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The best second-hand semi-autos for under £850

A reader on a budget of £850 wants to buy a semi-auto from an established manufacturer. What does Mike George recommend?

Remington 1100

Remington 1100

Option 2 Remington 1100

  • The 1100 set new standards for semi-automatic shotguns. The gun’s handling was just superb.
  • I’ve often said that if I had a £1 coin for every 25-straight at skeet on both sides of the Atlantic, and a further £1 for every woodpigeon shot in the UK by 1100 owners, I might be contributing my articles from a luxury apartment in Monaco.
  • Early guns weren’t without their faults, which included fragile extractor claws and bolt followers, but I haven’t heard of these faults for years now.
  • The model illustrated is the synthetic-stock sporter, which is also available with traditional woodwork.
  • At 8lb-plus it’s a bit heavy for a sporter, but its handling is set to live up to the standard set more than half a century ago.