I am planning a trip to Argentina in the next year or so for duck and dove and was wondering if any of you guys had some input from experience on what would be the best shotgun to take along. I have heard either a Bennelli or Beretta gas guns are the most reliable. What specific model? Have always shot the 12 guage but would you recommend it or a 20?
Thanks for your advice in advance.
BJB

Both are great the bennelli is easer to field strip & clean. This will be my third trip this August & I will take my Garbi 12ga sxs.I always shoot a 12 but a 20ga for doves is more than adequate . I shot 229 boxes last trip in 3 1/2 days & was glad I took the 12ga. Have a great trip.

On my last trip to Uruaguay the only guns that failed were the semi-autos. They included Benellis, 1100's and Berettas. My superposed lightning and Daly 20s never missed a beat. Period. And that was my fourth trip to SA with those guns.

A friend just got back from Argentina last week. I'm not sure how many birds he shot but the group shot over 26,000. He shot a pair of Bereatta 391s for the second straight trip without a problem.

Any automatic is more subject to malfunctions and/or breakage than a fixed-breech gun like an over/under. That said, the modern auto Brownings, Berettas, Bennellis, and other quality makes are mostly trouble-free if properly cleaned and serviced at the end of each day. When doing a lot of wingshooting I like to change styles of guns to help correct bad habits that sometimes form after a day or two of shooting the same gun. Therefore, I'd suggest taking both your favorite auto and double.

I would MUCH prefer a 20 (or even a 28) for doves to a 12. For ducks, I assume that you are expecting lots of shot opportunities and no need to "stretch" your barrel. If that is the case, and you can obtain and shoot appropriate high-velocity lead loads for a 20 in Argentina, I would be happy with a 20 on ducks. When you consider the advantage of lead over steel, and the shorter anticipated ranges, a 20 in Argentina should provide you with a kill percentage fully as good as a 12 in the U.S.

I have never shot doves in great number but i have pigeons over here and i have used many semi autos over the years and break barrels,last year i bought a Baikal MP153, its done 3000 rounds and i have never realy cleaned it thouruly and its perfect never ever jamed once handles well enough a bit heavy for doves mabe but if its reliability you want nothing i have ever owned at any price can get near it for me.
Just keep your gun in the cover and dont tell anyone at dinner you are shooting a Baikal and you will be fine it wont jam if my giun is typical thats for sure. They realy are worth a look a real bargain.

I am going to do this in the next few years. I will take my Beretta 20 bore OU with 30" barrels.

I personally would not entertain and auto or pump, but that is mostly a matter of taste.

I might take a light 12 bore SxS if I thought I could get suitable 1oz loads for the 12.

My shotguns digest 1000shells daily so i believe i can give you an opinion bring a benelli cordoba ,or a super black eagle ,or a beretta a390 or a391 or a browning ,remington 1100 are good too bring some orings if you decide for it ,i prefer to use two shotguns while shooting doves .Please ask me everything you want i have had great problems with cheap shotguns avoid them like plague.Juan

One thing more bring only autos you will shoot more than 1000 shells a day and you will destroy your hands and the ou ,bring a good semiauto .JUAN

I want to thank all of you for your opinions on shotgun preference. Might wind up taking an auto as the primary and a OU for second gun.
Regards,
BJB

Juan in right in my opinion. High volume dove shooting is not like going to a grain field here in the states. In the states I have only shot a couple of boxes in a sitting. I was just looking at my data from 2 years ago in Argentina. I averaged between 25 and 30 boxes of shells in a sitting. 175 boxes total in 3 days of shooting. Out of my group I was on the conservative side. If you take a light 12 sxs and can take the pounding, more power to you. I just don't need that kind of a beating at my age. It is much more comfortable shooting an auto. Baretta or Benelli were the two brands that the lodge said had the least malfunctions. We rented guns from them last time. Most were these two brands. There were some malfunctions but most of these guns were old war horses with 60+ boxes of shells through them per day for years. The bird boys got them fixed and back in our hands in short order. Several of out party have bought guns specifically for Argentina. One half the group bought the Baretta extrema and the other bought the Benelli SBE II. We will see how they do next month. I will post when we get back.

I'm not much of a dove or duck hunter anymore. I figure if a dog don't point it, it ain't worth shooting! But reading about all the shells you use up on doves, I'd sure think about taking at least two gun's for that. Were I to do that, my favorite bird gun is a 16ga AyA side by side. I use 1oz loads on everything, easy on the shoulder. My gun befor this was a 12 ga Charles Daly SxS. I also used only 1 1/8th oz loads in it. Both worked fine for everything up to phesants.

Don,
The light 16 guage loads would be great on the shoulder but from what information I have found, only 12 guage shells and some 20 guage can be found down south. Good idea though.
Thanks for your opinion.
Bruce