Various uses

turkey, duck, goose, dove, upland, etc.


What's your pick and why?

Birthday yesterday and was told to pick one out from the wife.

Initially leaning Maxus 2.

I'm loving the Stoeger M3500 I won in a raffle 2-3 years ago

Browning or Berreta.
My absolute favorite was the Browning Golden Clays…. But no longer made. So Maxus

I shoot a Benelli Super Vinci at all of that and don't miss a beat between 2.75" to 3.5" shells..

rarely shoot my OU's anymore.

The Browning maxus is a very good choice. The Winchester SX4 shares the same action and will be priced lower since it won't have the bells and whistles as the Browning.

Really nice thing about the maxus is the mag cut off.

Don't know if that is a patented thing or what, but damn it's nice.

Anyone have or have shot the Maxus and Maxus 2? Pros/Cons?

I'm shooting a beretta a400. Love it. But I only hunt waterfowl with it and the occasional turkey. Dove I shoot a beretta optima 20 gauge. Love that gun. Browning humpback will be my next shotgun. Just not sure what gauge yet.

A Beretta 1301 is badass, but the game warden might have a thing or two to say about it.

Almost everyone I duck hunt with uses a Beretta or Benelli. 3rd would probably be Browning.

Duck/Goose/Turkey - I use my A400
Upland - I use O/U
Dove - O/U or sometimes 391 if I am feeling like it

I have shot both Brownings along with Beretta's offerings as well as Winchesters, Stoegers, Wetherbys, Fabarms, Benelli's, etc. Good quality, reliable semi-auto shotguns that you can hand down to kids and grandkids can be had for anywhere from about $800 for the Beretta A300 Outlander up to the crazy expensive (and thus TexAgs OB-approved) Cosmi. It just comes down to what feels best in your hand and fits your body type, but it's like dating, you gotta fondle a bunch before you know what works best for you.

Also, some of the pre-2019 Beretta A400s have the magazine cutoff. I know guys who hate them because they claim they have constant issues with them locking on their own but I have never seen that happen personally and it has never happened on any of the Browning I own and have shot. I think the magazine cut-off is over rated unless you are crossing fence lines or other obstacles regularly, they tend to get left on at the worst times.

My choice would be a Browning Maxxus 2 Wicked Wing in Vintage Tan. I just like Brownings.

I like the cut off specifically for ejecting the chambered shell and putting in buckshot, or vice bersa.

For hardcore water fowling I would recommend one of the inertia recoil Benelli products. I have an older Berretta Xtrema and a Benelli Montefeltro. Both are excellent but the Benelli has been flawless in some pretty tough hunting environments. It's not picky about shells either. If I was going to do a lot of goose hunting then the 3.5" chamber of the SB3 would be my choice. The Berretta has less recoil however.

Have you shot 2 3/4 shells before 3 or 3.5 inch shells in that order?

My 1187 short strokes the bolt if I do that.


Same goes for any Maxus owners.

If you end up wanting to go the a400 route, I've got an a400 extreme from an auction that is NIB that I would sell at a discount. I can send you pics/specs if you are interested.
Shoot me a note. mrmryan1 at gmail

Camo or wood? Mine has some battle scars at 10 years old and might be interested in upgrading if camo. This isn't a need so would happily defer to anyone wanting one.

Much Prefer my Franchi Affinity over my A400

Camo.
I'll look at the full specs and camo pattern tonight.

Goodest Poster said:

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Much Prefer my Franchi Affinity over my A400

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+1 on Franchi Affinity

Thanks!

MattyAg said:

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For hardcore water fowling I would recommend one of the inertia recoil Benelli products. I have an older Berretta Xtrema and a Benelli Montefeltro. Both are excellent but the Benelli has been flawless in some pretty tough hunting environments. It's not picky about shells either. If I was going to do a lot of goose hunting then the 3.5" chamber of the SB3 would be my choice. The Berretta has less recoil however.

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Completely agree. I have a Montefeltro I bought from a guide in SD after my Xtrema2 froze up in freezing (snowing) conditions. Pheasant popping machine.

Quote:

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Much Prefer my Franchi Affinity over my A400

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Curious why? I've shot the Franchi & like it a lot. I've looked at the A400 (Have an old Beretta 390 12 gauge & 391 in 20 that I love) and just assumed it was better than the Franchi.

I have a Browning Maxus, and was getting a second shotgun for the boys. Shouldered the new Maxus 2 and it did not feel as good as my original Maxus. Seemed bulkier and not as easy to grip. Ended up getting a Benelli SBE3.

Apache said:

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Quote:

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Much Prefer my Franchi Affinity over my A400

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Curious why? I've shot the Franchi & like it a lot. I've looked at the A400 (Have an old Beretta 390 12 gauge & 391 in 20 that I love) and just assumed it was better than the Franchi.

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1st off...the Franchi (made in Benelli factory) always fires..regardless of shell. The A400 has issues and its not just one gun, multiple experiences.
The A400 def doesnt have as much kick as its inertia counterpart, but i still dont like the way its built. Things rattle out of place frequently and its just not as solid of a gun. If i bump the Franchi, I dont worry. If i bump the A400 xtreme or the Xcel i worry its going to the Dr.

Felt recoil noticeable between the maxis and sbe shooting big shells?

Sitting in the safe with the stickers still on it.. Hoping to shoot it soon

Was told to pick one out from the wife……

You know that means buy 5, right?

Can't keep track of what they don't know how many you have that have fallen into a lake…..

Big fan of the Win sx3/sx4 or Franchi affinity for an all around value. I want a maxus or a5 wicked wing in vintage tan.

Sorry just checked in. The Xtrema has had know issues with 2.75-3.5". The Montefeltro is 2.75 and 3". It's been extremely reliable with everything I've put through it. All of the other duck club members are using Berretta and Benelli SBE2 and SBE3. They are all very reliable.

I may have misunderstood your question. If you're asking about loading different sizes in the magazine or switching sizes mid hunt I've never paid that much attention. I'm typically shooting the same shot and shell length for the specific hunt but I have been on a few hunts where I had a grab bag of all sizes to get rid of. I don't recall any issues with bolt short stroking.

Beretta A300

Goodest Poster said:

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Apache said:

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Quote:

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Much Prefer my Franchi Affinity over my A400

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Curious why? I've shot the Franchi & like it a lot. I've looked at the A400 (Have an old Beretta 390 12 gauge & 391 in 20 that I love) and just assumed it was better than the Franchi.

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1st off...the Franchi (made in Benelli factory) always fires..regardless of shell. The A400 has issues and its not just one gun, multiple experiences.
The A400 def doesnt have as much kick as its inertia counterpart, but i still dont like the way its built. Things rattle out of place frequently and its just not as solid of a gun. If i bump the Franchi, I dont worry. If i bump the A400 xtreme or the Xcel i worry its going to the Dr.

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Pheasant hunting with someone carrying an A400 is fun. When that thing goes into single shot mode (every one i have hunted with has) it means more shots for me. My brother's best freind was having trouble with his 400 cycling shells and we both only needded 1 more rooster for our limit. We took turns trading my SX3 and my brother's Maxus with the 400 so he would get follow up shots. The next year he showed up with a SX3.

OnlyForNow said:

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Have you shot 2 3/4 shells before 3 or 3.5 inch shells in that order?

My 1187 short strokes the bolt if I do that.

Same goes for any Maxus owners.

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Both my 3" SX3 & SX4 as well as my brother-in-law's Maxus will cycle a 3 inch shell after a target load.

Man who are yall hunting with that owns A400s?

You should see the abuse that my shotgun goes through and performs relatively flawlessly. Almost every duck hunter I hunt with has an A400 or SBE and both are great guns. I have seen several issues with Benellis but I'm not dogging them.

The issues I have had with mine are all after it getting dunked in a duck pond and then not taking completely apart to clean - specifically the magazine tube where it seems to flash rust and not cycle. I mean sure it gets dirty like any gas auto but that's about it

Didn't we just have this same thread/ debate a few weeks ago? I'll repeat that Berettas do not shoulder/ come up right for me. And yes I've tried the shims. Further, the cross bolt safety is on the front of the trigger guard which is awkward/ wrong.
Franchi, Benelli, or gtfo.

smstavinoha88 said:

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I have a Browning Maxus, and was getting a second shotgun for the boys. Shouldered the new Maxus 2 and it did not feel as good as my original Maxus. Seemed bulkier and not as easy to grip. Ended up getting a Benelli SBE3.

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Interesting the Maxus 2 feels bulkier to you. They made the cousins (Maxus 2 and SX4) slimmer than the previous generation. Slimmer buttstock, grip and forend. I have the cousins to the Maxus and Maxus 2. The SX4 does feel more like it fits in my hand vs the SX3 fitting on my hand. It took a couple rounds of clays for me to get used to it, but now the SX4 feels more like a natural fit. Not to say there is anything wrong with the fit of the SX3, I hunted with it for 10 years and never had any complaints. I kept it after buying the SX4. I didn't think they could possibly improve on it but they did, IMHO.