Duck hunters argue about every part from decoy spreads to canine breeds, however the actual fireworks begin whenever you ask them about shotguns. These 5 workhorses present up in blinds throughout the nation for good motive, and we’ve reference each skilled opinions from Out of doors Life and Discipline & Stream in addition to actual customers on boards like Duck Searching Chat and Refuge Boards. They vary from the blue-collar reliability of the Mossberg to the yacht-club magnificence of the Beretta, however all of them share one factor: they work when the birds are flying. Some price greater than others, however all of them do precisely what a duck gun must do – they go bang whenever you pull the set off and put birds on the strap.
5. Mossberg Ulti-Magazine
The Mossberg 835 Ulti-Magazine handles the largest waterfowl masses like no different pump gun available on the market. Duck hunters know this gun from its distinctive overbored barrel – the identical dimension as a 10-gauge. Mossberg constructed each a part of this gun from scratch to handle 3.5-inch shells, not simply stretched out an everyday 12-gauge design. When these metal BBs fly by way of that large barrel, they keep rounder and hit more durable, however kick lower than you’d anticipate.
Out within the blind, this gun simply works. Load it with something from gentle 2.75-inch shells for teal to heavy 3.5-inch goose masses – it cycles all of them. The twin extractors seize spent shells even once they’re moist and frozen, and the metal lockup stays tight hunt after hunt. Certain, it’s heavier than some weapons, however that further weight helps on these days when the mallards are pouring in and also you’re capturing field after field. The ported barrel helps you get again heading in the right direction quick whenever you want that second shot at a crossing greenhead.
4. Benelli M2
The Benelli M2 lastly prices what it ought to have years in the past. Most duck hunters know this gun – it’s that sweet-swinging semi-auto that simply by no means quits, and now it gained’t empty your pockets like a Black Eagle 3. That Consolation Tech inventory means you possibly can shoot heavy metal masses all morning with out feeling beat up, and the three included chokes allow you to arrange for something from decoying teal to pass-shooting geese.
You may seize one in both 12 or 20-gauge. The 20 is ideal for timber looking whenever you need one thing lighter to swing by way of the bushes, whereas the 12 handles these windy days on large water. The inertia system shrugs off marsh mud and ice like they’re nothing – simply what you want whenever you’re breaking ice at daybreak in December.
3. Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus
The A400 Excessive Plus may cost as a lot as a great duck lease, however there’s a reason you’ll spot these weapons in nearly each severe waterfowler’s blind. Beretta constructed a gasoline gun that weighs lower than most inertia weapons, and that 28-inch barrel splits the distinction between quick-pointing and steady-swinging. No duck gun handles fairly prefer it whenever you’re attempting to choose one greenhead out of a flock.
That Kickoff system isn’t simply advertising and marketing hype – it turns heavy metal masses into one thing that seems like goal masses. You may shoot instances of three.5-inch shells with out feeling it the subsequent morning. The gasoline system additionally means you possibly can run gentle masses throughout early teal season and change to goose masses with out touching a single adjustment. Two thousand bucks is some huge cash, however this gun will nonetheless be working easy when your children are sufficiently old to hunt.
2. Browning Depraved Wing A5
The Depraved Wing A5 proves Browning hasn’t forgotten the right way to construct a duck gun that turns heads and drops birds. That well-known humpback receiver now wears burnt bronze Cerakote that shrugs off salt spray and marsh mud. From gentle goal masses to the heaviest goose shells, this gun cycles all of them with out a hiccup. The prolonged chokes that include it sample metal such as you’re nonetheless capturing lead.
Browning slapped Realtree Max-7 on the inventory and forend, however this isn’t simply one other fairly camo gun. The inertia system inside borrows from the unique Auto-5’s DNA. At two grand, it prices greater than a guided hunt on Stuttgart’s finest fields, however you’re shopping for a gun that’ll deal with every part from September teal to late-season geese. Plus, that bronze end means you gained’t be the man within the blind with a shotgun that appears prefer it got here from the rust bucket.
1. Winchester Tremendous X4
The Super X4 brings Winchester’s gasoline gun know-how all the way down to a worth that gained’t make your partner file for divorce. At just below a grand, you get a workhorse that patterns virtually in addition to weapons costing twice as a lot. The flat darkish earth Cerakote means you gained’t spend your offseason combating rust, and that RealTree Timber camo disappears in any duck blind from flooded timber to cattail marshes.
Winchester didn’t overlook about lefties both – they constructed a real left-handed model as an alternative of simply slapping the protection on the opposite facet. Whether or not you choose the 12 or the 20, the Tremendous X4 handles every part from gentle goal masses to the massive 3.5-inch magnums that put geese on the bottom. It’s not attempting to be the fanciest gun within the marsh – it’s simply attempting to be the one which works each time you pull the set off.
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