Beretta A391 Xtrema 3.5?

[tfbirddog2]

I am thinking of purchasing the Xtrema in a 26" or 24" barrell in black I have shot one once a customer at the lodge had.I liked it more than super black eagle for the fit.Anyone out there have one and could give me pros and cons or likes and dislikes for a little insite, thanks.

[TAK]

Why the 3.5? goose hunter. I have the 391 26in LOVE IT!
I have mine ported also and forced cone, back board... tell you the truth I have no idea what that stuff means but i got it done!!!!! Ballistic Specialties Ohh ya a cylender choke!
Not sure if it makes it shoot better but is cool to say you have it!
The one with the most toys in the end wins!!!!!

[reedauction]

Any of the beretta 391's are great guns. 3-1/2 is a bit much for upland, but great for geese. If i was to buy a 12ga auto I would by another beretta 391 with the optimum bore and a parrel stock. I have had many of my friends by guns from a guy back east and, and have been pleased with his prices. Joel etchen Guns is where i would recomend..I dont think you can beat his prices even with shipping cost.

[tfbirddog2]

Im a turkey hunter and am wanting a new semi.Am hoping to goose hunt more.thanks for info and input.

[Gregory]

Me think,the 3.5" is one powerful load and the gun that was built to take such a load might be a specialty gun intended for Goose and Duck or Turkey. On the other hand the shells you will be hunting with for upland may not have the power to trow the bolt back to eject the shell cleanly. Sami auto's are finicky creatures that require not only cleanliness but most of all the right fodder if they are to work as intended. Now,I know that few of the manufactores included adjustments on their newer models that one can adjust how much gas the port will allow to escape in order to acomadate different shells,but I think it will be on the extream side of things to go from a 3.5" shell intended for Geese down to 2 3/4 " loaded with 3 1/4 dram equivalent .
Something you might want to conceder.
Best.
Greg

[Greg Jennings]

I've shot 303's and 391's extensively at clay targets and dove.

I can't say enough good things about them. They are incredibly reliable.

The 391's have a self-metering gas system that allows them to shoot light loads through extremely heavy loads w/o manual adjustment.

The flip side is that the self-metering system gives up some of the recoil-taming effects of gas-operated slush-a-matics.

My father has a Super Black Eagle. It's light and good for toting around, but, man-o-man it's a snot-slinger with heavy loads.

Best,

[Birdhunter1]

I have a 391 20 guage and I love it. A 12 is WAY too big for upland in my opinion but that's me.

[Gregory]

In what sense is the 12 too big for upland,Weight wise? All of my 12 game guns are from 6 1/2 -6 3/4 pounds in weight.

Your thoughts sort of reminded me of a hunt trip I was in Kansas few years a go for Bob Whites. I had the good fortune to run in to couple of good 'Ol boy out of staters same as Me. Dinner,dog talk and by the time it was time to belly up to the bar the talk had turned to guns:>). My gun of choice for that trip hapened to be my 28" barreled straight gripped Citori 12.Which they wasted no time to say about the same lines what you said a bove,being one had a 20 Browning and the other a 20 Beretta and wasted no time at all to look down at my choice for a gun . With an Invite back to their Motel room for a night cap,finely, I had found a way to prove my point,that's when I asked them to hand over one of their shells. They both handed me a 3' er loade to the max with 7.5's. I took my knife and opened and dumped their shot in to the palm of their hand, then I did the same in my hand with one of my cannon sized 12's that were hand loaded with 7/8 of an ounce of 7.5's. My point was and it should be with you.It's not the size of the gun that makes the gentleman a sport,but the bullet one shoots throught that gun . The 12 gives you way more options over the 20.

You can load 7/8 ths of an ounce all the way up to 1 7/8 of an ounce for the 12 to accomadate you for every species of bird found in the USA , to where if you tryed the same with a 20,you will not only be defeating the purpose for getting it in the first place, besides you will be turning it in to a crippler at the same time.
Those are the fact's.
Best.
Greg

[Birdhunter1]

I use to hunt with a 12 guage but went with a 20 for the lighter weight and lighter profile. I use to hunt with an 870 wingamster 12 guage, 7 1/4 lbs.. my Beretta 391 20 guage wiehgs 6 lbs. 2 ozs. and has a very slim feel in your hands.
I did know that about the shells, I usually shoot 7/8 oz. or 1oz loads in my 20, I just don't want the extra weight. I know I can get a 12 in the same weight as the 20 I have now but it will feel bulkier, and it would not be the same gun that I have (meaning the 391 12 guage will be heavier than the 391 20) and i really liked this gun.

As for making cripples out of game with a smaller gun, I will argue that one forever. I have seen guys (including myself) shoot and kill just as cleanly with a 20 as they do a 12, 16 or 28. I have even seen guys out at our club with .410's and every bird folded right up.

[TAK]

Shot placement Gentleman! Tail, Butt, Beck, Bang! Boils down to Quility loads!

[Gregory]

That's right Tom, Shot placement is where it's all at. Trouble though with the 20 is that you are not always able to place the shot with it where you want at distences you can with the 12 . Other than that the 20 is fine.

Hey, I hear 'Ol Allen is getting some long tails to run with the big boys...
Best.
Greg

PS. Birdhunter1 .What that guy does with .410 at your club does not equate to real life wild bird hunting. Still, to most of us...

Best
Greg

[Birdhunter1]

Oh I know bird on a preserve are different from wild birds by far, but I have seen guys shoot .410's at wild birds just as well.

I on the other hand don't think it's shot placement or the shot itself as much as knowing your gun. If you know your gun well enough and know how it shoots and so on you'll be dead on with it regardless opf whether you're shooting 4's, 6's, or 8's.

[TAK]

That's right Tom, Shot placement is where it's all at. Trouble though with the 20 is that you are not always able to place the shot with it where you want at distences you can with the 12 . Other than that the 20 is fine.

Hey, I hear 'Ol Allen is getting some long tails to run with the big boys...
Best.
Greg

PS. Birdhunter1 .What that guy does with .410 at your club does not equate to real life wild bird hunting. Still, to most of us...

Best
Greg

Greg, I just relized something, :salute: Glad to see you here!!!! :wav:
What is Allen thinking! Trader!

[Gregory]

Howdy,Tom. It's a bout time you figured things out.

Alen not only bought couple of pointers,he bought a young gated gelding so's he can keep up with them

I told him ,best keep the short hair's around so he'd have something worth while to hunt birds with,instead of hunting for the dogs.
On a serious note. I think the reason has something to do with the trials available in his neck of the woods.
Stay Safe.
Greg

[dognut]

I had a mossberg 835 and was turkey hunting with it shot 3 times and spent 6 months in rehab for a partialy dislocated shoulder. I traded it for a rem 870 express with and extra full choke. last year I brought home 3 turkeys the limit here in ga. alot of people around here dont care for the 3 and a half's at all. I make it a habit to look whats is in the pawn shop and see what people are geeting rid of before I buy a new gun. i also ask around as to why they are getting rid of the gun. worked for me i was told i shouldnt have bought a 835 and i did it anyway and paid for it.

[Decoy]

I liked it more than super black eagle for the fit.

Have you tried the SBE II ?
I have the 1st edition SBE and I love it for waterfowl -- I have not had the oppotunity to shoot the SBE II but you may want to check it out.

[Gregory]

Oh I know bird on a preserve are different from wild birds by far, but I have seen guys shoot .410's at wild birds just as well.

I on the other hand don't think it's shot placement or the shot itself as much as knowing your gun. If you know your gun well enough and know how it shoots and so on you'll be dead on with it regardless opf whether you're shooting 4's, 6's, or 8's.

Birdhunter 1
I agree, I too have seen folks using .410's at wild birds. Some used them with great success by limiting the distences they shot at, while others were not as successful as they shot at everything that flew.

I think we can also agree on the .410. it should be used on wild birds by expert shots that have the good sense to limit their shots,or by young people being introduced to bird hunting.


And as far as what comes first the horse or the cart. I think before one can place the shot where it needs to be,one has to have a gun that fits them well,otherwise regardless of how it feels in ones hands it may not shoot where you are looking at when the butt hits the shoulder and the wood meets the cheek.
Besides all that,spending little time at the skeet field shooting your game guns from low gun position will go long ways in improving your odds at what you shoot at.
Have fun.
Greg

[goddog]

As for turkey hunting, I like 2-3/4, 12 GA in #4 shots with extra full choke, they don’t do much of anything after a well placed shot.

Speaking of my experience, the 3-1/2 12ga does not pattern well beyond 30~35 yards in BB, #4 or even #6 shot (steel or lead), which defeat the purpose of having all that extra pellets. Not to mention the recoil and muzzle rise kept from quick follow-up shots as needed most of the time with that load, defiantly fewer bangs for the buck. As much as I believe it’s bad taste to form an opinion by death toll, I think there are more game taken by the 12GA 2-3/4 shell than all the others combine.

[tfbirddog2]

Ok, First off if you can come to the lodge I work and tell me the difference in a wild bird or a pen-raised you are not hunting wild strand pheasant or well flight conditioned quail.If you can your bluffing!Back to subject Dognut,I have a 835 and have killed a ton of upland and turkeys with they are not junk in my eyes,I would say you must not have been holding it right no offense.As for .410s that all I carried when I was nine and killed 10 roosters that year dead cold.I see them more and more for quail,I know two guys thats all they shoot on both birds.Decoy, my boss, and friend(lodge owner) just got his new SBE II on Monday I too liked the fit but,they still pull a little high on me compared to Xtrema.I did kill my first turkey with 20ga. 3' #5s at 33 yards no problems.I just want a new Semi-auto,and a new 12ga.,and a new turkey gun so I thought why not the Xtrema or maybe the SBE II then get all I want in one gun.I also love the HEVI-SHOT TOO.

[Gregory]

We have probably one of the finest preserves here in Indiana not more than five miles from my home . With shooting facilities SC and Five stand with John Krugger as the head pro.

I hapen to know the head dog trainer/handler there and quite often I have permision to train my dogs and the dogs from few chosen friends, (when sports aren't out hunting) .

It is true, if you never hunted the wilds from one end of the country to the other, you might get to thinking that's the only difference between a preserve rooster from a wild one is the snap of the flush . But,it's not. A wild rooster that lives in the wild will know after the first few days in to the season's opening, that you are there when you first open your cars door and flush three hundred yards when you close it. Something I never see when driving on "Quail Ridge's" well graveled road heading for the lodge. I do how ever see a bunch of liberated roosters,Bob's and Chukar at the edge of a field that run in to the cover rather than flush when you approach them, those birds while they might flush well can be killed iside of fifteen yards with agood pointing dog. Then if you were to head further away from the lodge and in one of their fields you will also see roosters on the mowed areas lounging around only to run again in to the cover. Are they dumber than the wild birds,probably not, but then again they had no reason to be as smart or clever and as weary of man or preditor as their wild cousins. Can I kill them with a .410 as readily as I can with my 12,right tootin' I can. But would I drive to Oregon for chukar, N M for blues, N D for sharpies, Wy, for Sage Hens, and to Neb for Prairie chickens with a .410 as my only gun in the gun case,nope, I would not,but I do it every year with a 12 ga.

Now I am not here to tell any one that hapens to be reading,what to hunt with, nor am I directing the above to any one person.I am however saying that what applies on a game farm on pen raised and human aclimated birds does not aply to wild birds. There is one other thing one must conceder that applies to all types of hunting and not just birds, that we owe the game being hunted to kill it as cleanly and as humanely as we possibly can.I feel that is the ethical thing to do as a sports man.

I'm done on this subject,thanks for reading......

Best,Greg.

[Decoy]

the 3-1/2 12ga does not pattern well beyond 30~35 yards in BB, #4 or even #6 shot (steel or lead), which defeat the purpose of having all that extra pellets.

Try a choke tube designed to shorten the shot string rather than funnel the shot see www.wadwizard.com

[tfbirddog2]

I went to cabelas satruday and bought one black with 28'' barrel.got home today and shot some blue rock hit 11 of 15.Lets just say I LIKE IT!!!