This is going to be somewhat of a rarity for myself, I am not a person who recommends what you should buy. I am a firm believer that the purchaser should research what they want and educate themselves on the products they are going to spend their hard earned money on. After spending time educating a client on an item, one comment that always gets me is, ” well my friend said this is what I should get”. If that is your response to the information and 25 plus years of experience I have, then why are you asking ME? So, I am not a big fan of saying this is what you need, plus if you don’t like what you just bought then it is MY fault.
I have always been a shotgun guy and always will be. Being in this business I try to keep up with what is new, what the magazine articles are talking about, the YouTubers, and what social media guys are flaunting. One item that has stuck out repeatedly is the Benelli M2 20 gauge. I have read and watched a lot about this shotgun. I usually don’t go and order something for myself just to try, but on this occasion I did. All I can say is WOW, they are right about everything on this one. This just might be the best “all around” hunting and clay shooting shotgun out there.
This is a lightweight 28 inch bbl, semi auto shotgun. It comes in assorted colors and bbl lengths, but the one I got was the standard black synthetic, vent rib model. Great handling on a recent dove hunt, but most of the shooting has been on a clay course. This shotgun has almost no recoil. Functioned flawlessly and was a true pleasure to shoot. The 20 gauge is almost identical to the use of a 12 gauge. Where the 12 shines are on long range goose hunting or shooting a tournament sporting clay event, neither of which I will be doing, so I went with the 20. They do make it in a 12 if you want, but I can guarantee it will not handle like this little 20.
I let a few friends try it to get their view on it as well, and they too were amazed. For anyone recoil sensitive, this is your shotgun. I can’t think of bird situation in the upland field area where this will not shine. Being lightweight, you can carry this thing for miles and wouldn’t know it.
So, if you are in the market for a new shotgun, I can say with utmost confidence this is your gun, despite what your “friend” might say.
By Chuck Papp