You mention the 870, seems like a good choice if you want to spend as little money as possible and still get a good dual purpose shotgun.
Pickup an 870 (wingmaster or express) and an extra 18 or 20" barrel and be gtg.
Also, as its been stated befoe, Mossberg sells package deals like the above (26" and 18" barrel). Might be the best route to go.
Unless you just want the bling of a benelli.
Sadly the 21" is out since the club mandates at least 22". Increasingly I’m looking at the Benelli.
One more time about the 870 and pumps in general…I’ve already got an 870, I don’t like the 870, I’m selling the 870.
It’s not a question of the “bling” of a Benelli, it’s more about the shootability/reliability in a semi-auto package which only the Italian B’s seem to offer.
Some people seem to love the Mossbergs, others not so much, I thought about it but I don’t know that I want to risk the not-so-much.
I’m a fan of the M1 Super 90 with a traditional SBE type stock. Reliable and comfortable.
Just heard from my stepmom, her dad is a longtime skeet shooter, he hooked me up with an old-school 12G 1100. Which will fill the need in the short-term.
Accordingly I dropped the hammer on a 20G Benelli M2 so all I need now is a an M4 for the dedicated tactical role.
Eventually I’ll pick up a 28G and a .410 and I’ve got the full skeet set.
IMHO, a skeet gun with a 4 gauge capability and a semi auto tactical shotgun are two very different, specialized tools.
For skeet, I’d recommend you look at good, used, over under 12 gauge shotgun with tube inserts (20, 28 & 410)for the 4 gauges you want. Yeah, it’s not a semi auto, but it is a very good option for skeet (since you only need two shots).
Many years ago, I had a Winchester 101 Pigeon grade over under in this configuration and man, was that gun a joy to shot. Sadly, I no longer have that gun…
An over under shotgun has an easy swing and follow through, a single trigger, and sight alignment is no issue for either barrel. Another benefit of using an over under is that you can shoot and reload the crap the plastic hulls to the point of using scotch tape on the end to keep the #9 pellets from falling out! Try that with your pump or semi auto shotgun!
Anyway, once you become a regular at your range and get to know some of the and old timers, you might be able to pick one up in your price range from someone downsizing their collection.
As for a good tactical semi auto shotgun, you have good advise in the other posts.
My bottomline to you: buy a dedicated skeet gun for weekend use, keep your 870 until you can afford / decide on a semi auto shotgun for tactical use.
But that’s just my opinion…
I agree that they are specialized tools but I don’t have the funds to support both types especially as I’m not looking to be a serious competitor.
I see enough barebones semis on the range to know it’s not impossible to do everything with the same gun, and a tactical shotgun can be had with a quick barrel change. While O/Us are nice guns, there are plenty of semis on the range.
The briley tubs inserts aren’t really cheap (about $1600/set or $700/each) and coupled with the price of a modestly priced quality O/U and you’re easily looking at the cost of 3+ semis. I’ve looked at used and honestly there really isn’t that much difference in price between new and used.
I just want to have some fun and if I have to piss off my wife and invest $3-4K in new gear it’s going to become a lot less fun real quick.
Please keep the comments in line with the premise of the thread. I don’t know why people keep coming back to the 870, the thread is about semis and I’ve already explained I don’t like the 870. If I wanted to keep the 870 I would be. It doesn’t fill the need I’ve specified.
Sounds like you’re set. I personally like the remington 1100, and i’ve heard nothing bad about the M2.
As a piece of advice, if you havent shot an O/U or SxS…dont. Your bank account will thank me, cause once you swing one…you’ll buy one…lol
Also do you plan on shooting any other clay sports? sporting clays, 5 stand, ect…
Oh I shot an O/U (browning and I got to try a krieghoff) and you’re absolutely right, they are sweet guns. I’ll end up getting one when I become rich. 
They were the first guns I was considering but when it became apparent that they were way out of my price range, even for a modest gun, I decided it would be better to get a top-shelf semi for less money. The low-end O/Us like the Mossbergs Silver Reserve and the CZ I played with at the gun store didn’t really have the same quality. Lanber models were rarer than hen’s teeth and I wasn’t sure about customer service if I had problems.
So far I’ve shot skeet and 5 stand and really enjoy both. I also want to do sporting clays. Trap doesn’t really interest me as much.
I picked up a CZ bobwhite (SxS) and love it. I plan on picking up a 20ga O/U from CZ (Mallard, Canvasback, or Woodcock).
I view these guns as field guns. I wouldnt use them on a clays range, its not what they are made for. The post 2006 models are proving to be very durable (guy on shotgunworld has 15k shells through a canvasback with zero problems) but stay away from the earlier models. The Turks have REALLY got their act together (S&W Elite Gold come to mind)
If i were to go for a dedicated sporting gun i would probably go with a “B” gun, but dont completely count out the budget guns…some can be diamonds in the not so rough.
I was told to avoid the Russian/Turkish guns. I don’t know whether it’s a reputation that persists undeservedly or what.
There were some nice CZs I saw but those were back in the $2k range for the competition guns.
I was definitely told to avoid field/hunting guns for skeet purposes. While much cheaper they weren’t as durable or made for such high round counts. This seemed less a problem in the semi-autos, especially those made in Italy.
This is where I’m confused. Only a serious competitor would need anything but a 12 gauge. The only people I know with inserts or multi-gauge setups are SERIOUS competitors.
I am NOT a serious competitor and just shoot at the club with friends. If you see yourself shooting even twice a month I would still recommend an O/U.
I shoot a Beretta White Onyx Sporting 30" that I picked up for $1800 new. My buddy shoots a $400 Stoeger and out shoots several guys with $5000+ guns.
The thing about shotguns is that they are VERY simple instruments that people like to dress up, somewhat like Swiss watches. There isn’t a Rolex in the world that keep better time than a $10 digital watch. But that is not what your paying for.
Moral is you don’t need to spend $$$$$ on an O/U and many can be found cheaper than Benellis - so this should not be part of your decision.
BTW CDNN was selling 30" Lanber 2098 Sporting Lux with 5 chokes for $699. $30 for extended chokes
A serious competitor would need all four gauges. And all you really need for skeet is a 20. I’m getting a 12 both to get get into duck hunting but also back into 3 gun which I dropped as the 870 just sucked to shoot. I’m also looking to do sporting clays which, from my research, pretty well requires a 12 gauge. Down the road, if I really get into it, I may end up getting 28 and .410 to compete. In the meantime it’s neither in the budget, nor a functional need.
I’m not interested in an O/U 12 gauge at all for the same reasons I don’t like the 870…recoil. Any 12 gauge I get is going to be a semi-auto if I’m going to want to shoot it with any kind of regularity. Maybe I’m a pussy but oh well…I know what I don’t like.
I am NOT a serious competitor and just shoot at the club with friends. If you see yourself shooting even twice a month I would still recommend an O/U.
Every choice is a matter of compromise, I want to shoot skeet but wouldn’t feel comfortable taking a nice O/U skeet gun duck hunting. I want to shoot 3 gun and have a defensive shotgun but the same problem comes up. This is what I meant by General Purpose. I’m not looking for a gun that shoots the best skeet, or the best hunter, or the best defensive gun… I’m looking for a jack-of-all-trades that fills three roles well enough to be functional. It doesn’t have to be the best at any of them.
One more time I’m not asking you what type of shotgun you think I need. I know what my need is, a GP semi-auto. I’m asking for recommendations that fill that need. You don’t have to agree with my choice but I’ve identified my need and the thread is premised on that.
I shoot a Beretta White Onyx Sporting 30" that I picked up for $1800 new. My buddy shoots a $400 Stoeger and out shoots several guys with $5000+ guns.
Moral is you don’t need to spend $$$$$ on an O/U and many can be found cheaper than Benellis - so this should not be part of your decision.
I picked up a Benelli M2 20 gauge for $850 so I think I split that baby very well.
The only O/U I found for cheaper than the Benelli was a Mossberg Silver Reserve and honestly it was junk. I reasoned it out and I’d rather get a quality semi that I can afford instead of compromising on a bargain O/U or breaking the bank on a decent O/U.
BTW CDNN was selling 30" Lanber 2098 Sporting Lux with 5 chokes for $699. $30 for extended chokes
I had considered the Lanber unfortunately, as I said before, they are rarer than hen’s teeth.
I called CDNN last week and they’re completely out of stock, they went quick. That said I’d rather get an $850 Benelli than a $700 Lanber.
Some people have reported long waits for getting replacement parts and sending a gun back to Spain for factory service is a nightmare. Accordingly at least one person at my gun club mentioned that he had a lanber and while it was a nice hunting/field gun, it wasn’t durable enough for clays.
So far I’ve spent $850 and gotten both a quality 20 gauge Benelli M2 and a nice, old-school 1100 12 gauge.
Ultimately (way down the road) I’ll get an O/U but in the meantime I just want to have fun without breaking the bank.
In the meantime I think there are others that would benefit from the thread who may be in the same boat.
I got ya. But I would not have bothered with a 20 gauge for a “GP shotgun.” The ammo is much more expensive unless you reload (which I would strongly advise if your going to shoot a lot).
Then again, semi’s are very reload sensitive…
To me 20 gauge and GP shotgun don’t really belong in the same sentence.
The 1100 is obviously a very popular clays gun in the proper configuration. Just stock up on extra small parts and keep is relatively clean.
The thread was really to identify a semi 12 , so I apologize if the thread got sidetracked because of the mention of a 20 gauge.
The 20 gauge isn’t really the GP part of the equation. It will primarily used for clays both by myself and my wife as it’s pretty soft shooting. I went with a Benelli 20 because it represented the best value and was simply pointing it out to show that Benellis really aren’t that pricey if you’re looking to get in to clays cheap. When I get some more cash, I’ll probably end up selling it for a Browning O/U in 20G, which will allow me to get the tube set.
Surprisingly 20 gauge is only slightly more than 12. 28 and .410 however get very expensive. I just picked up 1500 rounds of Remington 20G for about $300.
I’d opt for a Benelli M2 with either a 21" or 24" Vent rib barrel.
You would want a 12 gauge. Tube sets are made for 12 gauge shotguns. Most will put the 20 in and shoot the 12 and 20 gauge matches.
I know you want a semi. The only reason I suggested an O/U is because you were talking about shooting 4 gauge skeet matches which would indicate that you were VERY serious about it. Most serious skeet shooters use O/Us.
I’ll be willing to bet a 12 gauge 1100 will be all you will need if you are just a casual shooter and not reloading.
You can get tubesets for 20 gauge…1/2 way down the page…
So are you going to shoot 12, 20 and 28 with 28 gauge? I think you would want to install tubes into a clean barrel.
That’s not my understanding but I’m a long ways from investigating that further.
I made a somewhat similar thread, in a way, and I ended up on the M2: http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=78181
For what it’s worth. 
I haven’t actually bought it yet, license mumbo jumbo. Europe, you know.