I first shot a shotgun in boyscouts, at a week long camp. I tried it, it scared me, went back to the 22's for rest of the week 
I had the opportunity to do Trap a few months back with extended family and had a blast.
We had 4 shotguns we all took turns with:
* browning A-5 12 ga - the humpback, shot smooth, albeit looked a little odd. Cheek weld wasn't just right for me.
* A pair of Remington 1100's, a little older models. They may have been my favorite that day. One was too short, a 20 ga, so being light the 'lighter' load actually worked out to the same kick, go figure. I liked the 12 ga full sized one.
* Charles Daly over/under. sharper recoil (only non-autoloader of the day), but was fun to shoot, 12 ga as well
I've been in the market for my first shotgun ever since, knowing I have 2 trap facilities within an hour that are available to me to use, the only thing holding me back was budget and making up my mind. I had been contemplating (and not buying) for long enough that my budget climbed as my savings climbed.
I'd handle them, trying to find the one that fit "just right" for me. I wasn't against going used/pre-owed, the ones we used that day were at least 10 years old and they were all fine shooting, but I like the idea of being able to empty the chamber and not load another round, which seemed like a new-ish feature in the shotguns I saw (for now, this would be my only shotgun, so i can see this is less useful in a trap gun, holding 2 rounds and all, but if it's a non-encumbering safety feature, on a non-combat firearm, i'll take it, so I can empty the chamber safely)
I wanted a semiauto. And since the Daly (o/u) wasn't too much recoil, i figured i'd be ok with the Benelli non-gas operated semi's (internet lore or not, that they will kick more than a gas semi, on average). But, it all fell into place when I handled a Beretta AL391 Urika 2 Classic. It just fit, out of the box. Things i noticed:
* not too heavy, turns out the alloy midsection has something to do with that
* I like the intermediate bead. sure, you don't focus on your beads when shooting, but it's a quick way to be sure i have the same cheek weld, when the intermediate and far bead line up.
* I liked the matte finish of the top of the reciever, did a great job of not reflecting lights and sun, no hotspot polished blue steel to distract me
* I like the 'xtra-grain' look. Sure, it is 'enhanced' so not going to be a purist's dream, but the look is good, and the fact that it helps weathering, means I won't be to worried to take this into the field. drop in a puddle synthetic safe? no, but i'll take it.
* moderate engraving and tasteful and functional checkering. I can see the way some folks get high on the ornate craftsmanship that goes into the high-end euro shotguns with all of their metal work. but it's not my taste, but the small amount of work that went into the Urika is enough so that it's not a slabside totally borning hunk.
* fits amazing in my hands
* that it's an improvement on the 390 series, which many swear by, is a good thing, cleaning/maintenance wise. when broken down, you can see the self-cleaning aspect is no joke, watch the teeth!
* shoots the lightest 2 3/4" to heaviest 3" without any user adjustment
* the lighter mid section meant i ended up really liking how the 30" gun swung and pointed, so balanced. longer than many would prefer, but that's ok, it worked for me.
Things that others may like, not like
* Not - barrels not compatible with 390 series (this being my first shotgun, it had no bearing for me)
* Like - a very adjustable stock via shims and lop but plates, I didn't need it, but it's a plus
* Not - the xtra-grain stamp into the grip's wood, kinda commercial like/brand label
* Like - man it cycles fast. I broke it in with several boxes of 3" AA Heavy Target Load and it was awesome, it just ate everything up flying through them
So, not a review, since I have only 4 others to compare it to, and only a few days worth of sporting-clay's time under my belt, but if you're in the market and have the scratch, add this one to your list of shotguns to hold. I'm glad i did:
I had the opportunity to do Trap a few months back with extended family and had a blast.
We had 4 shotguns we all took turns with:
* browning A-5 12 ga - the humpback, shot smooth, albeit looked a little odd. Cheek weld wasn't just right for me.
* A pair of Remington 1100's, a little older models. They may have been my favorite that day. One was too short, a 20 ga, so being light the 'lighter' load actually worked out to the same kick, go figure. I liked the 12 ga full sized one.
* Charles Daly over/under. sharper recoil (only non-autoloader of the day), but was fun to shoot, 12 ga as well
I've been in the market for my first shotgun ever since, knowing I have 2 trap facilities within an hour that are available to me to use, the only thing holding me back was budget and making up my mind. I had been contemplating (and not buying) for long enough that my budget climbed as my savings climbed.
I'd handle them, trying to find the one that fit "just right" for me. I wasn't against going used/pre-owed, the ones we used that day were at least 10 years old and they were all fine shooting, but I like the idea of being able to empty the chamber and not load another round, which seemed like a new-ish feature in the shotguns I saw (for now, this would be my only shotgun, so i can see this is less useful in a trap gun, holding 2 rounds and all, but if it's a non-encumbering safety feature, on a non-combat firearm, i'll take it, so I can empty the chamber safely)
I wanted a semiauto. And since the Daly (o/u) wasn't too much recoil, i figured i'd be ok with the Benelli non-gas operated semi's (internet lore or not, that they will kick more than a gas semi, on average). But, it all fell into place when I handled a Beretta AL391 Urika 2 Classic. It just fit, out of the box. Things i noticed:
* not too heavy, turns out the alloy midsection has something to do with that
* I like the intermediate bead. sure, you don't focus on your beads when shooting, but it's a quick way to be sure i have the same cheek weld, when the intermediate and far bead line up.
* I liked the matte finish of the top of the reciever, did a great job of not reflecting lights and sun, no hotspot polished blue steel to distract me
* I like the 'xtra-grain' look. Sure, it is 'enhanced' so not going to be a purist's dream, but the look is good, and the fact that it helps weathering, means I won't be to worried to take this into the field. drop in a puddle synthetic safe? no, but i'll take it.
* moderate engraving and tasteful and functional checkering. I can see the way some folks get high on the ornate craftsmanship that goes into the high-end euro shotguns with all of their metal work. but it's not my taste, but the small amount of work that went into the Urika is enough so that it's not a slabside totally borning hunk.
* fits amazing in my hands
* that it's an improvement on the 390 series, which many swear by, is a good thing, cleaning/maintenance wise. when broken down, you can see the self-cleaning aspect is no joke, watch the teeth!
* shoots the lightest 2 3/4" to heaviest 3" without any user adjustment
* the lighter mid section meant i ended up really liking how the 30" gun swung and pointed, so balanced. longer than many would prefer, but that's ok, it worked for me.
Things that others may like, not like
* Not - barrels not compatible with 390 series (this being my first shotgun, it had no bearing for me)
* Like - a very adjustable stock via shims and lop but plates, I didn't need it, but it's a plus
* Not - the xtra-grain stamp into the grip's wood, kinda commercial like/brand label
* Like - man it cycles fast. I broke it in with several boxes of 3" AA Heavy Target Load and it was awesome, it just ate everything up flying through them
So, not a review, since I have only 4 others to compare it to, and only a few days worth of sporting-clay's time under my belt, but if you're in the market and have the scratch, add this one to your list of shotguns to hold. I'm glad i did:
