DuckSouth.com

Well I'll be graduating college at the end of the summer and my old man said he wanted to get me a pretty nice graduation present that I get to pick. He was thinkin maybe a guided hunt somewhere or somethin, but I think I've decided I want a gun. Can never have enough guns. I was thinking about getting a really nice 1911 pistol or something but I figured I'd get more use out of a shotgun. I love the beretta xtremas and I don't own a nice automatic duck gun, only got pumps. Also I will be going to Indiana every year (God Willing) to deer hunt and they make you use a slug gun. I found the xtrema with a slug gun barrel on gunbroker and think that is what I want. I figured I could buy that and then buy a bird barrel later and change them out as needed (the slug barrel has a cantilever mount attached to the barrel so you can change barrels without losing your zero). But I have been looking around and I dunno if I'm just looking in the wrong places or what, but I can't seem to track down just the xtrema bird barrel. Would it be better to get the shotgun with the bird barrel and order the slug barrel later?( I have found a couple of those). Or are the bird barrels easy to find and I'm just an idiot? (probably that one).. Sorry to write so much, I'm writing a paper for school which has got me ramblin, and this is a good distraction.

My personal take:

If you utilize the gun more hunting on the wing, indeed get a bird barrel. You can shoot slugs through it, and even buckshoot if need be.

In my opinion, if your going to get a graduation gift and want something that will have some sentimental value later on in life get a good O/U shotgun or even a SxS. Autos are nice, but just don't have the same astetic appeal.. If your going to be traveling with the gun a lot, especially to India, you would be better off getting a less expensive "utility gun" to hunt with. If it gets lost or stolen or damage your not going to be as upset than if it was a gun that you got for graduation and had some sentimental value to it.

Extra barrels for beretta and benelli are hard to come buy. I'd get one with the bird barrel because i think the slug barrels are easier to find.

Get the auto you want and then order a slug barrel from these folks. I've got a SX2 slug barrel from them and it's a tack driver.

http://www.badgerbarrelsinc.com/