First Shotgun

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grosenbaum

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I know I am opening a can of worms here but I guess it can't hurt to read everyone's opinions even if nobody's going to agree.

I am trying to decide what to buy for my first gun. I have looked at what is available new online and while I wait to get access to the exchange here I thought I'd ask for opinions.

Here's some info:
1) I mostly am interested in duck, goose, and turkey hunting.
2) With the amount of time I have to actually go hunting I will probably wind up shooting more clay with it than anything else, even though that is not my main interest.
3) I would like to spend under $1000 (including tax if new)
4) I don't know if I want pump or semi. I know some of the pros and cons but don't know how much weight to put on each.
5) 12 gauge
6) Guns that have been recommended to me: Benelli Supernova/Nova, Stoeger M3500, Mossberg 935, Win SX3or4, Rem 870
7) Think I am ok with new or used unless someone convinces me one way or the other.
8) I'm 5'10", 175, so pretty medium in size if that is important.

Thanks in advance for your opinions. Hope it's not too annoying to have such an open ended question.
 
Lots of solid options there. Id recommend a older 870 wingmaster in 3". the stoeger m3500 isn't good with target loads in most cases. If you want a semi the win sx3/4 is a good gun i hear but no experience. I had a Weatherby SA08 and it was a great gun for a decent cost, little on the light side though.

3 1/2 is always good to have but honestly Duck/Goose hunting.......If you can't hit it with a 3" you prob can't hit it with a 3 1/2 ( imo ). Cant speak about turkey but assume its pretty well the same.
 
Browning BPS. BPS stands for Browning Pump Shotgun but it honestly stands for Best Pump Shotgun. Bottom eject, Smoothest pump shotgun out there, milled from a block of steel, ambi controls. Its truly the best pump shotgun you can buy. At a budget of $1000 taxes in Id stay in the pump shotgun area as there are some good semi autos under that price point, but I myself like good stuff so if I'm faced with the decision to get a high quality pump gun for $1000 taxes in or an okay semi auto for the same value, Id go for the pump gun. Now if your budget was $2000, Id go straight for a Beretta A400 or Benelli Vinci. The A400 Lite and Vinci are under $2000 new.
 
To add to what Mumbles said, I would be leaning toward a BPS or Benelli Nova/Supernova. 3 1/2" is nice to have, but most goose hunters I know only shoot 3" due to recoil, cost and no need for more.
 
Lots of options, but if the choice were mine, I'd stick to a semi auto for waterfowl hunting. The best gun for you is the one that fits bests. Having said that, of the few you mentioned I'd recommend the Mossberg 935. It comes with shims to help you adjust for fit and its a workhorse of a gun. I've had mine for about 10 years and Im really happy with it
 
First of all make sure you are browsing other threads like this one: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1632069-Shotgun-fit

If one of your options fits over a preferred model, go with the one that fits you.

Is this a first gun or only a first shotgun? The reason I ask is you have a very respectable budget and a good lineup of potential options which if you have been doing a bunch of other shooting types and are experienced elsewhere I would say spend it all on that BPS or something similar. If you are totally new to shooting sports overall I say pick up an 870 (new or used) and spend the saved cash on lots of flats of ammo, range fees for those clay sports, and gas to get out and hunt as much as your schedule can handle. The 870 is extremely easy to find aftermarket options for and you can literally build one into whatever you want, so if you grow with the sport the 870 can too while always being a perfect backup, truck, or bang around option. I goose/duck/turkey hunt with an 3.5 o/u now which fits me perfectly but I still hang onto and would never consider selling my old 870. It provides too many options for little investment.

I personally would never recommend a semi-auto to anyone as a first shotgun. Just a personal thing which many wouldn't agree with but I think less frustration can be found with a better understanding of shotguns as a whole and a better understanding of how to diagnose and remedy issues, especially with gas actions as an example.
 
You need to find a gun that fits you, but two guns that I recommend looking at are the Winchester SX-4, and the SX-3. Both are very reasonably priced, and are reliable guns. I own several shotguns that cost in the 10k or more range, but I still use an SX-3 for waterfowl. I also owned a SBE2 and an A400, but I sold them and kept the SX-3, because even after using the shims on the other two to adjust the fit, the SX-3 still fits me better. I prefer a gas operated semi auto because the felt recoil is so much less with heavy waterfowl loads. And even though my gun will shoot 3-1/2" loads, I never bother with them as 3" does all that I need
 
I shoot quite a bit of both geese and clays. For geese anything that shoots three inch and can shoot three shell and fits well will do. No O/Us. IF you want to shoot clays and the club you shoot at shoots doubles then you will want a semi. shooting doubles with a pump when everyone else has O/U and semis is not much fun. I shoot a Beretta A400 Xplor Unico for this reason. I think the SX3/4 would be a good choice and in your price range.
 
Rynnik said:
....... I say pick up an 870 (new or used) and spend the saved cash on lots of flats of ammo, range fees for those clay sports, and gas to get out and hunt as much as your schedule can handle. The 870 is extremely easy to find aftermarket options for and you can literally build one into whatever you want, so if you grow with the sport the 870 can too while always being a perfect backup, truck, or bang around option. I goose/duck/turkey hunt with an 3.5 o/u now which fits me perfectly but I still hang onto and would never consider selling my old 870. It provides too many options for little investment..........
Click to expand...

Great advice.

No matter whatever SG's I may own I'll never part with my good ole' 870's. It doesn't get more dependable, modifiable, workhorse than that.
 
If your plan is to shoot clays in a structured environment, a pump will hold you back a bit. Not to say that people don't shoot trap doubles/skeet/sporting clays with pump shotguns, it just takes a bit more skill. A semi will make life much easier, haha.

Should be some decent used semi's in the EE for a grand. The SX3 is a great gun, as others have mentioned. I would recommend the A400 all day, but they're a rare sight under $1000.
 
Rynnik said:
First of all make sure you are browsing other threads like this one: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1632069-Shotgun-fit

If one of your options fits over a preferred model, go with the one that fits you.

Is this a first gun or only a first shotgun? The reason I ask is you have a very respectable budget and a good lineup of potential options which if you have been doing a bunch of other shooting types and are experienced elsewhere I would say spend it all on that BPS or something similar. If you are totally new to shooting sports overall I say pick up an 870 (new or used) and spend the saved cash on lots of flats of ammo, range fees for those clay sports, and gas to get out and hunt as much as your schedule can handle. The 870 is extremely easy to find aftermarket options for and you can literally build one into whatever you want, so if you grow with the sport the 870 can too while always being a perfect backup, truck, or bang around option. I goose/duck/turkey hunt with an 3.5 o/u now which fits me perfectly but I still hang onto and would never consider selling my old 870. It provides too many options for little investment.

I personally would never recommend a semi-auto to anyone as a first shotgun. Just a personal thing which many wouldn't agree with but I think less frustration can be found with a better understanding of shotguns as a whole and a better understanding of how to diagnose and remedy issues, especially with gas actions as an example.
Click to expand...

Not only did I see that thread, I started it ;)

It will be my first gun. It is more oppurtunity than money re: how much I am going to shoot (although I am not opposed to a cheaper gun). I have read some people saying the old "they don't make em like they used to" with regard to the new 870s, have you heard similar?

Thanks for your input!
 
grosenbaum said:
Not only did I see that thread, I started it ;)

It will be my first gun. It is more oppurtunity than money re: how much I am going to shoot (although I am not opposed to a cheaper gun). I have read some people saying the old "they don't make em like they used to" with regard to the new 870s, have you heard similar?

Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...

I saw that after I had posted and definitely chuckled when I when I recognized the username. Well played! You are doing things in the right order!

Yah, you will see a lot of consensus about older 870s and there are, with good reason imo, a lot of fans of the older wingmasters. Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with a new 870 either. The real beauty is the ability to make a minimal investment and discover where exactly the sport pushes your interests without ever having 'wasted' a first purchase. If it fits you, it will continue to do so, and will continue to serve in a wide variety of situations that a better, pricier, more narrowly focused future purchase may not. Which ever rabbit hole you decide to dive down in this world of shotgunning you will always have that perfectly functional 870 back on the surface and ready to be easily setup the way you want it for which ever path you chose to follow.

At the end of the day there are no wrong choices (okay norinco, not MANY wrong choices) as long as you get sucked into the sport one way or another.
 
I picked up a Mossberg 500 for my first shotgun. I've only done Skeet shooting with it but I really liked it. Seemed to fit me well and functioned flawlessly. I just picked up a new Mossberg 930 Semi-Auto since I liked my Mossberg pump so much. I've only had it out once but so far it seems to have a similar fit and functions nicely. I had a few Failures to Eject with it but once I got it oiled up and worked in a bit it started to work quite well. I haven't had it long enough to give it a great review but I've read a lot about them and they sound pretty reliable. You can easily get one new for much less than $1000.
 
Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
Browning BPS. BPS stands for Browning Pump Shotgun but it honestly stands for Best Pump Shotgun. Bottom eject, Smoothest pump shotgun out there, milled from a block of steel, ambi controls. Its truly the best pump shotgun you can buy. At a budget of $1000 taxes in Id stay in the pump shotgun area as there are some good semi autos under that price point, but I myself like good stuff so if I'm faced with the decision to get a high quality pump gun for $1000 taxes in or an okay semi auto for the same value, Id go for the pump gun. Now if your budget was $2000, Id go straight for a Beretta A400 or Benelli Vinci. The A400 Lite and Vinci are under $2000 new.
Click to expand...

Have a BPS and truly it is an awesome piece of kit...
 
I recently went through the same decision process, and in terms of guns it came down to the SX3 or the A400. I ended up with the A400, but only because I found one at an awesome price - otherwise I would have gone with the SX3.
 
I started with a single shot 12 gauge. Brutal recoil. I bought a 870 Express which I still have. I don't use it much anymore but still gets used a few times a year.

If you can find a 870 Wingmaster for a decent price I would go that route. Or look at the Winchester SX4. They are under a grand.
 
I would think any shotgun made by one of the big manufacturers should serve you well.

If i was going to get semi and wanted to spend around $1000, I would go with the Remington V3
 
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