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.

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.

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.

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.

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

No difference between black shadow and waterfowl camo guns other than the color. Buy the SX3 you won't be disappointed.

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.

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!

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.

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...

Not yet. It normally take a ton of research to get me to pull the wallet out lol. I am tossing up the idea to just go to a pistol grip and burris fastfire 3 on the old Mossberg. I am getting great patterns its just that dang muzzle rise.

Only problem with the stocks is the camo on the 835 is very outdated and I am not sure if I could get the stock dipped to match.

That price on the Winchester SX3 is pretty good though. Might be cheaper to get it then sell the old gun lol. Decisions Decisions :confused:

I love my SBE II. I hunt everything out of it (turkey, deer, ducks, geese, pheasant, etc.) and I don't even have to change the choke. I keep improved cylinder in it year round and it serves all purposes for me. Before telling me I need a full choke for turkey I understand everyones opinion. I have killed 36 turkeys with it and haven't missed one as of yet. Also, have never had a problem with it and have put it through hell. Obviously they aren't cheap but for me they are awesome.

As far as the stocks go I have narrowed it down to 3 if I go that route. Phoenix Technology Kicklite, ATI T3, and the ATI Shotforce PGS.

Anyone have any experience with any of these. Can't really find many reviews on the duability and over all recoil advantage.

I hear ya about the SBE 2. That is one of my dream guns. I just can't throw 1800$ down at least for a few more years lol

Kelly -

I seem to recall that you do a lot of run&gun type turkey hunting - if so, make sure you carefully consider the weights of a 12ga semiauto (I'm just assuming you're looking at 12ga because of the waterfowl comment). I know quite a few older guys who have moved from 12ga pump to 20ga semiautos for turkeys, and they say even that 1/2 pound and reduced recoil makes a big difference. However, I'm not sure I'd want a 20ga for Canadian geese.

A newer stock may be your best option - or have you considered a new pump? If you like the SBE then maybe a new Nova is the next step...

I thought about the Nova as I have a friend that has one and has no complaints at all. I think that after much consideration I will just make a dedicated turkey rig and then combine all the other hunting into a second gun. The weight really of the 835 really hasn't bothered me while turkey hunting. It's just the pain of trying gain control again to get a follow up shot if needed because of the muzzle rise. If replacing the stock will do it then I may be leaning that way.

I own an older Rem 870, older Rem 1100 and a Saiga 12 that I will consider selling all except the 870 (wife uses it) to get the SBE in the future.

Are you shooting 3 or 3.5" shells? If you're using 3.5", dropping down to 3" would significantly help recoil and muzzle...

Already went down in size lol. It helped with the recoil, getting a much tighter pattern but only slightly helped with the muzzle rise. With the 3.5" the damn gun would fly up and knock my hat off lol. If I do my part and make the first shot count then its not a problem lol.

Stoegers use Benelli's inertia bolt system for less $.

Ended up keeping the Mossy 835 for now and adding the Stoeger M2000. Put a Indian Creek in the Stoeger and just waiting on time to get out and play. If I like the inertia gun I will start saving for the Benelli and maybe start looking for a good deal in a couple years.

The Stoeger has the Steady grip and it feels good for turkey hunting but will more than likely be dedicated just to that.

I have also been given a 1970 model Browning A5 from my dad that had picked one up several years back used and never took it out.

You may want to look at Remington 870 SPS Super Mag. It has a 21 or 23" barrel and with the turkey choke shoots just as good patterns as others. It also shoots up to 3 1/2" mags. I asked around on several turkey websites and everyone had nothing but good reviews on it. I would much rather cart around a short vs long shotgun for run and gun gobblers!

Hard to wrong with a Benelli!I shoot a M2 at everything from doves,waterfowl, to an occasional gobbler!Handles heavy loads like a dream!IMHO sell your other guns, save some change and buy what you know works!😊

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.

Winchester SX3

I'm seriously thinking of going to that new Steven's single shot 410 using that TSS Apex round.

Apex 3" #9 Tss patterned beautifully in my Taurus Judge 45/410.
And I dont whack birds over 20 yards anyhow.

5.5 lb firearm. Might be an old man's dream.
Now to get it past the homestead warden.

JW

Ive had a rem 870 for years and used it in all kinds of hunting. I dont think you can go wrong with a 870

Yeah, I continue to use my 870.

Just bought one. Waiting on some stuff to come in from Sumtoy to pattern it. Got the Apex TSS in #9 and Apex Ninja in #9.5.

I,m really considerin one of the 410 Turkey Models just for fun but don,t want to spend a fortune on the ammo.I wonder how good they pattern on just good ole hi-brass magnum loads and not TSS?

Sprunki
 

Hey, that's a really good point about the shell size and recoil. I hadn't considered the impact of switching from 3.5" to 3" shells on muzzle climb. I bet it makes a world of difference, especially during quicker follow-up shots. I wonder if anyone has experimented with different shot weights within the 3" shells to find a sweet spot? I've heard rumors of a magical 2 3/4" load with some old Sprunki components, but that's more legend than practical advice! Thanks for the tip!