r/canadaguns • u/Worst_Engineer69 • 6h ago
Buy recommendations Shotgun Recommendations for Multiple Uses
Got into a gun club and I want to get into Trap & Skeet Shooting, but I also want to be able to go hunting once I'm comfortable with my shots. I can not decide between an over-under, a pump-action, or a semi-auto. I'm new to this and have a budget of $2000, $2500 max.
Is it possible to do these different disciplines with one shotgun? Or should I choose between range shooting and hunting, then buy a different one down the road?
Hoping to get some recommendations for this; not sure if I'm being too vague. Feel free to ask me some questions if needed! Thank you in advance.
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u/berettafunko 6h ago
Beretta A400
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u/waitwhatnothing 5h ago
This is the way if it’s in your budget. I got a franchi affinity since the A400 was out of my budget.
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u/berettafunko 5h ago
How's the Franchi? I was thinking of getting one in 20 gauge but a bunch of people say the loading is very stiff
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u/bosnanic 6h ago
No shotgun is a do it all but you can get pretty close.
Best contender is a 12ga Beretta a300 or a400 with 28" barrel. They are reliable in dry and wet conditions, can cycle most light birdshot, slugs, and waterfowl loads without issue, have a decent swing without being unwieldy in the bush, and you don't have to fiddle with pumping on follow up shots.
In a perfect world you would have a light over under for upland, a 3.5" semi for waterfowl, a short barrel for turkey, 30" sporting gun for clays, etc but for something to do a bit of everything an a300 or a400 is good.
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 6h ago edited 6h ago
I ended up buying a 1301 Comp Pro w/ 21" barrel plus a A400 28" barrel and extra gas piston from Stoeger (Beretta's distribution subsidiary in Canada). I can now swap between a shorter 21" barrel for the range/dynamic shooting, and a longer trap/skeet barrel.
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u/Worst_Engineer69 6h ago
Good to know, thank you
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 6h ago edited 3h ago
Part numbers here: https://www.reddit.com/r/beretta1301/comments/1v5t7sc/comment/p0kgq98/?screen_view_count=5&ext-referrer=SEO
Also, if you sign up for the newsletter on Stoeger's website, you'll get a coupon.
1301 Comp Pro is basically a sporterized version of the A400. The 1301 Comp Pro has many of the A400 features including the BLINK gas system and recoil reducing Kick Off Stock.
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u/lolshveet 5h ago
you are a legend, i had spoken with a buddy that has an A400 extreme+ and i had fitted his barrel onto my 1301 comp, So it know it fits, we just never fired it. Signing up gave me 15% off "news15"
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u/Worst_Engineer69 6h ago
I'll definitely look into these, thank you. I see that the a400 is significantly more than the a300. Is it worth the price difference?
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u/bosnanic 6h ago
there are a lot of models between the 300 and 400 series but to break it down:
- a400 uses the blink system so it cycles faster as is easier to clean
- Most a400 models come with a "kick off +" which increases recoil reduction
- Some a400 models can take 3.5" shells while no a300 model does
- a400 uses optima hp chokes which are slightly better then standard optima chokes in the a300
If you are just getting into shotguns I would say the a400 is not worth the price it is more aimed at people who want a really nice shotgun and have plans for it.
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u/Ok-Bowler-203 6h ago
Looking at the Weatherby Orion myself for the same reasons.
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u/Worst_Engineer69 6h ago
Hard choices!
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u/Specialist_Chard5231 6h ago
Just get a Benelli M2. Covers everything and they are cheap used on gunpost.
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u/Omega_Shaman 6h ago
What kind of hunting
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u/Worst_Engineer69 6h ago
Probably some turkey, grouse. Might also want to do some deer with slugs
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u/SakanaToDoubutsu 5h ago
I'm of the opinion that rifled slugs in smooth bore barrels are completely obsolete for hunting big game and are borderline unethical to use, if you're hunting big game with a shotgun it needs to have a rifled barrel.
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u/22GageEnthusiast 2h ago
Yea I agree. At our hunt camp last year, some guy was using a Maverick 88, shooting rifled slugs with just the regular 28 inch smoothbore barrel....he missed every fckn deer he saw lol. He also saw the most deer out of everyone at the hunt camp lol smh
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u/Iokua_CDN 1h ago
As someone who has never shot a 12 ga slug, I'm really curious at how accurate I can get at 100 meters. Also want to try out rifled Chokes to see if they make any impact.
But for actual hunting... I'll just use my 308 with a scope
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u/Grouse870 5h ago
Why? Have you tried federal truball slugs? They are very accurate. Used within their capabilities a 400+ grain lead slug put into the kill zone of a deer/big game is very effective.
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u/Omega_Shaman 6h ago
If I were you I would get a Mossberg Maverick 88 12 gauge combo, a Girsan Mc312 combo, and save up for a Browning Citori over under (used or new) for skeet. Firearms get beat up in the field so you don't need the fanciest gear for hunting, just reliable and functional gear.
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u/OpForLord 5h ago
If you really only want 1 gun the A400 xplor in 20ga is gonna be hard to beat. Light enough to run around all day in the grouse/turkey woods. With 28” barrel and great gas system will swing well and not rip your shoulder apart shooting clays all day.
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u/Past-Alps6396 6h ago
You can definitely do both with one shotgun. I would stay away from pumps because it makes doubles a lot harder, still doable but not the best choice if you will mostly do clay sports. A lot of people will start out with a semi auto for clays as they are generally less expensive than over unders.
The beretta a300 has a very solid reputation. I know a guy with the Jerry Miculek Mossberg 940 that he is a big fan of, usually clay guns will have a longer barrel than the 24" that it comes with but he doesn't seem to have a problem with it.
As far as over unders go I talked to someone with a mossberg silver reserve who was pretty good with it a while ago.
I've seen people here recommend buying a used browning or beretta ou for similar price ranges. I know a guy with two shotguns like that who does clays and has done many hunts for many different sized birds with both of them. That is worth looking into.
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u/iatekane 4h ago
The best shotgun will be one that fits you well, I haven’t seen that mentioned here but that’s what matters. You’ve got a good budget to get into an entry/used over under or a higher end semi auto, skip the pump and pick one up down the road if you want to mix things up.
With your budget and use case semi makes most sense, any one the ones in that price range will have adjustable stocks so you can get it well fit and will be reliable and soft to shoot.
A400 is a great choice and lots of variants available, probably the best overall semi available right now. The offerings from Browning, Benelli, Fabarm, etc are all great and will serve you well if you go with any of those as well.
Head to your local shop if you can and check them out and see what you like. A400 is likely the best choice overall choice though.
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u/Worst_Engineer69 4h ago
Thank you for your thoughts. When looking into the A400 I noticed there are a bunch of different types, are they all just slightly different and tailored to different types of targets?
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u/iatekane 2h ago
The operating system will be the same for all of them, but the stock design and materials (wood or plastic), finishes, chambering (12g, 20g, 3” and 3.5”), barrel lengths and rib heights will all differ depending on the intended purpose.
A400 Extreme Plus 12gauge 3” would be a good pick for an all rounder at about the top end of your budget. Also, there is a brand new A400 that just came out, called the A400 Solo, it’s $18-$1900 so cheaper but is really really good value for what you get, just some minor trade offs.
Those are both synthetic stocked guns, if you would like some wood A400 sporting is really nice but you’ll need to up your budget a bit.
Can also save some $$$ if you consider used guns.
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u/powersmoke9494 6h ago
Winchester sxp camp field combo is a good start, I think some people don't like the sxp I have no issues with mine. 18" and a long barrel (forget the length). Your price range you could easily get an 870 with a rifled barrel and just purchase a longer one and choke tubes (or vise versa). I'm not into semis so much just because i carry it out camping,quadding,hiking ect. And prefer the reliability of a pump and rubber slugs or buck around the cabin for bears. Had an 1187 rem and loved it wished I never sold years ago.
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u/iatekane 5h ago
SXP is a great gun for the money, but OP has a solid budget and he’ll be better served by a higher end semi auto for sure
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u/Spydude84 6h ago
Beretta A300, semi-auto. Skip a pump, doubles will be harder for clay sports. Slightly more capacity for hunting (It can fit 3+1, but iirc, 3 shells max are legally allowed for some birds?)
You could alternatively get a quality entry-level O/U with that budget, but it will cost more, and will have less capacity for hunting (only 2 can fit, obviously, but the legal limit is iirc higher). Look at a Browning Citori or Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon, whichever fits you better (shotgun fit is important!)
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u/ImprovementKnown2491 5h ago
A300 for clays and a Mossberg 500 with the interchangeable barrels for your hunting - it’s got a rifled barrel for slugs to shoot deer, turkey barrel and waterfowl barrel all in the kit.
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u/CoolRunningASIC 5h ago
I see this is posted in two forums with more information. I feel the Mossberg 590 i a great all-rounder for your use case. Really fun to operate and will go bang filled with rain and mud.
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u/CellPrestigious1932 4h ago
I was of the same mind when starting out and my first (and only) shotgun was Benelli M2. It’s semiautomatic, enertia driven. I shoot trap and hunt Turkey and waterfowl. It’s perfect for both. If I ever want to shoot slugs or buckshot deer hunting, it’ll do that too. All around and great gun.
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u/isanthrope_may 6h ago
I hunt deer, turkey, duck, goose, rabbit, squirrel, dove, and varmints as required with a pump action shotgun. Remington 887. Different loads, different chokes. Get a maverick 88 field/security combo, that will get you in far enough to decide your next step.
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u/lerch_up_north lost in the praries 6h ago
what shotgun?
Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590. Use the rest of your budget on ammo.
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