Shotgun Action

[TxYoteHunter]

Everyone is going to have their own opinion. I know you said all around but it reallyyyyy depends on your use case. If you could only own one shotgun I’d say a semi auto inertia driven simply for how easy those guns are to work on and 99% of the time they just work.

I have different shotguns for different things. As do most people. My semi autos go duck and coyote hunting. My O/U goes upland hunting. My single shot goes turkey hunting. If I deer hunted with a shotgun I’d probably take a pump or a lever.

 

[schmidty3]

So pellet dispersal did not mean dispersing the pellets as in a pattern, it means when you waste two shots shooting before you get a lead on the bird, you like having a third to save you?

I guess that's a conversation each individual needs to have with them self huh?

If you are honest with yourself and need the shell due to skill then you probably should get a semi.

If you are a nostalgic lover boy, appreciate a nice whiskey and beautiful women, and/or your hunting group is all bad shots and you want to keep pace, then a double option is great.

Or if you just want to get in, get out, and onto a cup of coffee and a fresh waffle by 8, then a semi is great for knocking down triples.

Ive been all of those people.

 

[270-300]

I guess that's a conversation each individual needs to have with them self huh?

If you are honest with yourself and need the shell due to skill then you probably should get a semi.

If you are a nostalgic lover boy, appreciate a nice whiskey and beautiful women, and/or your hunting group is all bad shots and you want to keep pace, then a double option is great.

Or if you just want to get in, get out, and onto a cup of coffee and a fresh waffle by 8, then a semi is great for knocking down triples.

Ive been all of those people.

I dont see a correlation between shotgun action and personality.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Tried the O/U game for a bit. Worked just as well as anything.

The one thing that really bugged me was not being able to thumb in a shell or two while having the gun ready.

 

[schmidty3]

I dont see a correlation between shotgun action and personality.

If 5 guys walked into a room, put their guns on the table and stepped back, and mixed their positions up. I bet I could walk in and match the gun to the person

 

[WRO]

I only hunt upland and I’m a sxs guy, my target gun is an o/u..

If I didn’t run one if those it’d be an a400.


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[schmidty3]

Everyone is going to have their own opinion. I know you said all around but it reallyyyyy depends on your use case. If you could only own one shotgun I’d say a semi auto inertia driven simply for how easy those guns are to work on and 99% of the time they just work.

I have different shotguns for different things. As do most people. My semi autos go duck and coyote hunting. My O/U goes upland hunting. My single shot goes turkey hunting. If I deer hunted with a shotgun I’d probably take a pump or a lever.

I'll disagree with your first paragraph because its America and we are on the internet and I prefer gas driven guns.

But your 2nd paragraph is spot on. I've taken my O/U 28 ga out for ducks on tight ponds for the memes, and to good effect. Dont even need a 12ga really unless your after big geese with steel shot and they arent decoying well. My turkey gun is a cheap sxs 410 because it's 4.5# and I dont ever get a turkey anyway

I like my 870 wingmaster with mag tube for 3 gun just because its fun.

 

[TxYoteHunter]

I'll disagree with your first paragraph because its America and we are on the internet and I prefer gas driven guns.

But your 2nd paragraph is spot on. I've taken my O/U 28 ga out for ducks on tight ponds for the memes, and to good effect. Dont even need a 12ga really unless your after big geese with steel shot and they arent decoying well. My turkey gun is a cheap sxs 410 because it's 4.5# and I dont ever get a turkey anyway

I like my 870 wingmaster with mag tube for 3 gun just because its fun.

To each their own I love my gas guns equally but if I had to take one that’s just gonna chug along and not complain about anything it would be my Benelli M2.

Speaking of sub gauges for the memes, have you seen the dude that’s completing the waterfowl slam with a bright teal .410 that’s got rubber duckies all over it? Absolutely hilarious, think it’s JJ French on Facebook

 

[schmidty3]

To each their own I love my gas guns equally but if I had to take one that’s just gonna chug along and not complain about anything it would be my Benelli M2.

Speaking of sub gauges for the memes, have you seen the dude that’s completing the waterfowl slam with a bright teal .410 that’s got rubber duckies all over it? Absolutely hilarious, think it’s JJ French on Facebook

Yeah, its pretty badass. I like how he writes the time and date on each rubber ducky. Each ducky representing each species .

I'll shoot bismuth at some ducks with the 28. But I just couldn't bring myself to shoot tungsten at em.

 

[270-300]

If 5 guys walked into a room, put their guns on the table and stepped back, and mixed their positions up. I bet I could walk in and match the gun to the person

No you couldnt.

 

[270-300]

I only hunt upland and I’m a sxs guy, my target gun is an o/u..

If I didn’t run one if those it’d be an a400.


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You have me curious here. What makes you choose a side by side for hunting and an over under for target?

I see online tons of people like side by sides. I never see them here. All the gun stores have over unders, all the trap shooters, all the people hunting with doubles i see are over unders here.

 

[Rich M]

Get a good O/U or SxS for upland birds and "some" waterfowl hunting. There are no pumps or semi's that will be nicer or easier to shoot. Try it and see.

If you want ducks/geese more, then do a pump or semi.

Turkey - get a single shot .410 and TSS shells.

 

[Rich M]

You have me curious here. What makes you choose a side by side for hunting and an over under for target?

I see online tons of people like side by sides. I never see them here. All the gun stores have over unders, all the trap shooters, all the people hunting with doubles i see are over unders here.

Not sure why but I do the same. I have an old sxs been using for the past 40 years for upland birds. Don't take it to the range very much.

 

[WRO]

You have me curious here. What makes you choose a side by side for hunting and an over under for target?

I see online tons of people like side by sides. I never see them here. All the gun stores have over unders, all the trap shooters, all the people hunting with doubles i see are over unders here.

I’m not a numbers guy on upland, I only do it because I’m a dog guy honestly. There’s a lot of long days with lots of miles and honestly the 20 ga sxs carries the best for me. Then it’s quick to shoulder and fast to get on target, plus there’s some nostalgia with one. I shoot it well after a little practice.

My o/u for sporting clays is a beretta 694 with 32” barrels. It’s very well balanced, swings great, and it’s super light on recoil. It’s hard to beat a well built target gun.

That being said, I’d take a nice auto over a shitty Turkish o/u or sxs. I can put one in my hands and tell pretty quickly if it’s a fine one or a cheapo.

For me shotguns are much more nuanced than rifles, it’s all about feel and aesthetics..

 

[jml49]

O/U for upland , Mossberg 835 for Turkey.

 

[Davyalabama]

1 gun --- do it all? For me, semiauto, it's what I grew up on at a very young age. A5, that inertia, I just never really cared for, but love the gun. I absolutely love my model 12. The semi is just the one I'm going to grab if I had one.

 

[Winnie]

Semi auto in 12 ga. It does everything well. Specifically the older Berettas...either a 390 or 391. Shooting only 1 gun I think makes you a wee bit better shot than changing guns. It carries great on long days. I love the safety in front of the trigger guard. I tried a Benelli SBE3 and just couldn't get used to it. By the way, inertia guns jam too. Hunted with guys who had them and owned them. My 30 year old 390 has jammed less than than my 3 year old SBE3.

But beyond all that. Find a gun you shoot well. If you find one, you will be happy and enjoy your time afield. I don't care if it is a rusty old 870 express or a shiny new Beretta, Browning, or Benelli, make sure you shoot it well. If you are happy with your shooting, you will get more pleasure out of hunting than toting around something that looks well but only punches holes in the sky.

 

[Macintosh]

If decent-handling O/U ‘s came in stainless with plastic stocks, I’d use one for waterfowl hunting too.

More popular does not equal better. Autos and pumps are cheaper to build, so its generally a better-quality gun for a given $. And more people have access to waterfowl and turkey hunting than they do bird hunting. Waterfowl hunting is also a LOT more common to want a third shot compared to bird hunting. So autos are justifiably more popular, and may be a more versatile option for some people. BUT if you look at any wingshooting discipline, nearly all competitive shooters use an O/U. The weight distribution and handing being a major reason why.
“Better” means different things for different purposes. Unless you specify its just a popularity contest.

 

[WRO]

Semi auto in 12 ga. It does everything well. Specifically the older Berettas...either a 390 or 391. Shooting only 1 gun I think makes you a wee bit better shot than changing guns. It carries great on long days. I love the safety in front of the trigger guard. I tried a Benelli SBE3 and just couldn't get used to it. By the way, inertia guns jam too. Hunted with guys who had them and owned them. My 30 year old 390 has jammed less than than my 3 year old SBE3.

But beyond all that. Find a gun you shoot well. If you find one, you will be happy and enjoy your time afield. I don't care if it is a rusty old 870 express or a shiny new Beretta, Browning, or Benelli, make sure you shoot it well. If you are happy with your shooting, you will get more pleasure out of hunting than toting around something that looks well but only punches holes in the sky.

391s were peak auto loader imho. I’ve owned a couple, they’re not cheap anymore for a nice one. My girls have a youth one.


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[270-300]

If decent-handling O/U ‘s came in stainless with plastic stocks, I’d use one for waterfowl hunting too.

More popular does not equal better. Autos and pumps are cheaper to build, so its generally a better-quality gun for a given $. And more people have access to waterfowl and turkey hunting than they do bird hunting. Waterfowl hunting is also a LOT more common to want a third shot compared to bird hunting. So autos are justifiably more popular, and may be a more versatile option for some people. BUT if you look at any wingshooting discipline, nearly all competitive shooters use an O/U. The weight distribution and handing being a major reason why.
“Better” means different things for different purposes. Unless you specify its just a popularity contest.

Id say the use for a blued wood stock gun waterfowl hunting depends on the habitat. If i was waist high in costal marshes I would agree with you. Most of my waterfowl hunting is beaver ponds and streams in the rocky mountains. Water contact has never been an issue for this type of hunting. My elk rifle sees far more water from the hail and snow storms in august and september.