# Pros and cons of a A390 Gold Mallard 12ga



## fishminer (Jan 4, 2006)

Need some help Guys.


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## GDO (Jun 15, 2005)

Really and truly it all depends on what you will be using it for...waterfowl, upland bird, or just skeet.

IMO, there are a lot of semi-autos on the market today that are good. If you are getting it for waterfowl or bird hunting then it is a good gun to use. It is very versatile and you don't have to change anything on the gun if you want to go from light to heavy loads. These guns are real simple to break down and clean and even easier to put back together. One thing I will suggest if you have a little more to spend, go with a Browning Gold or Silver Hunter. I really think that you will be happier with a Browning over the Beretta. You will get more bang for your buck...no pun intended LOL.


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## txsnyper (Feb 8, 2007)

I would have to dissagree with GDO. I say stick with the Beretta. The 390 is a proven gun and will stand the test of time.
However he is correct when he said it depends what you plan to use it for.

Your doing the right thing already though by asking around and getting opinions for other folks.......very smart.

I say go Beretta, but I am very bias to Beretta.

Well thats my $.02


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## GDO (Jun 15, 2005)

The main thing I was getting at was the fact that if you use a Gold Hunter ($800-900) you have the option of shooting 3 1/2 whereas with the Beretta you would have to step up to the 391 ($1200+) to have that option. If money wasn't a factor I would deffinately go with the 391 Extrema II. Like I said you get more bang for your buck with the Browning, but if you have the extra money to spend, go with the Beretta. You could spend even more money and get the Binelli SBE but then you are up to $1500. I guess to each his own.


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## Quackerbox (Feb 6, 2006)

Just buy it you wont be disappointed,,,I've got 3 beretta's never had a problem with any of them. I shoot the 390 the most, I've had it since 94 and have yet to replace anything on it. The beretta will shoot the lightest 7/8oz loads all the way up to the maxed out 3" without changing a thing. If I were to spend a grand on a shotgun it better do that without taking it apart and replacing a part, never have understood that about the benelli???. The benelli is not near as smooth as a beretta. The browning is not even an option.


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## GDO (Jun 15, 2005)

Quackerbox said:


> Just buy it you wont be disappointed,,,I've got 3 beretta's never had a problem with any of them. I shoot the 390 the most, I've had it since 94 and have yet to replace anything on it. The beretta will shoot the lightest 7/8oz loads all the way up to the maxed out 3" without changing a thing. If I were to spend a grand on a shotgun it better do that without taking it apart and replacing a part, never have understood that about the benelli???. The benelli is not near as smooth as a beretta. The browning is not even an option.


Never knew you had to change anything out on the Binelli. Couple of guys I hunt with have the SBE and they can go from light load to 3 1/2 without changing anything. If they do have to change something, they do it extremely fast. I will have to check that out.


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

There really isn't a down side to a 390. Pretty much as good of an auto as you will find, it is a proven design. If you like the way it feels buy it, you won't be dissapointed.


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## fishminer (Jan 4, 2006)

Thanks,


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## Lezz Go (Jun 27, 2006)

IMHO the Beretta 390 is a better shotgun than the newrr 391. I'm a Rem 1100 man myself, and depending on the intended use, the 390 GM is a great gun. If I were wanting a clay target gun, the Rem 1100 would be my pick. Especially the new 1100 Comp and the G3.

If it's mainly going to be a hunting and sometime clay bird gun, go for it. I like the older semi-humpback designs of the 390 vs the 391.


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## Sea Aggie (Jul 18, 2005)

Here are a couple of articles you can read to help understand more on the subject:

http://www.shotgunreport.com/TechTech/TechnoidArchive/26-Feb-07.pdf

This article is in PDF, so I didn't past it, but it's the most relevant as it discusses the 390, 3901 and several other models.

http://www.shotgunreport.com/TechTech/TechnoidArchive/14-Nov-05.html

Technoid

14-Nov-05
​3" vs 2-3/4" CHAMBERS

Dear Technoid,

Can you tell me why the Cynergy Sporting model only comes in 3 in
chamber?

i want the looks of the Sporting with the punch of the 3 in....and a
ported barrel..

any ideas?

thank you for your time

Richard

Dear Richard,

What you meant to say was that the Cynergy Sporting comes only in 2-3/4"
chambers and you'd like 3", right?

Well, the reason is that Browning thinks that it gets better patterns
from 2-3/4" shells when they are used in 2-3/4" chambers, not 3"
chambers. Some time ago the Browning website had a FAQ that addressed
that point and gave Brownings test results comparing 2-3/4" shells in
2-3/4" and 3" chambers. I've not been able to locate that FAQ recently,
but I didn't try very hard either.

This opinion is by no means universally held. Beretta makes just about
all their 680 series O/Us with 3" chambers, even the competition ones. I
think that Krieghoff does too. At least the 28 gauge K-80 I tested some
time ago had 3" chambers and there isn't a 3" 28 gauge shell being made
that I know of. Two months ago when I was working on a review of the new
Blaser F3, I asked the president of the company why the picked 3"
chambers for a sporting clays gun. He said that they did extensive
testing and found that the 3" chamber was absolutely no disadvantage
with a 2-3/4" shell. But- Browning thinks the other way, as do some
other makers.

You are going to shoot 3" shells in a ported barrel? If that's going to
be in a goose pit, I sure hope that anyone to either side of you has
earmuffs and full battle dress.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
The Technoid for Shotgun Report, LLC



http://www.shotgunreport.com/TechTech/TechnoidArchive/9-Nov-05.html

Technoid

9-Nov-05
​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

​


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

I'm not sure what Quackerbox is talking about but I think you'd be very happy with the 390 as a duck gun. And you can shoot geese with it. If you shoot geese a LOT, I'd suggest you step up to the SBE. Nothing to change in that gun going from light to heavy loads. BUT they do NOT cycle 7/8 oz loads well. At least mine doesn't. Benelli doesn't guarantee them to cycle anything less than 1.25 oz. 

I also don't know what QB means by smoother. The Benelli is inertia operated which I like a lot for waterfowl hunting in bad conditions, where 390 is gas operated. Sounds a little different but wouldn't call one smoother than the other.


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