Shotgun Report

INERTIA VS GAS GUN FOR WATERFOWL

Dear Technoid,

I need to buy me a new semi automatic shotgun after fathers 30 year
old Browning A-5 broke down, they don't make them any more so i need
to find me something else. I'm very interested in Beretta, it's either
that or buying a Stoeger 2000 or Franchi I-2. I would use this gun
for waterfowling, seabird hunting and my father would use it for
upland bird hunting. So as u can see i'm looking for an all around
hunting gun. The mein problem is the waterfowl hunting and seabird
hunting because of sand and seasalt so that the gun have to be
versatile and being able to cope with that kind of situations.

My questions are those. Do you think that a Beretta 391 could do the
job? I've heard that it can be pretty hard to clean them properly And
which one would you recommend if I go for a Beretta the Teknys or
Ulrika? And what about the other brands I meantioned are they any
good?

Yours sincerly
Sigurjon

Dear Sigurjon,

The guns you mentioned are very different. The Beretta 391 is gas
operated, while the Franchi I-12 and Stoeger 2000 both use Benelli's
Inertia Driven system. Your marvelous old A-5 Browning was recoil
operated, a system much closer to (but definitely not identical to)
the Benelli system. The Franchi 48 AL is much closer to the A-5 in
that the barrel moves rearward on recoil. In the Benelli system, the
barrel remains stationary while the inertia of the recoil unlocks the
bolt and moves it rearward. In a gas operated gun like the Beretta
391, gas pressure bled out of the barrel behind the shell operates the
system.

All three systems are equally reliable under ideal operating
conditions. But there are differences. The Beretta 391 gas system has
proven extremely reliable in most situations. Generally, gas operated
shotguns have lower perceived recoil than inertia operated guns like
the Benelli, Franchi I-12 and Stoeger 2000. Inertia operated guns have
always seemed to me to have a little less recoil than recoil operated
guns like the A-5 and Franchi 48 AL. Many people will not agree with
me about inertia guns kicking less than recoil operated guns, but most
will agree that the gas guns are softest recoiling of the group. The
lower recoil of the 391 is an advantage. It's not the lightest
recoiling gas gun (Remington 1100 and Browning Gold are both softer),
but it's pretty good.

Because gas derived from cartridge ignition is used to operate the
action of the Beretta 391, the gas carries carbon with it and dirties
the action a good bit. Some gas guns like the Remington 1100s would
require cleaning every few hundred rounds or more just to keep
operating. I've owned half a dozen various models of the Beretta gas
guns, including a 391, and have found the 391 to go a very, very long
time between cleanings without malfunctioning. I don't think that my
current 391 has been properly cleaned in over 5,000 rounds of target
shooting. I just put a few drops of BreakFree CLP on the piston and
guide rod and it trundles along. It's remarkable.

So, if the 391 gas gun lowers recoil, is reliable and goes a long time
between cleanings, why consider anything else? Because gas guns don't
work as well as inertia operated guns when they are wet. My Beretta
303s and B-80s (essentially a Beretta 302 sold by Browning) do not
handle wet weather at all well. The 391 is better, but not in the same
class as the Benellis or the other guns with that inertia system. In
upland hunting, the ability to operate flawlessly when drenching,
soaking, sopping wet may or may not be important, but in waterfowl
hunting, it is vital. This is where the inertia action comes into it's
own.

I won't say that the Benelli action will work under water because even
I am not dumb enough to try that one and you shouldn't either. But it
will function properly when very, very wet, the way you often get when
hunting ducks and geese all day in the rain. The inertia action
doesn't rely on carbon carrying gas to operate. It uses inertia, which
is clean. So inertia operated guns like the Benelli, Franchi I-12 and
Stoeger 2000 shoot very, very clean. They kick more, but they do it
cleanly. Clean guns are less likely to jam when wet because there is
nothing for the water to blend with to turn to sludge to stop the gun.

So, if you plan on hunting in wet weather, I'd look long and hard at
the Benelli action. I have no in depth experience with the "Inertia
Driven" Benelli style actions of the Stoeger 2000 or Franchi I-12, so
you are on your own there.

Personally, I find Benellis extremely reliable in all weather
conditions, but not as comfortable to shoot as the Beretta 391. A
great many competitive clay target shooters use the 391 and put tens
of thousands of rounds through them each year. Virtually no ranked
competitive shooter uses a Benelli. But lots and lots of hunters do.

How do the Franchi I-12 and the Stoeger 2000 compare to the Benelli?
Dunno exactly. All the companies are owned by Beretta, so my guess is
that Beretta was looking for a way to market a less expensive Benelli.
The Franchi I-12 is made in Italy, but the Stoeger is not. I think
it's Turkish. Assembly quality is definitely not as good as the
Benelli, but it costs a lot less too. The Franchi I-12 is a nice gun
and appears well made. Beyond that, I haven't put enough rounds
through either of the guns to form an opinion as to how long they will
last. Generally Benelli inertia operated guns are quite free of parts
breakage. They aren't bullet proof, but they are good.

If you do pick the Beretta 391, do you get the Urika or Teknys? For
hunting, I'd get the Urika in a heartbeat. The Teknys has a bunch of
gingerbread on it that really isn't going to do a hunter much good.
Save the money. Get the plain synthetic stocked 391 Urika for hunting.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
The Technoid for Shotgun Report, LLC