I'm looking to upgrade from a Mossberg 590 and get more into 3-gun. I've shot a Beretta 391 for years on the trap, skeet & sporting clay fields and am fairly comfortable with its operation & controls, but am open to trying something new if it's truly a better mousetrap. Any of these 3 are within my price range, so that's not a consideration...buy once, cry once.
Currently exploring 3 options:
1. Beretta 1301 Comp. 24" (add Nordic tube)
2. Remington Versa Max Competition Tactical 22" (already comes 8+1 or 10+1)
3. Browning A5 Stalker 26" (add Nordic tube)
The 1301 & VM are both gas operated and the A5 appears to be similar to the Benelli M2 (kinetic/recoil operated).
The Browning A5 looks interesting as it has a quick-loading feature where the first round shoved into the mag tube is automatically lifted & chambered, apparently removing the need to "port load" the first round if you run dry.
http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/glossaryitem.asp?id=108
I'm also thinking about an ~18" version for HD and possibly for use in a class like at Gunsite. Ideally, having the same brand/model for both 3-gun & HD seems like a good idea to simplify training, muscle memory, spare parts, and maintenance. The recently released Beretta 1301 Tactical and Remington R12 appear like nearly identical, feature-wise.
Beretta has the 1301 Tactical 18.5", 5+1 with LPA-style ghost-ring sights, and rail. I'd add a +1 or +2 Nordic mag ext w/clamp to bring it out to 6+1 or 7+1.
Remington has the R12, which is an 18" Versa Max, 6+1 (Nordic tube w/clamp), LPA ghost-ring sights, and rail. Remington currently has the R12 listed as LEO/MIL, but would expect this restriction to quietly be removed once production ramps up.