I would like to eventually get a second shotgun, probably a semi-auto. I have heard the Beretta 391 and the Benelli are great. I have owned a bunch of Italian black powder revolvers and the quality was so poor I sold off everything, and their cars are known for being junky. How many Fiats and Alfa Romeos do you see around? I am down to one black powder Italian pistol, a single shot Lyman plains gun which does work, with a single shot it is more forgiving over the numerous moving parts of other Italian guns.

With the fall of Italy's economy I have read of alot of stupidity there, where it is "easier to get a divorce from your wife than it is to fire a bad worker".

Why is it that the Italian semi-auto shotguns don't seem to have the bad rap, or is it that they do but it is not talked about? Are they made in the US plant or Italy?

There are 6 or 8 Beretta 391's in my core group of family/friends that hunt. We all love them. After fighting a Remington 1100 dad went back to a pump for 30 years before buying a Beretta after seeing the luck we'd had. He said he waited 30 years too long to try an Italian auto.

Benelli is just as good, most of the hardcore waterfowl hunters carry Benelli and put them through tough conditions.

What autos are the hardcore clays shooters using? Beretta and Benelli.

Most are made in Italy. I believe (would have to double check), that the newest entry-level Beretta is made in the USA.

Beretta, Benelli and Franchi are all great guns, and they are made in Italy. Like many other commodities, there are high, middle and low ends. The Italians are no different. The best shotguns in the world today are Italian (Fabbri, Bosis, Bertuzzi, FAMARS, F.lli Rizzini, etc.), with superb guns from high to lower middle end (Beretta, Perazzi, B. Rizzini, Cesar Guirrini, Franchi, Fausti). There is also lots of junk made to compete at the lowest price points.

As to the automotive industry, hare also to say the Italians aren't in the game...Ferrari etc., though it's true they don't export middle class cars of quality.

Show me a semi-auto shotgun made anywhere that can remotely hang with a Benelli or a Beretta.

If gas operated is what you want then the Beretta is your gun.

If inertia operated is what you want then Benelli is your gun.

Well said. I believe that very thing.

Benelli, and beretta rule the semi auto clay and bird worlds for a multitude of reasons. I have a few of each an have never regretted the cost for a second. If money was tight I would shoot a Franchi gas gun. Have seen buddies totally abuse them in the duck marshes and goose fields to the point the guns should just flat fail or blow up yet they just keep ticking. All good guns

Not to quibble as I agree with you on the quality of the Benalli and Burrito but my Winchester Super X2 has more than just a few rounds thought it. I'd put it on par with the 391 in the stable.

3+

One of those two will fit you better, find out and buy that one.

I have a 12 GA BUL that I LUV, best handling semi-auto ever and I've shot them all. I bot that gun to take Out West (SoDak) each fall but find myself using it more and more in the grouse woods, over much more expensive doubles.

NB

How many is more then a few. As Beretta's and Benlli's will easly do 20K plus a year no problem. I would not put the X2 in the same stable not even the same farm. But thats just me.

It's got somewhere around 30k or better through it and it's not been babied. Not a single breakage of any sort. Sporting clays, trap, skeet, ducks and geese - including shooting 6 3.5 inch mags as quick as I can pull my finger with an extended mag for snows....

And yes - there are 391s in the safe too with high mileage so I've compared side by side. Father has a K80 with well over 400k through it, an Ultra Sporter with over 100k through it, our shotguns get shot.

Didn't say it was better - did say it's been just as good. Your average shotgunner isn't going to put 30k rounds down the tube of a shotgun. If a guy's looking for a field gun - yes the pasta shooters are EXCELLENT - no doubt but others can and do hang with them.

Eta - Little brother put 3500 rounds through an 11-87 in 4 weeks. Would hardly run - I'd not shoot one unless it was a gift from someone I cared about. I've no love for it. I have seen 391s not run, I've seen Benellis not run - they all break anyone who says different either has an agenda or doesn't shoot much. BUT - ON AVERAGE the Italian semi-auto is very very good - top of the heap most likely. Just that I know my SX2 will run with it. I expect it to break eventually - just hasn't yet and at over 30k rounds through it, I consider that a fair run to the average pheasant, goose, duck hunter.