3 pumps for the price of an Autoloader

[chas08]

There is no "One Gun" that does it all with excellence! I went the B gun route, getting rid of an 1100 to to help finance it. I was sorely disappointed! I no longer have the B gun. I replaced it with an SP-10 and another 1100. Keep what you like and acquire when you can!

 

[MustGoFaster]

I won my first shot gun from a $40 raffle. Mossberg 930 Waterfowl. It was valued at $450 at the time, I could have taken $350 cash instead of the gun.

I remember the first time I shot a pump shotgun. I had been out a number of times shooting sporting clays with my friend and hadn't cleaned or lubed my 930 in 1000+ rounds. (neglect, I know) With light target loads it started messing up, not loading the next round and jamming. My buddy said "just use my gun", a Benellini Nova. I "forgot" or late pumped that thing 5 clays in a row, and only improved slightly by the time we finished.

Pumps guns are too "labor intensive" as far as I'm concerned. My 930 is my go to shot gun. Took my first deer with it this season. (a pump would have been fine, one shot, one kill)

Needless to say, perspective can vary.

 

[torqem]

I"ll take an auto 20 ga with a good pad for teaching novices, any day. Pump 12's, even with trap loads, just jar beginners too much. Some can handle it ok, but many can't. I don't want any new shooter having any problems at all.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, ya know, ya get used to the pump thing.

I was on a slow boat to Grand Bahama once, they had "trap shooting" off the stern, sorta. You got 10 shots for 10 dollars. The kid loaded one round at a time in the gun, was all paranoid, too. Can't say I blame him. Most of the people on that ship were liberal non-gun types. So, in THAT crowd, I was a master shooter. 8 of 10 won me a magnum of champagne. The thing was skeet choked, too, had to get on that bird FAST!

Anyway, it was an 870 express (big budget cruise line...) and every time I fired, I instinctively pumped the gun, much to the loading boy's horror. "Don't do that!" Every time, I did that, just pressed the slide release and pumped it back for him. He got used to it by the 7th or 8th round. I just told him I couldn't break the habit!

Just a redneck duck hunter on a cruise...

 

[oneounceload]

That must have been a while ago! I've been cruising for a decade and wanted to do that, but that practice had been discontinued because they didn't want the lead pollution in the ocean........ (yeah right)

 

[MCgunner]

GOOD LORD! Lead in the ocean, and I thought steel shot laws were stupid! But, must not go political...

Yeah, it was 1992, first wife and my 10th anniversary. I'd always wanted to do that, too, watching old movies and seeing it done, classy even if I ain't Bogie. . Well, was a bit of a let down when I went down there and was greeted with an 870 express. Now, nothing against the express, it worked fine, but this was a cruise. I was expecting a nice O/U, have never fired a Perazzi, was kinda thinkin' along those lines. LOL!

 

[MagnunJoe]

I actually don't mind shooting trap with a pump. Skeet is a different story.

 

[oneounceload]

You'd mind shooting trap doubles with one though....

 

[eastbank]

a picture is worth a thousand words, the pump is up to it if you are and mr. etchen was up to it two times with the same 870 remington pump. a hundred doubles twice with 32 years between them. eastbank.

 

[oneounceload]

yes, but Mr. Etchen is like Jerry M and his revolvers - not of this Earth

 

[MagnunJoe]

You'd mind shooting trap doubles with one though....

That's exactly what I meant.

 

[eastbank]

i have watched several young men run pumps on the sporting clays range and shoot in the low to mid 40,s time after time, so it is not luck for them, for me it would be called a MIRACLE. i am going to start shooting trap doubles this year and i will try my 870 TB at it with my 1100 trap as back up., but i,m looking for a browning o/u with 32" choke tubed barrels with adjustable comb. when i do i,ll sell one of my shorter barreled browning to offset the price. and your right, mr. ETCHEN is not your normal pump shotgun shooter. eastbank.

 

[Ash]

In the blind, we have autos and pumps plus the occasional over/under. The pump at 3 rounds is superior to the over-under when rising up on ducks or geese. When rising up on said geese or ducks, I have never found the auto beside me to make much of a difference. It seems we all get our three shots off if there are many ducks.

I use a Savage 720 auto for rabbits, but that is more because it was the kind my dad used for rabbits. If a pump action shotguns takes care of all my needs, I am neither undergunned nor have I made a bad decision.

And it does not rest upon price. I own an LRB M14, NDM-86, etc that cost as much or far more than a decent auto or over/under shotgun. What I have works, works well, and has never let me down.

As to the A5, shooting my Savage 720 I like them quite alot. The A5 is not an expensive shotgun and they can be great for many roles.

 

[Crawdad1]

Quote:
I can't really think of a situation where a pump shotgun wouldn't get the job done.

Never saw a pump win an Olympic medal
Never saw a pump win a box pigeon shoot
Never saw a pump win a Sporting Clays tournament, let alone a National Championship
Never saw a pump win a Skeet Championship
Never saw a pump on a driven bird shoot
Never saw a pump have any semblance of balance
And on and on we go..............
__________________
If you search the internet for the term, "Winchester Model 12" you may find exactly what you're looking for. Back a few years that shotgun pretty much dominated everything. Oh, including Pacific Battlefields.

 

[PabloJ]

Actually second hand Auto 5 with inertia operating action is around 1k or just over that. New ones are about $1400. It's action is lovingly screwed together with torx pins.

 

[d2wing]

I prefer semi autos due to an injury. They are easier on the shoulder. Also second shots are easier. A lot depends on how you shoot and what you are comfortable with. I like a good over-unders for the way they feel and handle and the light weight for upland hunting. Is weight a consideration? Some of the cheaper semi auto guns may give you good service. I picked up a used 11-87 for a slug gun and am real happy with it. I have the standard barrel too.

 

[Manny]

I got away from pumps a long time ago and don't miss them. Now I have one semi auto & one O/U. When I occasionally use a pump these days I keep forgetting to work the action. Just a training & acclimation thing, but I have no motivation to work at it when I like the semis & O/U's so much more.

 

[Skribs]

OP, I have a pump and an auto, and let me tell you...

In terms of reliability, I've had more failures-to-feed in my pump (one or two) than I have in my auto (0). Those failures were user-induced short-shucks, not a problem with the gun. For the most part, I don't feel you're giving up anything to have an auto over a pump, but you gain ease of use and a bit faster action.

In terms of price, you are looking at the wrong guns! I have a Mossberg 930 SPX, and I've dropped less into that than I have into most of my handguns (including holster, night sights, etc). There are plenty of quality autos that would cost less than a thousand dollars.

Would I give up 2 or 3 pumps for one auto? Probably not. But if you had some spare cash, you could probably go 1 for 1 and be better off for having a bigger variety.

Now, you use your shotguns for a different purpose than mine. Mine are strictly for HD. I like both my pump and my auto, and my pump is my current go-to, but my auto could easily be used just as well.

 

[Mitlov]

I can't think of a hunting (or self-defense) situation where a pump shotgun that you're familiar with can't fire fast enough. If the recoil of your pumps isn't hurting your shoulder, why trade three good pumps for a single auto?

 

[Field Tester]

Isn't the Franchi Affinity going for somewhere around $400? It's an autoloader.
I won one at an NRA raffle. It doesn't get shot much because I like the feel of my Supernova better for Sporting Clays and such. But that's easily fixed by me using the shims that came with it to adjust the comb.
As the felt recoil is more pronounced because it is much lighter than my Benelli. I'd probably use the Affinity if I was going afield however.

 

[atomd]

Love my Browning Gold Hunter, it points perfectly for me, is very attractive, don't remember how much it cost, but it is a beauty. Further I like my Remington model 1100 that I've got 3 barrels for, 22", 28", and a 30" all with Rem chokes.

Those are great shotguns. I miss mine. That thing ran any and all shells like a timex and felt pretty darn good. I found it in a shop marked used and it didn't look like it had ever made it through a box of shells. I paid $500 for it, shot the ever living heck out of it and sold it for more than I paid for it.