Shotgun Recommendation

StepahnieF said:
Looking to buy my first shotgun and not really sure where to start. Would be for turkey, duck and goose hunting.
Click to expand...

IMO, Berretta shotguns can't be beaten. I own two AL 390s, one camo, and one walnut and blue. The camo one was my turkey gun until I stopped shooting turkeys with shotguns. The walnut and blue one is my sporting clays gun. Like a Timex, it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' !
 
Beretta's are nice guns. I sold mine and bought a Benelli, and now own 3. They are both great shotguns, buy the one that fits YOU and you will know when you shoulder it. There are now less expensive shotguns that function well, but it all goes back to what fits you. Go to a sporting clays place and have a guy that fits shotguns assist you.
 
You might want to start with a visit to a large sporting goods store and just start picking up guns and shouldering them. See if one type feels better to you. I know sometimes I read positive reviews about a certain gun and go to the store to try it out. Most of the time it feels like a 2x4 in my hands :) For example, I love the looks and gas system in the Beretta's but every time I shoulder one it feels terrible to me. I ended up with a Benelli M2 as an all around gun.

Don't get hung up on brands too much. It seems like everybody makes a good gun these days. Try the Tristar's, CZ's, and Stevens if you don't want to spend a ton of money. For the loads you'll be shooting a semi auto take out some of the sting versus a pump gun. Also, don't think you need a 3.5 inch gun either.
 
Beretta, Benelli, and Browning are top notch guns but Remington 870 is going to be more affordable than brands that start with a B, a proven performer with more sold than about any other model. Mossberg 500 and 835 are very close to the Remington in durability and have a nice feel to them. As was said, find one that fits. It's a huge advantage to be able to shoot claybirds with several before buying, because actual shooting tells you a lot more than just pointing one at the deer head in the sporting goods store.
 
I have been hearing good things about the CZ guns. On a different forum a guy has put 30,000 shells through his CZ over under. Also a few thousand through a CZ 915 semi auto.
 
As above, Benelli and Beretta are what you want if you're in the market for ONE really nice, do it all 12 gauge. If you're serious about using it as a turkey gun, then I would go 3.5". If it's mainly a ducks over decoys gun, 3" is fine. But if you're doing a fair share of pass shooting, or goose and turkey hunting, then 3.5" capability is useful.

That being said, I use a 10 gauge Ithaca semi-auto with the factory full choke, and it absolutely ***** up any turkey I shoot at. So I'd always pick that over my Benelli Super black eagle 3.5" with a turkey choke when after longbeards.


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I started with my Mom's .410 single shot, graduated up to my Dad's 16Ga Remington Wingmaster, then bought "My" first shotgun, a Remington 1187, when they first came out. Then one day I picked up a Benelli SBE and it just felt perfect so I bought it and shot it for years. Got tired of carrying a 3.5" shotgun all the time wading for ducks in Florida, when all I ever shot was low brass 2.75" steel 7s at teal. So I got a Benelli M2 for my duck gun, love it too. I shoot sporting clays most every week, I bought a Benelli Vinci when Gander Mountain was going out of business for $475. Didn't need it, but couldn't pass that deal by. All of my Benelli's fit me out of the box and I shoot them the same. That's what you need to be looking for. I know they are expensive, and I didn't start with them, but after shooting a shotgun that fits me right I won't go back to something that doesn't fit. You can buy a less expensive shotgun and it may fit you, or a good shotgun smith can make any gun fit you. Just another option.
 
Remington 870 pump is fool proof. I shoot a browning citori O/U... but my old 870 is my backup and it is bomb proof. $300-350. I'd start there.


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I currently have a Berretta 1301 competition gun that has every feature you could want on a cold morning in the duck blind... or on a hot afternoon on the dove field. To be honest though, I also have a mosburg pump that I've plum worn out over the last 30 yrs. I can't even begin to tell you how much crap I've put that thing through and how reliable it's been.
 
Speaking of fit. My buddy owned and shot an 870 Rem for years and couldn't hit squat with it. No fault of the gun's, it just didn't fit him. At the time, I was heavy into sporting clays and was mostly shooting a Citori Field when we dove hunted. I talked him into using my AL 390 one afternoon and he killed 9 birds. The next afternoon he limited out. Needless to say, he bought an AL 390 and still shoots it.

I say that to emphasize the importance of fit. There is nothing wrong with a Rem 870, I used to shoot one myself. Most shotguns fit me, but I had a nice Beretta O/U that I just could not shoot well. I had to sell it, man it was a nice gun......
 
I have a Benelli SBE 2 and it fits me very well after some shim adjustments. I went the route of trying a cheap semi auto first and regret wasting the money. It got to the point one morning of throwing the gun in the lake and buying a quality gun or trading it in and buying a quality gun. I ended up with the Benelli because it fit me the best. I would not hesitate to look at the Winchester SX3 or the new SX4. Both great guns and easier on the wallet than the B brands.

Like others have stated buy a quality gun that fits you the best. Dont think you can learn to shoot it- it will either fit and shoot well or you will always struggle with it.
 
gasman said:
I have a Benelli SBE 2 and it fits me very well after some shim adjustments. I went the route of trying a cheap semi auto first and regret wasting the money. It got to the point one morning of throwing the gun in the lake and buying a quality gun or trading it in and buying a quality gun. I ended up with the Benelli because it fit me the best. I would not hesitate to look at the Winchester SX3 or the new SX4. Both great guns and easier on the wallet than the B brands.

Like others have stated buy a quality gun that fits you the best. Dont think you can learn to shoot it- it will either fit and shoot well or you will always struggle with it.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming you traded the semi auto and didn't throw it in the lake?
 
I won't recommend a brand.....you will simply want a 12 gauge, 3 1/2" chamber (knockdown is the name of the game with turkey and geese) in a semi auto (faster follow up shots in my opinion), in some sort of camo pattern (more for turkey) with removable choke tubes (versatility in patterns and ranges) and synthetic stocks (waterfowling has lots of water and wood stocks can be prone to issues with water.....I have used my gun as a boat paddle before). If your simply entering the sport than maybe a lesser expensive gun may be in order....but if you have done this a while and plan to continue to do it for a while then a more top end gun would be best.

I know folks that hunt turkey and waterfowl with a mossy 500 pump gun.....bought at walmart for $200. I am sure I will be laughed at but I use an 11-87 to waterfowl with....it gets the job done, but didn't cost me a fortune. But I'm not a serious waterfowler either! I also know some top shelf guns will run you $1,000 or more.
 
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