Thoughts on a waterfowl gun

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Beaver Skin

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I'm going into territory that I never thought I would because I'm pretty traditional in my taste of firearms. I do, however, appreciate beauty in function.

I started looking for a SxS for my duck hunting but have come to the conclusion that I'll leave the SxS for upland. Too much money to get the quality I'm looking for to take into the marsh. Plus not too many with 3" chambers (not that that is absolutely required but with steel certainly nice to have) So I started looking at autos. I shouldered a beretta 391 and Extrema2 but didn't like the grip. Tried a Benelli but it was very short and not what I was looking for. I owned a Browning Gold in the past but have since sold it. I'm starting to think that autos are not my thing.

While in the store I started to think about a simple, rugged O/U and tried a few out. Beretta's Onyx fits well; Citori, so-so; and (gasp) the Cynergy by Browning fits quite well! Particularly the "classic field" with the same stock as the 525.

So I started looking more online and the Cynergy is available in both wood and synthetic stocked versions and now can be had dipped in a camo finish, which to me is asthetically offensive yet incredibly practical.

Durable and weather resistant, reliable to a fault, easy to strip and clean at the end of the day, and some come with 3.5 inch chambers. Now I don't see the need for 3.5 at all but the flexibility is there.

So, I'm looking for thoughts on what people like as a duck gun. I don't see myself looking too much more at autos but more towards O/Us or perhaps pumps.
 
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The Cynergy is a diff. action than the Citori and from what i have heard and seen it does not stand up well! I only have seen one in action and it has many problems...and the word from a gunsmith who said they have problems.
 
It depends somewhat on how you hunt ducks. Do you shoot from a pit or blind? Pass shooting from a tree line? The qualities of the gun you seek must meet the demands of your shooting style(s). For example, shooting an U/O in a pit can be a bit irritating when it comes to reloading, as the barrels must open further than those of a SxS and space can be an issue.

If you can forego the need for steel shot and use tungsten matrix (factory) or bismuth (hand loads) then a world of nice, relatively inexpensive American SxS duck guns become available. You could buy a nice L.C. Smith Ideal grade and several seasons worth of Kent TM for the price of the Cynergy. For that matter, a Browning Superposed would also fit the bill, as would one of the better model 12 pumps.

Of course, no one would fault you for buying a nice modern gun like the Cynergy, and you could do much worse. But as I read your post, I feel that you are a more traditional gunner, and you have to ask yourself if you will really like the gun. I find it easier to admire traditional workmanship than synthetic stocks. Will you really be satisfied with the synthetic / camo gun in the field?

Sharptail
 
well if you want something reliable (and will live with a pump) ive always loved my rem 870 express super mag (3.5" chamber) It has never misfed, and it has the ability to let me use those 3.5's if i see some geese in the area. The nice thing is that they are quite affordable and if you want to put some camo paint on it you wont be ruining an expensive gun. Ive always loved mine for duck hunting!
 
Fabarm has two Waterfowls models (O/U), upto 3.5 inch, painted woodstock, receiver, bbls in Hardwoods Green, Adv Max4 Camo.

Since you mentioned a Pump - Benelli Nova or Super Nova. I've personally used/compared the Novas to 870 and BPS......highly robust and superior in most aspects.

The BPS does have an edge i.e. Tang Safety and Bottom Eject features
 
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Have to agree with Sharptail ... an O/U is a major pain in the butt in a blind or pit .... doesn't matter who makes it !

Best bang for the buck in a durable, shoots everything, waterfowl specific gun
is to me... a Remington 870 "Super Mag" 12ga. x 3.5" x 28" in Max4HD camo. Should be about $ 650 retail.

Having said that I have used just about everything imagineable over the years
for waterfowling ( but NOT ever a Mossberg bolt ! ) O/U's, SxS's, pumps, auto-loaders and occassionally a single shot. My favourite is a well worn 870
12ga. in 3" that I replaced the stock & forend on with a camo synthetic aftermarket stock set. It's been used from the tropics to the far north, in prairie pit blinds and mangrove swamps, sal####er & fresh. Still my go-to
duck & goose gun ... never bobbled once, and it's only got a synthetic stock set because I beat-up the original wood so badly ( waterfowling is tough on nice walnut ! )

I also shoot an old 30" Beretta 409 SxS with 2-3/4" Kent Impact (Tungsten Matrix non-toxic) loads. It's choked "Full & Fuller" and it is a real pleasure to shoot. Cost me a whopping $ 400 bucks ... added a recoil pad and had
my gunsmith cast-off the stock & change the pitch to suit me. Absolutely deadly on sky carp (Canada's) ... and is pure poison on ditch parrots
(pheasants) with Winchester Super X Double XX 6's ... just have to let 'em out a little further.

Don't be in a big rush to "buy" ... spend a little more time "looking".
Fit & balance are probably more important to me over-all than action type.

But, by all means.... do get something you are comfortable with, that fits, that will stand-up to the rigours of waterfowling, and won't hamper you.
 
I think the only duck gun you haven't tried is an A5 and I can lend you one to try this season. Remember it doesn't need two barrels to be a classic.
 
Other nice thing about an Ithaca is that it's all steel :) If you consider classic shotguns, also consider a Winchester Model 12 or Model 1897 :)

With bismuth or matrix shot, you shouldn't ever need 3" mags. And frankly, even with steel, I usually still shoot 2,3/4 shells for cost savings ;)
 
Great feedback everyone - greatly appreciated. I should clarify that most of my waterfowling will be done from a blind, but not a pit blind. I can see myself hunting in fields as well, perhaps from a lay-down style blind but that is not for certain.

dwc knows me and how I can flip-flop on a firearm. But when I find something I like, I stick with it for a very long time. That is why quality is important to me. Beretta Boy hit the nail on the head that there may be more looking to do.

I think I'm haveing a tough time with this because I torn between a modern workhorse (read weather proof) or something classic. My hard use hunting rifles are in a classic configurations but built with stainless metalwork and synthetic stocks. They are tools and suit their purpose to a tee. However, I'm a sucker for nice shotguns. I think for waterfowling, a tool is what I'm looking for but am trying to find the best tool for the job.

Any other thoughts or experiences people would like to share?
 
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Beaver Skin said:
I think I'm haveing a tough time with this because I torn between a modern workhorse (read weather proof) or something classic. My hard use hunting rifles are in a classic configurations but built with stainless metalwork and synthetic stocks. They are tools and suit their purpose to a tee. However, I'm a sucker for nice shotguns. I think for waterfowling, a tool is what I'm looking for but am trying to find the best tool for the job.

Any other thoughts or experiences people would like to share?
Click to expand...

Blunderbuss :D:D (just kidding)

A classic such as a Westley Richards or Greener with 30/32 inch bbls designed for Waterfowl would have been nice :) (I do miss those years in my past). Nevertheless, considering the weather conditions here in Canada a synthetic firearm would be more appropriate, IMHO.
 
If you want a symthetic gun that is virtually rust proof, you might have to settle on having a gun hard chromed, or buying a nickel plated gun like the Marine Master 870. Neither option is ideal since ducks and geese see better than deer and anything shiny will give you away faster than blaze-orange.

I have a nice Remington 870 with a 28" vent rib and interchangeable chokes. That barrel collects dust and the gun almost perpetually wears a 20" deer barrel with a mag extension. My "go-to" upland gun is an Ithaca model 37 pump. It's just too nice a gun to reach for anything else, though I have an 1897 en-route. Perhaps it will change my mind?
 
I bought a Mossberg 535 ATS (black synthetic pump) for duck but will only start hunting this fall. Given the price and all the features it was a no brainer. I figure if it's the wrong gun for duck I can sell it but it's pretty sweet. I have an A5 for upland too.
 
I'm dedicated to a semi-auto for waterfowling but if looking for something else the Beretta Onyx would be my choice in an o/u and the Browning BPS in a pump.

The Onxy is a real workhorse and can be found in 3-1/2" chambers. The BPS has bottom eject which is nice to have in a blind.

You might try other variations on the Beretta 391. The pistol grips are not the same among the various models. The sporting model has a grip with a tighter curve.
 
I'd get an old 1100 or any other semi with a good rep.............

A-5 or 1100 in used condition.....$350
Beretta 391 in used condition.....$950

$600 to buy bismuth shot= 250-300rds of bismuth shells

= a lot of dead ducks and geese.


Or just get an 870/p-350/bps 3.5" mag and enjoy!
 
Actually, my 140 was a far better gun than anyone else's I knew of personally. Mine only jammed when I used expensive shells. Cheap hulls worked great in it. What pissed me off most is that Winchester chamged it's semi-auto models so fast that 2 years after buying my 140 new, parts became totally unavailable as they hadn't bothered to lay in a supply for existing customers.

the experience has taught me to view all S/A shotty's as almost a disposable commodity, except for possibly the venerable A5.
 
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