I want a buy once cry once shotgun for mostly skeet and Winter hunting of bird and occasional deer. Mostly skeet and bird. I will spend $1200-$1500 at most. Looking at Benelli Montefeltro, Beretta Extrema 2, Urika 2, Super Black Eagle 2 and what ever Browning etc you guys suggest.
I use a Benneli M4 for turkey, skeet and deer/bear. I use H1 as my optic. Im sure you can find a M4 used for under $1200.
Browning, over under with screw in chokes…Love mine.
Easy answer: Rem 870 wingmaster with 26in barrel, pick up a slug barrel. You can party all day with that, and have a pocket full of cash left.
If that doesn’t suit you, next suggestion would be a 24-26inch Benelli m2, maybe consider getting a 10/22 sight installed on the rib…
Benelli M4 is a tactical gun. Not a good clays/bird gun. Lack of longer barrels and chokes is a problem. Some clubs won’t let you shoot with a short barrel anyways. 26" is kind of a standard minimum with 28-30" being the most common.
Pump guns put you at a distinct disadvantage for skeet/clays. You want semi-auto or over-under.
Beretta or Benelli semi-auto if really the way to go if you’ve got the coin.
Remington 11-87 if you want to save some cash.
Decent O/Us are a lot of money but cheaper ones can be had in the same ball park as a really good semi.
I got to hold a Winchester Super X3 and it felt great. Thoughts?
Without a doubt 870, I have multiple barrels:
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28" for trap|skeet and bird hunting
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Turkey Barrel
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Rifled Barrel barrel with cantilever for deer, hogs
I’ve not shot the Winchester but I’ve heard very good things. They did a record breaking shoot in Argentina recently.
I am currently using a 26" SX3 for 3 gun. However, as part of the break-in, I took it out for skeet (used to be a high volume skeet/sporting shooter). I ran 24 of 25 on my first round with it. Nothing wrong with the SX3 as a general-purpose clays/field gun. A 28" barrel is a nice compromise for both.
In full disclosure, I have had two failures to eject with my super-light 1 oz clays reloads, but it has cycled everything factory - shells from 1 oz target loads up through heavy 00 Buck. The MOD choke in my will put slugs about 6" left at 100 yards but it’s repeatable.
I have a whole lot of experience with the Beretta 390/391 shotguns in competition settings, and have spent some time hunting with the 390. Overall I think the old 390 is best gas-operated autoloader made, but I think the SX3 has it beat in versatility - you can’t add a mag tube to a Beretta 39X. 
I love my Benelli Montefeltro Silver. I boguht it so I could just shoot sporting clays and skeet. It does very well for me. Probably close to 2k rounds and no a single problem, except one or two heavy primers which were not the gun’s fault.
My do-it-all shotgun is a Benelli M1 Super90 with two barrels and screw chokes. Does it all.
Personally I prefer the Benelli’s everyone I have handled has worked well. Had a few issues with some semi custom remingtons 1187’s. Another person suggested the Winchester SX3. I have no time on the SX3 but have put a lot of rounds through a SX2. If I didn’t get a Benelli I would seriously look at the SX3. the SX2 was made by Browning in Belgium and it was a fantastic shooter.
My vote goes to the Benelli Super Black Eagle 2. I’ve got the second generation SBE1 and I would not trade it for ANYTHING. They’re really sweet.
I second the SBEII. A friend had one of these w/ 24" barrel and it was a sweet shooter. I’m kinda partial to a 24 though because I think they are versatile. You can also find an O/U gun like a Beretta 686 Essential for around $700 -they will take 3" where most Benelli’s are 3.5"
If I owned an 870 already, I would get a 3" chamber 12ga over under.
Beretta or Browning with 26" barrels.
If I didn’t own an 870 already, I would get a Remington 11-87, and make sure I was religious in the gas ring maintenance.
This is true, but you can shoot any size 12 gauge through them. I’ve shot the lightest load 2 3/4" target loads through my SBE1 lots of times shooting clays and never had a problem.
12 ga over/under with screw-in chokes for skeet.
20 ga side by side for upland birds with modified/full choke.
Big-assed 10 ga for geese.
So … the demands of each application are certainly different. If you will be shooting skeet more than hunting, get an o/u. If you will be hunting small game more than skeet, get a side by side 20. If you will shoot skeet/trap more than hunt, get an o/u 12.
I’m not a fan of pumps or auto loaders for skeet or bird hunting. Side by side has a quicker, livelier feel to get on a bird while hunting. O/U are generally a little heavier and slower, but are built better for reducing recoil for repeated shooting of clays.
If I were to have only one shotgun, it would be a (discontinued) Browning 20 side by side with English stock. Not the fanciest gun of all time, but a joy to handle in the field. However, for your needs, probably the o/u 12 gauge with screw in chokes would be best. I have no experience with deer slugs, so I can’t comment.