Shotguns

In the sporting clays world, shooters are always looking for an edge to give them an advantage over other competitors. Naturally, firearm manufacturers are more than willing to make new and improved models of shotguns available to this anxious audience. At times, the new and improved versions feature radical changes in typical shotgun dynamics, while there are some cases when just a minor tweaking is unveiled to the shooting crowd.One of the latest models to be introduced into the sporting clay market of moderately priced over-and-under shotguns is the Remington Premier Competition STS. This shotgun is a dramatic change from the companys over-and-under that once dominated the skeet and trap fields - the Remington Model 3200.Lighter, trimmer, and quicker handling, the Competition STS was developed after consultation with top sporting clay competitors who drew upon experience and personal desires to offer suggestions about features in the new model.We were able to get our hands on one of the new models and selected the well-established Browning Citori XS Sporting as a good head-to-head match up.The Browning model has been a popular shotgun in the sporting clay circuit for several years and features the same solid, dependable design of several over-and-under shotguns made in Japan for the company.With its trademark deep receiver - a full quarter-inch deeper than the Remington - that features locking lugs in the bottom of the receiver, the Browning is one of the big boys on the range and has a well-established reputation.Our ammunition selection for this test included the Winchester AA Xtra-Lite Target 2.75-inch loads that were 2.75 dram equivalent shells with 1 ounce of No. 7.5 shot traveling at 1180 fps; Remington STS Low Recoil 2.75-inch loads with a 2.5 dram equivalent, 1 1/8 ounce of No. 8 shot and a muzzle velocity of 1100 fps; and Estate Super Sport Competition Target 2.75-inch loads with 2.75 dram equivalent, 1 ounce of No. 8 shot and a muzzle velocity of 1180 fps. There were no malfunctions of any kind, and all the ammunition was very effective on the variety of clay targets attempted during our tests. Heres our test report:

Like most other American shotgunners, Gun Tests shooters often express an appreciation for the beauty of the side-by-side. It takes almost nothing to fall in love with a London best-until you start looking at price tags and the waiting times to get one even if you could afford one. The reason for what is usually viewed as exorbitant pricing for famous-label makers such as Purdey, Holland & Holland, and others is actually well founded. Not only are these guns hand made, hand finished, and hand engraved (which is why it also takes years to get one if you can pony up the cash), but it has always been harder, and thus more expensive, to regulate two barrels on a horizontal plane to shoot to the same point of impact than it is to do the same with vertically arranged tubes.These factors add up to a need-to-win-the-lottery aspect, and it is what keeps most average Joes, and that includes us at Gun Tests, from looking beyond our pumps, semi-autos, and over/unders.Truthfully, the advent of improved machining has shaved the prices down on many side-by-sides over the decades. Witness the quality guns of Spanish origin that dont come close to having five figures (or more) to the left of the decimal point. Yet you still dont see them sitting on retailer shelves, in no small part because there are more than a few makers and they dont have the name recognition that lends confidence to the casual buyer (i.e., you need to do some homework to buy one). Instead, many buyers will tend to buy better-known names, such as Weatherby and Beretta.With that in mind, we recently tested two affordable side-by-sides, the Weatherby Athena DItalia ADX1228SGM, $2925, and the Beretta 471 Silver Hawk J471210, $3625.We trotted these two field guns over several rounds of sporting clays and skeet. For accuracy, we also shot both guns standing at 40 yards and from the Shooters Ridge Steady Rest on Midway USAs MTM portable shooting bench. We fired these point-of-impact tests on the National Target Companys shotgun patterning target, and learned both guns were accurately regulated. We used an RCBS trigger-pull gauge provided by Midway USA to measure the trigger pulls on both guns barrels, and otherwise shot the heck out of them.Heres how the pair measured up in our testing:

It is rare that we pick up two guns for testing that are radically different in appearance, balance, and weight and yet dont have one that outshines the other for whatever their intended purpose might be. But thats just the case we had between our hands with the new Browning Gold Evolve Sporting semi-automatic 12 gauge 011262428, $1287, and Berettas AL391 Teknys Gold Sporting 12 gauge J391T78, $1800.Though both are aimed at the competitive sporting-clays crowds, the only commonalities these two share are that theyre both 12 gauges and their semi-automatic actions are gas-operated. One weighs significantly more than the other, they possess completely different balancing points, and when it comes to looks, one would never be mistaken for the other on a gun rack. Yet after putting these guns through the rigors of both skeet shooting and several rounds of sporting clays on a course of middling-difficult and diverse targets-and with both sports shot several times with a raging wind that really tested the dexterity of these types of firearms-we felt the race was very nearly a tie when it came to functionality, fit and finish, and handling.For accuracy, we shot both guns standing at 40 yards as measured by a Bushnell rangefinder (as if for patterning) and from the Shooters Ridge Steady Rest on Midway USAs MTM portable shooting bench for point-of-impact tests on the National Target Companys shotgun patterning target. Both proved accurately regulated). We used an RCBS trigger-pull gauge provided by Midway USA to assess trigger weights.Heres how the race unfolded.

A rugged, reliable shooting tool can be any one of a variety of firearms available to the hunter or shooter who just wants a shotgunthat is easy on the wallet and gets the job done.These "bang-around" shotguns can face a hard life of being bounced around in the trunk of a car or stuffed in a pickup toolbox before being brought out for during dove, quail or pheasant season. They often do double duty when waterfowl season rolls around and hunters dont want to expose a fine fowling piece to the mud and gunk that go hand-in-hand with duck and goose blasting.Finding a bargain-priced firearm that will hold up to these often harsh conditions can require a trip to the used gun aisle of your local sporting goods store. Sometimes, the result is a shooting treasure that was broken in by another owner.Our excursion into the used pump shotgun arena resulted in a collection of four models that are among the most popular 12-gauge slide-actions found in hunting fields across the country.The four included: a Benelli Nova in 90 percent condition and with a price tag of $240; a Mossberg Model 835 UltraMag in 93 percent condition for $190; a Remington Wingmaster Model 870 in 97 percent condition for $400; and a Winchester Model 1200 in 95 percent condition for $230.Prices and conditions may vary for the same models in other parts of the country, but the quartet does provide a fairly comprehensive representation of hunting tools in use throughout the country.All of the members of our test team were right-handed, so our comments about access to items such as the action release are limited how we managed with the firearms. None of the pumps we tested offered ambidextrous safeties or action releases.Hunting loads limited to 2.75-inch shells were selected as the test ammunition for our four pumps to level the playing field. Some of the used firearms would handle 3-inch shells and others would not. The test ammunition included Winchester Super Speed Game Loads of 3.25 drams of powder and 7/8 ounces of No. 8 shot with a muzzle velocity of 1,350 feet per second. In addition, we performed patterning tests with some veteran heavy game loads in the form of Federal Hi-Power 3.75 dram shells with 1.25 ounces of No. 7 1/2 shot and a muzzle velocity of 1,400 fps.Heres our test report:

Most of us with at least a little gray at the temples and a background in hunting retain in memory at least one "Long Tom" shotgun that was reputed to reduce a gallon can to window screen at 60 yards. Most had at least a 32-inch, fixed-choke barrel - some longer - and were typically described by someone with a tendency toward embellishment. True, in the dark ages of barrel manufacturing, an occasional super-tight tube did fall into public hands - and was capable of impressively tight patterns. They were pretty rare, however, hence the "Long Tom" legends.But today there are shotguns and powerful, dense space-age shotshell loads out there that can, in the right hands, consistently kill waterfowl or turkeys at 60 yards and farther.Though there are those hunters who see hammering a strutting gobbler at the length of a hockey rink as a travesty against the sport, virtually everyone nevertheless wants to have that ability.

In the uncertain world of firearms production, where manufacturers have flourished then folded for a variety of reasons, opportunities are rare to match up a time-tested veteran shotgun against its new-generation version.One of those rare cases is with the Browning A5 semiautomatic, first introduced in 1902 as a revolutionary creation from the fertile mind of John M. Browning; and the Browning Gold Hunter semiautomatic, the updated version that first hit the streets in 1995.The recoil-operated A5 and its trademark hump-backed receiver quickly became the shotgun of choice for waterfowl and upland bird hunters. What it lacked in cosmetic appeal, it more than compensated with functional dependency, even in rugged hunting conditions.The gas-operated Gold Hunter followed in this tradition, finding favor with shooters interested in a solid, dependable shotgun for both tough field conditions and occasional trips to clay target courses.We were able to obtain used, but in excellent condition, 20 gauge versions of both the shotguns to conduct a head-to-head competition between the old grandfather and the young grandson. Durys Gun Shop in San Antonio, (210) 533-5431, www.durysguns.com, supplied the guns, and the prices herein reflect their actual counter prices.To help with the fair factor, several veteran members of our test group began their shotgun shooting days with an A5, but have moved on to more modern scatterguns; while some of the younger members were aware of the veteran semiautomatic, but did not have any shooting experience with the A5.Our first observation was the similarity of the two firearms, despite the age difference, with both weighing about 7 pounds and both with about the same balance between the hands. Handling qualities were nearly identical, although the hump at the back of the A5 required a little more head adjustment on the stock.Both shotguns also featured an automatic feed from the magazine to the chamber a speed-loading system that is very quick and easy. There were no function problems during any of our testing with either of the Brownings.Since both shotguns are designed for hunting conditions, our test ammunition was limited to common field loads. Only 2.75-inch loads were used because the A5 was not designed to handle 3-inch shells. We fed the two shotguns a diet of Remington ShurShot Heavy Dove one-ounce No. 7 1/2 shotshells and Winchester Heavy Target 1-ounce No. 8 shotshells (both with a muzzle velocity of 1165 fps). A small number of 7/8-ounce shells (a typical 20-gauge load) were cycled through both shotguns with no functioning problems.Heres our test report:

Its always been sound advice to buy the best quality one can afford. But Americans are often conflicted consumers since a red, white and blue trademark doesnt always mean top quality.Thats because, we suppose, U.S. manufacturers have to cut corners in order to pay decent wages, workmens compensation, life insurance, medical/dental benefits, pensions, and other sundries that dont clutter up the overhead of some off-shore competitors.One of the affected areas, in terms of quality and durability, has long been the area of semiautomatic shotguns. American designer John Brownings classic Auto-5 was made by FN in Belgium and later by Miroku in Japan a lineage shared by the companys (and sister company Winchesters) subsequent autoloaders. The Mossberg autoloaders that are still made stateside are designed with popular price points in mind, not history. Ithaca Guns USA no longer makes autoloaders; nor do Ruger or Savage, and aside from Remington, American manufacturers import semiautos rather than make one of their own in this country.In fact, when it comes to truly classic designs, Remingtons 1100 gas gun may be the only American-made autoloader to merit consideration. The 1100s autoloading predecessors the recoil-operated Model 11-48 and the pioneering gas-operated Sportsman 58 and 878 Automaster designs never caught the public fancy for a variety of reasons. And the guns successor, the 11-87, still has sufficient warts almost two decades after its introduction to merit the 1100s continued prominence in the Remington product lineup.Introduced in 1963, the 1100 still maintains sufficient interest for Remington to evolve the design more with the "Competition" in 2005 and the G-3 (for third generation) in 2006. But were not here to dissect the 1100s tried-and-true physique, which is merely dressed differently in the Competition and G-3. No, the Remington autoloader in todays limelight is the new-for-2006 Model 105Cti.Billed as lightweight, but with soft-recoil and extraordinary patterning performance, the 105Cti is the first Remington autoloader whose base model wears a four-figure price tag, which puts it into a pretty spiffy neighborhood.The Italians, on the other hand, are long-term residents of said gated community with Benellis Super Black Eagle II and Berettas 391 versions today arguably representing the royalty in autoloaders.Some may label a head-to-head comparison of these particular three guns as "apples and oranges." From here, however, its more of a "tangerines and oranges" deal. Though the Benelli SBE II (No. 10016) is a thoroughbred hunting gun, the Beretta Urika Trap Optima No. J391501, $1250, is primarily a target gun, and the Remington 105Cti (No. 29521) is still in early-design limbo between the two, they are all classy, expensive auto-loading designs worthy of state-of-the-art designation.All three 12-gauge guns feature back-bored (.735-inch interior diameters compared to the 12-gauge nominal .729) barrels, stepped ventilated ribs, three-shot magazines, cross-bolt safeties and smooth, crisp triggers. They all also came with classy plastic cases befitting 4-digit retail shotguns, with molded impressions to fit the various gun parts, choke tubes and wrenches.

The FN Police Tactical shotgun came with two stocks. This shotgun was made by U.S. Repeating Arms in New Haven, Connecticut, for FN Herstal. (Unfortunately, the New Haven plant has closed, as weve previously reported in "Short Shots.")

Looking at the market for semi-automatic 12-gauge shotguns with a price tag of under $1,000 can give shooters quite a variety of options.Questions like Should I decide based on price or go for the pretty package? or How does the handling, balance and function of this model compare to the others? all seem to ?ow together. More often than not, the bottom line is often the bottom line - how the purchase hits the pocketbook.We jumped into the issue with three semi-automatics that ranged in price from $435 to $907. The low-end model was the recently released Stoeger 2000; it was followed by another newcomer, the Franchi I-12 at $749; and the highest-dollar member of the trio, the veteran Remington 11-87 at $907.Acknowledging that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, each of the models has its good points and bad points based on appearance. Some shooters prefer the wood and metal look of the Franchi and Remington, while others favor the spaceage features of the Stoeger.One of the major surprises in checking out the three models right from the box was the very pleasing trigger pull of about 4 pounds for each shotgun. When an out-of-the-box shotgun arrives with a trigger pull of less than ?ve pounds (heavier trigger pulls are favored by most manufacturers for safety reasons), a new owner should put a check mark on the plus side of his ranking ledger. A lighter trigger means that the shooter can be smoother in the move, mount and shoot practice of engaging targets.All three of the models also received favorable marks in their ease of assembly and disassembly for cleaning. Although the Remington is gas operated and the Franchi and Stoeger are ?xed-barrel inertia-recoil operated, all test models found favor during cleaning sessions.On the handling side, we focused on smoothness to the target and how the shotguns allowed for ease in follow-through. Balance and ease of handling rank almost as high as reliability for most shooters.Our test ammunition for the trio on the sporting clay argets was Winchester AA 2.75-inch 2.5-dram shells in both No. 8 and No. 7 1/2 shot. Both shells were 1 1/8-ounce loads, with an average muzzle velocity ranging from 1,100 to 1,145 fps. In addition, each of the shotguns was tested with a few Federal 3-inch 1 1/4-ounce steel BB shot loads with a muzzle velocity of 1,300 feet per second to check out recoil from heavy loads. Heres our test report:

For the serious shotgunner, the 12 gauge is the workhorse for whatever job is at hand, whether skeet and trap, sporting clays, or the majority of hunting applications. Yet the 28 gauge remains a favorite as an alternate gauge, and there's good reason for this.

The 28 gauge patterns about as well and consistently as the 12 gauge, albeit without quite as many pellets, so it makes an excellent target choice. And because the gauge offers reduced recoil and guns come in lighter and smaller configurations, it's an almost perfect choice to introduce children, women, and any generally nervous beginner to the shooting sports. It's also suitable for bird hunting, although, naturally, at somewhat reduced ranges compared to the 12 gauge.

When Browning introduced the $2,050 525 Field No. 013085813 in 28 gauge, and then we heard that Savage was introducing a new over/under shotgun line dubbed the Milano, one of which was a $1,433 28 gauge, we wanted to see how the new entries fared against an established 28 gauge from Ruger, the Red Label No. KRL-2827BR with the straight "English" stock, $1,702.

We put the guns to the test on several sporting clays ranges, stretching from moderately easy to fairly challenging courses. We also shot them standing at 40 yards as measured by a Bushnell rangefinder (as if for patterning) and from the Shooter's Ridge Steady Rest on Midway USA's MTM portable shooting bench for point-of-impact tests on the National Target Company's shotgun patterning target (all proved accurately regulated). Trigger pulls were measured by an RCBS trigger pull gauge provided by Midway USA.

Here's what we liked and didn't like about the trio:

As the average age of clay-target shooters continues to inch higher, many veterans are turning to less expensive, lighter, softer-shooting semiautomatics as substitutes for their over-unders. The common objective is to find a firearm that doesn't strain the pocketbook; is easy on the arm muscles; and doesn't send the shooter into shoulder shock from recoil.

However, because the single-barrel shotguns are lighter and quicker to get on a target, all of them require a little more finesse if a shooter is intent on being competitive or filling a game bag. This means there is more need for a little extra push or pull by the shooter, rather than relying on the glide of a heavier stackbarrel.

The Browning Gold Sporting Semiautomatic 12 gauge, $1105, has earned a good reputation as a moderately priced shooting tool at clay target courses across the country, despite some travails. The initial burst of enthusiasm for the shotgun when it first entered the market was slightly deflated by problems with broken firing pins and other mechanical failures with early models. However, those failures seem to have subsided with the more recent production runs.

Following the pattern of the legendary Remington 1100 semiautomatic that once dominated the skeet shooting community (and also suffered some early mechanical problems); the Browning Gold Sporting has become one of those shotguns that nearly everyone gives the old college try.

But there are plenty of challengers out there vying for the Browning's sporting-clays spot, one of which is the other semi-auto in our test, the Benelli SuperSport. The model we tested is the latest version of another veteran line that has been favored by both bird and clay target shooters. With its space-age looks and feel, the Benelli SuperSport Semiautomatic 12 gauge, $1735, is one of those love it or hate it shotguns.

The sharp angle of the trigger guard and the Comfortech stock's synthetic design, plus the two-toned receiver, are all striking innovations that make the Benelli stand out in a gun rack. We found that most of these innovations earned high marks in both function and appearance for testers who like an updated look.

To put our test shotguns through their paces on the sporting clays course, our shooting crew fired a variety of ammunition, including Remington Premier STS Low Recoil 2.75-inch, 2.5-dram shells. We fired two versions of this loading, one which had 1.125 ounces of No. 8s, and the other with same payload, but in No. 7 1/2s. Both shells are low recoil, with an average muzzle velocity ranging from 1100 to 1145 fps. Because the Browning would only handle 2.75-inch shells, no 3-inch shells were used in our test sessions. Here's our test report:

There's probably no activity tougher on a shotgun than waterfowling. Between the extreme elements (mud, muck, and often uncommonly cold temperatures), the tight confines of blinds, the general roughness of the sport (dogs that won't sit still, an oversized buddy who knocks something over everytime he turns around), sharp boat edges, action-clogging cattails and Johnson grass, and loads that pack significant punch, a waterfowler's shotgun takes a beating from trigger to choke tubes.

We thought it was time to examine just how far development in these guns has come, and toward that end, we acquired a trio of 3- and 3.5-inch chambered guns to shoot side by side. From Browning came the relatively new Gold FLD Stalker No. 011118304, a black synthetic-stocked 12-gauge offering that takes 3-inch shells and retails at $981. We chose the brand-spankin'-new Xtrema2 from Beretta, again in black synthetic. This model (No. J391D28) chambers up to 3.5-inch shells and hangs a retail tag of $1,498. For our last choice, we picked the SAS Field from Weatherby, No. SVF1228PGM. We had originally wanted this gun with the synthetic stock, but it was backordered at the time of testing, so we went with a wood-stock model. Retailing at $925 in the wood version (the synthetic is $879), the SAS proved a stellar competitor against the two big "B" brands.

Being May when the testing took place, duck and goose seasons were long closed. Thankfully for us shotgun nuts, sporting clays ranges are in full swing this time of year, so it's there we took our trio. The shooting gods must have been watching, because it rained during the entire testing day—is there anything more appropriate to testing duck guns?

We also put all three guns in the freezer, loaded with a variety of upland and steel waterfowl loads, and fired them immediately upon removal for function testing. Finally, we performed a point-of-impact test at 40 yards, both from a bench rest (we used the Steady Rest on the MTM shooting bench from Midway USA) and standing, using the National Target Company's clay shotgun patterning target. Here's what we found.