Which upland semi-auto for pheasant?

Hobie1026

Hobie1026

Active member
I have lusted after a semiauto upland shotgun my whole life. Found a cheap one that I hunted with all season with the exception of the last hunt and loved it. Unfortunately it broke. So I would like to spend a little more than $250 on my next one. Sadly my budget maxes out at about $1,000.

Those of you that hunt with one, I wouled really like to hear pros and cons and any suggestions or recommendations. Of course pictures are always appreciated. :)

Thanks!
 
I've got a Benelli Montrefeltro which is similar to the Ultra Light although not quite as light weight. Its over your budget though. A new Monty is probably $1200-$1300 but every once in a while you might see a sale on one.

I have a couple friends who have a Stoeger M3500. Stoeger semi autos operate with the same inertia driven system that Benelli's do. The only difference is that they are a little heavier and they're made in the USA instead of Italy. You can find one for anywhere between $500 - $800 depending on the barrel length and pattern.
 
Dont ever apologize for how much you can budget for pheasant hunting. It has NOTHING to do with the enjoyment you get out of it. There's always someone that can spend more whatever your budget is.

Winchester SX4
CZ 1012
 
i have a benelli montefeltro 12 gauge that i bought in 1993...killed a few thousand pheasants with it...got a benelli ultra light about 5 years ago...like it a lot, use it most of the time...has a 3 shell capacity, the montefeltro has a 5 shell capacity...back in the day, those extra 2 rounds came in handy! I used to go through 2-3 boxes of shells a day...where do you think "benelli-banger" came from???!!!!!! my montefeltro is definitely a used gun, but still very serviceable...happy to put it in your hands sometime if you have an interest...i have started collecting S x S shotguns about a decade ago, trying to "thin the herd" of many of my guns that I don't regularly use...if you got this gun in your hands, and shot it, and liked it, i'd be open to offers after you research what similar used guns sell for...happy to let you take the gun for a few months...i'm in duluth, mn...travel a fair amount, maybe we're not that far apart geographically....but beretta makes a great auto as well...
 
McFarmer said:
Good used 1100 or 11-87.
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What he said. Rem V3 maybe??? If you don't already have a Remingtom, you might like that. From gripping an 11-87 for the last 2 plus decades, the V3 just feels "thick" in the wrist when holding it. Seems like they were $700ish new??? Those might be harder to find now with Remington's current situation.
 
Montefeltro hands down IMO. Ultra light or regular either one. Can get synthetic stocked one or used wood in your price range. Ultra light ty her to find at $1000 but can be done as I found one for a buddy at $950 a while back. Great offer from BB that I would take him up on.
 
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Take the monte just to see what u think, and decide how to proceed from there...look for another used one, make me an offer, look for a new one, etc...but st least you’ll know what this gun model is like in your hands...I probably will be back for the last 3-4 days of the season...near Huron
 
You can buy a new Benelli Montefeltro from Reed's Sports in Walker, MN for $999 on GunBroker. I had a Monte for several years and it was one of the best shotguns I've ever owned. Only reason I sold it was that I went to shooting 16 gauge guns.
 
If you can find a good used Belgian Browning Sweet 16 or Light 20, you'd have as honest and potent a pheasant gun as you'd ever need. Finding one in Mod or IC choke would be the ticket. Properly cared for, with the friction rings set correctly, the gun would last indefinitely. Those guns have killed ducks and pheasants by the semi-load over the years.
 
I've got a Benelli 20ga M2 synthetic. Very light. I like it.

Above all, I wouldn't by any auto that did not include stock shims to adjust the fit and make it shoot where you look. If a gun doesn't fit, it's a lot hard to make yourself look where the gun shoots. Benelli and Beretta both include shims with their autos AFAIK.
 
All the guns mentioned are good guns...find one that fits you and comes up sweetly...beretta’s have a forward safety, which throws me...some are up top, others are rear...stuff like that may matter to you...
 
Ericb said:
Montefeltro. $999 at Scheels and Guns Unlimited. Gunbroker.com as well. Occasionally Dunn’s will offer synthetic stocked models for around $700
Worth every penny.
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Good point on Dunn’s. I had forgot I picked one of those up a couple of years ago for $699. Camo synthetic stock. Only used it for a couple nuisance goose “hunts” on the bosses pond. 😁. Have used my wood stock gun quite a bit and love it. The synthetic stock sure makes it nice if weather is bad.
 
If you are willing to go with an older gun that was way ahead of it's time, look into the Winchester Model 59.

They have 0.020 thick tungsten steel barrel wrapped in fiberglass. They weigh 6.5 lbs in 12 gauge. They cost $300 to $500 on Gunbroker.

I have owned three. Two of them went to relatives that pheasant hunted with me and then insisted that I find them one.

guns.fandom.com

Winchester Model 59 (1959)

For the bolt-action rifle of the same name, see Winchester Model 59 (1930). The Winchester Model 59 was an American 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun designed by David Marshall Williams based on patents by Jonathan E. Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1959 to...
guns.fandom.com guns.fandom.com
 
If a Montefeltro feels good to you & is within budget, it would get my vote. I bought mine in 1993 & have loved it. Absolute beast in terms of reliability. Mine's gone thru many thousands of rounds, from lightest to heaviest, in practically every hunting condition known to man & has had no problems. Zero! And actually, if you're the type who really likes to pull that trigger & you find an older one (that'll do the Benelli trick, ghost loading), the unofficial, unpublished capacity is actually 6. Not sure what year they "fixed" that, or how they did it. Sometime after I bought mine though.
 
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