Shotgun choice for coyotes.....

mic214

New member
I am trying to decide on which shotgun to carry with me when I am out coyote hunting. It would be used for close in work, while my Ruger American Predator (6.5 Creedmoor) would be used for the long range stuff.

I have three 12 gauge shotguns to chose from. First is a Beretta AL390 with a 26" vent rib barrel. I have a standard set of chokes (Full, Mod & IC) for it, plus an XFXL (Extra Full Extra Long) choke as well. I have used this shotgun for dove, duck, goose, pheasant and turkey.

My nest shotgun is an older H&K Benelli M1 Super 90. It has an 18-1/2" barrel and ghost ring sights. The barrel would need to be threaded for chokes. From my understanding, once threaded, it would be able to use the same chokes as my Beretta.

The last one is a Mossberg 835. It has a 24" slugster barrel with rifle sights. This one would have to be threaded for chokes as well.

So I am wondering, out of these three, which one would you choose (and why) for coyotes.....?
 
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The Benelli. Just because it's easier to maneuver with that shorter barrel. Unless you don't want to get it threaded for a choke then the Beretta would work just fine.
 
I agree, the Benelli. I have an M1 Super 90. I put on an M2 barrel(18 1/2") with ghost ring sight, M2 fore end, tactical bolt knob,and Mesa Tactical pistol grip stock.
 
Out of those three choices I would take the Beretta AL390 with the 26" barrel.

If you can hit dove, duck, goose, pheasant and turkey with your AL390 you should be able hit coyotes with it also.

Shooting coyotes with a shotgun is more like shooting waterfowl than it is like shooting turkeys.

My two coyote, dove, quail, chuckar, pheasant, duck and goose shotguns are a 28" Rem 11-87 and a 28" Beretta AL391 Urika 2.
 
You are set, the 390 will get it done in spades.

I have the same shotgun, patterns great with an extra full, but play with chokes as I have 3 of them, including two extended but the flush mount produces the tightest patterns...go figure?
 
The Beretta is what I would use.Some barrel walls are on the thin side and may not be suitable for threading.After watching several of Bubbas long range buckshot pattern vids on YT I emailed asking about their findings regarding barrel length.He said at 50+yds 28" barrels patterned significantly better than the shorter barrels.
 
Thanks for all the replies and insight. I have to admit, my AL390 has certainly been my "Do it all" shotgun for a long time. I like the fact that it is a semi auto for fast follow up shots. My only issue with it for coyote hunting is that this would be carried as a second gun in addition to my rifle. So I thought the longer length might be a problem there.

The Benelli has the advantage of being shorter and easier to carry. Plus, like my Beretta, it is semi auto, so follow up shots would be fast. It also has ghost ring sights, which I really like. It has been an HD gun, so I have not shot it much, except at the range.

I just got the Mossberg 835. The plus for it is that it has a 3-1/2" chamber, so I am thinking that might be good for a heavier shot payload. I have two barrels for it. The one I would be using for hunting is the 24" slugster barrel, so that puts it in the middle of my Beretta and the Benelli for length. On the negative side, it is a heavy gun and it is also a pump, so the follow up shots would be a little slower. Right now it is also set up as an HD gun with an 18-1/2" cylinder bore riot barrel with a bead sight.
 
Unless actually shooting slugs, I would put the other barrel on the 835 and not attempt to thread the slug barrel. My 835 with 24" vent rib makes some pretty hard hitting patterns out to 50 yards
 
Originally Posted By: ANF HunterUnless actually shooting slugs, I would put the other barrel on the 835 and not attempt to thread the slug barrel. My 835 with 24" vent rib makes some pretty hard hitting patterns out to 50 yards

My other barrel is an 18-1/2" riot barrel with just a bead sight. The slugster barrel is a 24" smooth bore with rifle sights, so I thought that one would be good to get threaded.
 
I would use the Beretta. It's a great shotgun, you're confident in it and shoot it well. I had a 391 that was an excellent gun, reliable, easy on the shoulder and patterned well. I hated the safety location in front of the trigger. Raised on Remington 870's, Browning Auto Fives and then my Benelli M1 the safety on the Beretta drove me nuts. You are used to the location so not an issue for you. I keep my Benelli M1S90 Tactical 18.5" set up for defensive purposes and my Benelli M1S90 Camo Turkey Gun with 24" and 26" barrels for hunting. I don't have to swap my defense shotgun around for hunting and then back. I prefer the 24" - 26" barrels for hunting anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: GCI would use the Beretta. It's a great shotgun, you're confident in it and shoot it well. I had a 391 that was an excellent gun, reliable, easy on the shoulder and patterned well. I hated the safety location in front of the trigger. Raised on Remington 870's, Browning Auto Fives and then my Benelli M1 the safety on the Beretta drove me nuts. You are used to the location so not an issue for you. I keep my Benelli M1S90 Tactical 18.5" set up for defensive purposes and my Benelli M1S90 Camo Turkey Gun with 24" and 26" barrels for hunting. I don't have to swap my defense shotgun around for hunting and then back. I prefer the 24" - 26" barrels for hunting anyway.

I agree with you on the Beretta safety GC. I have not gotten use to the safety on my Beretta 391L. It is in the wrong spot and when it is pushed in, it does not go in flush so it is sticking out a little even when it is in as far as it will go.

All of my Remington safeties are flush when they are pushed in all the way so my finger doesn't feel any part of the safety sticking out.

I use my much newer Beretta 391L for a backup hunting gun just because of the safety.
 
Why not try a box of Hornady coyote shells in 3" and run them through and test them to see what works.

Those shells are designed to work with Moderate chokes, so you might not need to thread.


I carry a shotgun to almost every stand, for the same reason you were looking to do.

I found that a shorter barrel is nice, I leave the shotgun on my lap ready to go on stand, and like the fact that it's a gun that i don't worry about getting a scratch..

I say that because when i am coyote hunting, in the past couple of years i have been lucky and got a few doubles. I would use the shotgun on the closer animal, then drop it, and grab the rifle for the runner. I have some nice shotguns and didn't want to worry about scratches and got a gun that it wouldn't bother me.

Good luck, the box of shells test to see what patterns well would only cost $14.
 
Thanks again for all your input. I really appreciate it. It appears that the consensus is to use my Beretta. It is the shotgun I have used the most and I am very familiar with it. Plus it is threaded for chokes already. I am a "Lefty" and I reversed the safety it to work for being left handed.

I need to go through my shotgun ammo and see what I have on hand. I know I have some #4 buckshot and also some BB shot in my cache. I definitely have some "Pattern" work to do with all three guns, but for now, I am inclined to go with the Beretta. I am looking at a backpack style rifle packs that I can carry the Beretta in, along with the other gear I would need for the hunt.

Those 3" Hornady coyote shells sound interesting. I will see if I can get some of those. If I can get an acceptable pattern with them out of my fixed choke Benelli or my Mossberg 835, then I could carry either one of those in my Voodoo Tactical molle scabbard on my backpack.

Thanks again all.......:)
 
My go to is my a390 silver mallard. Is just scored 7 yotes and a kit fox a week and a half ago while on vacation in AZ. Try and pick up a kicks gobblin Thunder .670. I can put 6 pellets in a 6" circle at 50 yards with fed 1 1/78 oz BB and 8 pellets with rem HD BB.
 
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