Semi-auto vs. Pump - Recoil

[JUGHEAD]

I was reading the 870 post and didn't want to highjack so I just thought I would start another one.  Based upon what I was reading in that post about everybody talking about a 3.5" 870 and/or a 3.5" 835 rattling teeth fillings loose, I was just curious why more folks don't buy semi-autos for turkey hunting?  Seems like most everybody ends up going with the old reliable pumps.  I'm new to turkey hunting and have only shot a few 3.5" rounds, but I've done a TON of slug shooting out of pump slug guns (Mossy, Remmy, and Ithaca) and it is brutal to say the least.  Knowing good and well that I was gonna want the most pellets I could throw at a turkey, I didn't hesitate to start shopping gas autoloaders immediately once I knew that I was nuts over this turkey hunting.  I ended up buying the 935, and I know it's still gonna be brutal to shoot, but it ain't gonna be as brutal as an 835 or 870 for sure.  Even though I'm not even sure it it's gonna fit, I also went ahead and bought a Knox recoil reducing stock (ran across a deal I couldn't pass up) the other day for a Mossy and bought it as well.  If it will fit the 935, I'm gonna use it too.  Just curious why so many folks end up settling on pumps when it's really not that much more money (over a lifetime) for a semi-auto?  Have people been burned by reliability (or lack thereof) of ejecting turkey shells?  Seems like some of these ultra hot turkey shells can cause jamming problems, regardless of what kind of gun you have.    

Please let it be known that I am not even REMOTELY bashing pumps.  I'm a huge pump fan and own 1 or 12. 

[goblr77]

I don't think it's a reliability issue. You can "pimp out" two 870's or 835's for the cost of one high end auto. I have autos and pumps and recoil has never been an issue for me with a turkey gun. Other than on the pattern board, I might fire off 5 shots a season at birds. Not enough shooting to let recoil become a problem.

[davisd9]

I like pumps because of their simplicity.  When  shell gets stuck or jammed then I have been able to get back shooting quicker with a pump.  Using it in the swamps and in mud it is less likely to hang up.  Just like it better.  Just like a rifle, I prefer a bolt action over a semi.  Just personal preference I guess.

[JUGHEAD]

Just like a rifle, I prefer a bolt action over a semi.  Just personal preference I guess.

Not me.  I like em both and own em both.  Most hunts, I've got a bolt action.  When the bucks are running does and you can't get em to stop, the BAR has been known to handle bidness. 

[allaboutshooting]

That's a good question and a great topic for discussion. When you look at the numbers, brands and types of actions of shotguns sold, year after year, pumps far outsell any other type of shotgun. The number of Mossberg 500s and Remington 870s that have been sold boggles the mind. Since the introduction of the Mossberg 835, it has become a favorite of waterfowl and turkey hunters.

One outstanding shotgun that seems to have gotten little "press" is the Mossberg 930 semi-auto. Patrick Flanigan is now shooting that gun, as is Jerry Miculek, so I expect that we'll hear more about that one. I evaluated it recently and found it to be a great gun.

It's my opinion that in years past, pumps were less expensive and more reliable. With some advances in both technology and  production, there are very reliable semi-autos that are close in price.

It takes a long time however to make major changes in firearms selection, in my experience.

Thanks,
Clark

P.S. I also have a 935 and it is somewhat more pleasant to shoot that my 835 but they both let you know you've shot them!

[davisd9]

I own a Browning BAR, but do not hunt with it alot for 2 big reasons.  1st and biggest - It was my grandpa's and it looks brand new.  He bought it in 1984.  It is my favorite caliber, .270 win, and I take sometimes it when I am hunting a field cause I do not want to scratch it up.  I want to kill a deer with it.  2nd - It is a semi and I like bolts.  




What do I hunt with?  Savage 111 Long Range Hunter with accu-stock and trigger with Redfield 3-9x40 mm with accu-range crosshairs.  Got it before last deer season and love it.  Oh yeah, it is also a .270 win.  

[savduck]

Ive owned 870 super Mags and Mossberg 835s. I also have owned Benelli super black Eagle and Beretta extrema.

Comparing 3.5 inch pumps to  3.5 inch semi autos........far and away the Gas system of the beretta was the softest of the four. The two pumps would knock the piss out of you. I think every auto i have owned kicks less than a pump. The hardest hitting gun I ever shot was a mossberg 500 with a youth model stock on it.


I prefer a beretta 390 over all I have ever owned. i have had this gun for 10 years. Years of hunting in salt water rusted the screws and the butt plate fell off. I have never replaced it. I shoot it with and open stock at the end. In teal season I only wear a light T-shirt. I dont feel it kick.


PS....Ive had more malfunctions with my pumps than my semi's....jamming wise

[JUGHEAD]

I own a Browning BAR, but do not hunt with it alot for 2 big reasons.  1st and biggest - It was my grandpa's and it looks brand new.  He bought it in 1984.  It is my favorite caliber, .270 win, and I take sometimes it when I am hunting a field cause I do not want to scratch it up.  I want to kill a deer with it.  2nd - It is a semi and I like bolts. 




What do I hunt with?  Savage 111 Long Range Hunter with accu-scope and trigger with Redfield 3-9x40 mm with accu-range crosshairs.  Got it before last deer season and love it.  Oh yeah, it is also a .270 win. 

Love it!  Sorry I sidetracked us like that.   

[TauntoHawk]

for most it comes down to price at least it does for me, semi isn't needed for turkey like it is for duck or geese and if your just getting semi for less recoil a knoxx stock or recoil pad on a pump will do the same

for me I can get a  solid pump gun and put a pistol or thumb hole stock, after market choke, drill/tap with fast fire for the same price as a stock semi when I've never needed a follow up shot on a turkey that a pump didnt do fine on. recoil on really matters on the range in the woods even my wife doesnt really notice the kick of a turkey load in the moment

I wouldnt mind a semi but cant justify cost on a budget.

[JUGHEAD]

recoil on really matters on the range

I think this is main reason I was so adamant about getting a gas semi-auto when I was shopping.  On average, I do a good bit more range shooting than my fellow hunters for the most part.  I don't think it's absolutely necessary to do what I do to kill 90% of game animals in different scenarios, but I've always just liked being absolutely confident in my weapon at the moment of truth, regardless of the scenario.  I will be shooting mine for initial patterning and finding what I like a good bit, and then I will follow that up with way out of whack setups on the ground, all various ranges from 10 yards to 50 yards just to see what it will do, etc.  A good bit of powder will be burned accordingly even though it's not gonna be cheap.

I agree totally on the follow up shot thing.  I'm just as confident with a pump as I am a semi-auto on a follow up shot.  

[goblr77]

Ive owned 870 super Mags and Mossberg 835s. I also have owned Benelli super black Eagle and Beretta extrema.

Comparing 3.5 inch pumps to  3.5 inch semi autos........far and away the Gas system of the beretta was the softest of the four. The two pumps would knock the piss out of you. I think every auto i have owned kicks less than a pump. The hardest hitting gun I ever shot was a mossberg 500 with a youth model stock on it.


I prefer a beretta 390 over all I have ever owned. i have had this gun for 10 years. Years of hunting in salt water rusted the screws and the butt plate fell off. I have never replaced it. I shoot it with and open stock at the end. In teal season I only wear a light T-shirt. I dont feel it kick.


PS....Ive had more malfunctions with my pumps than my semi's....jamming wise

Agree with everything you said. I've run thousands of rounds through 390's and 391's on dove fields, in duck blinds, and in the turkey woods.....never had a malfunction. The only auto Beretta made that I didn't like was the Pintail and that's a completely different animal.

[JUGHEAD]

The #1 reason I hunt with a pump is they just weigh a lot less.

Example?  When I was shopping, the weight differences amongst Mossy 835 and 935 and Remmy 870 and 1187 were basically negligible with only slight differences due to barrel length, stock configuration, etc.

Do understand the concept though.  A couple of times late in the year this year when I was getting worn down and was walking a long way to hunt a couple of areas, I started toting my son's 870 compact 20 gauge even though he wasn't coming along.  You talk about something that was SWEET to carry!

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I had a Browning Bar Mark II Safari(BOSS) and it was the perfect deer gun.  It would out shoot a lot of factory bolt actions right out of the box too.  I know I owned enough of them to say that.  Why I sold that gun was beyone me.   

[WyoHunter]

I shoot a couple of O/Us for pheasant hunting but make mine a semi-auto for turkey hunting. I shoot Berettas because they are reasonably light weight, reliable, soften recoil and offer a quick second shot. I've only had to shoot the second shot once and that was on a bird that was crippled, took off flying but was killed shortly after taking off. After shooting goose loads in an O/U I was convinced the semi would be more fun to shoot heavy loads like turkey loads. They all kick that's for sure just some more than others!

[gobblergls]

.  Even though I'm not even sure it it's gonna fit, I also went ahead and bought a Knox recoil reducing stock (ran across a deal I couldn't pass up) the other day for a Mossy and bought it as well.  If it will fit the 935, I'm gonna use it too.  

Does anyone know if the Knoxx recoil reducing stock will interfere with the cyclying of autos?  It supposedly offers significant felt recoil reduction.  Autos require some resistance to recoil to function and I was wondering if anyone has experience with the Knoxx on an auto.  I have one on my 835, but not on my SBE.  My 20 gauge Super Bantam, rigged with a slip on recoil pad over the existing pad, negates any serious recoil issues with 1 5/8 oz TSS loads.

Another way to significantly reduce felt recoil is to wear the Evosheild Shooting Shirt.  This is one item that really works.  I have patterned my SBE with Nitros and after shooting a lot at doves and snipe with 20, 12 and 16 gauges can attest that felt recoil is a gentle push in comparision to not wearing one.  I have shot M37 Featherweights, 870s with 3.5" waterfowl loads,  O/U, SxS,  and the SBE while wearing it.  I bought one from a fellow  who knows allaboutshooting and it works as advertised.