Cheap first semi auto advice

[everycal]

Considering buying a semi auto for pigeon shooting and maybe some clays. 
I’d like something with short barrels and open or multi chokes. 

Not bothered about if it’s wood/synthetic finish. 
I’ll be shooting 28g loads mostly maybe some 32g’s.

Don’t want to spend a fortune. Am looking at Beretta 302’s loads about for sub £300. 
 

Has/Does anyone had/have one?

Anything else I should consider?

Also if anyone around Leicestershire has anything they are thinking of selling that they want me to consider drop me a message.

Thanks in advance! 

[billytheghillie]

Look at recent post--- Need a new semi auto.  

But to save time buy a Franchi Affinity 

[Taileron]

3 minutes ago, billytheghillie said:

Look at recent post--- Need a new semi auto.  

But to save time buy a Franchi Affinity 

+1 Fully agree.

[yeet]

If you want a cheap semi you might as well apply for a FAC shotgun, FAC shotguns are generally much cheaper than SGC shotguns due to the fact that there is very little demand in FAC compared to SGC. 

[Scully]

The old A300 series Berettas take some beating for your budget. 

[WalkedUp]

I have one, bought from here. It has been great, per £ the best gun I have ever bought. The steel isn’t a modern mix and so it does get surface rust on the foreshore but easily sorted by pre oiling. I always strip it after wild fowling. It has accounted for a good number of pigeons too. 

[Westley]

I use a mint condition Beretta 303 for occasional clays, especially when my shoulder problem flares up. I bought a scrap 300 for £100, sold as spares. It came with a 303 multi choked barrel, oiled wood and a brand new Kick-eeze pad fitted. During the last lockdown, I rebuilt the gun, buying new springs and some trigger parts from Italy. My Grandson used it on clays, just before this lockdown. Using 24 gram cartridges (Cheddite) he did not miss a lot and the gun worked faultlessly. Overall cost to rebuild around £50 plus the initial £100 cost, but including a couple of extended Briley chokes. Do NOT be frightened to buy a rough used gun, parts are cheap enough and readily avaiable. Look on a website called OMPS 2, endless Beretta parts and the price you see is the price you pay, plus P & P.  I used Paypal to pay.

[B391]

Slightly OT -  I  have heard that the 303's are good guns but what about the 302?

Can they both shoot 28gram clay loads without issue?

 

 

[strimmer_13]

Get any of the berettas 301,302 or 303. Save a few more quid and find a 391, tho to be fair I shot a lot better with the 303. 

Watch out for the 302 if it has that weird choke system, it put me right off (just a personal thing) and chokes could be harder to find if your bothered about changing them. Still a great gun which can be found for peanuts. 28g no problem I can recall in any of them

[B391]

Thanks,

I am thinking of getting either a new something or an older Beretta.

 

[Westley]

The 'drop' in chokes are still around second hand and you never see the knurled nut thing at the end, when you are shooting it. They also have the advantage of being able to be shot with no choke at all, so do not be put off the 'right' gun by this. I had an original 301 which I bought new when they first came out. I won a lot of straw baler shoots with that gun using no choke. Of course most cartridges were 32 gram back then. I have owned most makes of Beretta and some Benelli auto's. Suffice it to say they have all gone, except the 303 and now my rebuilt 300. They are, in my opinion, the best handling and the easiest to clean of any auto available.

[B391]

Westley -  thanks, so much food for thought

[TommoTomson]

I bought a 31 year old Beretta A303 a few months back. 

Paid just over 300 quid and couldn't be happier with it. Cycles Lylevale 28g 6s no problem and is in really good condition for the age. Mechanically it's flawless. 

Plenty knocking about 

Edited November 14, 2020 by TommoTomson

[everycal]

Thanks everyone. Really useful. 

[Raw and wriggley]

+ 1 for a  303 can’t fault them 

[marlin vs]

I bought a pair of Beretta 302s 33 years ago, I bought two so I would have a spare in case one broke and all that ever happened was a broken ejector claw on the first one. Pardon the pun but they are bullet proof and a workhorse of a gun.

[The Heron]

Beretta 391 ulrika 

[Scully]

21 hours ago, Westley said:

I use a mint condition Beretta 303 for occasional clays, especially when my shoulder problem flares up. I bought a scrap 300 for £100, sold as spares. It came with a 303 multi choked barrel, oiled wood and a brand new Kick-eeze pad fitted. During the last lockdown, I rebuilt the gun, buying new springs and some trigger parts from Italy. My Grandson used it on clays, just before this lockdown. Using 24 gram cartridges (Cheddite) he did not miss a lot and the gun worked faultlessly. Overall cost to rebuild around £50 plus the initial £100 cost, but including a couple of extended Briley chokes. Do NOT be frightened to buy a rough used gun, parts are cheap enough and readily avaiable. Look on a website called OMPS 2, endless Beretta parts and the price you see is the price you pay, plus P & P.  I used Paypal to pay.

Sounds great! We persuaded a mate to buy a 303 as he wanted an auto but didn’t know a lot about shotguns ( being a farming rifleman ) and its been a great gun. Fixed at 3/4 choke I used to really enjoy using it until it became too short after he cut down the stock so it was a better fit for him. Then he found a 1/4 fixed choke barrel for it. He’s had it years and it was who knows how old when he got bit; still going strong. 

To add, there is a 303 for sale on here, and if anyone wanted anymore endorsement as to how highly these guns are considered, a mate of mine had a high grade Maxus, and as he’s very precious about his guns he was loathe to take it in a hide, and remembering he used to have a 303, sold the Maxus and bought a 303 and had it chopped and Teagued. It is his hide gun and his rough shoot gun. 

[tweedledee]

What about a remmy 1100???

[GingerCat]

My al390 has been faultless  for the past 9 years or so. Toying with getting rid as I shoot better with my lanber 

[Demonic69]

Rem 1100, best SA ever... there happens to be one for sale in the sales section right now!

[Scully]

18 minutes ago, Demonic69 said:

Rem 1100, best SA ever... there happens to be one for sale in the sales section right now!

Cracking gun and a cracking price! 👍

[Westley]

19 hours ago, tweedledee said:

What about a remmy 1100???

I shot a pair of them at clays for years. I had a 30" Trap, a 28" skeet and a spare 30" 1/2 choke barrel. Very reliable and went on and on until the Trap gun finally gave up due to a part in the action coming adrift. However, they were ammo fussy, far more than the Beretta is, but as we used 32 grams back then, it never really mattered. The later 11-87 (and I have had one) was a horrible gun, far too muzzle heavy for me. 

I used a 20 bore 1/2 choke 28" barrel 1100 for years. It accounted for several thousand pigeons without ever a hitch. 20 bore ammo just got too expensive when shooting 500 or so, on a single outing.

Edited November 16, 2020 by Westley

[owain]

I shoot a benelli semi auto, I’ve had it for years, it’s got a 26” barrel and synthetic stock.

Its recoil operated not gas, so no dirty gas parts to strip and clean or effect reliably. 
One word of advice, learned from experience. If your buying a cheap used semi auto, try before you buy with the weight of shells your going to use. They can be the most frustrating things on the planet when the won’t cycle, feed or eject shells. 
But you won’t go wrong with any of the recommendations on this thread 👍

[Walker570]

Yes, I would be looking for a Remington 1100. I have one in 16 gauge made in the early 1960s and it still drops pigeons today as cleanly as it did back then. If you do manage to get a semi auto then look around and see if you can pick up a can of Fastex Auto Action Lube.  I use it on both my 110 and my 870 Wingmaster and it certainly keeps the machinery working smoothly.   .