Excell Auto 5--Opinions needed

[Yak Angler]

Considering adding one of these to my small but growing H&R fleet. Can I please hear from anyone who owns one with likes, dislikes, problems, round counts, would you buy another one, etc. Would be looking at a new model 2010/11 but from what i can tell from searching through prior posts there were two models made one with a humpback receiver and a second with a rounded receiver. Current model shown on the H&R website is rounded receiver only.

Thanks in advance.

[OSUBucks1500]

I dont own one yet but I plan to buy one in the next year. I found a Gander Mountain that had 4 new ones with wood stocks which H&R dont make anymore. I was told that they went to only synthetic stock for the excell semi-auto. My gander Mountain said they could get it shipped in for me. I messed around with the synthetic stock 12g model and It seemed ike a great gun and for the price of around 329.99-399.00 for camo, I think there a good deal.

[Yak Angler]

If they work well and stand the test of time there isn't a better deal in a semi out there right now.

Hopefully someone who owns one can help us out with some real world experiences with them.

[Markus]

I don't ever recall any actual experience with them being posted. I do know at one time they were a Verona 405 with h&r markings. There are mixed reviews on that gun on some other sites. Enough negative that o decided against it. I'm a single shot kinda guy though.

[Yak Angler]

Wow not one owner reply yet, i guess these are POS from the lack of owners and this being an H&R forum that buying a different model might be the way to go. I have yet to see one in person as the store which sells them closest to me is about 1.5 hour drive and I was hopeing  to hear the good,bad and ugly before taking the trip to see one in person

[Redie Fredie]

I was thinking of getting one.
after these posts, going to try Gander Mountain as auction sites have been the only place I've found them.
Funny, my searches have come up with very few proiblems, some with Verona 405's. I gave up on Mossbergs 'cause of the bad press theve gotten, plus they change models and end any warranty & parts possiblities.

[Yak Angler]

I have found them on Gander mountain, cabelas etc websites just don't have any of those stores close enough to drive too and i don't like buying site unseen when it comes to guns.

If you buy one or go look at one in person Redie Fredie please posts your impression of them for us.

[Brewster]

I bought one of the synthetic stock humpback models for my grandson last spring.  Decided to do some torture testing, and he ran over 600 rounds thru it on the sporting clays youth league.  Without cleaning it even once.  Not a problem with anything.  Very satisfied given the price. 

[Yak Angler]

Thanks Brewster

how did you find the overall fit and finish of the gun. i may have to keep one of these on my list for this year.

[Brewster]

Well, like I said.  Ya get what ya pay for.  I needed to cut down the stock for LOP for the grandson, and the finish is not Grade V but adequate for a matt finish.  Recoil pad is marginal so when I cut the stock down, I cut it enough to work with the small Pachmyr slip-on pad.  When he grows a bit, I can reinstall the factory pad and continue with the slip-on pad, with LOP back to original.  BTW, after his 600 rounds of sporting clays, we did tear it down and clean it before early goose season.

[Labrador]

I picked up one of these for $317.00 new 3 weeks ago. Since than we have ran nearly 700 rounds of steel and lead through it. Mixed the rounds with trap loads, field loads and waterfowl loads. Zero jams.. (unless you count my inadvertantly closing the action on my thumb while showing my some how the action worked. I love the way it shoulders and aims. Same aiming point as my O/U which is nice. Recoil is excellant and to attest to this my 11yo hit his first double with the gun, and he dusted them. Now he prefers this to his pump. It is light, the trigger is crisp, clean and responsive. The gun is easy to disasemble. I have not cleaned it yet because I want to see how it handles the use. One of the knocks that I have read on it was that it jams when dirty. I have broke it down to see how dirty it is and it still looks pretty damn clean. Seriously, the thing is a joy to shoot. I shot my friends Browning Gold (1996 model) and it call me crazy but this felt much better. Not a lot of experience with Semi-Auto shotguns as I have always had pumps or O/U. But layout blinds are pain to get out up and shoulder the gun sometimes and pumping makes it worse. My O/U is getting dinged around and I dont like that, hence this gun. For what I paid unless it jams contantly or breaks down consistantly, I will feel that I received an incredible deal. It will be interesting to see how it shoots in the cold and below freezing temps this fall. I am really looking forward to trying it in the field. Think I will actually clean it around the 1000 round mark this weekend.

[DUcali]

[/color][/font]Considering buying a excell auto from h&r? Well I can tell you now that it's a blast to shoot. I own the black synthetic 28" barrel for my waterfowl and upland hunting seasons here in Cali. So far I have not had a jam or a recoil problem since the purchase. I have shot over 3000 rounds through it ranging from pheasant loads to remmington hypersonic 3" mags and even a lot of buck shot. If your a waterfowl hunter and want a cheap auto loader then this can keep up with all the name brand autos out there. My father shoots a browning gold and has more problems with it than I do. I do a once a month basic cleaning on it and every year before the season I do a well maintain cleaning to be sure of no miss haps. I shoot about 500 rounds a month during the seasons and ever one as hit a bird. I like the fact of it weighing only 7 pounds and that it shoots 3" shells.