Hunting Shotguns

[crossgun]

Quality shotguns are made by companies that have names that end in vowels!

In most all cases Field guns and Comp guns are exactly the same! The main difference is in the features and fit.

Funny how we get all spun up about tactical guns and their quality when they spend most of their life "racked" in some room or in the cruiser and see very little range time.

Good gas guns rock! If you put shit in (ammo) you get shit out!

I would have no problem taking a tested and proven duck or dove shotgun to a fight especially over one that was labeled tactical.

A pump shotgun offers NO advantage in the field over a gas gun.

[Artos]

The wingmaster is snot on a doorknob & in the same class as the pre-64 model 12 for smooth of operation.

I would take an original model 12 trench gun against any of the modern combat shotguns if I had the coin.

The express just doesn't have the fit and finish but will eventually break into a decent slick pump if you shoot it enough & should not be discounted for any application. The wingmaster just makes the hunting experience more enjoyable & there is something personal for me using the vintage pump gun in the field.

I too have moved into the autos and currently use an early M1 benelli w/ the magic bolt as my main go to rig for both quail and home defense but grasp the want for a pump set up.

Playing with a 20ga 870 express magnum right now just for grins.

[superr.stu]

For me, if I had to pick a singular go to hunting shotgun it would be my 870 Wingmaster. I can hunt anything that flies with it, it's slicker than greased baby poo, not to heavy, and I just like running a pump.

That being said there are guns that I do prefer over the 870 for a specific task. If I were hunting dove for several days it's hard to argue against a Beretta 391. It's just so much softer and nicer to shoot for long term. By the same token for something like quail there is a lot on the plus side for a short fast 20ga over under.

I guess what I'm getting at OP is what exactly are you looking for this gun to do for you? If you are looking for something that you are only going to hunt with 3-5 times a year, that you can use for waterfowl, pheasant, dove, ect... with only changing a choke tube an 870 express might be the ticket. If you need something that you are going to pheasant hunt with daily all season long then you might want to look into something softer and more refined.

[awm14hp]

SP10 for Turkey and Goose hunting

A-5 for Ducks

1100 SP for most everything else and clays have a 28 Remchoke
and Rifled barrel for deer.
Being from NY I spent most of my time hunting with Shoty and now we can rifle hunt but I still carry my shotgun when weather isnt good to deer hunt with

[TWR]

Lot's of interesting takes in this thread...

You want a hunting shotgun for upland birds, I'd skip a pump and pick up a Benelli M2 with a 21" or no more than a 24" barrel and rule the world.

I'm an old bird hunter, I've owned pumps and autos and the autos rule for me. I have seen more shooter induced problems with pumps than any decent auto will ever have. My Benelli M1 has been spitting out shells as fast as I care to pull the trigger on quail, pheasant, dove, turkey, coyotes and clays for maybe 15 years now, without ever having a bobble. The 21" barrel is my favorite and I've been told the sight plane isn't long enough but I shoot it better than my 24", 26" and 28" shotguns which included Benelli Montefeltros and a SBE, as well as numerous Rem 1100's and an old Mohawk 48.

The 870 express is a base gun and shouldn't be compared to a wingmaster but it can be made better if you so choose.

[Watrdawg]

I don't shoot a pump. I use my SBEII for everything. It ha a 24" barrel and it fits me perfectly. Earlier I gave an opinion on pumps because the OP asked about them. However, I don't use one now and defnitely prefer my semi-auto. The only onther time I use something other than my SBEII is on upland game. Then I shoot a Ithaca/SKB Mod 600 20ga O/U. Great light, little O/U. It's a specalized shotgun and that is the only thing I use it for. Other than that the SBEII is my do it all shotgun

[Jfkudla]

Find a clean used 870 Wingmaster...the quality is going to be much better.

I second this. 870 is absolutely the way to go with pump action. The 887 is not too bad either, and fairly priced, but I don't know if it is the kind of gun you'd want if you're specifically going to use it for upland bird hunting (aestheticallly speaking).

My first real shotgun was an 870 Wingmaster Ducks Unlimited edition. That gun outperforms SBE-IIs, 1187s, and especially my Auto 5 on the regular. If conditions are harsh, the semi autos stay in the safe and the 870 comes out.

-Justin

[Artos]

The 21" barrel is my favorite and I've been told the sight plane isn't long enough but I shoot it better than my 24", 26" and 28" shotguns which included Benelli Montefeltros and a SBE, as well as numerous Rem 1100's and an old Mohawk 48.

I shoot the longer bbls much better...my M1 is 28" and the Beretta 682 has 30" tubes.

[TWR]

I shoot the longer bbls much better...my M1 is 28" and the Beretta 682 has 30" tubes.

To each his own. The first guns I had were 26" and I've tried the 24" and 28" as well. My first Benelli was the 21" and I just shoot it better but I hear it every time I hunt with guys I don't know. Funny thing is after the hunt they all start asking questions...

Oh and the guys at the skeet range tell me to put a muffler on it.

[shua713]

I would go with the 870 wingmaster