Recommend me a "sal####er-proof" pump gun

[TheCoachZed]

Hey guys,

I start a new job tomorrow - tending for an urchin diver on the Bay of Fundy. (big career change, for the last five years I've worked at a daily newspaper). ANYWAY, this means I will be at sea a lot during duck season, meaning I will have plenty of chances to bang away at eiders and scoters and the like on the way in and out from port (not while the boat is moving, of course).

I have a Winchester Speed Pump that I painted camo last year, but I don't really want to take it out to sea. Not that it's a beauty as it is, but 8 hours of salt spray will likely insta-rust the gun, even with the paint on it. I have better things to do than strip all the paint and rust off the gun every week, to keep it in good shape. I want a gun that's made to take abuse and not rust.

So, I don't know exactly what I want, and I'd like some suggestions based on user experience. It seems the best bets would be Benelli Nova, SuperNova, or Remington 887. Their plastic coating seems a lot tougher than simple camo cladding. Remember, this gun is going to see hard use in a skiff. I can't be wiping it down every ten minutes, because I have to actually work. I know half of you are going to tell me to get a Wingmaster because you hunted with one in a salt marsh your whole life and it didn't rust But fact is, I just plain won't be able to keep the gun dry.

I'm also looking at Mossberg's 535, but it seems to me that camo coating would likely come off after a few scratches, allowing rust to start.....

'Course, I could just keep on using the Winchester, and hope for the best. Seems to me like there could be a better tool for the job, though. And it sure would be useful once in a while to have 3.5 inch shells for those half-mile shots at sea ducks. Not that I recommend that sort of thing, but once the rascals dive, you never know where they're going to come up.

 

[The Kurgan]

Hey guys,

I start a new job tomorrow - tending for an urchin diver on the Bay of Fundy. (big career change, for the last five years I've worked at a daily newspaper). ANYWAY, this means I will be at sea a lot during duck season, meaning I will have plenty of chances to bang away at eiders and scoters and the like on the way in and out from port (not while the boat is moving, of course).

I have a Winchester Speed Pump that I painted camo last year, but I don't really want to take it out to sea. Not that it's a beauty as it is, but 8 hours of salt spray will likely insta-rust the gun, even with the paint on it. I have better things to do than strip all the paint and rust off the gun every week, to keep it in good shape. I want a gun that's made to take abuse and not rust.

So, I don't know exactly what I want, and I'd like some suggestions based on user experience. It seems the best bets would be Benelli Nova, SuperNova, or Remington 887. Their plastic coating seems a lot tougher than simple camo cladding. Remember, this gun is going to see hard use in a skiff. I can't be wiping it down every ten minutes, because I have to actually work. I know half of you are going to tell me to get a Wingmaster because you hunted with one in a salt marsh your whole life and it didn't rust But fact is, I just plain won't be able to keep the gun dry.

I'm also looking at Mossberg's 535, but it seems to me that camo coating would likely come off after a few scratches, allowing rust to start.....

'Course, I could just keep on using the Winchester, and hope for the best. Seems to me like there could be a better tool for the job, though. And it sure would be useful once in a while to have 3.5 inch shells for those half-mile shots at sea ducks. Not that I recommend that sort of thing, but once the rascals dive, you never know where they're going to come up.

First off, there's no stronger pump gun than an 870. There's a reason the US military uses them ! Remington makes an 870 Marine Magnum which features electroless nickel plating on all metal surfaces, including the inside of the barrel and receiver. It's designed to handle marine environments. You can pick one up for about $700, give or take a few dollars. I recently purchased one, and while it hasn't gone through any signficantly harsh environments, I am a good judge of finishing. I would rate it a 9/10 in finish quality - not bad ! Would an all-stainless gun be better? Probably, but its also heavier and the grade of stainless I see in many modern firearms is not high grade and will also rust, just not as easily. Just say'in

 

[TheCoachZed]

First off, there's no stronger pump gun than an 870. There's a reason the US military uses them ! Remington makes an 870 Marine Magnum which features electroless nickel plating on all metal surfaces, including the inside of the barrel and receiver. It's designed to handle marine environments. You can pick one up for about $700, give or take a few dollars. I recently purchased one, and while it hasn't gone through any signficantly harsh environments, I am a good judge of finishing. I would rate it a 9/10 in finish quality - not bad ! Would an all-stainless gun be better? Probably, but its also heavier and the grade of stainless I see in many modern firearms is not high grade and will also rust, just not as easily. Just say'in

I'm pretty sure the 870 marine magnum has never come in a duck-hunting configuration. A cylinder choke is no good for shooting ducks farther away. And if you wing one, they could surface a long way away... and by the time you motor over there to pick it up, it's gone again, and surfaces a lot further away.... you need to have extended range for sea ducks, in my very limited experience.

 

[bjjzak]

Get the barrel threaded for Remchokes and you'de be good to go, albeit with a short barrel.

 

[cmoney]

I have the encased Rem 887 Nitro, based on the 870 action. Seems bombproof to me

 

[Crazy_Farmer]

*double post*

 

[Crazy_Farmer]

Have you been on the ocean with that 887 yet? May paint a different story. My buddy bought one thinking the outside plastic coverig will be great in the salt water..... WRONG!!

The outside is great stuff, no rust or wear, but Remington had a brilliant idea of putting a protective coating outside and ####ty metal inside. The whole gun has rusted from the inside out. Remington sure doesnt make them like they used too. He cleans his gun after every salt water hunt and it still didn't stop it, it's a harsh environment, any gun can start to get surface rust while on the boat before you even get home, oil and G96 it first.

 

[davemccarthy707]

2 words Benelli Nova. It's action makes the 870 feel like a child's toy. Just make sure you adjust the action bars to eliminate rattle.

 

[rodngun]

First off, there's no stronger pump gun than an 870. There's a reason the US military uses them !

Rem hasnt been used in ages closest thing to action the rem see's (besides random police forces) is the US air force. The Army and Marines converted to moss 500-590s for more reliability. They are slowly but possibly surely switching completely over to benelli's. This is what I've read through the years any how.

 

[SuperCub]

I've hunted ducks on the Bay of Fundy and salt is a definite issue. It pretty hard to get around it. Even stainless gets messed up from salt. I think I would buy a used 870 Express of the EE and use some sort of coating over that. Some folks recommend floor wax all over exposed surfaces, but even then there will be lots of cleaning inside and out at the end of the day.

FYI ... Salt water duck hunting is the most fun one can have while waterfowling, but they sure ain't no fun to eat. You need bigger boats to hunt open water and diver decoys. Salt water hunting is a lot more serious than puddling around a small marsh for blacks and wood ducks..

.

 

[YoungGun85]

The US Army may say they converted to mossberg for better reliability but I think the truth is more likely the fact that they are more ambitextrous, easier to work on and most importantly, cheaper in a similar configuration. The 870 is far more refined in my experience.

 

[ruger73]

I own a Mossberg... The ducks see me and just say $hit and fall in the water dead!

 

[SuperCub]

I own a Mossberg... The ducks see me and just say $hit and fall in the water dead!

You guys are missing the whole point of this thread.

OP wants to know about keeping a gun from rusting while on the salt water not if a gun goes boom and ducks fall dead.

.

 

[l.denison]

You guys are missing the whole point of this thread.

OP wants to know about keeping a gun from rusting while on the salt water not if a gun goes boom and ducks fall dead.

.

Thank you, i hate how these threads go so far off topic,

 

[TERMINATOR101CA]

How about getting the Mossberg Mariner and Armacoating it to boot .

http://www.frontierfirearms.ca/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17_648_649&products_id=4093

 

[The Kurgan]

Get the barrel threaded for Remchokes and you'de be good to go, albeit with a short barrel.

Absolutely. I have an extra threaded barrel that was Arma-coated in a silver colour to match the nickel plating. It will be my occasional waterfowl set-up.

Just off topic, I didn't know that the US military went to Mossberg. I keep seeing photos of the 870 in action in Iraq.

 

[International Harvester]

I agree with buying a dirt cheap used express. Just clean after each use, takes 10 minutes and lots of oil.

 

[GunGuy34]

Rem hasnt been used in ages closest thing to action the rem see's (besides random police forces) is the US air force. The Army and Marines converted to moss 500-590s for more reliability. They are slowly but possibly surely switching completely over to benelli's. This is what I've read through the years any how.

The marines use the Benelli M4.

 

[GunGuy34]

First off, there's no stronger pump gun than an 870. There's a reason the US military uses them ! Remington makes an 870 Marine Magnum which features electroless nickel plating on all metal surfaces, including the inside of the barrel and receiver. It's designed to handle marine environments. You can pick one up for about $700, give or take a few dollars. I recently purchased one, and while it hasn't gone through any signficantly harsh environments, I am a good judge of finishing. I would rate it a 9/10 in finish quality - not bad ! Would an all-stainless gun be better? Probably, but its also heavier and the grade of stainless I see in many modern firearms is not high grade and will also rust, just not as easily. Just say'in

Good gun but not sure about duck hunting, it has a cylinder choke and you ant hitting nothing unless its right next to you.

 

[BCRider]

Sounds to me like there's no salt water proof shotgun out there. Given that perhaps buy the cheapest thing that will work decently, try to slather it down with something to slow the corrosion and clean it each time you get back. And in the end consider it as a "consumable" so when it rusts past the point of no return in two or three seasons you just write it off and get something else.

This whole idea also seems to indicated that a used and cheapie SxS that is greased up on the outside and that you use a pair of barrel plugs and grease the hinge joint would be a great idea. When you load just yank on the big red "Remove Before Flight" banner attached to the barrel corks and load up. And because the action on most SxS's is mostly sealed from the outside it should be decently easy to keep the action lubed and rust free. And by using the barrel muzzle plugs and greasing the chamber ends the barrels should not see salt air until you break it open and load it. This would restrict contact with the salt air on the barrel bores to a minimum. With some care the gun may well last for quite a few seasons. And when it does go bad then you're only into it for a couple of hundred for a cheapie.