Topic: The Best Semi Auto Shotguns (Read 41 times)
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Why It Made the Cut
The SBE platform is the most popular shotgun among duck hunters because it’s reliable, durable, and low maintenance.
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Benelli’s Super Black Eagle 3 is one of the most recognizable shotguns in duck blinds across the four flyways because hunters have found the SBE to be so reliable. The inertia operating system is much simpler co*pared to gas guns. And since the gun blows most of the gasses created by the shotshell propellant out the end of the muzzle, you don’t have to field strip a Benelli as often, though you should keep it clean so that it’s in good working order. The rotating bolt head has a detent that ensures the shotshell is sent into battery no matter how easy you slide the bolt forward. Previous SBEs and other Benellis did not have this feature and the shell sometimes remained (unknowingly) out of battery—a major inconvenience when you’re ready to fire the gun.
SBE3s produce more recoil than most gas guns, but it’s made manageable by the co*fortech system, which is a series of synthetic chevrons located inside the stock. When the trigger is pulled, the chevrons flex, so that the shooter experiences less recoil. Some Benellis tend to shoot high—100 percent above center of target—on the pattern board, but I have never found that to be an issue when making kill shots on ducks. The SBE 3 includes a shim kit which shooters can use to easily lower their point of impact if needed. Available in 3- and 3½-inch chambers, and three different gauges—28, 20, and 12—the SBE is outfitted with a 26- or 28-inch barrel (there is a 24-inch barrel on the turkey model). Finish options include: black synthetic, walnut, Gore-Optifade, Realtree, and Moss Oak.
Why It Made the Cut
It’s a light 5-pound, 12-ounce shotgun that’s easy to carry afield with above average pattern density.
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Browning’s new version of the A5 Sweet Sixteen sports the same humpback profile as the original, but it’s only for aesthetics. The old 16-gauge needed the hump because it was a long-recoil shotgun and the barrel moved rearward into the receiver. Now, the Sweet Sixteen uses a Kinematic (different word for inertia) system to operate the auto-loader. But just like John Browning’s model, this gun has a speed load function that allows the shooter to slide the first round into the magazine where it is caught by the carrier, and lifted into the chamber. Since 1929, most all American 16-gauge shotguns, regardless of manufacturer, have been limited to a 2¾-inch chamber, which isn’t a big deal. Realistically, you don’t need a 3- or 3½-inch shotshell to kill a pheasant or any other upland bird.
There is an Inflex recoil pad on the buttstock to dampen recoil, which I have found manageable on every Sweet Sixteen (new and old) that I have shot. Felt recoil is also dampened due to the fact that most 16-gauge ammunition doesn’t have a charge weight over 1⅛ ounces, though ammo can be hard to co*e by. There are only a few lead, steel, and bismuth options. Barrels are available in 26 or 28 inches, and outfitted with Invector DS chokes (IC, M, and F). The fore-end cap is simple to remove when the gun needs a thorough cleaning. Just stick your car key into the insert, twist, and the cap co*es out. The Sweet Sixteen also has a 100,000-round or five-year warranty, whichever co*es first.
Why It Made the Cut
There are more turkey shotguns on the market now than ever, mainly due to the fact that Mossberg set the trend by building specialized repeaters, like the 940 Pro, at a reasonable price.
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Red dot sights are popular on turkey guns these days and Mossberg has leaned into that trend by making two cuts in the top of the receiver where a low-profile RSMc red dot (sold separately) can be added. This means that you can mount an optic low on the receiver and maintain a good cheek weld on the stock.
The clean-running gas system is another co*ponent that makes the 940 such an attractive choice for turkey hunters. There’s a gold buffer tube that slides over the magazine to cut down on carbon buildup, so you don’t have to strip and clean it as often. Gas guns typically tame recoil more than inertia-driven semi autos, and that is certainly the case with the Mossberg. It’s also a 7½ pound gun, not overly heavy to carry in the turkey woods, but enough weight to soak up recoil (in conjunction with the operating system).
Mossberg designed the 3-inch gun, which costs under $1,000, with an oversized bolt handle and load port to make the semi auto shotgun easier to manipulate in the dark or when you run and gun and need to load and unload ammo for safety. It also co*es with an XX-Full .670 choke and Hiviz red, green, and white front sights. The length of pull is adjustable from 13 to 14¼ inches, and the 940 is finished in Mossy Oak Greenleaf camouflage. During pattern work with Federal Heavyweight TSS 1¾-ounce No. 9s, the 940 averaged 161 pellets inside a 10-inch circle at 40 yards and 68 pellets at 60 yards (10-shot average for both yardages).
Beyond pattern testing, Outdoor Life editors killed three turkeys in two states with the Mossberg 940 Pro Turkey last spring. It proved to be a handy shotgun in heavy cover and on run-and-gun hunts (Read our full review on the Mossberg 940 Turkey Pro here).
Why It Made the Cut
Unlike many other slug guns, the cantilever scope base is attached to the barrel of the SX4, not the receiver, which makes for superior accuracy.
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Finding a moderately-priced, gas-driven semi auto slug gun that functions reliably and is also accurate can be a challenge. But Winchester’s SX4 Cantilever Buck checks all the boxes. The shotgun costs under $1,000, and uses an active-valve, self-regulating gas system that is nearly fail-proof—I have had the base model SX4 for four years and it has shot slugs, turkey, and waterfowl loads flawlessly. You will also experience less felt recoil thanks to the gun’s gas operation. A spring inside the gas piston co*presses when a round is fired, supplying the auto-loader with the right amount of gas to function; the rest is bled off through vents in the forearm. An Inflex recoil pad on the buttstock also deflects felt recoil away from your face. The cantilever mounting system is affixed to the barrel, which allows you to mount an optic farther forward than if you were using scope rings or a Picatinny rail mounted to the receiver. This gives the shooter more eye relief when they are trying to find a deer in the scope or reflex sight.
READ NEXT: The Best Shotguns for Deer Hunting
Available in 20- or 12-gauge, the SX4 has a 22-inch rifled barrel, capable of shooting sabots and Foster-style (rifled) slugs. A 3-inch semi auto, it weighs 7.8 pounds. The gun has a matte black finish, and swivel studs so you can attach a sling. The trigger is on the heavy side (5.9 pounds) for a shotgun that you need to shoot like a rifle. But since it’s a gas gun, the trigger can be lightened significantly more than if you were shooting an inertia-driven auto (it’s dangerous to remove too much weight from an inertia trigger because of the way the trigger resets after the first shot). I had a trained gunsmith take the trigger pull on my SX4 down to 3.5 pounds. It breaks clean with zero creep.
Why It Made the Cut
The M4 is the civilian version of the shotgun relied upon by the United States Marine Corps. The only difference is ammo capacity (military M4s hold eight 2¾-inch rounds; civilian variants hold six).
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Benellis are inertia guns right? Well, not the M4 Tactical. In 1998 the Italian gunmaker developed the A.R.G.O. (Auto-Regulating Gas-Operated) system, which uses dual pistons that push directly against the bolt to work the action, so the 12-gauge auto-loader can reliably cycle lighter ⅞- or 1-ounce defense loads. It’s a self-cleaning platform Benelli says can churn through 25,000 rounds before the semi auto needs to be maintenanced. A.R.G.O. is so reliable—it contains no heavy gas piston or action bar linkage—that the U.S. Marine Corps and Department of Defense adopted the M4 as their co*bat shotgun. The civilian M4 co*es in four models—two pistol grip and two standard grip variants—with a rear ghost-ring sight and front post sight. It’s drilled and tapped, but also outfitted with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics. If you want to mount a light to the barrel or front of the shotgun, there are aftermarket options available.
The M4 can hold six rounds (5+1), though you can buy an extension magazine for more capacity. It includes a flush-fitting modified choke that screws into the muzzle of the 18-inch barrel. The Benelli is 40 inches long overall and weighs 7.8 pounds.
Why It Made the Cut
Weatherby’s shotguns aren’t widely popular, but the SA-08 should be. It’s a well-built semi auto that’s a steal for the price.
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Weatherby’s SA-08 Deluxe is a shotgun that should have stayed in production forever—it was discontinued in 2019, though the synthetic co*pact variant is still being sold. The gas-driven semi auto is soft-shooting, cycles reliably, and you can often find one for under $800. It’s also light for a gas gun—the 12-gauge weighs just 6 pounds, though I’d lobby for the 20- or 28-gauge for small game. The receiver is aluminum, which is how Weatherby was able to cut weight from the gun. Even though it’s a Turkish import, the wood stock and fore-end of the SA-08 are well done. Sometimes manufacturers will skimp on price-point semi auto shotguns, but the Deluxe harkens to a bygone era when you didn’t have to over pay for a wood and steel shotgun. There are no glaring gaps from steel to wood.
The dual-valve gas-system uses a piston to drive an action bar that is connected to the bolt and a steel cylinder that slides over the magazine tube. When a shot is fired, the piston pushes the tube backwards using the propellant from the shotshell and the remaining gasses are bled off. It’s a trusted platform similar to the one Beretta used in many of its A300 series shotguns in the 1980s and ‘90s. Many current autos that cost considerably more employ a cheap plastic cylinder to operate the bolt. The SA-08 is available with a vent rib 26- or 28-inch chrome-lined barrel and co*es with three flush choke tubes (IC, M, and F).
Why It Made the Cut
The A400 Xplor Action is an almost fail-proof semi auto that doesn’t need to be cleaned as much as co*peting gas-driven shotguns to function.
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Beretta’s A400 Xplor Action has the look and feel of a high-end auto-loader, but it’s also a workhorse. I have been shooting the 20-gauge on ducks, pheasants, and small game for nearly a decade. During that time, I put the gas-driven A400 through hell. The only shells it has failed to cycle reliably are a few brands of 3-inch tungsten waterfowl loads. Everything else, it churned through without issue. Its closest rival is the Benelli M2 20-gauge, another fine option, but I chose the Beretta because felt recoil is more manageable, plus the checkered pistol grip stock and fore-end are walnut, not synthetic. There are more moving parts to the A400 because it’s a gas gun. The gas piston sits atop the magazine tube and drives two metal action bars rearward to work the bolt. The action bars are attached to a plastic cylinder that slides over the magazine tube, a bit cheap when you’re paying $1,600 for a shotgun. A polymer drop out trigger group is also a cost-cutting measure I don’t enjoy, but most modern auto-loaders are not built with steel trigger groups.
Beretta chose the Blink gas-operating system for the Xplor. It’s a proven platform that has been used in the A400 Xtreme and Xcel series. It’s touted as being the fastest in the industry, capable of cycling two shotshells in less than half a second. Fast isn’t necessarily a good thing for semi autos because it doesn’t allow as much time for recoil to disperse. But I have never felt beat up by the Xplor, and the second and third shells have always been there when I needed follow-up shots. There is a Kick-Off system inside the stock, a series of hydraulic shock absorbers that cushion felt recoil. The A400 20-gauge has a 28-inch vent-rib barrel and includes three stock chokes (C, M, and F).
