Hard core waterfowl shotguns

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ontario_caller

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For a dedicated hardcore waterfowl shotgun,were talking from early season goose to late season freeze up and from cornstubble to duckmarsh what do most of you hard core waterfowlers prefer.
Pump or auto?
With either answer please provide details if possible.
The reason i am posting is that i am thinking about purchasing another shotgun as a dedicated waterfowler.
I already own an 11-87 turkey,2 870 turkey guns and a maxus.
The maxus will get its time on water fowl but i feel the need to add a pump,likely a BPS into the mix for the majority of the season especially for those days and conditions that dont favor the auto.
I used to hunt pump all the time but have gone to autos for the last few seasons,for some reason i find that i take my time more and kill more birds with less ammo with the pump.
I get a little trigger happy with the auto,hence this has me thinking to go back to the pump for the majority of my waterfowling.
Any one else out there feel this way?
Reallity is i need another shotgun like i need a hole in my head but you guys no the perceived NEED that burns holes in your wallet.
So what do ya think buy a pump or stick with the auto?
I am thinking buy the pump just because i dont have one in the line up any more.
Really i just want to buy another shotgun i am just trying to justifiy it.
Why do we feel the need to justify these purchases for ourselves?
We all love buying guns,i should just go buy it and be done with it,then i will WANT something else like a new silver.
The madness never stops,please help.:D
Ya know this website is great,this community is like a free phyciatrist and gives us all a little help with are gun addictions.
The feed back you get makes you relize your not alone in this never ending quest for things that go bang.
Reading others posts makes you feel a little better about your madness and best of all its free.
Who am i kidding,we all love this crap!
To all those that intelligently reply to my rant,THANK YOU VERY MUCH!:)
 
My favourite total duck shotgun is the old Browning Auto 5 with 3 inch chambers.Use to use it a lot but of late years it has not seen as much use as it use to.
 
I find that once you go semi auto, it's tough to go back.

I use pumps for playing around, but for serious hunting the semi always goes.

That being said if you want a pump and are going to have fun with it, go for it. It's fun to volume shoot, but if the pump slows you down a bit and gets you focused more, maybe it would work better for you.

Good luck and have fun shopping!
 
I use pumps for all my "serious" waterfowling, a Win Mod 12 mostly, and a Rem 870 as a spare. I never seem to have the failures to function that plague buddies who are shooting semi's.
I sometimes use an O/U but do not find it as handy in a blind, and it does make me cringe to subject a $2000 gun to the mud.
 
Longwalker said:
I use pumps for all my "serious" waterfowling, a Win Mod 12 mostly, and a Rem 870 as a spare. I never seem to have the failures to function that plague buddies who are shooting semi's.
I sometimes use an O/U but do not find it as handy in a blind, and it does make me cringe to subject a $2000 gun to the mud.
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We see pumps freezes up like all other guns. Chase a cripple around in the water when it's -5 out and the bolt freezes to the receiver. O/U are nice, but a pain to open in a layout blind or a permanent blind.
 
If you are really concerned about being trigger happy, and if you are concerned about malfunctions, I would suggest an over under.
 
Interestingly enough, all three types are in this photo, and each has his preferance!
Dapp6-1.jpg

However, we do not do a lot of water hunting , most of our goose and duck huning is done in fields out of laypout blinds.
If I were to go back to a layout boat or a marsh blind, I would still use my O/U - it's a gun , and I hunt all my guns , I do not have any safe queens! Fo4 all roubd reliability howevr, it is hard to beat a pump, and in a marsh blind with one or two other fellas the M37 or BPS sure have a good arguement!:)
 
Under certain conditions almost any mechanical device will fail. I myself have no loyalty when it comes to the action I prefer for waterfowling. I often swap guns with who ever I'm sharing a blind with.
If I were going to purchase a dedicated waterfowl gun I would be strongly considerring a Mosseberg after trying a buddies 935 and older(pre porting) 835 these guns throw awesome patterns especialy with the 3.5" payloads at longer ranges. I never used to care for the look of them but they sure do work. That or a SP10.
 
While my bird hunts are few and far between these days, for me, it's always a Wingmaster, though I have on occasion also admired the BPS, the older Ithaca 37, and the classic Winchester model 12. There is something about the sound and activity of "working" an action that makes me feel like I'm in the game. Pointing and pulling the trigger just doesn't do it for me. I know my choice is more one of the heart than of the mind, but that's pretty common in the world of shooting sports.
 
icedog said:
While my bird hunts are few and far between these days, for me, it's always a Wingmaster, though I have on occasion also admired the BPS, the older Ithaca 37, and the classic Winchester model 12. There is something about the sound and activity of "working" an action that makes me feel like I'm in the game. Pointing and pulling the trigger just doesn't do it for me. I know my choice is more one of the heart than of the mind, but that's pretty common in the world of shooting sports.
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My son, (the guy to my right in the photo) once made a comment that "pump guns sinply BELONG in a duck blind"!:D
he has a tricked out 870 trap gun as well, but his synthetic stocked Express gets the nod for field work.
me, I love my O/U's and SXS's!:)
Cat
 
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For a dedicated hardcore waterfowl shotgun,were talking from early season goose to late season freeze up and from cornstubble to duckmarsh what do most of you hard core waterfowlers prefer.
Click to expand...

Around my area, you are describing only one gun............a Remington SP10.

$$$$ to feed...but it has the "whuuump" to gettr done. ;)
 
Sorry for the hijack, but aside from gun lust and a desire to slow down the ammo consumption, why not the Maxus? What do you like/not like about it compared to your other shotguns?
 
I was shooting a BPS pump for waterfowl. Nothin wrong with it. Upgraded to a Remy 105CTi autoloader....

There's no turning back now.
 
Choices

If I was going to pick one gun it would be a Benelli Nova Pump, seems to me it does it all with excellent reliability. Seems to hold and point well for me.
I have an ExremaII and have used it plenty in late season waterfowling never a problem. FS
 
I have killed waterfowl with nearly every gun mentioned except an O/U of any kind, the gun I shoot the best is a Browning BPS, with the overbored barrel and 31/2 chamber it loses no ground to any 10 gauge. I hunt fields,marshes and rivers, and I have used it as a push pole and as a decoy snagger. The browning has never failed me, I would take a hard look at one in either 10 or 12 in whatever configuration tickles your fancy.
 
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