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Looking for a new all around Shotgun

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Looking for a new all around Shotgun

Old 04-16-2018, 12:40 PM
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Default Looking for a new all around Shotgun

I'm in the market for a good all around semi auto shotgun. Mainly for turkeys but with the ability to swap over to upland birds or ducks then maybe put a slug barrel on it for deer. I was leaning toward the Benelli SBE and was all set to pull the trigger till I seen that Cabelas has a sale on the Winchester SX3.

They have a "Black Shadow" model and a "Waterfowl" model. Besides the color does anyone know the difference between the 2. Also are these drilled and tapped to install a red dot?

My main reason is even though my old Mossberg 835 is accurate the dang muzzle rise is getting old. If I do miss, like I did this past weekend on a turkey, I can not get a follow up shot. The damn thing flys up and out of my forward hand with 3" turkey loads. Doesn't bother the shoulder a bit though. I guess I could get the barrel ported but not sure what something like that would cost.
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Old 04-16-2018, 01:45 PM
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Kelly - check out the Weatherby SA-08 in 12 or 20 gauge. It's about $200 less than the SX3 and a nice gun.

I bought the 20 gauge for my son and it's a great shooter. I just sighted it in for turkey season - Longbeard XR choke tube with #6 Longbeards is averaging about 120 pellets at 40 yards. I put a Carlson rifled choke tub in it for deer and it throws 1/2" patterns at 50 yards.

Edit: It does not come pre-drilled but that cost ($50?) is substantially less than the difference in cost of the gun.

It's hard to beat for the price, and you can get accessories/parts out of their California division.

Last edited by Strut&Rut; 04-16-2018 at 03:39 PM.
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Old 04-18-2018, 08:08 AM
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Lol.
I just purchased a 20 gauge Weatherby SA-08, mainly for snipe and dove hunting.
But after reading about the patterns that guys are getting with #9 TSS, I am gonna try and set it up for turkey.
I tried a beard buster sight, but at 40 yds it covers up to much of the target. I put an Tru-glow SSX choke tube on it and know need to work on the sight. I did shoot it once and had 125 in 10” circle: some of the #s I read about where upper 200 and even some in the 300.
I would like to run a Burris or Vortex type red dot, and remove the scope and leave the base on the gun; that way hopefully I can see the front sight over top to use for snipe or dove.

Great gun, super light and I have heard they have excellent customer service.
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Old 04-18-2018, 09:10 AM
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BornAgain -

I topped my son's with a Bushnell Trophy multi-reticle red-dot. We've tried the factory full, the HeviShot and the Longbeard XR choke tubes. We're currently getting 145 hits on 8x11 paper at 40 yards with Longbeard XR #6 thru the Longbeard tube . I might need to try the TSS. FYI, just so you know, it will also punch 1 inch holes at 50 and 100 yards with Lightfield slugs and a Carlson's rifled choke tube.

I'll second the customer service - I've worked with Weatherby several times for minor things, and it's been superb.
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Old 04-18-2018, 10:20 AM
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I seemed to get the best patterns out of the old mossberg 845 with a Primos Jelly Head choke using winchester longbeard xr #5. Not sure if they have one for the 20 gauge though
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Old 04-18-2018, 03:32 PM
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No difference between black shadow and waterfowl camo guns other than the color. Buy the SX3 you won't be disappointed.
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Old 04-19-2018, 09:10 AM
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http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,79115.0.html

If I could get these kind of #s with a 20 gauge, I would be very pleased.

Last edited by bornagain64; 04-19-2018 at 11:38 AM.
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Old 04-19-2018, 11:29 AM
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Ahhh...I'm not sold on those results for three reasons:

1) #9 shot is pretty dang small - and I don't care if it's lead or heavier than lead - IMO that size shot from a 20ga at 40 yards on an adult tom is not a guarantee. #9 isn't even legal in many states, who want you to use #7 or larger.

2) ~275 pellets of #9 is approximately the same percentage of the payload of 150 #5. I don't have the actual numbers, but basic math would suggest there should be relatively twice as many #9 pellets as there are #5 pellets in a shell of the same length and weight. Even if it's 'heavier' - there has to be at least 50-75% more TSS #9 than Longbeard #5...

3) My son was shooting the Hevi Triple Beard (5,6,7 lead blend) last year out of his SA-20 and dropped a big tom at 41 yards. We had patterned it and knew it threw 120+ pellets in an 8x11 sheet at 40 yards. The tom dropped, we high-fived - only to walk up over a little rise and find no bird - he ran off and I saw him later in the season. I'm guessing the majority of shot were probably #7 and even though the number of pellets were enough to give him a whallop - there wasn't enough power to actually kill the bird. He was a nice tom, but not a 'turkzilla' freak of nature...

So, I'm not convinced that a 20ga with anything smaller than #6 shot (or hevi #7) past 40 yards will have enough killing power to adequately penetrate and kill an adult gobbler. It's probably just me, but I would want to mix up a gelatin block to actually do a ballistics test at 40 yards to convince myself it would carry enough energy downstream to penetrate and actually break bone...

Sorry Kelly - didn't mean to hijack the thread!

Last edited by Strut&Rut; 04-19-2018 at 11:32 AM.
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Old 04-19-2018, 11:51 AM
  #9  
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Strut,
I agree with your skepticism, and I need to do more research.

Kelly, did you decide on a gun yet? Picking the gun is only the beggining: then you have to try different shell and choke tubes and figure out what sight to run.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:06 PM
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Back to guns - have you looked at the Franchi semiautos?

For my son, the final decision was between the Weatherby and Franchi Affinity.

Both me and my wife loved the way the Franchi handled, but we eventually went with the Weatherby for my son because I could buy the youth model and then upgrade to the adult stock for peanuts ($60 direct from Weatherby). Upgrading the Franchi was substantially more. You can get the Franchi with real wood (walnut) or synthetic (black or camo) stock.

FYI, a Franchi Affinity Compact with walnut stock is now on my wife's wishlist. I'm personally a pump-gun hunter, I only use a semiauto for clays, and I'll be looking for a break-barrel double sooner rather than later...

Last edited by Strut&Rut; 04-19-2018 at 12:09 PM.
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