Weight restriction: which shotgun do you recommend i bring?

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joeyclimbing

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Originally i had planned to bring both shotguns to Manitoba in 2 weeks, for a marsh goose hunt however the airline's
Weight restrictions limit me to one. The choices are my baretta 686 combo or model 12 winchester. I shoot best with the baretta but am limited to 2 shots with the o/u, and the Winchester is made for hunting but i do not hit as many clays. It is being altered by a very knowledgeable gunsmith to take steel shot as I writw this.
This is my first trip for geese.
Appreciate your counsel.
 
joeyclimbing said:
Originally i had planned to bring both shotguns to Manitoba in 2 weeks, for a marsh goose hunt however the airline's
Weight restrictions limit me to one. The choices are my baretta 686 combo or model 12 winchester. I shoot best with the baretta but am limited to 2 shots with the o/u, and the Winchester is made for hunting but i do not hit as many clays. It is being altered by a very knowledgeable gunsmith to take steel shot as I writw this.
This is my first trip for geese.
Appreciate your counsel.
Click to expand...

Well, not all will agree with me but......

Recognize the cost of your ammunition is a relative small part of the cost of your hunt. Likely includes airline tickets, airport parking, baggage costs, accommodations, meals, guiding services etc. Take the M12, don't use steel in it, bite the bullet and pay for effective lead substitutes like Nice Shot, Bismuth or TM.

What marsh and will you be doing any field shoots?
 
Destination

Thanks -
The marsh is "Big Grass Marsh" which I understand is on the West side of Lake Manitoba.

I understand most of the birds will be coming in over our decoy spread, 30 to 40 yards and that I'll be in a sitting position. I have been reasonably accurate at hitting clays with the 686 combo, but less so with
the Winchester heavy duck, and the 686 has interchangable chokes. There is something nice about the pump, though.

Unfortunately I can only bring one shotgun unless I pay for overweight baggage.
 
Personally I would take the O/U and be happy with the results that are being achieved now when comparing geese to clays.
Savor the experience in the marsh rather than the killing cause hunting is much more important than the killing .
Sure, it may take a little longer to fill the bag limit but, the experience of geese falling to a O/U will be priceless.
But, I have shot geese with a Wingmaster and the Citori never did see goose duty just ducks pass shooting .
Rob
 
Joey, hope you have a great time. I have property on the other side of Lake Manitoba at the north east end of Delta Marsh. Should be good!
 
I don't think you will have a disadvantage with the O/U regarding the ability to get successive shots off quick. Its easy to get into the habit of "blasting" 3 shots when the birds are thick and furious, mostly with little effect on one or more shots. Then its a relatively slow reload process compared to an O\U...
 
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Thank you for your honest counsel.
I forgot to mention that I have a box of chokes with the 686 trap gun, whereas the Model 12 heavy duck has a fixed choke.

Rob you raise a good line of thought for me to ponder about the experience of the hunt.

There is just such a nice feel about the Model 12's "CLACK" that I'll miss with the gold. Heck, maybe I should just pay the overweight and bring both.
 
joeyclimbing said:
Thank you for your honest counsel.
I forgot to mention that I have a box of chokes with the 686 trap gun, whereas the Model 12 heavy duck has a fixed choke.

Rob you raise a good line of thought for me to ponder about the experience of the hunt.

There is just such a nice feel about the Model 12's "CLACK" that I'll miss with the gold. Heck, maybe I should just pay the overweight and bring both.
Click to expand...

The smell of the marsh, the roar of 10 thousand geese lifting off the water and heading your way the sound of gun fire and the smell of burned gunpowder.

What more is there?
Rob
 
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I shoot a Beretta O/U for clays and a Model 12 for geese. I really like my M12 and am deadly with it, but my advice is - use your Beretta. You are more accustomed to it, you will likely hit the 2 birds you shoot at, so why worry about a third shot? You'll kill plenty of geese. It takes a very skilled shooter to kill three geese with a pump gun when a flock comes in. I have taken many beginning goose hunters out for their first hunt. Most often their third shot is wasted on birds out of range or the first shot or two is hurried. Your Beretta won't break. You won't need a spare. Concentrate on enjoying your first goose hunt, and don't sweat the small stuff.
 
pretty much what Longwalker said ^^^^

bring the gun you shoot best with. You may want to make sure it still fits well with bulky hunting clothes. I have a shotgun that I shoot very well early in the season with light clothing. When it gets colder, I wear a heavier jacket and the gun doesn't fit as well. I can't hit anything. The difference is dramatic
 
I use various SxS's for waterfowl hunting so I'm a bit biased towards the two shots of the OU, but I would ask the outfitter a few more questions on the blind designs. You need a fair bit of space for the OU barrels to drop to eject the empties and re-#### the gun. If he specified that you will being shooting from a sitting position you might have a problem if you can't fully drop the barrels. Those that have tried to put shotshells into a break action while in a pit blind and the barrels are less than horizontal will know what i mean. You can try biting the shell to make it oval enough to not slide back out, but that is hit and miss in the heat of the moment.
 
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