Look at youtube.com , lots of information there and here . Randy Wakeman has some terrific reviews. I've been looking around for weeks at everything I could find on 28ga autos , read all the posts here. I just sent payment for a TriStar viper G2 28ga. from Buds. I like the 5 year warranty , dual action bars ,and the fiber optic front bead. lot's of stuff to see. Good Luck.

 

Can`t recall seeing anything but positives relative to the SA-08. I believe Randy thinks highly of them as well.

 

I have both the SA-08, and the CZ 912, I really like both of them, the Weatherby has a better finish, and is slick, the 912 is really nice also, I guess it would boil down to, looking at the plates on my truck when I lived in Illinois 912 CZ.

cdb

 

I am not sure for which propose you want to Semi Auto Shotgun , Hunting, Clay shooting or just shooting. But if you are not obsessive for wood finish and classic looking. I can recommend Hatsan Shotguns. Hatsan shotgun like WV , poor design but always working. Also Hatsan new systems in Semi Auto most hunters very happy with that.

 

I can't remember anyone saying anything bad about the SA-08. My own skeet gun is a Weatherby Element Deluxe (wood/blued) and the fit and finish are top notch. I expect the SA08 is right there as well.

I looked at a CZ 20ga, and it was nice, but it wasn't quite as well assembled IMHO. But they also seem to get pretty solid marks from users.

 

It depends on the gauge and the action.

For 20 gauge, the Mossberg SA-20 is an excellent choice, as is the SA-28. Both are Armsan. The Weatherby SA-08 gas guns (ATA) in 12 and 20 are pretty good as well.

For an inertia 12 gauge, the Retay Masai Mara is the pick of the litter.

 

I have the Yildiz in 20ga. Simple operation, really nice wood, chromed inside and out, 5 chokes. No issues, all good.
Good luck deciding!

 

2 weeks ago i purchased a g2 viper sporting 12 ga . Ive put 125 rounds thru it 4 rounds
of skeet using 1145 fps ammo and 25 hv rounds for brake in with out a hitch. Its a very nice
gun for the money

 

2 weeks ago i purchased a g2 viper sporting 12 ga . Ive put 125 rounds thru it 4 rounds
of skeet using 1145 fps ammo and 25 hv rounds for brake in with out a hitch. Its a very nice
gun for the money

Is the Tristar Viper G2 Sporter, is that the red metal version? It looks really cool. I'm strongly looking in to that one. I'm more of a trap shooter and I just want a fun 12 gauge semi auto.

 

I have the Yildiz in 20ga. Simple operation, really nice wood, chromed inside and out, 5 chokes. No issues, all good.
Good luck deciding![/quote]

Is this Yildiz the A-71 that they sell at Academy Sports? You give it good marks?

 

No i have the walnut model with adj comb and raised flat rib it shoot about 50/50
But its the same action as the red sporting. but diffrent rib

 

If you want a semi auto on the cheap, then take yourself up to a local wal mart and try a $189 Hatfield. I have owned 2 for a couple years now. One in 20 gauge and one in 12 gauge. For a cheap simple gun you cant go wrong with this Turkish offering. I have several thousand rounds through both of mine and as long as they get cleaned after each outing then no complaints. They come with a Heavy and a Light piston and 4 chokes cant be beat for a very cheap gun. The Weatherby SA08 is similar but a little better and of course more expensive but Weatherby has always built very nice guns out of Japan. Just figured I would through out another option for you. Good luck

 

I have the Yildiz in 20ga. Simple operation, really nice wood, chromed inside and out, 5 chokes. No issues, all good.
Good luck deciding!

Is this Yildiz the A-71 that they sell at Academy Sports? You give it good marks?[/quote]

Yes it is. In 20 ga. couple of thousand rounds through it. Nice, reliable good looking gun.
We also have the 12ga pump and a 12 ga SPZ ME O/U.
The O/U has over 13,000 rounds through it.

 

I have the Yildiz in 20ga. Simple operation, really nice wood, chromed inside and out, 5 chokes. No issues, all good.
Good luck deciding!

Is this Yildiz the A-71 that they sell at Academy Sports? You give it good marks?

Yes it is. In 20 ga. couple of thousand rounds through it. Nice, reliable good looking gun.
We also have the 12ga pump and a 12 ga SPZ ME O/U.
The O/U has over 13,000 rounds through it.[/quote]

I went to Academy today, they had a A-71 in 12 gauge. I really liked the way it felt. Lightweight and nice wood. It was only $399, which is a good price for a budget semi auto. Do you think it would be a good slug gun? I hunt in thick woods for hogs and was thinking about being able to use a semi auto for get some piggies.

 

I want to get a semi auto, I own to O/U Turkish guns so I'd like to keep up my collection.
I was looking at the following:

Weatherby SA-08
CZ 712/912
Tristar G2 Viper
Yildez

What do folks recommend?

It depends on the gauge and the action.

For 20 gauge, the Mossberg SA-20 is an excellent choice, as is the SA-28. Both are Armsan. The Weatherby SA-08 gas guns (ATA) in 12 and 20 are pretty good as well.

For an inertia 12 gauge, the Retay Masai Mara is the pick of the litter.

Thank you for sharing. Your videos are great Randy. That Retay Masai Mara is a sweet looking firearm. It looks out of my price range I was looking at but boy it looks nice in the videos.

Is there a big difference between the Armsan and ATA made gas guns? In the end I want a all around use semi-auto. I love my little 20 gauge Franchi but I'd like to have something else as well in 12 gauge.

 

I have the Yildiz in 20ga. Simple operation, really nice wood, chromed inside and out, 5 chokes. No issues, all good.
Good luck deciding!

Is this Yildiz the A-71 that they sell at Academy Sports? You give it good marks?

Yes it is. In 20 ga. couple of thousand rounds through it. Nice, reliable good looking gun.
We also have the 12ga pump and a 12 ga SPZ ME O/U.
The O/U has over 13,000 rounds through it.

I went to Academy today, they had a A-71 in 12 gauge. I really liked the way it felt. Lightweight and nice wood. It was only $399, which is a good price for a budget semi auto. Do you think it would be a good slug gun? I hunt in thick woods for hogs and was thinking about being able to use a semi auto for get some piggies.[/quote]

I have never shot slugs out of the semi but we have out of the Yildiz Pump and O/U. No issues hit where we pointed.

 

If you want a semi auto on the cheap, then take yourself ......The Weatherby SA08 is similar but a little better and of course more expensive but Weatherby has always built very nice guns out of Japan. Just figured I would through out another option for you. Good luck

FYI.

While some Weatherbys in the past, mostly O/U's have been made in Italy and Japan, the SA-08 is made in Turkey.

 

I love my Dickinson 212 SR. Basically a Stoeger 3000 clone. Inertia driven. Very reliable with anything I have ever put through it. From Walmart target loads to 3" buckshot loads, it eats them all. Stays clean too. Forearm is really slim. The gun feels nice and shoots really well.
Picked mine up from CDNN for around $300.

Robert

 

Nothing but happiness with my Weatherby SA-08 2p gauge!!! (ATA I believe)

Great to carry,great to shoot!

 

I love my Dickinson 212 SR. Basically a Stoeger 3000 clone. Inertia driven. Very reliable with anything I have ever put through it. From Walmart target loads to 3" buckshot loads, it eats them all. Stays clean too. Forearm is really slim. The gun feels nice and shoots really well.
Picked mine up from CDNN for around $300.

Robert

This

 

Tristar G2 Viper has stunning wood on the Bronze model. The receiver looks good that color, too. It would be my choice in a new gas operated autoloader.

 

I have a CZ 712 G2 with the green anodized receiver. I've been using it pretty regularly for 3 years now. It's an absolutely excellent gun and I've really enjoyed it.

The good: Very good looking
Wood is decent and solid
Finish is strong but not muddy
Metal finish is very very durable. It's a flat black hard-chrome that just doesn't wear at all
Cycles really well with ammo it likes
Takes Beretta/Benelli Mobil chokes
Under $500
Ergonomics are generally quite good
Very consistent patterns with every lead and steel shot I've patterned it with
All internals are chromed and very slick
About 1/2"-3/4" cast off with a palm swell means it fits me (right handed) very well.

The bad: Safety button and bolt release are not as large and positive as some others
If you're shooting 2-3/4" shells it has definite preferences. I really like the Rio cheap *** #8s and mine runs them really well.
One of my recoil pad screws stripped after a year. No problem but I did have to dowel it and re-drill it.
There's a threaded collar that retains the barrel on the magazine tube before the handguard slides on. It's a tiny pain in the *** to unscrew every time you disassemble it

I would definitely buy it again.

 

Nothing but happiness with my Weatherby SA-08 2p gauge!!! (ATA I believe)

Great to carry,great to shoot!

This!!

The ATA CY is the same gun with mobil chokes. $399 in Realtree Max 5 at Academy.

If you prefer wood the Yildez A71 is also $399 at Academy backed by Briley. Same action as the G2 Viper. My 20 has the best fit/finish
Internally of any Turkish auto I have seen. I love my 20 ga. A71.

 

I know several people who duck hunted this season with the Retay Masai. So if you've looking for something you can get dirty and shoot 3" mags out of, they have good reviews so far.

I do not think Retay has sold a 3.5" 12 gauge yet, but I think they may have shown one at SHOT show and will have it out before the 2019 duck season.

 

I have a Mossberg 500 12ga and love it, ive had it forever and hunted everything with it and its never jammed, misfired or let me down in any way, and it'll take a turkey just as easily as it'll knock crows out of the sky...

a couple things I don't really care for though is that it has the rattle at the forestock/cycling arms that most all mossbergs seem to have, which may be an issue you might want to look into before buying one specifically for turkey hunting, another is the physical size, which has nothing to do with the gun itself and is probaby just a personal gripe of mine... many years ago I bought a Remington 870 youth 20ga for my son, and he didn't take to it, so I starting using it, and even though im a pretty big guy it actually fits and shoots great for me, I do a lot of brush pounding for various small game and when I use a shotgun that 870 is it hands down, it works excellent, which drops my big 500 12ga down to a crow/turkey gun
I do own both a 500 and an 870, and like them both, but its hard to compare them in too many ways as theyre two totally different guns, I like the safety on the Mossberg better, and Mossberg does have a 20ga youth model, but I already own the 870