If looking for a semi auto stay away from intertia driven guns that is my advice all you will get is a sore shoulder if lots of shooting and headaches from jamed shells. I also know inertia driven systems do not work very good under cold conditions as a friend has a 20 gauge montefeltro and the thing barley ejects shells when the temp is around 0. You can actually watch the whole bolt move in slow motion. Gas will shoot softer and smoother and does not take the care that people say they do. The beneli I have which is the super balck eagle 2, you could not pay me to shoot over my x3 or maxus. My dad has a original black eagle and never uses it because the thing has jammed shells since the day he bought it. On top of all that Benelli's customer survice is terrible. I wish yyou the best but my vote is gas till the day I die.
p.s. if gas didn't work and their was a better way than gas systems still would not be in production by the most elite gun manufactures.

Wll its not reading at all its the fact we own two benelli's and I know they kick way more and I have more problems. And yes tradiionally gas guns are more sensitive to dirt. However with todays technology they are not. I have had an x3 for 3 years now with over ten thousand rounds trough it at the trap range and yet to clean it (except the barrel) and it still shoots every round. Also the oil may be true but then again I never oil my gas guns and they work fine. Just saying I own both kinds and have had far fewer problems with gas, that is my experience and the people I know experience. I also have friends who are Benelli die hards and will not shoot anything but them but still have more problems than I do. Also with the x3 out of the box the pattern was perfect where my benelli was shooting way low so I had to take the time to shim the stock (by recoil pad) than my dad could not shoot it worth a crap. The x3 we cqn both pick up and shoot just fine. Also 20 gauge does not kick to me weather shooting benelli or gas or overunder. The problem is when I get to heavy 12 gauge loads thats where the difference really is. I am not saying Benilli is a bad gun just saying my experience and time with them has been terrible. If I did not collect guns my two benellis would be in the trash just because of my personal experience with them.

mdpaulus..Now you are starting to understand the guy, and his buddies I was talking about! These guys go through CASES of shells. This guy will come to work, and he is a dept head in the hunting dept of a big sporting goods chain store, Sportsman's Warehouse, and he looks like death warmed over a lot of days...like no sleep for a few days in a row. I would say he wore his Super Black Eagle out, and it wasn't as old as the model is, by not cleaning it, and running all the grit through it. Just got sloppy. When he took the bolt mechanism out of it to thoroughly clean behind the bolt especially, the mainspring behind the bolt...that area was packed with residue. His comment was, "that is why I shoot Benelli's..never miss fired once. Now the new Vinci has corrected that chance of crap getting in behind the bolt. They are very easy to clean..pop out the bolt, wipe it down, lightly lube, and back in it goes. Rem oil is the best, BUT NOT THE DRY LUB!!!! My action slowed to a standstill because of that stuff drying in my receiver area. This guy cleaned it, and sprayed the wet oil with silicone in it, and it slams shut fast now. The dry stuff even screwed up my magazine where it wouldn't work. I looked up this rich guy that shoots a Montefeltro as well flying down in his buddies jet to hunt doves in Mexico every year. He shot 5,000 shells in a week down in Mexico through that Montelfeltro. I talked to him about the recoil thing, and he concurred with my observation...that the perceived recoil seems to be distributed over time because of the inertia action function. This guy is a top level sporting clays shooter as well, but does not use a Benelli to shoot clays. He can't take recoil at all, and said he was going to go to a gas operated auto, a Beretta, but instead chose an O/u that do kick the worst, but spent a bunch of money on recoil reduction in the stock. The guy has lots of expensive shotguns. Gas guns are great, no doubt about it. And the new ones have some great features, easy cleaning being one of them. But they do need to be cleaned like all guns should be. This duck hunting dude just doesn't take the time very often to clean his properly, and why he shoots a Benelli.

Something about those O/U's that kick. Although any fixed breach gun should kick harder than an auto, but, I also think it is a lot about the fit of the gun as well. My Beretta 20 O/U kicks with trap loads if I shoot a round with it. But, I also shortened it by taking off the recoil pad, and putting on a very thin rifle pad that doesn't have much give. That makes a big difference. Most, like myself, don't feel much kick when hunting. I think afterwards, "did the gun kick much?" Sometimes I think it did. But I shoot 3" shells in that Montefeltro hunting, and can fire off 3 rounds, and the barrel doesn't even seem to jump much off target...no perceived kick to me. That guy that duck hunts with a Vinci now, also bought a SX3 and didn't own it for very long, and said he had to send it back...wouldn't recycle. I don't know how he can afford so many guns. The guy doesn't make that much money. And you seldom know the truth about an owner's testimony. They get locked in, and opinionated as to what is the best.

I think what you can conclude from sayfu and myself is everyone has guns they love generally because they personally shoot them better and have better luck with them. My advice is shoot different guns until one fits you right and you shoot it well. Don't buy off brand or interia vs gas buy one that fits you and the rest will work out.

Personally, I don't like the swing of a light shotgun nearly as well as a heavier gun. Maybe that's because I was raised with a heavy shotgun (870 3" mag with 30" barrel).

Reasons why guys notice the kick on the trap range more than they do in the field: 1) most trap shooting is done in temperate weather with light clothing and field hunting is usually done with heavier clothing which means more padding; 2) just one round of trap = 25 rounds shot consecutively but I can't remember when I shot a box of shells in less than two whole days hunting in the field (and that would be extremely poor shooting for this old boy).

I used my neighboors vinci (3in version) this duck season and that was a blast. Lightweight which was perfect for jumpshooting ducks out of flooded corn fields. One mistake i made was shooting it laying down, but that was more of stupidity than anything. I do think the comfort tech helps with recoil and i had zero problems with the gun using 3in black clouds, all the way down to 1 ounce target loads. I loved the gun so much im saving up for one of my own

I had the opportunity to shoot a Super Vinci last week, I still don't want no Benelli, any shape, form or fashion.
MDpaulus,
Your BT-99 does not weigh 12 pounds unless you added a recoil reducer or lead to the stock, even with a 34" barrel. I assume your reference to you x3 was the Winchester Super X3, a good gun, mostly a Browning Gold with a few changes (no speed feed) and an excellent value.

Res, I own two bt99 one has a short 28 inch barrel and weighs roughly 8 pounds. The second which weighs 12 pounds has a 34 inch barrel, with some lead in the stock. The reason is yes reduced recoil when I used to shoot competitivly so a thousand rounds a day would not kill me. Also yes the winchester super x3. I love the gun and operates great, very similar to the maxus just a different gas system. Regardless they are all good guns. I agree I do not like Benelli from my experiences, but they do have their advantages, as Sayfu would tell you, to me its more on personal preference and every gun has its advantages and downfalls.

OK Sayfu, here ya go. Benelli shotguns feel like crap (to me), every one I have ever shot patterned too low, even with the shims in to raise the comb as high as it would go and the real deal breaker is the excessive muzzle jump that is experienced with a slim profile gun inherent with the Benelli.
Here's a challenge for ya, go to the NSCA National or the NSSA World shoot or, for that instance, The Grand and find me a AAA, Master Class, or 27 yard man who shoots one.