Which do you prefer for pheasant hunting, a pump, autoloader or over/under??

R

retrvrman

New member
So I have been shooting a pump for alot of years. The reason being is that I was a poor enlisted guy in the Air Force and couldnt' afford an expensive autoloader or over/under.

I grew up hunting with a pump in Texas shooting mourning dove...so I had to be fast, quick, and accurate.

Now that I am making al little more money (that is all relevant right?) I was thinking of getting a benelli super eagle II auto? It would be for upland most of the time. I may take it duck hunting, but probably not since I have a Benelli Nova that I can use for that. Has anyone shot the new Winchester auto?

Thoughts?

Greg
 
Calisdad said:
Here's a comparison of Benelli, Beretta and Browning I found awhile back. Sorry no Winchester.

http://randywakeman.com/20GaugeAutoloaderComparison.htm

I like my autoloader. After you quit trying to pump it I think you will too. ;)

btw- I just don't see the aesthetics in a plastic gun, but thats just me.
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Calisdad,

LOL Thats funny, but your right, the hardest part of going from a pump to an auto, is trying to stop pumping it. :D I like auto's for pheasant. however nothing wrong with o/u or sxs. Its all a matter of personel preference.:)
 
retrvrman - All I had most of my life was a CHEAP Mossberg pump for the same reason as you. I killed more game with that gun than you can imagine & I could pump it just about as fast as any automatic! :D It's my "beater" duck-gun now, don't really worry about how muddy or wet it gets.

Not so with the Baretta O/U my wife bought me one anniversary (I would have never bought a gun like that for myself). It is now by far my LIGHTWEIGHT upland gun of choice for lugging around for miles all day long (believe me it makes a HUGE difference) & it also helps keep my limited shots much more honest & true! Won't earn you any status points if that is what you're after, but there are some pretty cheap off-brand workhorse O/U's out there now.

Except for my two sons who are multiple-bird deadeyes with an automatic, most of the guys I have hunted with who use them are a bunch of shell-wasters! :p Also, being very conscientious of picking up after myself on the beautiful lands which I am privileged to hunt - I am not a big fan of autoloaders - they are a booger to pick up hulls after while walking thru thick cover, dang near impossible I would say!
 
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hen said:
retrvrman - Not so with the Baretta O/U my wife bought me one anniversary (I would have never bought a gun like that for myself). It is now by far my LIGHTWEIGHT upland gun of choice for lugging around for miles all day long (believe me it makes a HUGE difference)
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HHR - your wife & mine must be of the same mind :cheers:. Mine got me a beautiful 20g Silver Pigeon III last year... :thumbsup: Can't tell you how much easier it is to carry on a long day than the 1187 auto I'd been lugging around.

Only "drawback" is that it's so responsive... with the 1187, put it on target, it stayed there. I swear I could sneeze and stay on target with that gun. The 20g o/u, very flinchy - have to really pay attention to keep from moving off the bird.

Overall, the o/u is a helluva lot nicer to carry after a few miles. And truth be told, I hardly ever hit anything with the third shot that the auto afforded me, anyway.
 
Until a couple months ago, I'd never owned anything but a pump. I can already tell from dove hunting that I'm going to like my Baretta auto a lot more...almost no recoil so the second shot (if needed) can be taken almost immediately after the first w/o finding the target again. This came in handy on 2 different poorly hit dove already.

HOWEVER, dad just got a new fancy O/U (Baretta I believe) and holding it made me jealous. VERY light weight so I'm sure it will be a joy for him to carry.......I'm getting an O/U next!
 
The newest gas-operated auto's (Browning Maxus/Beretta A400/Win SX3) are tough to beat. They got the weight down to 7 lbs for easy carrying, they really CUT the recoil down, and they will cycle light target loads through heavy magnums.

What else do you need?

BTW, if you don't mind the extra recoil or price, there is nothing wrong with the Benelli's.
 
There are 2 auto's in my family, I have an 11-87 Remington and my son has Browning Silver Hunter. If your going to shoot trap do not get a Sliver Hunter. There are no shell catchers made for it. They are both darn nice guns and fun to shoot. Have not had any problems with either one. Mine is 5 years old the son's is 2 years........Bob
 
If I was to use it for upland most of the time and you are set on Benelli, I would go with the Legacy. Isn't the super Black eagle II 3 1/2 inch as well? No need for that for upland!!! There are some o/u's that would serve both as well!!!!! Whatever you choose, enjoy it!!! For me auto's are easier to take apart and clean then my pumps!!!!:cheers:
 
I use both I have a cheap winchester pump and an 1187 with a 24 inch barrel I love that gun accept the shells seem to just dissapear when I use it
 
BleuBijou said:
If I was to use it for upland most of the time and you are set on Benelli, I would go with the Legacy. Isn't the super Black eagle II 3 1/2 inch as well? No need for that for upland!!! There are some o/u's that would serve both as well!!!!! Whatever you choose, enjoy it!!! For me auto's are easier to take apart and clean then my pumps!!!!:cheers:
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And an o/u is easier to clean than either of them :D
 
I have an O/U that I use for shooting trap. I agree it really pretty to clean after a couple rounds of Trap. I like the O/U for hunting because of the mix and match of chokes and shot......Bob
 
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