Finally got to shoot a 391 for a round this weekend back to back with my 1100.

The 391 had a factory monte carlo and looked bone stock. My 1100 is not stock by any means, but as far as price goes the guns were probably about the same since a used 391 is worth quite a bit more than a used 1100.

I prefer a heavier gun and the 391 felt a little light for me. There was definitely more felt recoil from the 391, and I'm sure the weight differences of the two guns played a big part in that. The 391 felt well made and very well balanced. The only thing that threw me off on the 391 was that damn "boing" everytime I shot. The 1100 has large springs in it as well, but I don't notice them when I shoot one bit. The 391 had a spring that was very noticeable every shot.

The 391 is a great gun, but I'm glad I chose to go with an 1100.

I have owned many Berettas and the excessive recoil is why I always sell them. My Beretta 390 with a 1200 recoil system is a joy to shoot but that is a lot to spend to make it shoot soft. I just do not like recoil and an 1100 just kicks softer, parts are everywhere and the parts are cheap. I can buy an 1100 field gun for 250 bucks and have an extra trigger, bolt. bolt carrier/gas system thingy, extra barrel, extra forks, extra gas system parts. For 200 bucks you get a used trigger with a Beretta. Contrary to what people say they do break parts as I have owned lots of them and if you shoot a Beretta as much as I shoot 1100's, Guess what? They break parts as well! Jeff

I have owned both and though my favorite is the 391 I could live happily ever after shooting a 1100 or 1187. They both do a great job of soaking up recoil and they are both very easy to work on. Both need to be cleaned very regularly and they both point well. I do agree the 391 is over priced. Great guns. Keep a few spare parts on hand and learn how to work on them. Buy the way I have only had 6 jams in the last 11000 rounds I have put through my 391(factory ammo). John

John, It does not surprise me that you have gone that long with so few malfunctions. I have had the same luck with Beretta's and Remington 1100's. The key is cleaning them. Jeff

If recoil is the main concern, and all other considerations are secondary, then the 1100 is the way to go.

If it comes down to minor pluses and minuses for both, then get the one that feels the best, points the best, and (unless the stocks are fully adjustable) fits the best. Both are good guns.

My personal preference is for the 1100 and 1187.

i can't agree with Jeff on this one. The beauty of the 391 (at least mine) is that I seldom have to clean it. My malfunction frequency is about the same as John's. I recently cleaned it after about 8 flats of Estates, but I didn't have to because it was working perfectly. I keep it lightly oiled with Breakfree CLP.

My Sx-1 will go longer between cleaning the either of them! How about this.. 12,000 rounds without cleaning the gas ports before the gun jammed. 12,000 rounds without cleaning the gas ports. Jeff

Anthony Matarese Jr., cuurent National Sporting Clays champion, when asked about cleaning the 391 said this:

"Honestly I do not clean my gun nearly as much as I should. As long as my barrel ports are clean and the action is oiled the gun will rarely hang up. When I hear it getting slow I give it a complete cleaning... I hope this helps...."

I don’t understand how anyone could think 391 kicks hard. Every once in a while I will shoot my friend BT99 to remind me why I shoot a 391.

Cleaning is not a big deal with a 391 either unless you have obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I shot nothing but my 11-87's for years. I saw the Berettas I shot with malfuncion at the same rate as my 11-87's. Remingtons might need to be cleaned more but if you keep them clean it is a reliable shotgun. I clean my guns after every outing anyway. Being an older design the Remington is a longer action which smooths out recoil. Nothing shoots softer than a Remington auto. The Remington is a better buy as a shotgun. I now shoot a Mossberg 930 with a walnut stock and forearm. This gun cost me 400 dollars and is more reliable so far than either the Remington or the Beretta. I still can't believe how good this gun is for the price. I only have a few thousand rounds through it so far and don't know what it's life will be but so far I couldn't be happier. American made too. My scores keep going up.

Highflyer, what's the recoil like on the 930?

It is not as soft shooting as my Remingtons. But looking at the design there is very little movement and it appears to slam back the bolt with the shorter movement. The Remington is an older action and the whole action moves back all the way making for a smooth shooting gun. The Mossberg will cycle all loads from 7/8 ounce to 3 inch magnums with ease. My Remington will cycle 7/8 ounce loads but I have to shoot it wet to do that. Not so with the Mossberg. I can't feel much difference between 7/8 ounce target loads and 1 1/8 ounce 1200fps target loads with the Mossberg in recoil. The design is supposed to bleed off excess gases with the bigger loads and maybe, just maybe, the ported barrels help more with the bigger loads. I added a limbsaver pad to both of them. The 930 does not have the twin action bars that the Remington has. It looks similar to the Browning Silver with the metal tube taking their place. The action is simple and easy to clean and looks very durable to me. It does have an aluminum receiver instead of the steel of the Remington. With the wood stock it is fat in my hand and not slim like the Remington. At first I didn't like the feel of it but now I do. It is very balanced in weight between my hands. I shoot at least 200 rounds through it a week now. My sporting clays scores are better than ever shooting in the 80's now in the last few tournaments. I am leading my skeet league with it. It weighs over 8 pounds making for a smooth swing.

Any of you care to answer why so many 391's get sold vs so few 1100's? I have NEVER seen an 1100 in a registered sporting competition being shot. They might be reliable as a single shot for trap but not any where near the gun a 391 is. And the first two guns i ever owned back in the early 70's were both 1100's. And both were not reliable at all. They did always fire the first shot though.

I saw a Remington at the last state shoot I shot in. It is true what you say about Beretta being the auto of choice in registered sporting clays shoots. Where I see more Remingtons is when I am shooting with hunters in fun shoots or in casual skeet leagues. There they far outnumber the Berettas. A registered sporting clays shoot is 100 rounds. I have shot with both my 20 gauge Remington and my 12 gauge Remington in registered shoots with never more than one failure to feed. You are allowed up to three. I have shot with several guys that had more trouble with their Beretta autos than I did with my Remingtons. The Remington is an older design that does require you to clean your gun. I clean mine after every 100 rounds. If I am going to shoot another 100 round tournament on the same day I take off the forearm, put a little breakfree on it and wipe off the powder residue and go on. It takes all of a couple of minutes. I will say that my Mossberg is more reliable being a newer design. But one failure to feed per 100 rounds at the most isn't enough to bother me. What is interesting is in my last 3 tournaments I have seen 3 different expensive Italian double barrels have 3 failures while my cheap Mossberg shot without a hitch. I also scored higher than them but that is beside the point. I do think now more then ever that it is indeed the indian and not the arrow. The only reason shooters use expensive guns is to make them feel better. They don't make them shoot better.

Bad, do you see many 11-87's? I seem to remember, Remington discontinued the 1100 for the 11-87 years ago for sporting clays. Just recently brought it back. I remember seeing plenty of 11-87's being shot.....

I have never seen an 1187 being shot in a registered shoot either. They may well be good trap guns but are not a reliable two shot auto. I see 391's all day long being shot 300 rounds a day and more from several top shooters without the first glitch. I have shot almost 3000 registered targets this year and have had not one jam yet including practice and games,that would be another 1000 rounds or so. This is with an old 303 though. And the 391 is a more reliable auto yet. I am not running down the 1100 or 1187 but the numbers used speak for themselves.

I guess we all live in our own world. I shoot sporting clays tournaments every weekend. You are right. Berettas are the top auto. By far most shooters I see are using over-and-unders. I must be a jinx to Beretta autos. The first guy I shot with in a registered sporting clays tournament had two failure to fires in 100 rounds. In skeet I have only shot against maybe 3 different Beretta autos. One of them had trouble while I was shooting with them. In fairness there are not any autos of any brand that I haven't seen mess up, including the Benellis that so many hold dear to their hearts. Lately I have seen a several over-and-unders mess up. A Perazzi with a broken spring, a Beretta that failed to fire the second trigger, and a Beretta where the trigger guard broke off. All that in the last few weeks. Guns are manmade mechanical devices. That insures that at some point they will fail. I will say one thing for the Remingtons. When they do break they are very cheap and quick to fix. Unlike an expensive gun.

I have to respectfully disagree with the Beretta folks here. I shoot my 1970's vintage field grade 1100's at registered trap and although they are obviously not the number one trap gun, neither are the Beretta auto's. They weigh less mainly because they are alloy construction. I shoot my friends 391 well, but he seems to have some cycling problems that I have not experiences with any of my 1100's. I have had parts broken, but when repaired it cycles 7/8 to 1 1/4 ounce loads every time and I even have the Magnum action bar for added weight. I do clean it every two or three registered shoots,and wipe it down every time I shoot. If your 1100 isn't working properly, there is something wrong that can easily and cheaply be fixed. I bought the 1100 magnum at a gun show last year for $325 and it has 3 thin wall choke tubes with it on a cut down barrel. Perfect for my duck blind over decoy's

I have shot my 1100 Competition 5000+ rounds this year, singles, doubles, handicap, not one falure. Great gun for the money. I like mine so much, I bought one for my son.

I like my 391's for a lot of reasons,easy to deep clean and as far as parts, firing pin springs once in a blue moon, never had one fail me but have shot a lot of rounds with a broken spring on the 391's with no problems. I short clean the gun every time I shoot, it take 90 seconds after the gun cools and I put it away. I also shoot a 11-87 turkey and sport clays and an 1100 cause I got it cheap.

Go shoot Dove and pidgeons in Argentina with a 11-87 or 1100, you will shoot 1/2 as much with an 1100 or 1187. By the way carry 2 391's with you as they get so hot you can not hold onto them, they will keep shooting but the gun heat gets ya.

Oh yeah, I can by 8 new 391 Teknys Golds or one Perrazzi, I have a Teknys with way more than 50K rounds though it and am very happy with it.

Sporting Clays shooters prefer Beretta autos because of the superior reliability being that they are dependent on a second shot. Dove outfitters in Argentina and the likes use exclusively 391's because of the superior reliability. They are simply a much more reliable gun, this is a fact.

An 1100 is a fine gun, but way outdated. A lot of people will say "nothing fits out of the box like an 1100". Well, this isn't really true. Because of the stock dimensions being narrow, cast just doens't seem like much of an issue...you can "get into the gun", the beads will line up and all seems well. But, YOU are fitting to the gun and the gun ISN'T really fitting you at all.

391 pros:

1. Much more reliable

2. Cast/drop can be changed by the use of shims

3. Can go at least 5 time longer without needing cleaning

Cons:

1. More expensive

2. Slightly more complicated and a bit more difficult to clean

My auto loader shotgun collection includes two M1100's one M1187 a 391 Beretta and a vintage A-5 Browning. The 391 is by far the most reliable of the bunch with the A-5 coming in second. Recoil is a subjective call but I think the 391 shoots 'softer' than the others. A 1,000 bird marathon doubles one day event is no problem for the 391, and I have done that several times with my 391 ... no jams or failures.

I like my Remingtons and they are quality guns but the design is not the equal of the 391.

Oh, Hell. I like my Super x1's, You probably never see those shooting sporting clays either!!

Actually there are a few still shooting Supoer X 1's. They too are a way better choice than an 1100 or 1187 if reliability and durability matter.

//I have never seen an 1187 being shot in a registered shoot either. They may well be good trap guns but are not a reliable two shot auto. //

alot of skeet shooters use an 1100 for the 12ga event (alot more just shoot their 20ga tubes for 12 and 20) and if i remember correctly they shoot 2 shots. a properly tuned 1100 is plenty reliable.

ive shot both and currently own a 391. this gun is 100% reliable. i honestly do not clean my guns until they start to malfunction and this one went well over 1500 rounds (it was my back-up so it was over 6-8months) before i finally cleaned it. no malfunctions but i could literally feel how slow the bolt was moving!

391 pro- reliability, length b/w cleanings, reliability? cons- cost, when you do clean it it is a pain, cost of accessories, grip angle is WAY to tight.

1100 pro- fits better, cheaper aftermarket stocks/parts/accessories, price, feel, weight cons- just isnt as reliable, had some QC problems with choke tube barrels a while back.

im in the 'market' for one of the new 1100 classic traps, i like the heavy steel receiver, wider forearm, and i can shoot it without an adj. comb.

1100

And if you go to registered shoots where I am at - you'll see at least one.

To me it shoots better than the 391, is easier to maintain and is MORE reliable than a 391. (Ever see a 391's gas system stripped down compared to a Remingtons? - the 391 has three times as many parts: valves, springs, rings etc and they are NOT cheap!

I've broken my first part in three years on an 1100 - the bolt. After a half million rounds, since 1981 it developed a hairline crack.

I change the action spring every 10,000 rds

Oh yeah, I almost forgot - I broke a forend support last week, too. It was in there for three years also. If you grease them - they last 10,000 rds. If you don't grease them, they last 2,500 rds. I didn't know the forend support broke until I disassembled the gun for cleaning and noticed one "wing" of the support broken off. It didn't affect the gun at all.

There's a reason why there are MORE 391s for sale than 1100s and almost all of those 391s are in excellent condition and shot very little. The Beretta forum over at www.shotgunworld.com has page after page of 391 functioning problems and plastic rib separations from the $1,800+ "Eureka" guns. And there's a reason why used DuPont era Remington 1100s in trap and small guage configuartions in excellent condition are going for high three and low four digits. They're better guns in my opinion.

Having said that, I am NOT a fan of the new 1100 (11-87s dressed to LOOK like 1100s). The new ones lack quality, (especially the action bars) are overpriced and not balanced well.

The "Trap" versions are light contour barrels that are "whippy" and the "Competition" model with the .735 slight overbores, are too front heavy.

I guess all those 100 straights Daro handy shot in doubles he must have not had to many failures to fire. This is the thing about an 1100. I have a bunch of them as well a few Beretta's and a whole bunch of SX-1's. The Beretta will go longer without cleaning then an 1100, So what? If I was a guy who didn't clean my auto until it failed that would be a factor. I try and clean my guns after I shoot them . this allows me to see if any parts are worn. Daro knew just how long a set of forks was good for. he knew how long and what it feels like if a return sping has broke and is wrapping around itself. He would fix or replace many of these parts as a matter of course. He knew that the action bars can come unstaked, and all sort of other stuff. Beretta parts are expensive and don't try and tell me they are not as I have bought plenty of them. 3 times the cost of 1100 parts and a pain to get at a moments notice. I love Beretta's for hunting as they are quite reliable and they point "ok" They are not my number one choice. If I need reliability such as when shooting sporting clays I shoot a Sx-1. Sure a Beretta can make it through a sporting range without a malfunction but so will all the others. My Sx-1 points better, has way nicer swing and has pretty wood. a Beretta to me is just a tool. A tool I use when I don't want to get my SX-1 wet. My 390 with a G-squared is very light on felt recoil but it cost 1200 dollars to get it that way. Jeff

I've learned to TRIPLE and QUADRUPLE service life on links, forend supports and gas rings.

The secret is: greasing white spots and dressing out burrs that cause snags and friction wear on action bars, receiver rails where the link rides and rubs. If you let those rails wear out thinner and thinner - you will break links more often as they "wobble" more in their travel and impart stresses to the weak points. Also, having any burrs on the rails will snag the link and overload the link with stress, too.

I used to post expect 5,000 rds from a link. I've gone 15,000+ on the link in my primary 1100 now.

Dressing out "ridge burrs" that form inside the gas cylinder reduces "train wrecking" of the gas rings (rings getting smashed against the burrs inside the gas cylinder while the energy from the mass and inertia of the action bar, sleeve and bolt is piling up behind the rings. THAT is what causes piston rings to crack and chip.

Grease the top of the barrel extension to make a "gel cushion" between the outside of the barrel and the receiver - reduce the vibration stresses and get another 100,000 rounds from a barrel before the extension cracks. (when you see no bluing wear - you know you're greasing it right.

Dress burrs off the top of the locking block to keep that from scraping a deeper, looser "trench" into the locking lug recess and gouging the inside surface of the barrel extension.

Following those steps in addition to regular cleaning and your 1100 will outlast a K-gun or P-gun or B-gun between parts breakages. In fact, besides the bolt I cracked that was almost 30 years old, the only other part I've broken lately has been a newly formed crack in a receiver that was made in the early 60s with No letter prefix on its serial number. I kept the wooden magazine plug, the Alcoa embossed fire control assembly and the steel cup magazine tube follower from this gun that was made before LBJ committed troops to Viet Nam andhas outlived many a 391, K-80 or 682

What I find ironic are all of the ads in the sporting clays magazine for custom work to make your 391 more reliable. Uh, I thought the 391 was supposed to be more reliable in the first place?

Does the 391 run longer between cleanings than the 1100 or 1187? Absolutely. But I also recall hearing some owners on this board curse their 391 for being much more difficult to clean compared to the 1100 or 1187 when the time did come around to clean it.

The only time my 1187 trap gun failed was when I deliberately did not clean it, trying to see just how long it would go between cleanings. It went 650 rounds, and took all of five minutes with some steel wool and break free to get it back in action.

Is the 391 a better built shotgun? Yes. Is it worth the extra cost over the 1100? My opinion is you're not getting your money's worth. It's not THAT much better.

If reliability is THE issue, then get a Benelli. It's vastly more reliable than the 1100 or 391. Of course, the drawback is it kicks more like a pump. An alternative is an old SX-1.

Parts. THe 1100 and 1187 are the Chevy small block of the shotgun world. It's amazing how many factory and aftermarket parts and accessories are available. And the vast majority of parts can be installed, replaced or fixed by the owner.

Ribs falling off. On a gun as expensive and well made as the 391, we shouldn't even be discussing this problem. Remington at least knows how to put a rib on. Look how far their barrels can be bent and the rib still hangs in there.

If someone gave me a gift card for the amount of a 391, I'd go spend it on a couple of used 1100's and set them up the way I like them. In fact, I have a bunch of 1187s and an 1100 in my safe in various gauges and configurations )shotgun sports, hunting and tactical/defense). And they're all set to the same POI (I installed monte carlo stocks on all of them - even the camo synthetic models - go price a bunch of replacement 391 monte carlo stocks).

Someone mentioned the 1100/1187 have slimmer grips than the 391. Yeah, the 391 is fat in the grip. I could shoot it, but prefer the slimmer grip. But some people absolutely do not like the fatter grip.

BTW, the worst semi-auto I've seen on the sporting clays field is the Browning Gold sporting clays model. Run run run away.

Leo Harrison shot Remington 1100's for handicap for MANY years until both were stolen out of his car at the Spring Grand in Phoenix around 1988 or 1989 ( I was there) At that time and for many years after he was the Captain of the All American Team. I rank him as maybe the best trapshooter in recent history and I feel many will agree. I kinda wonder if those two ugly 1100's had not been stolen if he would ever have shot anything else. Earl Scripture started out with an 1100. If you don't see any 1100's at registered meets you are just not going to enough events. I have a Seitz and Perazzis and many other expensive guns but if I went broke tommorrow and had to sell them all I would hope somebody would loan me an old 1100 to shoot. Respectfully submitted, Rick....Texas

I live in the Sporting Clays Capitol of the U.S......TEXAS!!! There are over 300 REGISTERED S/C shoots a year here. I have a shop on Vendors' Row in San Antonio at the NSSA/NSCA complex. Do I see a lot of S/C guns in my work? Yeah, probably 65% or so of my business is working on them. Are a lot of them 391's? You bet!! Are they the perfect auto many would have you believe? NO WAY!!! I only do stock work (theoretically anyway), but a lot of times , I'm the only Vendor in San Antonio doing ANY gun work. AT a large shoot, there will be a steady stream of 391 problems . All of the newer versions have a flat shell lifter. It doesn't feed worth a hoot. Beretta knows it and won't change back to the older curved version. They break gas pistons and hammer side bars. When the gas ports get plugged due to the fact that the owners believe the hype that they never need cleaning, it takes a major disassembly job to get to the ports to do the 30 second cleaning job they need. The foreend nuts rust onto the stud they mate with, many times causing damage to both the cap and stud when you finally have to resort to pliers to remove it. And recoil?? They are the main reason I developed the AUTO-BUSTER...LOL!! They kick like a mule to many people. To me, they also have all the handling characteristics of a broom.

I've shot and maintained 1100's for many years. Like Steve and Jeff have both already said, PROPERLY maintained ones are ultra reliable. I've never lost a target in doubles due to a feed issue. The only trigger I ever had screw up was a brand new Timney. I now only own factory triggers!! They are easy to clean, shoot soft and point like a Model 12.

The reason you see so many 391's is not because they are so great, but because Beretta did a great job of promoting them and making people BELIEVE they are wonderful. The SX-1 has a cult following in Texas S/C circles as well. I keep some parts for them, and everyone knows it. Occasionally, some one needs an O-ring. Other than that, they pretty much just keep on tickin'. Are there 1100's/11-87's on the clays courses? You bet!! And as said before, many registered skeet shooters (I see a lot of them as well) still shoot them for 12 ga. events. I seldom see a 391 on the skeet fields down here. If the 1100's were costing the Skeeters targets, they wouldn't be shooting them.

I have lots of different makes of autos that I collect/shoot: 1100's, SX-1's, Model 50 and 59's and Browning Double Autos. They are all reliable and do what they were designed to do with the proper care. Oh, yeah.....I have a new 391 Urika ll as well. It has an Auto-Buster on it. I keep it on hand for 391 shooters to shoot when they come in complaining about how hard theirs kick!!!

Ken Rucker

Great post ken and I suspect the least biased given what you do for a living! Jeff

I am glad to see some of the above. I thought I was the only one that had seen or had bad experiences with Beretta autos. I bought a 303 once. I took it home and ran a few shells through it. It jammed 3 out of 5 times and I took it back. The failure rate I have personally witnessed while shooting with the few guys that have used them has been about 25 percent. Not very impressive. It takes seconds to clean an 11-87 or 1100 between 100 target contests. I can get one for half as much as these sporting clays Berettas. That means I can have two with me if needed for the same price. I haven't closely examined the action of the Beretta auto. I have seen one taken apart at the skeet range after it failed for cleaning. It looked more complex to me than the Remington. My Mossberg will go longer between cleanings than my Remington but that doesn't mean it is a better gun. I suspect the Berettas action is more like my Mossberg. The Remington kicks less due to the older design. I have shot Berettas before to see what the craze was all about. To me they are the most awkward feeling autos made. I know the Italian gunmakers are experts at marketing their guns. Just look at Benelli. The hardest kicking most overpriced autos made yet very popular. Even their pump is overhyped. I have hunted with two guys that used the Benelli pump. I have seen both fail. That is 100 percent negative. They have sold out to the advertising when the best pump guns are made right here in America.

Dang i guess all the sporting shooters are missing the boat. They should all be shooting the durable and ultra reliable 1100 or 1187. This is getting better by the minute. LOL

Do 303's have a breakin period or did I get a lemon. Maybe I wasn't fair to the gun taking it back after only a few failures. What it was doing is getting two shells stuck together in the receiver. Maybe a simple fix but I didn't want to take the chance not knowing if they would take it back, which they did.

Oh cripes, just pick whatever one fits you better and shoot your targets.

Its like the 1100 guys are trying to convince the 391 guys their gun is better, and vice versa. And the SX-1 guys are sitting back saying "they both suck."

They all work. They all have their drawbacks.

My 1100's just don't jam. I have had some problem with reloads coming apart and allowing shot in the action leading to problems, but even when parts break, (after 30 years) my gun allowed me to finish at the Iowa state shoot and I didn't know any thing was broken until I disassembled it for cleaning.

I'll put my 30 + year old 1100 up to any 391 and mine will hold it's own. Please be advised that Tron has a Swiss bank account that is being funded by a foreign businees concern. That business concern is located in a country that shares a border with Switzerland, that's what I ehard!

This is great, we all agree to one thing, if you bought it and you like it that is all that matters.

I grew up on 1100's....still have one...

I have shot 390's and 391's for a while now.....I think Beretta is a much better gun.

I went shooting this morning at St Charles SC with my 1100 Trap. Broke another extractor (the second one in less than a year). Also in the last years time, I have had a plastic bolt buffer break and a connector twist. That makes for four breakdowns in a one year period. In addition, I had this gun gone thru at the '07 Grand by the Remington gunsmiths. I am shooting one ounce factory loads, so I don't think that is the problem. I seem to shoot it OK (when it is working), but this is very aggravating. I purchased a 391 Trap several months ago, and I think I am going to shoot it more often. I think that if I can make some progress with the 391, and have no problems with it, I am going to get rid of the 1100.

ill give you 450$ for it.

Good morning 12mosby12, I already sold it. It took about a month ,but I got rid of it. If you are located in the Chicagoland area, I can ask around for one for you.

391 parallel target with a TRONSPACE adjustable comb is all the gun you need for 95% of all shooting - period. Still to much recoil? Add a Beretta (or after market) in-stock recoil reducer.

The 5% of shooting you can't do with this gun? Now that I really think about it I can't come up with anything.

Joe

There's really no 391 vs 1100 because they both of them handle differently. I own and have snot both 1100 and a 391 Teknys my 2 cents. I don’t know about the standard 391 trap, The Teknys has Beretta’s recoil reducer in the stock. If you complain about the 391 kicking and some weight to it or a recoil reducer in the stock. My Tekny is modified with a Graco LOP butt plate, a DeVault offset cheek piece, a Keensights rib tapered from 1” at the receiver down to 1/16 at the muzzle and a Spears release and a C&H forend cap weight. The 1100 with a Jack West stock, a 1/4 “ Keensights rib and a Timney trigger. If I wanted to set up a 391, I’d get a soft touch stock whose grip I like better than Beretta’s because It’s bigger and more open and a forend from Shooters Emphorium and a barrel from Money Makers or a DeVault conversion and have IMOP one of the best trap guns on the market. I like about the 1100’s grip better, it’s more open, but tiny. Now, no one is going to tell me that a Teknys kicks hard and harder than an 1100. Maybe a 391 kicks hard but not a Teknys. No one can tell me that. I can shoot 3 dram loads all day long without the slightest bit of soreness. But, unless you’re injured, you should be able to stand a little recoil! If a 391 kicks so hard that you have to tell some about it, something’s wrong, either add some weight or a recoil reducer in the stock for about $60/70 bucks, the pitch is wrong, or it just doesn’t fit you. There’s going to be someone that a gun can’t fit.

In 2.5 years and 20,000 rounds of shooting the 1100 has broken 2 firing pins and springs, 2 forend supports, 1 action bar, had to restake the carrier release twice and 2 broken ejectors. Blessed with 3 years and 40,000+ hard shooting rounds with the Teknys, KNOCK ON WOOD, I’ve had to replace 1 firing pin spring. The thing about the 1100 is that you can fix and/or replace whats broken in a few minutes. When I see writings about accomplishments of Daro Handy, Leo Harrison and others have done with 1100s, yes they’ve set and have broken records. But they’ve also broken parts too. A whole lot of people have told me about the bucket of parts that they carried around. They either fix or swap parts and be back on the line in minutes. Since Big Leo shot stock/unmodified 1100s, he’d just pull out another one or buy one. Break a firing pin or spring, swap out a bolt. Forend support, get a screw driver and snap off the old one and snap the new one on, or just swap action bars, etc., etc. But the same with the Beretta and no where near as frequent.

Now that I’ve written this. A small prayer to The Trap Gods - I like that gun, please protect it and keep it running. AMEN.

Robert Houston

Corrections. Due to the lack of time to proofread errors were made. "There's really no 391 vs 1100 because both of them handle differently. I own and have shot both 1100 and a 391 Teknys, my 2 cents.

If a 391 kicks so hard that you have to tell someone about it...

You can swap parts with the Beretta and no where near as frequent.

Houston

I wouldn't trade my Mossberg for either. A 400 dollar gas auto that keeps working and working every week. 7/8 ounce loads or 3 inch magnums duck hunting. Very easy to completely break down and clean. Simple action. Mine came with a walnut stock and forearm. After a few thousand rounds nothing has broken so far. Two more tournaments this weekend right after a duck hunt with 3 inch steel loads.

Remington 1100's are barrel heavy compared to Berettas.

1100's may be a little softer but they are not as reliable as a 390 or 391.

If you want the ultimate low recoil gun have a G-Square installed on a 390 or 391. I spent more on my G-Square than I did on my 390 but it was well worth it!

I would take a 390 over a 391 any day. The 390 is easier to clean.

Speaking of cleaning I have run 5000 rounds through my Beretta 390 without cleaning. Try that with a Remington 1100!

Jim Skeel

While I have the Remington 1100.. Beretta 390 and 391.. neither come close to my Winchester model 50.. Not gas operated.. floating chamber.. SOOOOOFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT shooting.. Can easily go 1500 rounds without a belch..or worst case.. remove the barrel screw... wipe the floating chamber down with a paper towel.. and reinstall.. Takes about 1 minute.. You're good to go after that.. Only down side.. like 2 3/4 or 3 dram shells.. NO 3".. NO monster loads..

"I would take a 390 over a 391 any day. The 390 is easier to clean. "

me too !

I shot a 391 20ga. It was so soft I swear it had negative recoil. Is that possible?

I bought a 1100 to keep as a low cost back-up gun incase my "P" gun broke down.I started shooting it a little this past weekend,figured now that the ATA shooting around here was done (Northern lower Michigan)it would be a good time to take it out and shoot it incase I ever needed to use it to finish a tournament.It smoked targets and was so soft shooting I began wondering why I wasn't shooting it more.The only draw back is reliability.I have owned a 391 in the past and it neither pointed nor seemed as soft shooting as this 1100.Can any 1100 shooters on here give me some sort of protocol of things to do to minimize malfunctions with this gun? Thanks in advance...Hugo "Moe" Rinke

My 11-87 is a reliable gun as long as I keep it clean. It is not a design that likes to work dirty. They are very easy to take apart and clean. I clean mine every time I get home after shooting. I clean it then wipe off the excess Break Free. This will always get me at least a hundred rounds without any problems. If I am shooting more I will take off the forearm and spray some on the magazine tube and go on. Compared to the design on my Mossberg it is an old design. But I think that is the very reason it is the softest shooting auto I have ever shot. Those twin action bars moving back with the bolt. A lot of moving parts moving with the bolt all the way back. You can feel the action on a Remington. It cusions the recoil.

I have two Berretta 391's, and they are well made guns. They are like car mufflers when trying to clean. They are only as reliable as the maintenance given to them. I also own the first shotgun I ever owned-a Browning A-5. I realize these guns are not a viable alternative for a competition gun, and they do have a 2 pulse recoil that takes some getting used to, but they are very dependable, no cleaning,or not! If only they could duplicate a recoil operated action like this in a modern day trap gun.................. P.S. and no, Benelli is not even close!.

Well I thought I would add something to this thread. The only autos I've ever shot are a Super X-1 & X-2, and 1100's. No Berettas or 1187's. So I can't comment on them. Two weeks ago I was watching a kid shoot skeet at the club with a 20 ga. Looked like a plain field model of some kind. I asked him what it was, he says a Winchester Ranger 140, want to shoot it? Well its a fantastic little 20 ga. auto. He paid $150.00 for it. I asked him how hard it was to take down and clean. Said he didn't know, been hunting and shooting skeet with it for 2 years and never cleaned it.

Thats my next auto. Wayne