Entry level duck hunting shotgun

stubblejumper said:
Look for a shotgun that comes with shims and spacers for the stock. so you can lengthen the stock. The SX-3 is reasonably priced and comes with shims and spacers. There is actually a new SX-4 available now.
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Im on board with this. My preference for a waterfowl gun is a semi. I personally wouldn't shoot a pump even if I was paid to do so. If not a semi, I would go back to the days of when I shot waterfowl with a double gun. Many economical and reliable auto loaders available these days. My dedicated waterfowl gun nowadays is a Mossberg 935, which comes with adjustment shims. I also have a Browning Silver which I highly recommend
 
ryno1 said:
I am planning to duck hunt for the first time this year and i am wondering what gun i should start with. Im 6'6 and most of the the shotguns i have held dont feel right.
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Were you dress in what you would wear in the blind . heavy clothes and chestwaders increase the length of pull .
 
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I primarily shot Wingmasters on ducks and geese for 30 years, then switched up to a variety of semi's, O/U's and SXS's... however a pump action shotgun is a solid recommendation for the OP, because it sounds like a decent semi is out of his budget (he still hasn't said what his budget is... just "cheap").
 
hoytcanon said:
I primarily shot Wingmasters on ducks and geese for 30 years, then switched up to a variety of semi's, O/U's and SXS's... however a pump action shotgun is a solid recommendation for the OP, because it sounds like a decent semi is out of his budget (he still hasn't said what his budget is... just "cheap").
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I agree for a few reasons...

- a good quality pump can be bought for about half the price of an equivalent quality semi.

- for the newb, there is likely no shotgun type (aside from single), that is easier to strip, clean and reassemble which is a must for a waterfowl gun in my books.

- the delay between shots and the practice of reaquiring a sight picture for a follow up is helpful to newer shooters... when I first started waterfowling I couldn't believe the amount of expensive noise some of my pals with semis were making.
 
I can't help but notice that many people assume that everyone hunts waterfowl over water. The reality of it all, is that many of us hunt waterfowl in fields, and in fact, some outfitters in the West also conduct the vast majority of their hunts in fields. As such, the conditions that our guns are exposed to while waterfowl hunting vary considerably.
 
stubblejumper said:
I can't help but notice that many people assume that everyone hunts waterfowl over water. The reality of it all, is that many of us hunt waterfowl in fields, and in fact, some outfitters in the West also conduct the vast majority of their hunts in fields. As such, the conditions that our guns are exposed to while waterfowl hunting vary considerably.
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I can't speak for anyone else, but to me, it doesn't matter what you hunt waterfowl "over"..... the goal is certainly not to drop your gun in it, whether it's a pond, river, mucky bean or corn field or a dry feeding field.... and this certainly wouldn't influence my choice of gun..... (although I must admit my waterfowl guns have all been submerged at one point or another).

That being said, waterfowling is not a fair weather hunt IMOP..... most of my best days have been soggy ones and if I have a day planned that ends up with a forecast of London style drizzle I get excited the night before because those days have yielded my best results...

The stationary nature of waterfowl hunting when you aren't jump shooting leaves you sitting there in your blind or boat watching your gun get soaked (usually along with your clothes, lunch and anything else you brought).....
 
stubblejumper said:
I can't help but notice that many people assume that everyone hunts waterfowl over water. The reality of it all, is that many of us hunt waterfowl in fields, and in fact, some outfitters in the West also conduct the vast majority of their hunts in fields. As such, the conditions that our guns are exposed to while waterfowl hunting vary considerably.
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Tilled corn field hunts do way more damage to my gear than hunts over water. IMO waterfowl hunting conditions are rougher than just about any other kind of hunting, except perhaps "real" mountain hunting.
 
hoytcanon said:
Tilled corn field hunts do way more damage to my gear than hunts over water. IMO waterfowl hunting conditions are rougher than just about any other kind of hunting, except perhaps "real" mountain hunting.
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I don't hunt over water, or over tilled corn fields. We typically hunt stubble or harvested pea fields. We use layout blinds, and the guns typically are either in our hands, or laying on the blind. My guns have never been submerged in water or mud.
 
I've never hunted waterfowl over a field. Sometimes wish I could as it looks like when it all works out right it's quite a hunt. At the same time I enjoy being by the water and slogging around in the mud reminds me of being a kid :)
 
leveractionjunkie said:
I've never hunted waterfowl over a field. Sometimes wish I could as it looks like when it all works out right it's quite a hunt. At the same time I enjoy being by the water and slogging around in the mud reminds me of being a kid :)
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The local outfitters use field hunts because they usually produce a lot of birds for their clients.
 
For sure. Part of why Id love to get in on some one day. I understand the belief is that the birds stay in the area longer when hunted in fields vs loafing water. Was watching some of Claudio's videos the other day and some of those shoots are almost unfathomable compared to waterfowling round here.
 
leveractionjunkie said:
For sure. Part of why Id love to get in on some one day. I understand the belief is that the birds stay in the area longer when hunted in fields vs loafing water. Was watching some of Claudio's videos the other day and some of those shoots are almost unfathomable compared to waterfowling round here.
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Shooting waterfowl at the roost is a great way to drive them out of the area, as well as making enemies with the other hunters in the area.
 
100% I understand that. By loafing water I meant the ponds that get bit between roost and feed or feed, loaf, feed and then roost. Some places hunting waterfowl over water at all is becoming hotly contested, shame really.

Little off topic I apologize.
 
Corwin arms is selling the Asena zr7rc semi for a great price. I tested one pretty throughly and was impressed. They are very long guns. Should be a good length for your size. Add a decent waterfowl choke and you're good to go
 
leveractionjunkie said:
100% I understand that. By loafing water I meant the ponds that get bit between roost and feed or feed, loaf, feed and then roost. Some places hunting waterfowl over water at all is becoming hotly contested, shame really.

Little off topic I apologize.
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Nothing wrong with shooting ducks and geese over water. Afterall, they are called waterfowl. If shooting ducks and geese over water upsets other hunters, well then I say those other hunters need to remove whatever is stuck in their @ss so they can continue to live life in comfort. As with any kind of hunting, you need to be where the birds are to have good success. You cant kill them if your not with them. For some its over water, for others its over fields. Pick what works for you and have fun!
 
brybenn said:
Corwin arms is selling the Asena zr7rc semi for a great price. I tested one pretty throughly and was impressed. They are very long guns. Should be a good length for your size. Add a decent waterfowl choke and you're good to go
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Cool I will check them out!
 
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