Need auto shotgun advice 1100 vs 11-87 vs 930

[teddy12b]

I'm a rifle guy, and for the most part don't ever use a shotgun.  I've got an 870, but it's setup for keeping the home safe.  I'm starting to get the itch to blast some clay pigeons and I saw that there were some great deals on used semi shotguns online.  I'd like your advice on what gun would be a good fit for me.  I'm open to other suggestions than what I named above.

First priority, I want the gun to fire every time.

Secondly, I want a semi auto that takes some of the recoil out of shooting.

It's be nice to have a shotgun where I could change the barrel & purpose of the gun, but it's not really a must.

I want to be able to shoot 2 3/4" shells & 3" shells, just because.

Finally, I don't want to break the bank on this, it's just a shotgun and I don't have a big desire for anything fancy.  I'm looking for synthetic stock too, no wood to get banged around.

I appreciate all the help everyone!

[dougk]

If your looking for a clay gun and one with lighter recoil have you thought of a 16ga or 20ga O/U?

Now if you just want a semi automatic then a 16 or 20 would probably not work.

[teddy12b]

I'm pretty set on a semi 12 gauge.

[kiddekop]

I have an old Remington Wingmaster 870 with trap,skeet & a field barrel with rem chokes.I've fired thousands upon thousands of shot shells thru the wingmaster which I bought used from the widow of a trap & skeet shooter also included was a 20g wingmaster with trap and skeet barrels which I bought for my son got them in about 1975 for $225 with a little ammo,sold the 20g to a friend wish I'd kept it.

[Graybeard]

You already own and are familiar with Remington so get one. You will NEVER see a Mossberg in use on the skeet, trap or sporting clays range unless it's by someone who hunts doves once or twice a year and they are their for their annual "warm up" prior to going out to miss 90% of what they shoot at.

As to 1100 or 11-87 they are darn nearly the same gun but the 11-87 seems to work better with both light and magnum loads if that's what you feel you wanna do. The gas chamber area of the 11-87 is stainless so I tend to prefer it these days. I no longer own any 1100s only 11-87s instead plus of course my old 870.

[teddy12b]

I appreciate the help guys!

[Buckskin]

If you want reliable, need to get away from the gas operated auto's.  And if you do that there is only 1 choice, Benelli.  Now I am a Remington guy for the most part, but I know when to look for alternatives.  I have an 1100 and have shot several Super Black Eagle II. I also have hunted side by side with several SBE II and hands down they (meaning Benelli, several models available) are the best auto's out there.  They will cycle anything from trap loads to 3 1/2" turkey loads. And because they aren't gas operated they don't fill up with carbon so cleaning is a breeze.  I don't have a SBE II, I have a Nova and by the way they are crap but that's another story.  The Nova is going to be traded for an SBE II before fall.

[dukkillr]

You already own and are familiar with Remington so get one. You will NEVER see a Mossberg in use on the skeet, trap or sporting clays range unless it's by someone who hunts doves once or twice a year and they are their for their annual "warm up" prior to going out to miss 90% of what they shoot at.

Very true.  I'll second what the guys have said above... If your first priority is consistency you've limited your choices to bad ones.  First, you'd want a double, then you'd want a pump, and finally you'd want an auto.  If you were forced to get an auto it would be a benelli, then maybe the new Winchester.  At no point would you want to consider an 1100.  Of the guns listed only the 11-87 is even a viable choice, and it's a bad one.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

He said he wanted a soft shooting gun--that leaves out the Benelli. The one I had was the most obnoxious shooting gun I've ever owned. It was ditched quickly.

That pretty much makes the list down to Remington--Browning/Winchester---and Beretta.

The Remington auto has been handling shotgun chores for 50 years now just fine---sure its an old design compared the Beretta and Browning---but those go for a lot more $$ too. Last time I looked a Sportsman 11-87 was going for $500 new-----the Walmart Beretta 390 is an excellent deal too.

You couldn't pay me to own another Benelli.

[mcwoodduck]

Teddy,
You said you wanted to shoot 2 3/4" as well as 3" shells.
that rules out the 1100.  Mine is 2 3/4" shells only.
but depending on what you want the gun for.  everything can be done with 2 3/4 shells.
again no knowing what you want to do, i would say get the 1100.
more after market items are made for it to go to and from.  There is usually a used 1100 is a shop.
Like the AR the 1100 has many after market as well as factory options to do the grown up lego thing.
Again if you find an 11-87 there too are many options to transform it from field gun to nasty swamp duck gun, a buck killing rifle, to a three gun champ and they would give you the 3" option you want.
I still am kicking my self for not grabbing the last one I saw used in a shop for $380.00 worn and plastic but still good BB gun and would be perfect for my friends kid duck hunting.
Another good shotgun to look at is the Benelli Nova series  List price starts around 400 and goes up to about 650 depending on what configuration you want.  While it is a pump it has the same inertia system as the autos and mine is pleasant to shoot with the 2 3/4 inche shells for target, the 3 and 3.5" shells you can feel the recoil but nothing like an 870 or my S&W 3000 pump. 
there also is the flex stock on the super Nova and if you shoot the gun and hold on to the mag cap the gun will auto eject.  Sucking up recoil.  This is my swamp Duck gun and starting to be come my everything gun.  The o/u, SXS, autos and other pumps are starting to gather dust.

[hunt-m-up]

If you want reliable, need to get away from the gas operated auto's.  And if you do that there is only 1 choice, Benelli.  Now I am a Remington guy for the most part, but I know when to look for alternatives.  I have an 1100 and have shot several Super Black Eagle II. I also have hunted side by side with several SBE II and hands down they (meaning Benelli, several models available) are the best auto's out there.  They will cycle anything from trap loads to 3 1/2" turkey loads. And because they aren't gas operated they don't fill up with carbon so cleaning is a breeze.  I don't have a SBE II, I have a Nova and by the way they are crap but that's another story.  The Nova is going to be traded for an SBE II before fall.

With one exception, the Beretta 390 or 391 are very good gas operated guns and as was mentioned earlier, there is a synthetic version that Wally World sells at a good price point.

[Buckskin]

He said he wanted a soft shooting gun--that leaves out the Benelli. The one I had was the most obnoxious shooting gun I've ever owned. It was ditched quickly.

That pretty much makes the list down to Remington--Browning/Winchester---and Beretta.

You couldn't pay me to own another Benelli.

What model Benelli did you own??? They are (at least the new models) the softest shooting most forgiving gun on the market.  The comfort-tech stock and butt pad make a huge difference in felt recoil as well as muzzle jump.  Couldn't pay me to own won, ha.  Sounds just llike a Glock guy.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Was a M1 Super 90 Montrofeltro(sp??)---functioned just fine but the recoil was horrendous.

Have a 20ga 1100 G3(3in chamber) that with the 7lb weight--gas operation and squishy recoil pad---recoil is non-existant---no Benelli can even come close-----yet the 1100 is still lively being a 20ga----the 12ga 1100 was a pig.

[Bullseye]

I suppose recoil is different for different people.  Me and my wife both have 12 ga. Montefetlro's and love them.  We have shot 100 round sporting clays and the recoil never bothered us.  After having a jamming Browning Gold and a 11-87 that I just did like the weight of I plan on staying with the Benneli.  I was very dissapointed in the 11-87 because I had always heard that that gas autos had less recoil and I just did not perceive it that way from the first shot.  Maybe the stock just did not fit me right.  I have to say I have not maintained the Benneli's like I should and they just keep on cycling shells through them, the best semi autos in my opinion.

[Oldshooter]

I have a 12 ga 1100 that was given to me in 1968, its still busting birds of all make now! have changed a few o rings is all

I have that gun in 20 ga also it is my go to clay bird gun and the one i back up my young shooters with shooting trap. (Its a full choke by the way)

I bought my youngest son a 1187 last year cause i think it is the better gun now, there may be better auto loaders but I havent shot them! So no doubt in my mind what gun to get.                         



(benelli smelli)  made by people that make spagetti     

[skarke]

Recoil operated guns kick.  But, the Benelli functions near flawlessly, best I can tell.  I see them alot in the Texas panhandle pheasant hunting.

I own a lefty 11 87.  It's a very nice gun, except.....when it's freaking cold outside.

Four years ago, I was using my 1187 for the 2nd time, hunting ringnecks.  The first time it was in the 40s, and it worked well.  But, two years ago I was hunting in moderate snow and freeeeeezing temps, when a nice bird spooked, and then was dropped.  Then, BIRDZILLA arose from the frost.  It was a definite wallhanger, about 15 yards in front of me, flying in slow motion, away.

I drew a bead, had him locked, and sqeeze.........., nothing happened.  The bird of a lifetime flies along his merry way, laughing at me.  The gun failed to extract completely, leaving me with a stovepipe jam.

I had a few other opportunities for doubles that day (birds), and the second shot always jammed.  I have subsequently tried the gun at the range outside of Lubbock one other frosty day, only to find the same thing happening.

Yes, I know how to clean and lube it.  Google shows this to be a common problem among gas guns (though I love this thing in anything but mindnumbing cold).

So, I now use a BPS 26 inch LC with screw in chokes for all of my upland hunting.  NEVER a failure to feed.  If I ever get another chance at BIRDZILLA, I'll drop him in a second.

[dukkillr]

Recoil operated guns kick.  But, the Benelli functions near flawlessly, best I can tell.  I see them alot in the Texas panhandle pheasant hunting.

I own a lefty 11 87.  It's a very nice gun, except.....when it's freaking cold outside.

Four years ago, I was using my 1187 for the 2nd time, hunting ringnecks.  The first time it was in the 40s, and it worked well.  But, two years ago I was hunting in moderate snow and freeeeeezing temps, when a nice bird spooked, and then was dropped.  Then, BIRDZILLA arose from the frost.  It was a definite wallhanger, about 15 yards in front of me, flying in slow motion, away.

I drew a bead, had him locked, and sqeeze.........., nothing happened.  The bird of a lifetime flies along his merry way, laughing at me.  The gun failed to extract completely, leaving me with a stovepipe jam.

I had a few other opportunities for doubles that day (birds), and the second shot always jammed.  I have subsequently tried the gun at the range outside of Lubbock one other frosty day, only to find the same thing happening.

Yes, I know how to clean and lube it.  Google shows this to be a common problem among gas guns (though I love this thing in anything but mindnumbing cold).

So, I now use a BPS 26 inch LC with screw in chokes for all of my upland hunting.  NEVER a failure to feed.  If I ever get another chance at BIRDZILLA, I'll drop him in a second.

Amen.  If you want a flawless gun it's the BPS.  Best gun on the market for real hunters.  I've guided waterfowl hunters much of my life and I've seen literally every auto they make operate under real hunting conditions (not special couch/internet-hunter conditions).  NONE OF THEM function like a good pump, especially the BPS. 

Here's a scenario I must have seen 2 million times... We're unloading the truck and loading the boat or walking to the blind.  Overly pretty hunter X gets out autoloading Y and I say, "Oh do you like Y?"  As we're getting set up they say, "Oh I've shot 2,476,991 cases of shells out of autoloader Y and it has never hung up even once!"  Then 30 minutes into the hunt they're fiddling with their action and trying to explain why it failed to cycle. 

[Bullseye]

I will agree that the pump is probably the most reliable, other than a double if you want to limit yourself to 2 shots.  I have never been a semi auto fan.  I have three 870's, a SS and a OU plus the 2 Benneli's.  I bought the first Benneli because I picked up a Browning Gold for $400 and my wife claimed it for her first gun.  It was such a jam-o-matic that I finally got her to switch to the Benelli because I was getting tired of working on the Browning.  I bought myself a Benneli because I got it for $525 when Galyans was going out of business.  I bought the 11-87 last year because I always thought it was a classic gun and I had never owned one and they quit making them.  I bought a used one that 3 shells put through for $450 because I thought I needed one for the collection.  I hunted with it a few times and it just did not fit.  It never jammed, but I always remember a friend of mine unjamming his in the duck blind while I was shooting with the 870.  If I hunt with a shotgun, I usually reach for a 870.  A pump is really hard to beat.  Never owned a BPS, but that is another one I always thought about adding to the collection.  My wife almost bought one instead of the Benneli.  It would have saved me a bunch of money!

[Oldshooter]

Well Pardners, no body is gonna argue that a pump gun is less dependable than an auto! but the question was 1100 or 1187  If we throw in other options we are just confusing the issue! 

[dukkillr]

Well Pardners, no body is gonna argue that a pump gun is less dependable than an auto! but the question was 1100 or 1187  If we throw in other options we are just confusing the issue! 

His first criteria was reliability.  He then listed several unreliable choices.  The 11-87 is the least absurd of the choices... but that's not a ringing endorsement.

The biggest problem with threads like this is that people have their favorite gun and because it holds some emotional place for them they will over sell it.  You see it with every pro-mossberg thread there is... Most of those people hunt a few times a year and (I suspect) forget when their gun has let them down. 

You want to know what chainsaw is the best ask a lumberjack.
You want to know what mower is the best ask the owner of a lawn crew.
You want to know what shotgun is the best ask a guide or an elite shooter (I believe GB might fit here).

[Graybeard]

Properly maintained the Remington 1100/11-87 is as dependable as any in Alabama. I can't speak to how they perform in colder climes as I don't live or hunt in such. We do shoot skeet, trap and sporting clays here thru winter and I've crow hunted thru the coldest of winter days here. I think most hang up likely due to use of too much of the wrong type lubes which freeze up and stop the gun from functioning. Generally here it doesn't get that cold but I have shot and seen them shot here when it was that cold.

I think folks who knock the dependability of them are mostly folks who don't take proper care of them. Still if ya want 100% dependability that's a double. Even pumps hiccup from time to time.

[Oldshooter]

I was gonna bring up the "maintenance factor" but since I only shoot my 1100 in the lower half of these United States (since 1968), and then only for the bird hunts, yearly, and the clay bird shoots monthly I did not feel that I had the authority to make such statements.

Seems everyone has their favorites. As absurd as it may sound my remington has treated me well for the past 41 YEARS, there may be better ones but like Dukkillr said "because it holds some emotional place " as well, I woudn't want anything else.

It has jammed twice during duck hunts that I can remember, back in the 70's but in those days my cleaning regimen consisted of wiping the marsh mud off the outside, "I" may have been a factor. We did hunt at times when the labs were breaking ice to retrieve.

If 41 years of hunting and shooting with a few glitches is unacceptable then by all means dont pick an 1100.

[skarke]

For what it's worth, and since we're talking reliability here (knowing the question is 1100 vs 1187), if folks are dead set on using an auto to hunt with , the key is go easy on the lube, ESPECIALLY in cold weather!!!  I like FP-10, but there are plenty of good ones.

I've quit using my auto (at least for trophy birds like duck and pheasant) for hunting, though they are, for me, the choice for busting clays.  One caveat is dove hunting.  It is usually hot, I don't remember any misfeeds here, and who cares if it does.  Shoot at one of the next hundred.

Plus, the BPS was my first shotgun.  It is over 30 years old, and, really, I don't think that it has ever jammed for me.  Maybe it did, but it is at least pretty rare (or early Alzheimers ).

I also have 2 youth 870s and a 1300 that have also been very reliable.

[Graybeard]

Most folks OVER lube and UNDER clean their guns. Semiautos and cold weather plus those conditions are sure bets for malfunctions.

You are actually NOT supposed to lube the gas mechanism on the 1100/11-87 but if it's not well below freezing a light wipe with WD-40 on a rag isn't a bad idea. If it's well below freezing clean and dry is the way to go. Again inside the action it's the same a bit of proper lube helps but if below freezing clean and dry is better. Powdered graphite won't freeze up and can help but a properly cleaned and dry gun generally won't malfunction in cold weather and is the way to go.

[Buckskin]

You want to know what chainsaw is the best ask a lumberjack.
You want to know what mower is the best ask the owner of a lawn crew.
You want to know what shotgun is the best ask a guide or an elite shooter (I believe GB might fit here).

Like lumberjack's lawn crew's and guide's/elite shooter's dont have biased opinion's.  What does a BPS have over an 870???

Pump gun's are definately dependable, but do have hangup's. I grew up with the 870, first gun I bought in 85' and used it for everything and never had a problem with it. Now it is my dedicated slug gun and the Hastings barrel hasn't come off in 15 or more years. Also have the first edition of the Nova. And I must say that I would put the 870 over the Nova any day. The one thing you need to remember if going with a 3 1/2" pump is that the stroke is obviously longer. That has F'ed me up several times, being so used to the 870 stroke and adding that 1/2 inch makes a bigger difference than you would suspect. Also the locking mechanism doesn't always catch, which has cost me birds also. So between short stroking it and the locking mechanism I essentially hate the gun. I haven't decided if I will sell/trade it, but I do know I will have a SBE II before fall and possibly another 3" 870. 

[dukkillr]

What does a BPS have over an 870???

Interesting question.  My first real hunting gun was an 870.  My current turkey gun is an 870.  For me the reason not to use an 870 is easy; I shoot left handed.  The bolt on the 870 isn't as tight as my model 12s and I will get gunk and gas in my eye because it's right there by the bolt.  Obviously it's also an extra expense to switch the safety. 

But for right handed shooters the answer is (to me at least) that the 870 can be jammed easily when your fingers are cold and you're loading in a hurry.  You know what I'm talking about?  The old, "push it till it clicks" trick in loading the magazine.  What happens if it doesn't click?  It drops back down against the loading gate and it's time to get a knife out.  If you're loading in a hurry at a good dove hunt or your fingers are cold in a late season goose hunt this isn't too hard to.  With a BPS this isn't possible.  There is no loading gate, you've either loaded the shell or not.  In a blind there's no throwing shells all over your neighbors either.  And finally, why not?  I’ve never seen any situation where I thought the 870 was at an advantage.  While my complaints may be small, I don’t see any advantage it might have over the BPS. 

I also think the BPSs are made better, generally balance better, and are easier to take apart and clean, but that may be subjective.

I do agree with the longer stroke on the 3 ½”.  My upland guns are 2 ¾” for exactly that reason.  My duck gun is 3” for exactly that reason.  In fact, I only use the 3 ½” for turkeys where the first shot is the only important one.

I have the SBE II and like it a great deal for an auto.  Despite claims above, I believe the recoil tech works well and I would recommend it over any other auto... I just wouldn't recommend it over a good pump.

[Oldshooter]

I shoot left handed.

No wonder you dont like Rem autos, you're standing on the wrong side of the gun!   

[skarke]

'Tis a true handicap, but at least I'm in my right mind

[Dixie Dude]

I have owned a Remington 11-87, a Browning Gold, and a Benelli SBE.  The SBE is a 2-3/4" to 3-1/2" shotgun and is easier to clean than the others.  The Remington 11-87 is the best all round value.  The Browning Gold more a expensive gas operated gun, but not necessary.  The Remington is very well balanced.  Remington put a lot of money into the design of the 1100's and 11-87's.  It was "designed" for the "average" American man, 6'9" with a certain arm length so it fits well with most people and is well balanced.  I like my SBE Benelli because it is lighter and can shoot 3-1/2" shells and is easier to clean than the Remington.  But Remington 11-97 would be my second choice and it costs about half what a Benelli costs.  There are lots of good used ones out there since Remington has made several million of them.  Choke tubes are very easy to find also since all Remington shotguns use the same tubes including the 870's.

[skarke]

BTW, and a BIG plus for me for Rem, is that they manufacture a fine product line for us lefties, as does Savage, and a few others.  When I bought my 11 87, Beretta refused to offer a lefty version of, at then, their 390.  This lack of attention to 12% of shooters pretty much sealed the deal for me with Beretta on all of their product line.

The BPS is a bottom eject, best design on the market, IMHO.