New shotgun - Weatherby SA-08 or Mossberg 930

[Apothus]

I'm looking to get my first semi auto shotgun and I've narrowed it down to 2. Trying to get opinions on both to see what you think. Budget is $500 firm, no saving up for the super black eagle 2 with satellite trajectory or something stupid. These 2 guns, or same price. The purpose is going to be hunting first, clays second. Rabbits, dove, duck, goose maybe. I'm sorry to ask in stupid questions but the shotgun forum doesn't exist in its usual spot anymore.

The first gun I'm looking at is the Mossberg 930 synthetic 12 gauge. I love the feel of the gun, the safety is in the perfect spot, comes with 3 chokes, and has the nice big fiber optic insert. I read a lot of great stuff but I'm hesitant in the fact that a lot of people have to shoot heavy loads to cycle it reliably. $400 bucks out the door.

Second gun is the Weatherby SA-08 in 12 gauge. Same amount of chokes, feels good, only has a bead sight, but comes with 2 gas regulators for heavy loads and for light loads. Seems like it won't care whatever shells I put in it. $507 out the door.

Which shotgun would you recommend?

 

[MarkCO]

Of the two, the Weatherby is a much better gun.

I am almost tempted to send you $50 and tell you to get the Stoeger M3000. Best bang for the money under $1K SA shotgun on the market.

 

[04JRB]

Of the two, the Weatherby is a much better gun.

I am almost tempted to send you $50 and tell you to get the Stoeger M3000. Best bang for the money under $1K SA shotgun on the market.

I have been eyeballing the Stoeger M3000 and M3500 myself, they get outstanding reviews and a coworker absolutely loves his. I may replace my 11-87 with one, I hate my 11-87.

 

[afv338]

With a shotgun as not like a rifle you have to buy the model that fits you right or you will never shoot it good you will constantly be fighting it. You need to go out and shoot them befor you buy or you might end up very unhappy.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I had a weatherby and it broke twice in a month. Ejector first then safety. Traded it in for more than I paid and bought a Beretta. The weatherby felt great and I shot it well but the safety issue spooked me really bad. Now this was over 12 years ago and a sample size of one so take that for what its worth. Cheaper shotguns will always be an 870 for me and maybe a Mossberg (my dad has the one I had). I wish I never sold the old 870 wingmaster that was my first shotgun. If it had screw in chokes it would still be in the safe.

 

[JePhyllis]

I bought a Mossberg 930 from my friend. Really love it. However, you may need to upgrade some plastic parts with aftermarket parts to make it more reliable. Some parts like the fore-end retainer are total garbage.

 

[308pirate]

You're better off with a Remington V3 instead of those two turds. That's about the absolute rock bottom in quality guns these days.

It never ceases to amaze me how some want the absolute cheapest sample of whatever they're looking for and then act surprised when it turns up a piece of shit.

 

[bogey]

I have weatherby sa 08 youth I use for turkeys(will use for pheaseant but need to throw longer slip on recoil pad to make ti pull up good) love the little gun. Never had a issue with it. Not a ton of shells through it when its main use is turkeys. I have sumtoy choke in it and rarely take a 12 turkey hunting anymore

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Get any gun thats not a 930. I get to watch them fall apart every match weekend then their owners get all excited because it just made it through 3 boxes of ammo between catastrophic failures.

 

[308pirate]

I don't know how many shotgun rounds do serious three-gunners shoot a year. I do know that serious sporting clay competitors (like me) will average between 10 and 25 thousand rounds a year between practice, training, and matches. We shoot so much, in fact, that the preferred gun is a heavy duty (Beretta, Browning, Guerini, Zoli, Krieghoff, Perazzi) over under. These are guns that will last hundreds of thousands of rounds with an occasional replacement of the locking lugs and nothing more.

Semi autos, however, are not uncommon and one brand dominates above all others: Beretta. Browning semi autos come a distant second, and everyone else is far, far, behind.

I have never, ever seen a Mossberg in the hands of a serious sporting clays shooter.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't know how many shotgun rounds do serious three-gunners shoot a year.

Hard to say, I would guess it ranges from 5k-15k per year for serious guys. The further north you go the shorter the season is too.
Its a moot point as it relates to the 930 though, the people who used to own one all say they start nickle and diming you to death by 3k, and thats if they actually ran to begin with.

 

[308pirate]

Its a moot point as it relates to the 930 though, the people who used to own one all say they start nickle and diming you to death by 3k, and thats if they actually ran to begin with.

LOL 3k? That's about 2 - 4 months in the life of a semi serious clay shooter.......what a POS

 

[TonyTheTiger]

.......what a POS

Well, it is a Mossberg...

 

[308pirate]

Well, it is a Mossberg...

True. I repeated myself.

I'm ashamed to say that my first shotgun 18 yrs ago (I plead ignorance) was a Mossberg 9200. I bought it knowing nothing about guns because I wanted to join the skeet league at work.

I soon realized what a fuck up I made and dumped it for a Beretta 390. Much better......

 

[Crews]

Been shooting shotguns for a long time. Seen the ones that work, and don’t work. If you want an auto, save yourself some wasted money and get a Beretta. If you want to go cheap, go buy a used 870 Wingmaster.

Only spending $500 on an auto loader is a waste of money. Plain and simple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[308pirate]

Been shooting shotguns for a long time. Seen the ones that work, and don’t work. If you want an auto, save yourself some wasted money and get a Beretta. If you want to go cheap, go buy a used 870 Wingmaster.

A lot of truth there