Does anyone have or have used either of these shotguns?

I am fighting the urge to add a semi auto 28 to my collection but I can't hold out much longer. I am looking for opinions or real world experience with either of these shotguns. Truthfully, I am a Browning man, but they do not offer a semi 28 unfortunately.

I own a Benelli 28ga Ultralight, TriStar Viper G2 28ga, and a Benelli SBE3 28ga.

What do you want to know?

I would like real world opinions from someone who actually has hands on experience such as yourself.

I used to own a Mossberg SA-08 20 gauge and could not hit squat with it. The fit was terrible for me and I am afraid that the Tristan will fit much the same. The “medium” rib height on Brownings fit me the best and I noticed the Tristar seems very flat and the Benelli raised.

Do you feel that there is a $1,000 difference in quality between the Benelli and the Tristar? I am getting to the point where I would like to add heirloom pieces to my collection instead of budget firearms.

Take a look at the Beretta A400 Xplor...they come in 28 gauge and that gun is a sweet, sweet shooter. Very lightweight as well. I have a 20 gauge and my buddy has the 28 ga. Very similar to the Upland model. When my son gets a little older I will probably pick up a 28 gauge to match my 20. The only 28 gauge I have now is a Remington 870.

I am not opposed to the Xplor at all. I am just wondering if the B guns are worth their price for a semi or am I paying for the name?

Right now I have a Citori 725 sporting that I shoot dove with and a Yildiz 28 for some reason. I should probably sell it and another gun I never shoot and invest in a B brand semi.

I am also considering a BPS 28 gauge, but a 7.5 pound pump doesn't sound all that appealing.

The B guns are worth the price simply because when you want to sell it you can recoup most of your value. It's not like you are going to lose much.

Personally I don't like Benelli's, so I would go Beretta. Too bad Browning doesn't offer a Silver Hunter in 28 ga.

Beretta A400 Xplor

That's a sweet shotgun and super easy to shoot.

I've never held nor shot the Mossberg SA-08, so I can't give you a real world side by side comparison.

The UltraLight is really light. It was too whippy to me if that makes sense. At the time it only came with a 26" barrel. My buddy added at 3oz mag cap on his to give it more front weight when swinging to shoot, but I never could tell it made a difference. Not sure if you know this, but the wood on a benelli isn't real. It's a wrap. So there's that. I will say that I really did like how the receiver is the top of the barrel on the 28ga like the 12ga SBE model I have. Makes it really easy to clean. I was not a fan of the fiber rib that was screwed to the barrel. I just never did like how it was attached and would flex. That's a personal thing as it never failed or lost it's functionality.

Not sure where you get the $1000 price difference. I want to say I bought my UltraLight on sale for around $1000 and my TriStar was $800 at the time if you could find one. For the price point, I've been really impressed with the TriStar. I like the bronze finish on the receiver. Not a big fan of the gloss finish on the wood. I have no complaints with the TriStar. It has always went bang, and I felt like it was a lot of gun for the money.

I used both these guns to duck hunt with and sold both. Why? Because neither were synthetic finished nor 28" barrel. When the SEB3 came out, I sold both and went with the SBE3 simple due to the longer barrel and rust preventative surface finish. I never did like have to clean or wipe down either the UltraLight or TriStar after every hunt.

Several friends I hunt with have the A400. One of those deals. If you like a Beretta, you love it. If you don't, you hate it. They haven't had any problems with theirs, but I just don't like the feel.

Long way for me to say, buy what gun feels the best to you. I don't think any of them are a bad choice.

I will say if you are using this for a dove gun, I'd keep the 725. I hate chasing hulls in a dove field. I used my 28ga White Lightning to shoot doves and quail with. I only use the semi for duck hunting.

The 725 is not going anywhere anytime soon. That is hands down my favorite gun, but I like the 28 so much that a semi will fit in nicely. The guns on the chopping block are my Yildiz and a Sig P238 that has not seen the light of day in years.
Thank you for the info on al brands of shotguns. Right now I can get a Tristar for 750ish and cannot find a Beretta under $1,500.

A Silver Hunter 28 gauge would be in my safe so fast that everyone's head would be spinning! That would be my ideal shotgun!

I have a Ultralight in 28 ga. and just bought the Benelli Ethos Auto 28 ga. that shoots 3” shells. Going to try it with 3” copper plated # 7.5 shot on doves this year. Also have several O/U ( Ruger,Beretta,Browning ) 28’s that I’ve shot for years but really like the Benelli’s. Actually like them all but always looking to add something new. Although I don’t shoot very well they’re all fun to shoot.
Jim