Browning Gold

I have had my Gold Hunter 3 1/2 for many years now. What a wonderful autoloader. In recent years I have had to be more cognizant of having heavier rounds (1 1/8 oz) for quail and dove but I remember the first couple years I had it out we would hunt geese in the morning and then quail when the geese quit flying. Mine would cycle light loads just fine right after pulling the 3.5" heavy shot out of it. I suppose that if I did a good job cleaning the gun it would consistently cycle light loads still, but I do like to put plenty of lead in the air when I shoot so I don't mind buying high brass 7.5 shot for dove and quail. I am pretty terrible at cleaning and the one year I did have a couple jams I realized the gun had not been cleaned in probably 2 years. I am really bummed that they don't make these guns anymore, I would love for my son to have one when he is ready for a 12 gauge, but alas I will have to get him a newer model.....or maybe pass this one down and get dad a newer one!

I own many Browning guns and will go on the record by saying, my Gold is the worst shotgun I have ever owned. Jamming occasionally, and freezing up in the cold. Sent a letter to Browning saying I refused to place this shotgun in the same safe with my Auto 5 guns as it did not deserve the name Browning. Sold it and bought a Benelli. The Benelli is in the safe with the Auto 5's. The Gold is terribly designed, and in my opinion less reliable than a Remington 1100.

Browning Gold Hunter 3 1/2 twelve guage: My son was unloading 3 1/2 shells when he did not pull the bolt all the way to the rear. The bolt flew partially forward. This jammed a shell in front of the bolt partially loaded in the chamber. A second 3 1/2 shell was jammed between the magazine and the lift gate. After some work we removed the barrel and were able to remove the shell between the bolt and the chamber. The shell in the magazine and loading gate was jammed tight. I telephone Browning, the representative did not know the cause. I took the shotgun to a local gun-smith who will remove the shell and contact Browning. I will post after the gun is repaired.

I have had my Browning Gold for 7 years and I hunt in the cold Wisconsin winter, the gun has performed great. I haven’t had any issues with it and I would recommend this gun to anyone.

TIRED OF MY 12 3.5'' GOLD HUNTER NOT EJECTING 1 1/8 SHELLS. BOUGHT THE GUN IN 02, AND SINCE THEN I'VE SHOT 10,000 THROUGH HER. WORKS GREAT ON 3'' OR 3.5 SHELLS. JUST BOUGHT A SBE II AND I WILL PUT HER THROUGH THE ROPES. I WOULD NOT BUY BROWNING AGAIN. WANT TO TRY ANOTHER BRAND. 2/ 12/10 Update after shooting 2 boxes of 3.5'' in my new sbe11 my sholder was brused so bad that I sold the gun! Got another gold stalker model but it also jams will sell and try either the maxis or thr beretta extrema 11.

Here's a piece of advice for the Gold Hunter owners. Try a different type of ammo. On my last quail shoot, I brought my Gold Hunter out for its first day out, I was shooting winchester shells and it was jamming up after every shot. My brother passed me some other shells, I think wolf brand, they fired with out a hitch. Most def a lesson learned on my part, never go on a hunt with out fully testing a new gun.

Jammed when new, jammed when old. Every 2 boxes get 1 jam. Would be OK if 1/500, but 1/50 - come on. Shoot skeet using the low-load piston. Clean it well. Had it professionally cleaned by gun smith - still jammed. Shoot Win AA129 - quality shells and Remington Dove loads - also good shells. jams. Shoots better when not cleaned. Ports cleaned, mag tube wibed with a silicone cloth with no lube. Still jams. Put extra shell in magazine to increase spring pressure - still jams. Cleaned spring in the stock and the tube. etc., still jams. Love the look of the gun, love to shoot it. Hate the jams. Friend shoots a gold hunter with 2 3/4 shells for skeet, it jams. Took skeet class so now I hit 25's - I know how to hold the gun. I shoot 400-500 rounds each month in a skeet league. It jams. Remington 1100s and Barettas shoot thousands of cheap rounds without a jam and with little cleaning. I've rented them all old dirty and tired and performed flawless (Silver Dollar, FL). Its ... Read more

other reviews not-withstanding, I have had a gold hunter for about 8 years now and have used it for everything from quail in the desert, dove, pheasant, duck, geese, chuckers and huns. I go to ND every year for upland and waterfowl and have only had one jam. Very cold day and had a bit of mud in the chamber but ourside that, it has harvested more duck and geese than the law should allow. Outside of being heavy, its a great gun. A bit complex to clean in comparision to my Benelli M2 but for waterfowl and geese, the Browning wins hands down. Now for upland, thats a whole different hunt so requires a different gun. The Browning is a bit heavy on the swing and slow on the draw for any serious upland bird. It has taken its share of birds but I am a decent shot so I make the gun look good in this arena. The Benelli is a better upland gun or even better yet, a Bereaat ultralite O/U will really do the job. Overall, the Browning is a great gun, nice and heavy and very little kick. ... Read more

Bought a Browning Gold 12 Gauge, 3" mag chambered, with synthetic stock and 3 chokes. I got it from a buddy ( Nice guy, but kinda dim...) dirt cheap 'cause he said it jams. After talking to Browning Customer Support, I completely disassembled it and cleaned every speck of packing grease I found....Then I lubed it up with super light teflon spray on type gun lube. I mainly use it for Dove Hunting where the shooting is fast and furious ( Unless you are a really good shot...) Anyway, I haven't seen ANY jamming problems except one time at the range with super light No. 9 shot target loads. The Browning Customer support guy told me how to clean that gas dissapator tube assy which mounts over the gas port, and I haven't seen that problem since... I do clean the gun every trip, but certainly not every day. So since 2001 I've put well over 1000 rounds through it with no problems... I think its a pretty good shotgun, and I admit I'm a browning fan in general. In addition, I believe... Read more

I've owned my Gold 10ga. NWTF for about 5 years. Six dead gobblers, over 75 geese, and 1 tundra swan agree that it is an excellent firearm. It has NEVER jammed on me and it patterns very well (I use a Pattern Master). I've even shot fast-flying bufflehead and canvasback with this piece. I also have an SBE II and, while it is also a great gun, it has had the occasional cycling problem. My wife's Gold Micro 20 Gauge has also been excellent for turkey, geese, and ducks, but she really hasn't put it through its paces like my 10 gauge. I would definitely buy another or consider an Extrema.

The browning gold is an overall excellent shotgun and accurate for shooting with a rifled barrel. The one problem I have with it is the many parts as part of the trigger mechanism. There are some springs in there which if not replaced exactly during cleaning can cause the gun to malfunction. I have had this happen more than once. Outside of that, it has never "jambed" on me and is very reliable to hit what I aim at.

Have over 50,000 shells thru my 3" Browning gold. No problems till the last 3000 or so , now it will jamb on occasion. I have cleaned it the best I can , may need to send it out. May be an issue with the inside of the reciever being worn.

I have owned a 3.5 Browning Gold for over 8 years now and have nothing but good to say about it. I duck hunt in south Louisiana and have done everything you shouldn't do to a shotgun. On one bad day it got used as a paddle in the salt marsh. It took 6 years before I had the first jamming issue. That jam was a cleaning issue. I also skeet shoot local tournaments with this gun and as long as I use a decent shell I have very few problems during a 100 round day. Winchester AA seem to do the trick when it comes to shells. If you want a Gold to work clean it at the end of the day and give it hell the next day.

I just got back from SD for the early light goose season. I have always owned and shot Browning over and unders. I have a full set .410, .28, .20, .16 and 12 ga Grade VI's and a 525 golden clays for trap. This is my first venture into automatics. I took my gold 10 ga. and my gold 12 ga. 3" magnum. The 10 ga. performed perfectly. But, it is a very heavy gun to pop up from a laying position in a blind to keep up with the speed of the much lighter 12 gauges. Generally, by the time I was up and ready to shoot the geese were already falling. The Gold 12 3" was another story. I convinced my friend to also buy a gold 12 3". Both guns failed in the field within the first 10 shots. The first shell would go off and then jam the second. Both my friend and I took the gun apart as recommended in the owner's manual. Cleaned all the parts and applied Browning oil before the trip. When I got back I called the Browning customer service and asked for the most experienced tech. I g... Read more

My friends and I took four shotguns to Bolivia dove hunting. During 3.5 days of hunting we shot 15,500 shells. Two of the three Browning Golds' firing pins broke at the same spot. The Benelli worked fine, not a problem; the last BG worked ok as well. The local Browning rep said they have since changed the pins to correct the problem. Thanks for telling me, a life time Browning customer. I am now a Benelli customer. The guides in Bolivia use either Benelli's or Barettas. That tells me a lot.

Easy to clean,reliable shooter.Great chocking system,Browning has the world's best coustomer service.

Just shot my newly purchased BG Sporting Clay 12G today, put 100 rds through it with no problems at all - did a full cleaning and lub with a light teflon base oil before shooting.  Compared to my Franchia 500 was a little on the heavy side, but still felt solid and hit more clays than I normally do.  Should be a fine shooter...

I hunted South Dakota and Wisconsin this year with a Browning Gold UL 10. For reasons beyond my control I ended up using the gun for early geese to late pheasants and everything in between. I hunted it in wet, hot, snowy, dry, and cold weather. I never had a jam, the gun proved to be flawless. I did normal cleaning, nothing fancy, just good general maintenance. It took a bit to get used to letting pheasants get out there a bit however it turned out to be an exceptional pheasant gun. I liked it so much so that I delayed getting my normal 12 repaired. (I am not sure I am going to bother at this point). The 10 is heavier than a 12, but knowing that I prepared myself for it and didnt really have any problems carrying it. A fellow hunter accused me of overkill, it was a pleasure to see his face when I finished a pheasant he had thrown three shots at, he hit it but could not drop it. Surprisingly recoil hasnt been a problem either. I compare the gun very favorably to my wifes Bere... Read more

Have used a Gold for five years. It is not as bad as some make it out to be and not as good as others post. If it is reasonably clean and dry it will work. Never had any problems shooting light trap loads with a clean gold. The problem is I have lost confidence in this gun working in wet freezing temps. It is not as reliable as my old 1100 in that situation.

owned a gold for 4 year, close to 2000 round a year, never a jam. Broke in the gun by shooting a case of Reminton Nitro's shells, Then went to cheap shells, Never do we shoot Wincheters universal shells. Their not cheap their trash

I CAN TELL YOU FROM FIRST TIMER USE OF A NEW GOLD SPORTING CLAYS 12G. YOU PEOPLE HAVING PROBLEMS ARE NOT CLEANING THIS GUN & MOST LIKLY USEING CHEAP AND TO MUCH "OIL" OR LIKE I SEE WITH MANY SHOOTERS WITH PROBLEMS WITH THIER AUTOS UP THE CLUB........THEY DROWN THEM IN W D 40....LOOSERS USE WD 40 ON.MY FIRST PROBLEM I HADE NEW OUT OF THE BOX, I THOUGHT I CLEANED IT WELL. WAS A GREASY RUSTY LOOKING GUNK COMING OUT IN ALL PLACES....WIPE OFF OK. NO..AFTER 50 60 ROUNDS CYCLING ISSUES. CLEAN AGAIN AND OIL 75 100 RNDS JAM...BROUGHT BACK TO STORE....WAS SHOWN HOW TO CLEAN AND USE DRY LUBE OR TEFLON WORKS WELL ALSO....IVE GOT 500RNDS NO ISSUES WIPE OFF CHECK GAS PORTS SWAB BARREL KEEPS GOING GOINGGOING.... YOU NEED TO LEARN A FULL BRAKE DOWN AND CLEAN ,,,AND A DRY LUBE!

Sorry guys! What you have been saying about this gun being prone to jamming is not possible. A gun that new with few firings through it cannot have the problems you guys speak of. No engineering on earth with the guality control measures today could be responsible for such situations. This is especially directed to the idiot that purchased two golds in 2 different gauges and claims both do not work. DO YOU THINK THAT IS POSSIBLE. Hell no!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Listen!!!!! Understand the mechanical principles involved in the gas operation of your firearms. Some members hit it right on the head. Here is the f....ing problem. The gun must have all factory grease removed with a degreaser. mag tube, piston, bolt, action, and recoil spring if necessary......Then applying a light synthetic oil that drys to the touch or dry lubricant(especially the mag. tube and piston)...Understand! Now, the piston will move freely with enough force to recoil the bolt for cycling. This is even more ... Read more

NWTF Gold, Mossy Oak 12g 3inch (my first shotgun) - Owned for 6 months finally took it out for the first time Oct 2006 in WV on a farmed bird hunt (doves, chukker, pheasant). Out of the box on a sunny mild day using Rem Shur-shot 2-3/4" Shell, #8 Shot, 1-1/4 oz it cycled about 250 shells without problems. Felt recoil was almost non-existant. The next day it rained medium to heavy for the 4 hours we were in the field. I did not clean the gun from the day before. Due to the rain the action was not exactly frenetic but I managed to go through 3 or 4 boxes of shells with only 1 jam (a loading shell hung-up on an ejecting shell) which was probably caused by "limp-wristing" (judging by the black and blue on my bicep). As a first timer with a shotgun, this gun was a pleasure to shoot and if I had more time with it I'd problably be able to hit a few more clays.

I have had mine for 3 years and usually pump about 300-400 rounds through it during the grouse and woodcock season. This gun will not eat light target or game loads at all - the gun jams as everyone has previously mentioned. I had the same problem with a ruger red label O/U - the primary problem is the cheap shells that winchester and remington manufacture. Not enough powder to generate a clean cycle. Both guns liked federal game loads a lot better.

I have owned a Browning Gold Sporting Clays for 2 years. I bought it used (well used) and it functions flawlessly. I use this gun strictly for sporting clays. Just finished my own try before you buy program (using shooting buddies guns) A remington 1100 sporting, a benelli (ouch) and a Beretta 12 ag teknys. I just ordered a brand new Browning Gold Golden Clays Sporting Clays. Browning autos have it all over the competition.

I have had a Browning Gold Stalker for about 5 years now. It will shoot the lightest 2 3/4 loads and the heaviest 3's with no problem. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS KEEP IT CLEAN AND IT WONT JAM!!!!! Simple as that.

I have a love/hate relationship with my Gold Hunter 3.5". For hunting geese & ducks the gun works well and cycles properly (using 3.5" magnum loads). However, I was in a skeet competion and the gun was crap after the 20th shot. Did not cycle, jams etc. For an auto gun with a large price tag such as the Browning Gold Hunter 3.5" it's very sad. Spend the extra $ and go for the Bennelli SBE2.

If you want to buy a browning auto buy a gold. I know people who swear by them and ones who swear at them. However if you want the best auto for the money buy an rem. 1100; if money is not the problem buy a super black eagle II. Browning makes good guns usually; yet you may get a "jamomatic". Buy an auto that cycles lowbrass and 3's, does not have to be cleaned within 100 rounds, and feels good on your shoulder. Golds may not be that gun for you.

I own a Browning Gold Hunter 3" 12ga., it is an excellent gun and I have only had a few jams- but only with 7/8 oz. dove loads (that was all I could find on short notice). As with any automatic, it must stay clean and be used with loads heavy enough to properly cycle, my owners manual suggests using less than 1 oz. loads. Other than the few jams caused by underpowered loads, my gun has performed flawlessly time and time again. For those of you who appear to hate this gun, try an adequate load and see how you feel about the gun.

I have owned a Gold hunter 31/2 since 1998. The first gun I got was defective. It would not Eject 3.5" shells. I brought it back to the dealer they checked it out and got me a new gun. With the replacement gun I have put thousands of shells through it. Everything from light targer loads to 3.5" turkey loads with no problems. The only thing that will get you in trouble with this gun is using the wrong lube. You must use Break free CLP and it has to be the non aerosol pakaging. I have only had it jam on 1 hunting trip and it was due to using the wrong lube.

I probably would not have posted a rating except for reading the negative posts re: the Browning Golds. I own 3 of them and have found all of them to be superior performers. I have owned a Browning Gold Sporting Clay for 4 years, a Lady's Gold Sporting Clay for 1 year and a 20g Gold Hunter for 2 years. Of the 9 shotguns I own I probably shoot the best consistent high scores with the GSC and since I prefer O/U's I personally don't shoot it that often. I'm keeping it for the time when I'm too old to handle the recoil of the Browning 525 or the Berreta 682's I shoot. In my experience Gold's can be particular about the brand of shells they ingest. A couple of years ago there was some manufacturing change in the Winchester AA's and all of a sudden I experienced feed problems with both the GSC and the 20g Hunter. Both at the same time. Just about any other brand would feed cycle properly. Recently I used AA's and they worked fine. Regular cleaning is mandatory on any gas recoil gun but I c... Read more

3" Great gun! Have run a small pile of shells through it, put it in the bottom of the skiff, dragged it through some of the nastiest swamps and with a little cleaning here and there you can't go wrong. Those that are having issues please clean ALL the gunk out and use a heavy enough load to allow the action to cycle and you should be good to go. happy hunting!!

Got my 3 1/2 inch Browning gold ahortly after they came out. Wanted a gun with plenty of horsepower that was highly veratile....dove, ducks, and geese. I also don't like the cheap white bead, but who needs a bead anyway! I never sight or look down the barrell when I shoot. I love this gun. I could only find a 30-inch barrell when I got mine and I look silly at the sporting clay range until I start to shoot. I have had no trouble with mine other than minor things like setting the safety spring, etc. The only thing I have noticed is that when it comes to shooting 3 1/2" shells, the shells are too long to eject well unless you are shooting Winchester shells. I only use Winchester in my Browning to avoid this problem, and it is OK with me since I like Winchester anyway. I use the Dry-Lock steel or the Winchester Supreme. I have used it to consistently knock down geese at 55 yards with BB. It has been a good gun for me.

I have had my gold hunter 3 1/2 for about two months, I have shot around 1000 to 1250 rounds through it so far. I read in my manual for the 3 1/2 to only use loads in 2 3/4 inch that have 1 1/8 oz of shot, not one jam. The gun is incredidibly easy to take apart and reassemble. I can even put my bolt back in even with the trigger assembly intact. I have shot around 60 doves with it, plenty of trap and skeet, and a wood duck this weekend. Very versatile gun, little heavy, good looking in the wood and blued finish, and reliable if you clean it after you shoot.

Just changed to steel shot here in New Zealand and took a while to decide on the Browning over the second choice Remington, more expensive Benelli and cheaper Escort and turkish guns. So far no problems at all and very pleased with my choice aimed at 30-40 yard 3 duck loads plus possums and rabbits etc.

my dad has two golds and my girlfriend has a gold micro. Dad has been to argentina three times and fired 1500 to 2000 rounds a day. He never had a single jam. dad and my girlfriend both shoot 200 rounds a month. neither has ever had a jam. they do clean the piston and magazine after every outing. I shoot a beretta 391 that i love but have found it very finicky on the brand of shells that it will feed. They do not have this problem with the browning. The argentina trips proved to me how extremely reliable the browning is. more so than my beretta.

I have owned a Gold Stalker for 4 years now and have used it for everything from the cheapest skeet loads to 3.5 inch Heavy Shot loads on geese in Saskatchewan. Coming from Northern Canada, I was looking for a rugged no-frills automatic. This tough, versatile gun has bagged me more game than most of my other guns combined, ducks, geese, upland birds, one deer and many skeet. It has NEVER misfired or jammed once after over 2000 rounds. After reading the negative reviews I think some of these people need a lesson in basic firearm maintenance - that it you clean and lube it after EVERY TIME you take it and fire it, even after one round. The Gold was designed for ease of disassembly and cleaning. I also own a more expensive Beretta that I feel is not close to the Browning. The only thing I did not like was the cheap white plastic bead sight which I immediately changed with a TruGlo sight.

I have had my 3 gold for 3 years. I do a lot of hardcore winter shooting for crows, wolves, geese, ducks and deer using shells ranging from the most powerful 3 down to the cheapest walmart 3 dram specials. I have fired approximately 3000 rounds with NO MISFIRES. That includes shooting 1 oz 3dram crap in 20 below weather all day. Gun was so cold my snot froze on the steel. HOW DID I GET MY GOLD TO PERFORM LIKE THIS. LISTEN UP!!!!!!! Remove all packaging grease from all moving parts with a degreaser as suggested in your manual. Oil LIGHTLY with Remington CLP synthetic oil including gas piston. This oil drys to the touch shortly after application great for nasty goose pits. Lastly, clean the damm gun as frequently as necessary. Steel loads require more cleaning. There is not an easier shotgun to clean out there. Make sure the gas ports directing gas to the piston are cleaned. Mantain smooth action by lubing bolt rails. If you are shooting lighter than 1 oz loads buy the ligher g... Read more

I've had my browning gold 3 1/2 for several years now, and the more I shoot it, the more I like it. I have to clean it alot, but when I keep it clean it works like a dream. I found that heavy oil around the bolt and none on the magazine is the key. I do have some problems with 3 1/2 shells on cold, cold days, but otherwise I can shoot boxes of steel with no problem. I can also shoot half a case of light target loads with no problem. For the cost, it's a great all purpose gun.

my3.5 jams- always. best single shot I've ever owned. Returned to factory and 4 shells later it jammed. I will send the gun in one more time and if it is no better, this will be my last browning

I have had my gun for about 4 years. i do a lot of trap shooting so i really dont need it to cycle much and i clean it every time i get done shooting it. I just got back from North Dakota where i did need the gun to cycle and i just about threw the gun in the pond. The gun pretty much turned into a single shot. It is a really nice gun if it works on you. but Browning needs to do something about the gun. Good thing i had a solution to the problem a remington 870.

3.5 GH. bought mine to hunt with. wanted one gun to do it all from doves to geese to turkeys, etc. Main complaint is with 3.5 shells, even after an ultrasonic bath cleaning, still jams right away and every time. This POS is a joke - need to send back to Browning. Maybe I got a bad one? but for all the $ you'd think it would be more reliable and less finiky. think I'm going to a pump, works every time without fail.....

I have a browning gold 3 1/2 inch. I like the way it absorbs recoil, if it fires. I've owned some bad gas autos, but this one gets the faulty engineering prize. I clean it perfectly evertime I use it, but its problems are simply random and unsurmountable. Sometimes it doesn't feed right. Sometimes I get a light trigger strike. Some 3 1/2 inch are actually too long to clear the ejection port after firing!! How could Browing have designed such a gun? Don't buy one, especially used, because you may end up with mine. I'll never trust Browning again. Buy something else.

Bought the wife a Gold 20 for 9th anniversary. Wouldn't take it hunting youd starve with all the jams. Dirt is not the issue. The first time we had it out and it jammed I figured new gun maybe a burr on the action. Second time figured I hadn't been cleaning it thouroughly enough. Third time I knew it was not dirty. Today it jammed after less than 30 rounds. Then the recoil spring hung up. It goes back to Browning in the box, hopefully they'll just send me check. My old Remington 1100 has had thousands of rounds through it and never, never, failed to load clean or dirty wet or dry. I wonder if this is a case of paying for the name and getting shafted.

I have a Gold Hunter that is used primarily only once a year. I take it on a 2-3 day dove hunt, out of town. Both times I have taken the gun it has turned into a single shot. The gun is cleaned before and after each trip. After the 1st trip I had a gunsmith look at it and he simply cleaned and oiled it (I had not yet cleaned it). After this last trip I sent it in to Browning. It was cycling in super slo-mo. I do not have the gun back yet but I believe they replaced the piston and something else. I am very disappointed. No more than this gun has been shot I should not be having these types of problems. If the gun has to be cleaned during the middle of a dove hunt I don't want it. I'm thinking about trading it in when I get it back. Do not even think about shooting less than 1 1/8 oz. loads. JAB

I think that all the guys that say that the Gold Hunter is a piece of crap can go to hell. I own a 12 gauge 3 and i have never had a problem with it. The people that have problems with it are the ones that are too lazy to clean the gun after they shoot it and decide to leave it for the next day but never get around to it. This gun is perfect if you get off your ass and clean it

I purchased a used browning gold sporting clays 12 gauge about a month ago. I love the gun, except for the jamming problems. I get 4 to 5 mis-feeds per 50 shots or so. Don't tell me to clean it, I have cleaned it with a fine-toothed comb, so to speak, each time before I take it to the clays course. I am toying with using the 'less than 1 1/8 oz' gas piston with my target loads, to see what happens. Up to now, the gun jams with factory and reloads alike. I wish I could find a fix, as I really like the way the gun shoots otherwise. Shells eject ok, but the brass end of the load to be chambered, gets cocked sideways, sticking out of the chamber at an angle, such that the shell holder on the bolt (the spring loaded arm that grips the shell rim) is pressing against the primer area. Wish I could get this fixed!

I won my Gold Hunter in a draw years ago. I fell in love with it . A few weeks later I sold my Beretta A303. I know that opinions vary a lot about this gun . Mine is a jewel that didn't jam once for years. With light loads, it sounds like in slow motion. I would recommend 3drams minimum . As far as absorbing the recoil, it is better than any semi-auto I have tried including Beretta (my wife is using a A391. I know the gun). Loading all cartridges from under is a nice but minor feature. When you disassemble it, the mechanism looks definitely cheap compared to a Beretta. I clean the mechanism almost everytime I go shooting. If you don't like cleaning , buy a O/U or an inertia semi-auto .

I have a Browning Gold Sporting Clay and it is incredible! I improved my score by 12 birds the first round I used it. To all the tools crying about it jamming....try cleanig it. All the other guns now sit in the cabinet.