My youngest was eyeballing one of these at rual king tonight. Semi auto 12g with 20" and choke tubs for $139. I told him you get what you pay for and it may be a heavy single shot but I would ask around. I know there are some Turkish shotguns out there that I read the models they copied parts swap right in and they are a good value but I can't rember what models they are. At that price I would have bought it to test out and would have more money in ammo than the gun but my wife was with me and I didn't want to make her wait on the background check and me putting my info in the computer 4473 they use I'm slow on computers. So since I didn't buy it I thought I would ask if it's a good value or jamming lemon with no parts available? I can alway go tomorrow and pick it up if it's worth having.

Is it a semi-auto or a single shot?

Found this. I have no hands on experience with them.

I would go Maverick 88 first , way before the citadel

edit: I was thinking the citadel pump that Hickock was shooting sunday
and ADC put the video up that james did on the citadel auto , I would definitely not get that
James does a follow up to that video with the mavrick 88 video I mentioned below

Hickock45 was shooting a citadel Sunday for his weekly video , it just didn't make me think any better of it

VS James on TFBTV did a 500 round torture test every kind of shell he could to a 88 and it took it as mossberg expected , not even hard.
Citadel is a turkish gun and you have no idea about parts and accessories , almost everything m500 fits a 88


a used 500 would be excellent also

but I agree you get what you pay for I like a vent rib barrel with choke tubes

I am seeing some nice Winchester 1200 and 1300 on the used rack those even through they are out of production have a good number of parts around and were well made guns

a good shotgun is a tool for the rest of your life
pump guns almost don't wear out
definitely a buy once cry once thing but you can start with a fairly low budget and build on good

this is my favorite gun for birds right now
I purchased the gun used from a consignment rack for $225 with a 28 inch vent rib accu-choke and a cylinder bore 24 inch smooth bore slug barrel with rifle sights.

I liked it with the 28 inch barrel , I fell one the ice a few years ago and cracked the weld on the vent rib
I bought a new 20 inch Mossberg barrel , it actually cost more than the gun had years earlier.
at $245 still money well spent in my mind because I like it even more now.

it wears a Morgan pad that got me a longer length of pull and fits nice in the shoulder another $70
If I added it all up
225+70+245+45 for the Carlson's ported choke but I couldn't buy a new gun for the price of the barrel at the time mid covid gun shortage.

if you pick a common gun with lots of accessories you can do all sorts of things with it
this one started life a 870 police 20 inch barrel rode around in a patrol car for 25 years then I bought it used from the PD through a local dealer.


a couple parts from Remington and it was complete , I got it for less than I paid to have it threaded at Carlson back when they still did that.
it had it's 1980s speed feed stock

upgrades were
mag tube extension that is the factory Remington tube
threaded for Rem chokes , Carlsons full in the picture but I have others
new magpul forearm to run a light when I want to
drilled and tapped for optic
Vortex red dot
Magpul butt stock that has 2 inches of spacer in it for 14.25" LOP that same stock goes down to 12.25" LOP with one screw adn the spacers are 1/2 inch increments would be handy for kid to adult with one stock
that cheek riser is the high , it comes with the low , there are 1/4 inch options from looking over the vent rib to an inch above it
my eye lines up perfect with the optic now.

again I have a fair amount of money in it with all the add ons but a lot less than if I built it form new.
just an example of the full options when you choose a common gun to start with

Thans for the links. Looks like junk as I figured. We have quite a few shotguns but the boys are wanting their own. They have been using their sisters yout shotguns a single shot h and r and 870 both in 20. I have 3 doubles, several other pumps mostly 870 varieties.

I think gas operated semi would be nice for them so have been leaning towards a win sx4 compact. I read it the same system as the browning.

But my y I unges ses things cheap and want to jump on them. I hoped he would learn his lesson with a charles daily he got against my advice. It was missing the piston inside.. . But it seems he didn't learn a thing.

if they are looking for a good semi auto 12 , the Mossberg 940 pro is worth a look or the Berretta 1301 tactical.
both have 20 inch barrels very good reputations , the 940 was built as an upgrade to the 930JM pro redesigned to1500 rounds between maintenance on the gas system cleaning and replacing O rings.

good Semi auto shotguns start around $1000

the 940 pro turkey or tactical both look like nice setups , the turkey is cammo and had a vent rib.

just a lot of money for a kid to come up with
where a good pump gun is a lot more affordable

I still remember buying my first gun in a guys garage the guy had out an add in the newsletter where my mom worked she brought it home I got my dad to drive me there after I called him , shelling out all my 20s and going home with my new shotgun , he was upgrading trap guns.

try having them make a list of what they want in a gun for features , then have them look for something that fits that , it will keep them busy for a while.
all to often we see a price tag that is low and think yeah that's cool I want that. when we would be better saving a bit more and getting the gun that matches the features list.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022978068?pid=793173 - I had one of these for years. No troubles at all. Still kick myself for selling it.... and you could buy two of them with that $1000 GCP mentioned.

The CZ has been around a while , good company , and their chokes Interchange with Carlson’s Beretta/Benelli Mobil style threads
found that on Carlson's website

they just discontinued the 712 G2 for 2023 and brought out the 712 G3