t use shotguns that much any more and my 870 serves me well when i need to use a shotgun but if had to do a lot of shooting in one or several days like you describe i would definately get a beretta 391, i wouldn' t hesitate a second. i worked part time at a sporting clays range in the summer and fall of 2001, and the 391' s ruled the roost out there whether it was with the regulars or with folks from around the state who came to shoot in the tournaments. most of the people out there took the sport seriously and had a lot of money wrapped up in it besides their shotguns, which means that they weren' t going to use anything cheap or unreliable. my observations were that the 391' s have a lot less trouble than any other shotgun out there. i also cleaned the rental guns (391' s) and those things would take a pounding before they started having any troubles with malfunctioning due to being dirty. i talked to a lot of the regulars and they go on trips similar to the one that you are going on and the majority of them were taking 391' s as their primary shotgun and probably another 391 as a backup. there' s quite a few really good semi' s out there, pick the one that fits you and your budget best. for me it would be the 391.

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benelli fan here, i like berettas but my firstshotgun was a benelli and thats what i go with.

8,000 rounds in 4 days! Holy Molely, thats like being in a fire fight!....Well not really since no one is shooting back.

As far as Autos are concerning I have owned Remington, Browning, Ithaca, Benelli, and Beretta. All have their good points. If I could only choose one it would be the Beretta 391. Certainly shooting that many shells, your going to want a recoil friendly gas operated gun, even if it is only a 20 gauge.

Cycling that many rounds in that time frame the quality of ammunition should also be a consideration.

Good luck.