![]() That’s because pump guns are easy to short-stroke, or to fail to fully slide the action all the way back and then all the way forward, while under duress. So, while a pump is mechanically more reliable, it also requires more training to shoot well. Operating anything under pressure is more difficult unless the user has trained until its use becomes almost subconscious (often called muscle memory). “The difference is, when a pump jams, it’s almost always user error.” “I’ve also seen pumps thrown overboard,” offers Weatherald. So, you might think that a pump is the obvious choice. But, for home-defense, a jam could mean your life. To competitors, a jam might mean dropping a stage. Hunters are willing to accept a slight disadvantage in reliability for the recoil reduction and status semi-automatics offer. For people who stake their lives on a shotgun and who operate in extreme conditions, a semi may not be the best choice. Thank goodness I was hunting birds and not defending my life. ![]() More than once I’ve dropped my Remington 1100 into fine sand that rendered it a single shot until every piece could be disassembled and soaked in cleaning fluid. But, if you factor in such things as sub-power loads (reduced recoil and even most birdshot) and/or freezing weather, a semi-auto can plunge so far in reliability (75 percent or less) that it can become a liability. ![]() Inertia actions like Benellis tend to be slightly more reliable with much longer runs between cleaning periods. If cleaned between every box of shells-a luxury the home defender is afforded, but the Soldier is not-the same gun can push closer to 99 percent. For every 100 shells fired, it might have two malfunctions, but only if those 100 rounds are fired consecutively without cleaning. Indeed, when kept oiled-up and humming, a top-quality semi is so reliable that big-money 3-gun shooters stake their livings on them strictly for their speed.Īnecdotally, I’d place a top-quality, gas-action semi-automatic that’s clean, lubed and loaded with full-power loads in the 98-percent reliability range. Other evolutions like rotating bolt heads, dual-recoil springs, piston-gas actions and slicker internal metal finishes have gone a long way to make the modern semi-automatic more reliable. Remington’s Versa-Max system overhauled the traditional two-port gas system by making multiple ports (seven, in fact) available. These days, the Italian company’s M4 is employed by numerous military and police units, and its reputation for reliability is outstanding. Fewer moving parts means fewer parts to break and less friction during cycling. Benelli’s inertia action did away with gas ports prone to fouling and malfunction. He hunts every day of the waterfowl season on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay and witnesses thousands of shots from all types of shotguns kept in all types of conditions, ranging from pristine to crusty.īut, before we pound our fists and yell, “Semis suck, pumps rule!” let’s consider some other factors.Ĭlearly, semis have become more reliable in the last few decades. “I see every type of semi jam-and I see it often,” says Navy veteran Bob Weatherald of Mid River Guide Service. Clean or even moderately dirty, a good pump’s mechanical reliability hovers above 99.5 percent. With a pump, however, the gun can be cycled like normal. For example, if a shell fails to fire due to a bad primer or any number of other random events, a semi-auto will often jam. Pumps are simpler, with fewer moving parts and less dependency on prior events in a sequence to operate. In terms of sheer mechanical reliability, semi-automatics are not on par with pumps. And so, the debate continues-a fray into which I shall now wade. Then there’s the other side who swears by a modern semi-automatic. One faction places reliability atop their criteria. You remember the old Miller Lite commercial wherein an army of beer drinkers on one side of the bar chants “Tastes great!” while the other camp retorts “Less filling!”? The debate on the best shotgun type for defense is similar.
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