A good hunting shotgun

[Nickbowen5]

I went to one of the my LGS today and checked out shotguns. Held a Mossberg 500, Remington 870 and a Benelli Supernova. All very nice guns but I loved the look of the reeltree Benelli and the cushioned stock. Leaning toward that right now but at $629 it was on the higher price side. Now I need to rent a couple and try them out. The sales guy agreed that all of those would meet my requirements.

You can find a used Benelli supernova on gander mountain for 400 but it is synthetic not realtree

[yankee-pete]

I'll look into used. Thats a good idea.

[deckhandmike]

Don't get a 870 express. They are a rusty pieces of crap. If you must have an 870 get an 870 get a wingmaster. Personally I would love to have an semi but a higher end pump is just fine.

[Nickbowen5]

Don't get a 870 express. They are a rusty pieces of crap. If you must have an 870 get an 870 get a wingmaster. Personally I would love to have an semi but a higher end pump is just fine.

I agree with this. If you get a pump buy either a Benelli, 870 Wingmaster or look into mossberg 500s a little more. Mossberg does have the rattle in the for end though, which does not appeal to me, although this does not hinder performance in any such way

[jglabe]

I agree with this. If you get a pump buy either a Benelli, 870 Wingmaster or look into mossberg 500s a little more. Mossberg does have the rattle in the for end though, which does not appeal to me, although this does not hinder performance in any such way

I completely disagree with this. I have been duck hunting for 20 years now. I can't tell you how many times I have dropped my gun in the water or used it to keep myself from falling over. I mainly hunt refuges in northern Ca. Lots of thick clay mud that you sink into and stick in. Any gun that you take out duck hunting will look like a 20yr old gun in two or three seasons. If you don't mind your hunting gun looking like a beater then get whatever you like.

I first used a rem 870 express for about 15 years. All of the blueing is worn off of the receiver. Looks like hell..... The walnut has expanded on the edges where the wood meets the metal and the butt pad. If you want you shotgun to stay pretty and clean don't take it duck hunting.

For the past 6 years I have exclusively used a browning cynergy for all of my hunting. Love the way it swings and it mounts so fast. Follow up shots are a breeze. Some people would probably cry when they saw my gun. It really looks like it has been rode hard and put away wet! Still an amazing gun and to be honest, it will be the last gun I buy for hunting.

Back to the point. I just want you to realize that whatever gun you choose, it will not look the same after taking it duck hunting a fair amount of times. Unless you only hunt on bluebird days and don't hunt in water. In which case most would ask what is the point?

Just my .02

[NRai2001]

I completely disagree with this. I have been duck hunting for 20 years now. I can't tell you how many times I have dropped my gun in the water or used it to keep myself from falling over. I mainly hunt refuges in northern Ca. Lots of thick clay mud that you sink into and stick in. Any gun that you take out duck hunting will look like a 20yr old gun in two or three seasons. If you don't mind your hunting gun looking like a beater then get whatever you like.

I first used a rem 870 express for about 15 years. All of the blueing is worn off of the receiver. Looks like hell..... The walnut has expanded on the edges where the wood meets the metal and the butt pad. If you want you shotgun to stay pretty and clean don't take it duck hunting.

For the past 6 years I have exclusively used a browning cynergy for all of my hunting. Love the way it swings and it mounts so fast. Follow up shots are a breeze. Some people would probably cry when they saw my gun. It really looks like it has been rode hard and put away wet! Still an amazing gun and to be honest, it will be the last gun I buy for hunting.

Back to the point. I just want you to realize that whatever gun you choose, it will not look the same after taking it duck hunting a fair amount of times. Unless you only hunt on bluebird days and don't hunt in water. In which case most would ask what is the point?

Just my .02

Post pics please!!!!

[Nickbowen5]

I completely disagree with this. I have been duck hunting for 20 years now. I can't tell you how many times I have dropped my gun in the water or used it to keep myself from falling over. I mainly hunt refuges in northern Ca. Lots of thick clay mud that you sink into and stick in. Any gun that you take out duck hunting will look like a 20yr old gun in two or three seasons. If you don't mind your hunting gun looking like a beater then get whatever you like.

I first used a rem 870 express for about 15 years. All of the blueing is worn off of the receiver. Looks like hell..... The walnut has expanded on the edges where the wood meets the metal and the butt pad. If you want you shotgun to stay pretty and clean don't take it duck hunting.

For the past 6 years I have exclusively used a browning cynergy for all of my hunting. Love the way it swings and it mounts so fast. Follow up shots are a breeze. Some people would probably cry when they saw my gun. It really looks like it has been rode hard and put away wet! Still an amazing gun and to be honest, it will be the last gun I buy for hunting.

Back to the point. I just want you to realize that whatever gun you choose, it will not look the same after taking it duck hunting a fair amount of times. Unless you only hunt on bluebird days and don't hunt in water. In which case most would ask what is the point?

Just my .02

In no way was I saying that the gun was going to be pretty or get a gun that will look pretty. I was recommending the Wingmaster as the performance difference between the express and Wingmaster is significant. I agree that the gun will get dirty and mucked up quick, but the express is faulty at times and rusts much quicker than the wingmaster

[jglabe]

In no way was I saying that the gun was going to be pretty or get a gun that will look pretty. I was recommending the Wingmaster as the performance difference between the express and Wingmaster is significant. I agree that the gun will get dirty and mucked up quick, but the express is faulty at times and rusts much quicker than the wingmaster

Yeah, I agree with you on the fact that the wingmaster is a superior gun. And, from my experience blued guns handle the weather better. But after a few years of hunting in nasty weather any gun will take a beating.

[jglabe]

Post pics please!!!!

I turned the old 870 into a home defense gun at the end of last year. I never did take any before pics. Just after pics. Barely even recognize the gun. I tried uploading a pic I have here at work, but these computers have some issues. I will try and do it when I get home tonight if you want to see the updated version.

[jglabe]

Post pics please!!!!

Just figured it out. Here you go:

[joe_gman]

I usually use my saiga 12.. with 20 round drums duck is always on the menu..

What's the point of a 20 round drum with only 3 rounds? Sounds like a pain to lug around the extra weight.

[Nickbowen5]

Yeah, I agree with you on the fact that the wingmaster is a superior gun. And, from my experience blued guns handle the weather better. But after a few years of hunting in nasty weather any gun will take a beating.

I agree with this. I am amazed at how well his gun has handled as he hunts the Northern California refuge as well. I think with the OPs budget though, if he has that kind of budget, go with the superior gun that won't give you as much of a hassle. Nice to see that we were able to have a friendly conversation on calguns rather than a heated argument as well

[NRai2001]

What's the point of a 20 round drum with only 3 rounds? Sounds like a pain to lug around the extra weight.

20 round drums all day.. On full auto take out the entire flock

[jglabe]

[QUOTE=ScottB;11871083]Bluing can be a beautiful finish but it is a 19th century technology (essentially a controlled rust) and far inferior to the various camo dips and bake on coatings available today. For a modern waterfowl gun give me a synthetic stock and finish any day. For upland, I am totally traditional - I like blued guns with nice wood, a Filson strap vest and my two shorthairs - whistle, no e-collar.

I have had both Wingmaster and Express 870s. The Express was my Mexico mud gun - I really didn't care if I lost it. The Wingmaster was better but not the best - the Winchester Model 12 and the bottom ejecting Ithaca Model 37 have it beat, even back when all were available new. I am tempted to include the Browning BPS, also a bottom ejector, but do not have much experience with them. I think for modern production hunting pumps, Benelli rules the roost and that camo finish has held quite well for me for about 7-8 years now in some pretty corrosive environments.[/QUOTE

Great point. Totally forgot about the Camo dipped coatings. Hands down.... The Super Nova is an awesome gun. Camo dipped even better. That stuff is tough as nails. I don't currently own a camo dipped gun, but the majority of my family and friends do. And they have all held up amazingly well. If I was to buy a duck gun right now it would be something that was camo.

[yankee-pete]

$499 for a NIB Supernova in black at Bass Pro. Any reason not to get this for $100 cheaper than the camo version? I could always use camo tape when hunting. Plus, if I decide later that I really want camo, the LGS by my house does cerakote.