Thread: What shotgun for bulk rabbits and occasional wallbies?

I am no shotgun expert and don't own one anymore but agree with Gonetropo that the Fabarm is very soft recoiling. Light and easy to carry.
Mine when I had it was very pleasant to use.

I use a 90 year old Savage side by side. Built like a tractor, long 30" barrels, kicks like a mule, and an absolute killer out to 55 meters. Paid $100 for it. Lethal old girl - has bowled an awful lot of bunnies and doesn't often miss. Will never part with it. I seriously admire efficiency in a firearm. Don't rule out the golden oldies.. they can be a power of fun

I'd echo the "fitment", and the stock ergonomics; they are not all created equal, even on identical guns (rifles included).I am a light-framed person, and after brownings, bennelli's,and many others, I now use a baikal u/o that doesnt even have a recoil-pad.People can bag them as much as they like, this one is beautifully made and even kicks-out on the stock for a right-hander. Try a bunch, as others suggest, and see what works. Any decent shop should let you try the second-hand stuff.

i have a Bellini m2 that i brought for duck shooting this season and i haven't had any issues with it.great gun

Originally Posted by nzrob

i have a Bellini m2 that i brought for duck shooting this season and i haven't had any issues with it.great gun

i had a beretta 1201. same inertia system as the m2. great gun till you fire off 200+ rounds in a day then they hurt like hell

yea i have used it for clay bird shooting and fired 200 od rounds i was using 40gr #2 as that was all i had and the shoulder wasn't to bad at all mind you the previous shotgun i was using was a baikal under over so the shoulder was used to it

Originally Posted by gonetropo

i have owned a benelli, a beretta, a winchester and even a saiga 12, my semi 12 is now a fabarm, its light but has less kick than any other i ever owned.

Curious what kind of Beretta / Benelli you owned?
edit - nevermind, I see it was a 1201. That's a far cry from the current A400s with kick-off system, which are the softest shooting shotguns you will find

A chopper pilot I did opening morning with where we absolutely slayed a lot of parries, was a big fan of Benelli M1's. He had an M2 there but preferred the older model.
Ive got a Mossberg 500 with a home/workshop made thumbhole/pistol grip stock. I ported the barrel and I reckon its got less kick than my lads ATA semi. Cant quite get my head around that.
My tick would go to an old Browning A5. Cheap as at present, reliable as, don't boot much especially with a recoil pad.
The browning was the day gun and the Mossberg with the aimpoint and miners cap lamp fitted as a spotlight for night shooting was my go to for my trups to the EBS like you.
Only time I got a sore shoulder was the year we got 600 and I shot approx. 80 myself. All 1 1/4 lead. Only just sore and hardly a bruise. A lot of ammo went down range that 24 hours so I didn't think it was too bad.

Benelli m2 mate, 24 inch barrel handy on the quad or ute and still good for the ducks. Handles 32gr loads well and slugs no dramas. The A400 is good but alot more expensive and there's no real requirement for 3.5shells imo.

Originally Posted by berg243

best one is the one that fits you as if it doesn't fit you you will not get a good success ratio on shots fired.i like a pump as I can fire it and not reload if I want to retrieve the target or do something and know the shotgun does not have a live cartridge in the chamber.

yip agree 100% re ammo for rabbits try some falcon sp36 in size #3 and you wont ever look back...they take wobblies if you are close too but you just cant beat #2s or #BBs for the hoppers.

Originally Posted by Towely

Dont agree with that husky. A 1oz slug traveling at 1600fps has a much stronger recoil impulse than the same 1oz slug traveling at 1200fps. I use the speed stated on the box as a loose guide to how much recoil im going to encounter with shotshells while taking payload weight into account as well.

And the answer to the OPs question is neither Jm pro, benelli or versamax. Its vepr 12

Try some of these - 1 1/4oz doing 1700fps! They even hurt using the Xtreama with kick off. I have a part box here that I have given up trying to shoot.

NO DONT DO IT...... those hurt just looking at the box.....naaasty in a pump action thats for real,the only time Ive short shucked gun since Ive owned it and it happened more than once in the half a box.

@hotbarrels where are ya, I'll have them..

You could try a Girsan 312 , HF had them for $699 new , basically a Turkish Beneli , recoil spring in butt stock , I got one for $650 , or maybe a 2nd hand Stoeger M3000

Originally Posted by ChrisF

You could try a Girsan 312 , HF had them for $699 new , basically a Turkish Beneli , recoil spring in butt stock , I got one for $650 , or maybe a 2nd hand Stoeger M3000

Made in the same factory as the Ranger M5?