Which Semi-Auto?

[Armati]

I think I want to add a semi-auto shotgun to my collection but which one? Why?

I know most semi-autos put the buffer spring in the stock so aftermarket stocks are somewhat limited. What are my options here?

What about cleaning and reliability? I don't know much about semi-auto shotguns but I have heard their gas systems can be finicky.

Thoughts?

[madryan]

Benelli

The M2 is relatively inexpensive and uber reliable.

[.46caliber]

Benelli. I grew up shooting gas guns duck hunting. Between the cold and grime the gas system would gum up. Inertia is the way to go if you're going auto loader.

If you can get your hands on an early one built by HK, do it. They are tanks.

Still can't beat the reliability of a pump though.

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[GH41]

For home defense I also recommend a pump and practice. For sporting purposes a Beretta 39-- is my favorite, They are soft shooting and very dependable. The HK/Benelli are built like tanks and reliable but have a sharper recoil impulse. You will get a lot of guys here recommending a pump for a single shotgun solution. There is a reason. Clearing a failure to feed or fire can get complicated with a semi. GH

[Armati]

Thanks. I own two dressed out 870s - Hogue stocks, Surefire foregrip, various Vang upgrades, Trijicon RMR (RM08), and Mesa Tactical sidesaddles. And, I actually have professional training on how to run a shotgun.

I was looking for insight on semi-autos. I have very little experience with semi-auto shotguns.

[.46caliber]

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[.46caliber]

In general, there are less after market furniture options for auto loaders because they are not as widely used for HD/LE/MIL applications. Magpul offers stocks for the 870 and 500 but no auto loaders.

Benelli offers variants with those applications in mind, particularly the M2 models. They can be had with pistol grip stocks and OEM Mag extensions. Mag extensions can be had pretty easily for most models. If you're looking for a fore grip with an integrated light mount, I haven't seen one for any autos.

The recoil on an inertia gun is noticeably firmer and sharper than a gas. They make up for it on the ease of cleaning and reliability.

Beretta gas guns cycle very quickly and are very soft on the recoil. They are very well built. Some of them are more difficult on the cleaning and if you don't stay on top of the cleaning the carbon build up becomes exponentially more time consuming.

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[ramairthree]

For a combination of price, reliability, aftermarket items, and location of the safety, I like the Mossberg 930s.

I only recently took the dive from pumps to SA and this has worked well for me.

[Alaskapopo]

I think I want to add a semi-auto shotgun to my collection but which one? Why?

I know most semi-autos put the buffer spring in the stock so aftermarket stocks are somewhat limited. What are my options here?

What about cleaning and reliability? I don't know much about semi-auto shotguns but I have heard their gas systems can be finicky.

Thoughts?

What do you want to do with it. I started with an M4 but it was too heavy and the sights were not well suited for three gun so I went to an M2 and love it. Both were reliable.
Pat

[madryan]

Surefire, Speedfeed, etc. all make their goodies for the Benelli. Aftermarket support is as good for them as it is for the 870/500 pumps within reason. You really don't need to do a bunch to them. They're pretty much good to go out of the gate with a few basic tweaks and even those are purely dependent on what you want to do with the thing.

Get a Benelli with the comfortech stock and the desired barrel length. I'd snag a 21in field model as it's the most desirable and should you want later you could swap barrels for a 18in with anyone and get cash out of the deal. The 21in barrels with a fiber optic sight are the go-to for 3-gun.