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All rounder semi auto


Petay
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Fancy adding a semi auto to the cabinet without spending a fortune.

Fancy trying a few new things this year - namely PSG and maybe some pigeon shooting / rough shooting but whatever i buy needs to be credible at clays as this is where  I will do the bulk of my shooting.

Franchi Affinity has caught y eye as its a good price and seems well made but i've not practical experience of it or any other semis....

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Just now, Petay said:

if you know something i don't then please share...... I've never seen anyone shooting a 24' barrel at clays. as for PSG i am no expert admittedly but 26 or 28 seems to be more common.  

But why would that mean they are not any good?

To find a 24" multi-choked barrel is really rather rare and sought after for PSG especially.

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PSG suits 24”, I believe that if the law was different many would go for 20” I shoot 3 classes of PSG, open class 24” (multi, external extended choke which adds 4”, I normally shoot cylinder) auto class 28” (internal multi choke) and manual (pump) class 26” (fixed half choke)These barrel lengths are all usable. The pump and auto are tube magazine and the magazines are roughly the same length as the barrels, so 9+1 in the pump and 10+1in the auto. The box fed is not dependant on tube length (obviously 🤪) and shorter would be better IMHO. I shoot clays with a pump and my preferred length for that is 26”, no idea why, it just feels right.

It really is horses for courses at PSG and other than the plethora of box fed F12’s and the like, you will see many different types and styles of gun at these matches. The thing to do is go along and try it, talk to other shooters and don’t make up your mind and commit too early. One pal of mine still uses his old A5 and enjoys every moment of it!

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I like the Franchi too, but if you want a gun for PSG, look into the extended mag options etc.  There may not be too many go faster bits for them.  Like Impala says, whatever you choose is great fun.  Old modded Remmy 1100s still win events I am sure, and they make great rough shooting and pigeon guns.   Beretta 300 series are very solid, and have been for about 40 years, as are A5s.  Benellis are excellent in extended mag layout.  We are spoiled for autos these days tbh.  Try a few and see what you like.  

I had several autos and settled on a Mosberg 500 pump instead.  Different class for PSG, but great for all types of shooting.   I have even used it on local informal driven days after asking the shoot captain.  Excellent in the hide.  Great at clays.  Low round count for serious PSG.  Loads of options to play around with.   The choke tube threads were a bit rough so I had them cleaned up and use extended Browning chokes instead of the cheap Mossy ones.  If you are set on an auto, why not look at the Mossberg 930.  A true all rounder.  

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Lads use the Benelli M2 and so many mods and parts for them. Benelli even make a dedicated PSG model. Fella I know uses his for odd day on sporting clays too.

The 26" barrel Winchester SX3 I had to me was the best all-round barrel length.  I used it for clays, rough, pigeon and wildfowl shooting.

Because of the long action a semi auto barrel length don't work the same as a over and under.

A 24" semi automatic will work out about same length as a 28" over and under, a 26" semi same as 30" and so on. My 30" barrelled Benelli Super Sport was longer than my 32" K80  by a good bit. 

As advised try some and see how they feel, a long barrelled semi can feel like a pogo stick.

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9 hours ago, Petay said:

Fancy adding a semi auto to the cabinet without spending a fortune.

Fancy trying a few new things this year - namely PSG and maybe some pigeon shooting / rough shooting but whatever i buy needs to be credible at clays as this is where  I will do the bulk of my shooting.

Franchi Affinity has caught y eye as its a good price and seems well made but i've not practical experience of it or any other semis....

I have had several affinities and with the exception of one, they have all been faultless. Getting extra bits for them can be an issue, but the basics like extended bolt handles/chokes is relatively easy. I’m not sure about how it would fair for PSG as I don’t do it myself, but a mate does and he rates his M2SP very highly.

If your in Shropshire at any point your welcome to have a go on one of my affinities.

Best Of luck with the search.

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If it’s an all rounder then in my opinion it’s got to be synthetic, and my preference would be a Benelli. 
Ive had many autos over the years, including a S1 11-87, which was a good bit of kit but weighed a ton; they’re an old gun now anyway. Nothing I’ve tried compares to the Benelli.

I’m still looking for a 24” barrel for it. 
Mate fancies the new JM Mossberg, but it isn’t cheap and there’s too many ‘gold’ bits on it for my liking. The Americans like a bit of bling, but never do it well. 🙂

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For PSG you need to consider the loading mechanism. A button, either on the receiver or on the loading gate will interfere with you loading shells quickly, which is most of the battle when you're competing. Benelli, Stoeger, Franchi and Revo all have models with easy loading gates I believe, but check it out before you buy. I had an FAC Benelli Vinci, easily one of the best PSG guns ever, even though it wasn't aimed at that market, or owned by anyone except me that I knew of :) Only failed to cycle once over several thousand carts and that was due to shooting from the hip on the UKPSA practical safety course. Never took it out for clays, though I can't imagine why it wouldn't shoot them well enough, though it was on the light side.

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There's a couple of second hand M2s at an RFD near me at £895, will have a look but it's a bit over budget.

No second hand affinities near me so I'd have to buy new which I'm loathed to do since this is a "do I need one really" gun.

There is no PSG clubs overly close to me so it'll likely be a try it and decide if it's worth travelling for. 

If I'm being honest the reason I want an all rounder is I just want a semi auto to have a play with without having a specific need for it at the moment.

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3 minutes ago, Petay said:

There's a couple of second hand M2s at an RFD near me at £895, will have a look but it's a bit over budget.

No second hand affinities near me so I'd have to buy new which I'm loathed to do since this is a "do I need one really" gun.

There is no PSG clubs overly close to me so it'll likely be a try it and decide if it's worth travelling for. 

If I'm being honest the reason I want an all rounder is I just want a semi auto to have a play with without having a specific need for it at the moment.

Fair enough, if you want S2; if you want S1 then you’re going to need to show ‘good reason’.

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14 minutes ago, Scully said:

Fair enough, if you want S2; if you want S1 then you’re going to need to show ‘good reason’.

No interest in a S1 at the moment. My understanding is PSG has a S2 class which would suit me for the time being if I got properly interested 

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Very happy with my Franchi affinity with extended mag tube. Dropped the stock with the supplied shims and can now hit things. Winchester sxp didn't fit and fell apart. Warranty on Franchi is a lot better. Very good price for a new gun compared to its benelli 'parents' very smooth to shoot. Easy to strip and clean. So far so good. Only 250 cartridges through it so far. Fit wise I'm long and slim with a lollipop neck!

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