Tell me about shotguns for birding

M

Macanudo

2,500+ Posts
Once we get to Alaska, I'm thinking about hunting but only birds. As enticing as it sounds to take a large moose or elk down, I just don't have the desire to shot a large animal. But birds, well, enough of the have crapped on my car that I think I owe the suckers. Plus, I had to smell wet grackle **** for most of my time at UT whenever I walked down Speedway.

So, what's a good, simple and inexpensive shotgun? What gauge is the best? Do I just go get a Remington 870 and be done with it?
 
That's precisely what you should do.

Perhaps the best firearm ever made, with the possible exception of the 1911 Colt and the '94 Winchester.
 
Hmm... But I could go out and spend an insane amount on a Citori too.
biggrin.gif
 
The Link

best bird gun ever

simple, yes. Inexpensive, not really, but you could spend a lot more. If this will be your only time using it, go with the 870. If you want a nice shooting,*reliable* autoloader, go with the benelli.

Do not consider anything else. The 870 is as good a pump action as you could need and you can't beat the price. Benelli is the most reliable autoloader I have found, but is more expensive.

O/U are overrated for shooting live targets. too heavy and fewer shots.
 
I would go the inexpensive route....especially since it sounds like this is a "one and done" deal. I have an 870 that I've treated like a red headed step child and it has never missed a beat.
 
Pump action shotguns suck! They may be durable and inexpensive but if you have not been around guns a whole lot or especially pumps do not get one for your first gun. You will get frustrated and stop hunting b/c you forgot to pump. Get a semiautomatic shotgun if you are not going to use it that much. They aren't that much more expensive. Winchester 1100 would be good, durable and cheap. Bennelli is kind of expensive for semi-auto. Or if you do plan on using the gun more than a few times go ahead and get a over and under the are a much better gun, nicer shot, more accurate b/c on no overheating of the barrel, etc... And to the poster that says not as many shots as a semi auto, if you are good you don't need too many shots. Berretta has an awesome semiauto that I use for hunting or sporting clays tournaments, b/c it is lighter and won't kick as much. But when I shoot in skeet tournaments I use an over and under w/ tubes.
 
I have an Express 870 that I use and it's great. It's certainly not the nicest shotgun I've ever used, but it more than gets the job done reliably and at the right price.
 
I hear the grouse up there are so fat and stupid, you can pretty much use any old stick to club them.
Some sticks are nicer than others, with nice grips and whatnot.
 
Assuming that you are going to be a one gun type of guy, I would go with a 12 ga. automatic. I too would second the Benelli recommendation for a quality shotgun with less felt recoil than many others. It also rains a lot in AK, so you might consider a composite stock in lieu of wood.
 
Many people find that the rhythm of the pump improves (or at least is an integral part of) your shooting. I've shot all 3 types mentioned here and the only people who "forget" to pump in my experience are the ones who have become accustomed to an autoloader.

The best thing I can tell you is to go pick various guns up and see how they feel. It's not like any are more accurate that any others. It's dependent upon you and the ease with which you snap that gun up into shooting position is the biggest factor in the gun. Barrel length is an important aspect of that equation. Go to a quality gun store and then go to another quality gun store to make sure you weren't getting a bunch of salesmanship.
 
870's are definitely workhorses. I also treat mine like **** and I've never had a problem. I even dropped it in a stock tank once.

They're also easy to take apart if you do ever get around to cleaning it.

And to top it off, you can get one for a little over $200.
 
My hunting buddy has a Benelli and the ****** jammed about 6 times during our first dove hunt with it.

I have a Beretta Silver Pigeon 20 gauge OU, but that is probably too light for Alaska, where I imagine you would hunt geese or some big-*** bird.

I would probably get a 12 gauge Beretta OU over an auto, just because autos do jam. Plus, OUs are neat in that you can have different chokes in each barrel, so your second shot can be more of a cheater choke than #1 (I have #1 on full modified and #2 on IC, so I can pretty much take dead aim with #1 and then try a looser recovery shot with #2).

I had a Browning pump and couldn't hit **** with it, but that's mainly because the stock was long as ****.

Guns and golf clubs should both be professionally fitted. I would probably wait until I got to Alaska and see what they use up there.
 
Autoloading shotguns jam for 2 reasons

1) The shell doesn't have enough power to force the cylinder completely back

2) Poor maintenance by the owner

Gas operated autoloaders require a lot of diligence to keep them clean and in good operating condition. The gas ports are pretty small and can get clogged with residue pretty easily. When this happens, there is not enough pressure to cycle the breech completely and the gun will jam.

spring operated autoloaders are not as suceptible to problems from powder residue (they dont have as complicated a mechanism) and are therefore more reliable when you are putting a lot of shells through them. Furthermore, they are *much* easier to clean and maintain because they have about 30% of the parts as a gas operated.

Benelli takes simplicity to the extreme-- you can strip a montefiltro down to the firing pin in about 90 seconds using your bare hands. try that with a gas operated gun and it will take you about 10 minutes and your desk will be littered with o-rings and other small parts that must go back together just so for the gun to function properly. End result- gas operated guns dont get cleaned as often or as well and therefore jam more often (since they are more suceptible to residue problems in the first place).

If your buddy was having a problem with his gun jamming, suggest he try different shells. I am assuming the gun was clean.

As for O/U, they certainly have their place. I own one and love it as long as i dont have to carry it all over creation and looking for live animals. I think it weighs 25% more than my autoloader. the point about different chokes is valid, but i think an extra shot is usually more valuable than a different pattern. saying "if you are good you dont need it" is kind of dumb, because who wouldn't want a third opportunity at a bird you missed twice or, more importantly, a first opportunity at bird #3.
 
No, I agree that the 3rd shot is valuable, especially with quail. With dove you really don't need a 3rd shot all that often. We determined the Benelli was jamming because he was flinching. It needs the recoil to load. I guess that makes him a *****.

Another option would be to use the 4 barrel model from Phantasm.
 
I have a 12 ga. Remington 1187 Special Purpose (synthetic/matte) and I have had no problems whatsoever. I am also convinced I could use the thing as an oar without worrying about it.

My grandpa gave me the first shotgun he bought after he moved off the farm back in the late 40s and it still works perfectly - 16 ga. Remington Model 48. They are both auto-loader Remingtons that obviously hold up quite well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Recent Threads

Prediction Results Threads

2024 Schedules

Back
Top