viking Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 im looking for a semi or a pump, and wondered what the best choice would be, and why? many thanks, Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08shooter Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 semi without a doubt,im a lazy shooter why give yourself the chore of pumping when you dont have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glynn Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 hi good question i have been looking at this as well and a siding with the pump action unless you have a more to spend on a semi. My local gun smiths has a decent mossburg in for a mere £150 holds 6 catridges so can go on a firearms. You can get lots of mods if you want (see advanced technologys web page). Also a mate of mine has a pump and he managed to shot the same ammount of rounds quicker and more acuratly than another lad with his semi. dont know how reliable semis are so if any one could advise on this could also help in making your mind up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 I started out with a Smith and Wesson pump action. I found it hard going. I have only ever seen John Stafford - DTL expert - use on properly, when he was a mere lad. Autos are a different planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 'semi or pump'- Go with what ever gives you a smooth action.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 Also a mate of mine has a pump and he managed to shot the same ammount of rounds quicker and more acuratly than another lad with his semi. dont know how reliable semis are so if any one could advise on this could also help in making your mind up No disrespect but the guy with the semi must have been rubbish, i can fire 3 out of my semi accurately in 2 seconds!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_colt Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Pumps are great for when you are shooting in the roughest of the rough. They will cycle any cart they are proofed to take without complaint. Simple to service; why one would need his gunsmith to do the annual service on a Mossberg 500 I will never know. Unless there was something giving cause for concern that is. Semi's are good on recoil and are much less picky than they used to be. They will generally require more regular care and attention though. Compared to a pump in the UK unless you are somewhere really harsh it shouldnt make much difference. Iraq would be a different story. Wonder why almost no tactical police or army unit use semi-auto shotguns? Pump-action is just far more reliable in it's simplicity. Not to mention cycling the action just feels so... good. If I was choosing my gun for clays and general it would be a semi anyday. Especially with my shoulders and neck. I'd still like a pump for ground vermin in the rough though. But a hammer gun would be just as appreciated if it's up to the job. A decent 12b Webley 810 walnut semi, 12b Remington or Mossberg pump and a 20b hammer-gun. Those 3 shotguns would be all I could ever need. The rest of the cabinet space is earmarked for s1 firearms anyway Ah if only my bank balance stretched as far as my dreams... mr_colt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Pumps are great for when you are shooting in the roughest of the rough. They will cycle any cart they are proofed to take without complaint. Simple to service; why one would need his gunsmith to do the annual service on a Mossberg 500 I will never know. Unless there was something giving cause for concern that is. Semi's are good on recoil and are much less picky than they used to be. They will generally require more regular care and attention though. Compared to a pump in the UK unless you are somewhere really harsh it shouldnt make much difference. Iraq would be a different story. Wonder why almost no tactical police or army unit use semi-auto shotguns? Pump-action is just far more reliable in it's simplicity. Not to mention cycling the action just feels so... good. If I was choosing my gun for clays and general it would be a semi anyday. Especially with my shoulders and neck. I'd still like a pump for ground vermin in the rough though. But a hammer gun would be just as appreciated if it's up to the job. A decent 12b Webley 810 walnut semi, 12b Remington or Mossberg pump and a 20b hammer-gun. Those 3 shotguns would be all I could ever need. The rest of the cabinet space is earmarked for s1 firearms anyway Ah if only my bank balance stretched as far as my dreams... mr_colt. Got to agree with that. I've got a cheapo Mossberg and its simplicity makes it pretty reliable, there's nothing much to go wrong. I've shot with blokes who use semis quite a lot and they seem a bit delicate (the guns, not the blokes) They seem to get too many jams for my liking. I know there's blokes on here who say they've never had a jam with a semi in 100 years of shooting, or 20,000,000 rounds, but I can only say what I've seen and that's too many jams from too complicated mechanism Having said that, I think a bloke who undestands semis well and looks after them very carefully will cut down or eliminate the problems. It seems to me that it is vital to get the oil/dryness exactly right on the working parts. If you do a slapdash job on cleaning, it'll let you down next time out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Personally its semi every time. I've an ancient browning semi and its never jammed on me, but then I've never tried less than 30 gram cartridges. To me the only benefit of a semi vs a conventional gun is the speed you can shoot and the fact you get 3 shots plus the lightness of the gun. A pump is far too clanky for my liking hence why they sell for peanuts as not many people want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 My semi cycles anything!!! down to 24g, but I think like all guns its dependant on the quality. It is also very quick and easy to strip down and clean, and I can honestly say that with several thousand carts through it , it has never jammed. I had a mossy 500, yeah, great gun, good fun, but kicked like a mule, the browning semi i use is light and has very little recoil at all. Yesterday i tried the new franchi raptor out, sweet looking gun and even lighter than mine....for £550 you cant go wrong!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Mr Colt, the US Department of Defense approved the Benelli M4 semi-auto for operational use by the US military. It is a very impressive weapon, and with proper care (the same care you have to give any infantry weapon), it performs without bother. It's a bit more refined than the Mossberg pump-action that the USMC uses, although I know which one I'd take if I was in a tight spot. Baldrick (proud owner of a Remmie 870 pump-action) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 i like my pump action will eject any size shell and fun to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_colt Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Personally its semi every time. I've an ancient browning semi and its never jammed on me, but then I've never tried less than 30 gram cartridges. To me the only benefit of a semi vs a conventional gun is the speed you can shoot and the fact you get 3 shots plus the lightness of the gun. A pump is far too clanky for my liking hence why they sell for peanuts as not many people want them. Mr Colt, the US Department of Defense approved the Benelli M4 semi-auto for operational use by the US military. It is a very impressive weapon, and with proper care (the same care you have to give any infantry weapon), it performs without bother. It's a bit more refined than the Mossberg pump-action that the USMC uses, although I know which one I'd take if I was in a tight spot. Baldrick (proud owner of a Remmie 870 pump-action) al4x: Have you ever handled a brand new Remington 870 Wingmaster? Clanky would be an insult to their build quality; upper tier pumps can have as much quality and workmanship as a decent O/U. Before 1988 when more than 2cart mags were restricted to FAC holders; pumps and semis were very popular with farmers for their convienence and ease of servicing. Baldrick: I was really refering to tactical police and military special forces in my last post. I'm sure the USMC Marines would not be the happiest of bunnies if the US DOD tried to swap their pumps for semis. And who can blame them; when you are holding off an enemy force from a foxhole for up to a few hours then storming a hostile building: Doing a strip clean along the way is not practical. You need a shotgun that will continue to function even if you can't stop to clean it as often as you should. If I was a serving soldier; I know which mechanism-type of shotgun I would depend upon to protect myself and my buddies. Someone who is trained to "soft-stroke" a pump-action properly can dispense lead just as fast as an average semi user. The Beretta Xtrema may be a different story but; 36g buckshot carts and slugs would slow it down a bit I am sure. Not so long ago; semi owners were viewed as strange even on clay grounds. I'm now seeing pumps for clays being more and more widely accepted. Yes I would still buy a semi as my first shotgun but; I would love to try a pump out properly too. Almost everywhere you go in europe; they will be using semis. No silly magazine capacity restrictions there either. And yet far less gun crime? Clearly restricting types of guns / mag capacity has no effect on criminals. mr_colt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vole Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 I think that for that 3rd shot its a poor deal myself.Give me 2 tubes anyday.If I cant kill it with 2 then I didnt deserve it.Though i do like the feel of a semi and the sight picture,as a rough shooter I honestly dont think that extra round is worth all the cleaning and loss of versatility in having one barrel loaded for fox,the other for feathered stuff.I try to be safety minded and unload for fences etc and the kerchink kerchink of it was no good when in stealth mode.I do think its a bit mad that the law thinks that 3 shot is less lethal than more in the mag if you mean mischief.Make no mistake,for maybe 5+ shots i would have one still especially for the woodies.This is only my humble opinion as a relative newbie but enjoy choosing,mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 well thanks for the replys guys, there is plenty there for me to think about, the idea of my second gun was not to be taking my silver pigeon out rough shooting and gatting it knocked about, i think i will probably get a semi as apposed to the pump, any ideas on what i should be paying for a good second hand one or maybe a new one, eckon i will be spending £500 on one, was thinking about a beretta 391 or remmi 1100 if there in my price range, dont really want a escort or webley. once again, thanks, for all your help, Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Have a look at the franchi raptor, you can pick one up new for £550 if you shop around, nice looking gun, not bad for clays either!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Mr Colt, I was a serving soldier: were you? I was inferring in my last post that I'd opt for a pump-action if I had to carry a shotgun. I just highlighted that there is semi-auto in operational use - you hadn't clarified that you were referring to 'Them'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_colt Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Sorry If I did not make myself more clear. I may have not been in the armed forces myself but; a significant quantity of family members have. I was just making the point that the United States Marine Corps units still using pumps would be considerably resistive to going over to semis. I for one cannot blame them. Given some of the feedback from troops thats appearing in blogs; the mil-spec Mossberg's are really doing the job. While the Army and Marines officially switched to the semiautomatic M1014 Combat Shotgun in 1999, various branches of the US military are still acquiring pump shotguns. The Navy acquired several thousand Mossberg 590A1 shotguns in 2004, and the US Army placed an order in 2005 for 14,818 units at a price of just over US$316 each. Mabye when the AA-12 comes out things will be different. But that is a full auto weapon so really nullfies the arguement. mr_colt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidibear Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 I have a 1939 Browning A 5 3 shot auto. Best gun I have ever owned, nice action and cycles 24g loads easily. Only let down is a bit of trigger recoil occasionally. I also have a Savage 3 shot pump and cannot recall the last time I shot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPARKIE Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 oh yer trigger recall it has just a bit it gives ya a repetitive strain injury fireing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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