Duck Hunting Shotgun

jethunter said:
Contrary to popular opinion - it's the shooter that matters, and not so much the gun. :) You can shoot just as many ducks with a $300 Mossberg pump as you can with a $1500 Beretta semi. If money is no object then just buy one of everything and sell the ones you don't like later.
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I totally agree, it's what you want to hunt with and what fits you that matters most.
Heck, if somebody wanted a personal opinion from me and was going to take that as a recommendation, there would be a lot more hammer doubles ad O/U 20's out there in the waterfowl fields than you could shake a stock at LOL!!

I try to be as unbiased as I can when it comes to advice however, I tend to steer people away from my personal preferences in firearms and tell them to try a bunch out first before jumping into things!
Cat
 
I went from a benelli super nova to a beretta xtrema both can do the same thing my recommendation is what ever fits you best
 
I started with a Winchester Mod 12 worked my way up to the Winchester Mod 50 and finaly to the Winchester SX3......in the end it will all depend on you budget and what works for you. Having said that, in retrospect, I should have gone with the Sx3 in the first place and saved about 700$ on the other 2 shotguns. Like what has been said befor, go to a gun shop and have a look around, try differant guns and see how they feel. I would also recomend getting something in 3 1/2 chamber. you can shoot all types of ammo from it and you will never look back.



Cheers
 
1). All things being equal, a pump shotgun is great to start out with, but once you have a bit more experience, you will kill more ducks with a semi-auto. This has been my personal observation with all my friends who upgraded, and myself.
2). Don't buy a 3.5-inch pump. I know many will disagree, but in my opinion, they kick too much (no gas system to bleed off recoil) and the pump throw is too far. Better off with a 3-inch pump, then upgrade to 3.5-inch if you buy a semi-auto.
 
Like everyone says, number one rule: something that fits. My first outing I couldn't hit anything with the shotgun I'd borrowed. After the first day my uncle gave me a different gun to try. As a 16 year old kid I didn't want to use my uncle's old shotgun from the back of his truck because it was "ugly"... long story short, day 2 I increased from a 0% hit rate to a 60% hit rate. If you have a local trap shooting club I highly recommend going and talking with them. A wealth of info to be had, and the chance of hands-on with different gun types
 
I've used a bunch over the years: Mossberg 500, Winchester 1200, Winchester 101, Ithaca 500 & 600, Itahca 200E, Remington 58, 870, 1100 & 11-87, Winchester Model 12 and SX-1, Classic Doubles, Beretta 686, Browning 325 & 425, Beretta 409E SxS, Beretta 391 & DT-10.

My go-to waterfowler is a Remington Wingmaster. The "Timex" of pump shotguns. With a bit of attention to keeping it well-oiled and a little chamber polishing to ensure smooth feeding and
ejection, an 870 Express is not bad ... but the Wingmaster is a lot better.
 
Hey friend:

Opening statement: I am pump biased. I have no need or desire for a semi-shotty.

Just went through my first shotgun purchasing experience...

Owned a 10-22 before, but I think my gun addiction has began (now that I have the finances), but that is neither here nor there.

Went out duck/goose hunting for the first time last fall with my friends Mossberg 535 in synthetic camo. Gun kicked like a mule with the 3.5" shells but I got lucky or am a good shot and dropped my first duck 5 minutes into legal in low lighting at a ways out. Gun was reliable, could get banged around, never failed on me etc, etc.

I couple of the other lads I was with were shooting 870's in walnut and blue. One of them was a lemon as the pump was chipped and kept catching on the under carriage causing him being unable to pump for his second shot and lots of cursing (lulz for me, misery for him). The other 870 worked flawlessly. Another lad was shooting a BPS in camo and personally (I'm 6' with orang-outang arms and the BPS and 535 fit me perfectly).

Talked to everyone I know, and made a thread about it - its still on the front page as I post this.

I ended up splurging and picked up a used walnut BPS 3" on the exchange here that I am in love with for a really good deal. But if was price was an issue, I'd probably just pick up a Mossberg 500 (as I probably will for a backup/beater in the summer). Personally the 3.5" seems unnecessary, but I'm new and naive to this world, so take that last comment with a grain of salt.

As others have said, get a gun that fits your frame - this is by far the most important feature.

If price is an issue the 500, 535, and 870 are all awesome picks (despite witnessing the lemon). If you have a bit more cheddar, check out the BPS (my own personal pride and joy).

Whatever you do, DON'T rush your purchase. The research, the fitting, the conversations about whats better or worse is almost as fun as the moment you hand over your hard earned cash.

Let us know what you grab and why. I always like hearing peoples reasoning for their purchases.

Cheers.

The dirtiest moustache.
 
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