Quote Originally Posted by Gutshot John View Post
Really? They suck?

You sure you're not overstating the case just a little bit? I know it isn't Italian, but suck? Really? What happened to those guns? What parts broke? How long were they down?

All I've used for skeet/clays/3gun everything for years and I inherited 2 of 3 from a grandfather who was a fanatic skeet/clays shooter. They're still pretty popular though not as popular as they were. Clays guns go through way more use during a season than most 3 gun competitors. No one ever complained that they "sucked".

The only ones I see fail are ones that aren't properly maintained, even then the fix is usually two minutes and you're up and running typically after a bit of lube or a new gas ring.

An 11-87 is a perfectly adequate and reliable shotgun. Like any other gun, it has to be maintained to be reliable.

If I had the cash, and was new to the game, I'd perhaps go with the Versamax too, but I see no reason to swap out what I have. Let's not pretend that you're going to die if you shoot an 11-87 instead of something Italian. I've seen those Italian semis go tits up as well, even the vaunted M2.
They seem to fail because of the seals going bad. There is a running joke about Remington 1100 in three gun. Their fine as long as you bring 2 to the match so when the first goes down you can finish with the second. Also if your Benelli goes down at a match no one will be able to help you fix it because it so rarely happens. However if a Remington goes down everyone will know how to fix it.
Pat