Best semi auto for sporting clays

As the title suggests.

For sporting and skeet which semi auto is best from your experiences.

Thanks

Beretta 303 wins hands down. I have had 5 or 6 semi autos of various makes  they have all gone. The 303 is a 'keeper'. Cycles down to 24 gram and is the easiest to clean. No unnecessary springs, valves or gizmos to complicate things. It is my first choice if I am shooting skeet.

Mrs Jasper used a beretta A400 xcel to great effect when her shoulder was dodgy.

It cycled most things well. Including 24 grms. 

65mm fibres it didn't like much. 

Was easy to clean. 

Wish we still had it.

If you look in the guns section on here. Page 19. A400 xcel is the thread title. You can read about her journey to the a400. 

Jasper. 

I like the 391 Urika the best. I have two, one's 21 years old and the other is 19 years old.

Very little trouble to be honest one of them has a "bent" carrier which gives more reliable feeding. I had an A400 but it felt a bit numb and the grip was oversized compared to a 391.

anyone shoot a auto on clays ?  i don't see many about at reg shoots .   

Doctor Lecter said:

anyone shoot a auto on clays ?  i don't see many about at reg shoots .   

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Clays are all I shoot, I have not shot a registered shoot for years.

Beretta hands down 

I shoot a semi auto a400  xcel because I've got a shoulder injury and hands down it's the best I've ever used, if you want to try a auto on the cheap I've got a beretta 303 for £250, one of the first in the country 1985 soon to become a collector's item

k80ben said:

Beretta hands down 

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would you ever recommend a auto ?   under what circumstances or reasons ?  

Doctor Lecter said:

would you ever recommend a auto ?   under what circumstances or reasons ?  

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They are a 33% advantage at a semi auto shoot. 

A400

Doctor Lecter said:

anyone shoot a auto on clays ?  i don't see many about at reg shoots .   

Click to expand...

I saw at least 6 of them being used last Wednesday.  Albeit not a registered shoot, but ladies and old men ( myself included) seem to favour them.  I use mine when my neck/shoulder causes problems, but I always use it for skeet.

Interesting responses. 

I have a Franchi which is not a dedicated sporting clay gun and I am considering changing it to something specifically designed for clays.

Beretta and Browning seem top so far followed by Benelli.

I had a Beretta 391, I used it for corporate days for around 10 years, I hate to think how many rounds went through it without missing a beat. I put over 1000 through it in 1 day. Only drawback was the cleaning, it was far worse than my old 303, which I still have.

I did have a 2nd hand B391 a few years back and couldn't hit a barn door with it, no idea why and my gun-fit was checked twice. Sold it and bought the Franchi.

The Franchi is very good but very light and very whippy.

My pondering continues.......

I would say that an A400 Excel should be reliable, I had no problems with mine at all, I just did not like the dynamics of it at all.

If you buy a light Benelli it will just batter you to death 

I’ve got a Beretta 391 Urika 2 parallel target which has 32” barrels, Monte Carlo stock and step rib. It’s always been a gun I can just pick up and shoot well with. The extra barrel length is no incumbrance in fact I think the extra weight and point ability are a benefit.

I think you can get an A400 version of it now but would be wary of some of the newer models as some have carbon fibre ribs which in my opinion make the the gun too wafty.

I’ve had three different recoil operated Benellis and although they are much easier to clean are lighter and don’t absorb recoil as well as the gas operated Berettas. I’m talking about clays. If you want a gun for rough shooting the Benelli might be better.

The vast majority of my 30 odd years of clay shooting was done with Beretta semi-autos. They were reliable and only suffered two failures in that time. One was a design fault that meant the cartridge lifter was twisted and didn't feed the second cartridge properly. This was curable by twisting the carrier to overcome the problem. The second problem was unique in that the rod that joins the cylinder to the action to load the next cartridge snapped off. Beretta had never seen this problem before and sent me a new assembly free of charge.

I would recommend the older model, 303, as being the best auto around, it's more simple, uses readily available Mobilchokes and is easier to clean. I finished my shooting with one that had had the woodwork rubbed down and oil finished. They are still around for sale, there is one available on here right now.

Vic.

Beretta A400….but then I am biased as I’ve got one