Shotgun for waterfowl

Hello everyone! I recently obtained my non restricted PAL. I have never hunted before and am looking forward to going for geese this upcoming fall.

I have been looking at shotguns online and there are a tone of options.

Was hoping some gunnutz had some tried and tested recommendations for my first gun purchase.

Thank you

Well my first ever firearm was a Browning Auto 5 ,, and old one ..lol. Its mainly used for trap shooting , but I always firgured it would make a great goose shooter ..its a mechanical (spring) semi-auto .. congrats on your PAL , and welcome to the site.

MAC inPG

Thanks Mac, appreciate the welcome!

Browning Auto 5, super cool gun, lots of history there!

There are many competent waterfowl guns out there, in a pump action literally hundreds of thousands of Remington 870's and Mossberg 500's have seen hard use in tough conditions and people swear by them, especially the Wingmasters from Remington.
Personally, I like the Browning BPS pumps, the tang safety and bottom eject work well for me as a lefty. I'm a pump action guy myself, but there are many very nice semi's that will fill the freezer also. I like a 28" barrel with screw in chokes but barrel length can depend on where you hunt, I'm a field hunter and never shoot over open water, so I never really need to reach out there. Also, a 3" chamber has always been plenty for me, never needed a 3.5" personally. Good luck in your search for the right shotgun, find a store with a competent staff that can show you how a shotgun should fit and pick the one that feels best

I shoot a 28" bbl benelli supernova in max 5 camo for waterfowl and I love it! The camo version adds an extra layer of protection when taking it out into the field.

Remington Versa Max. 12ga. 28" barrel. So ducky.

for a pump i would go with a Benelli super nova and for a semi i would go with a Remington 930. but best thing to do would be to go into a gun store and talk to the employees and just handle a ton of different shotguns to see what one fits you best.

Originally Posted by Bjlaurin

Hello everyone! I recently obtained my non restricted PAL. I have never hunted before and am looking forward to going for geese this upcoming fall.

I have been looking at shotguns online and there are a tone of options.

Was hoping some gunnutz had some tried and tested recommendations for my first gun purchase.

Thank you

I bet if you can find someone to take you hunting, you should have no trouble finding a loaner.

ANyone with a good goose hunting set up is going to have spare shotguns you can borrow. handling a gun in the store doesn't do it justice.

See if you can do a round of clays to get a feel for it. Good practice too. Shooting birds on the wing is nothing like shooting static paper.

Great recommendations and advice.

Thank you

I echo edgy. As a first shotgun, consider a 12 ga pump, 28” barrel, screw in chokes, etc for now. Rem 870 express a good starter gun. If you like it then consider nicer pumps, semis or o/u in future. Practice shooting with clays and test pattern before you go out for geese. I have an Auto-5 (great goose gun for field hunting) but learning to use a pump (slower, more methodical) will help you with proper mechanics of wing shooting. Make sure to have the gun checked for fit to you, Length Of Pull (with hunting clothes worn) being very important. Store staff should be able to help with this. Also check out Manitoba Wildlife Federation for info on mentored waterfowl hunts being offered this fall.