Taking Inventory: What's Your Favorite Waterfowl Gun and Why

Craig S

Craig S

Active member
Alright all you crazy waterfowlers! This may have been asked sometime before, but it's a new season, so let's hear your opinion:

What is your favorite waterfowl gun and why?

And for extra credit, what load do you like to shoot and why?

Looking forward to all the replies....
 
My favorite is an 870 Rem for a few reasons. 1.Comes in any flavor except 10 ga. 2. It has been around as long as I have. 3. It takes a lickin and keeps on ticken. 4. You can field strip it in the bottom of a boat and not worry about loosing that one lil' spring, clip, part. 5. They can be had cheap enough to get someone started (Express)or as fancy as you like. 6. Synthetic or wood. 7. They fit me. 8. And finally the sound of working the action lets everyone around know you are ready to get going.
 
Last year it was my 11-48 in 28ga....this year it will be my 1100 in 28ga since my grandson will be using the 11-48. We cased them up last night, picked the reloads we will use, loaded the blind bag with goose calls and will be ready for Monday morning at the cabin. We will be there tonight on through, patterning the geese and fixing the blind up next to the water. I'll toss the 8 dekes I have left after the flood and hope that the jet skis, fishermen and pontoon cruisers don't blow our chances Monday morning. The geese will be going crazy Monday so we may anchor the pontoon in the landing pattern later and fish with a loaded shotgun on the seat.
 
My Beretta 390 for geese, mod choke 3" #B steel.20ga SxS for ducks with IC & Mod 23/4 w/1oz #6 bizmuth reloads @ 1260fps,or 12 ga SxS with 11/4 oz #5 bizmuth reloads @ 1300fps.The 390 just handles the recoil better with the 3" steel factory steel loads.
 
Remington Mod. 3200 in 3" Mag. O/U. The barrels are rated for steel shot. I had the forcing cones lengthened and I get over 90% patterns at 35 yards!


.
 
I'm one of those multiple gun guys. but if I had to name my favorie it My FABARM Ultramag lion3.5 o/u Ishhot it well and I love the way an o/u swings also It keeps me from pissing away a 3rd shell at the shell limited draw hunts around here. I've rarely needed the 3rd shell. Lee I fooled around with heavy shot loads for my red label 28 for a while let me know if you wan't the Data. my favorite used a cheddite or federal hul and longshot powder, I'd have to look it up but I'd be happy to share.
 
My winchester super x 2. I shoot well with this one. I'm gonna try my Rota o/u 20 this year for the first time on ducks.
 
Fausti Waterfowl II 3.5" O/U in Wetlands Camo (Imported by Traditions Firearms). Kent Faststeel #2's & BB's @ 1600FPS.
 
SBEII............ I looked at all the semi auto's in this class and this one seemed to "feel" the best for me. I also had the opportunity of shooting most of the brands out there. But I still held off for a couple years trying to justify the price, at least in my own mind. Now that I have one I will never look at a shotgun the same way again! Simple design, smooth swinging, and never...ever jams. No matter how dirty or what you drop it in, it never jams. The other thing I like is that there are soo few parts to it it can be torn down in the field in a matter of seconds with out worry of parts flyin' everywhere. I have used 3" Fast steel #2's almost exclusively. I like the way these pattern through a mod. choke and they are cheap. I have shot both duck and geese with this load and do not have to chase many cripples. I will say most of my shots are all under 25yds.

Take Care,
Gene
 
My franchi 12ga auto (the older modle not the I-12) going into its 4th year of service and hasnt missed
a beat light weight and fits me well.

my back up fav.... my Ithaca Mag 10 with the 24" tubed BBL. Wish I could afford to shoot it more.
I plan on getting it refinished (metal) next year need to order the new cycle springs soon. Thanks
for making me think!
 
I love my Winchester Super X 2 with 3.5" 11/4 oz #2s smoking down the barrel. The gun is indestructible, cycles fast, and is well balanced. Also the high rib on the 26" barrel lines up well with my eye. Plus the black synthetic stock makes it weather proof - even if it's a tad industrial looking. It's a beast!
 
12ga Belgium made Browning A-5 Mag, its the original automatic that took waterfowlers by storm when it was introduced. It weighs a ton and the entire barrell moves when the next round is racked. It's is unique and classic, can't find anything I like better. Anything in a #4 works great.

Will also be testing out a newly acquired Mossberg O/U Silver Reserve in 12ga.
 
Well today its my A303 beretta in days gone by my XL300Ithaca,and many moons ago busting my first critters was dads JC higgins pump.I did have a single coey 12 but i loved the JC.hit the release and it would fall all the way back by itself if you held the gun up,just slam it forward and your ready..oh there all in 12gauge by the way

i had a single stevens 10 but some miscreant thought he should have it and stole it while trashing my cottage..
 
I am always interested in what guns people favor. And once again, I want to explain that it was my choice of clumsy wording a few years ago that made it appear I looked down my nose at those who use modern autos. I don't. Or pumps. My father shot a Model 12 20 bore his entire life. I have it now. I have owned three Model 12 Heavy Ducks. I like them.
But the guns I like most have two barrels. Side by side. And if made prior to 1930, all the better. As I have mentioned before, I love old stuff. I have a large collection of Conderate postage stamps, once had about the largest collection of western brewery bottles and items in the U.S. (sold that for nothing in 1970, prior to those sort of things going off the charts in value), have had BSA and Triumph motorcycles for 40 years, (just got a new BSA 650 bobber), had a 1936 Ford coupe with '48 Merc flathead for the past 15 years, (just traded it towards a 1962 Corvette--just the thing for someone 66 to have to forget his age!), love Barnegat boats, hand craved decoys, and anything classic dealing with waterfowling.
Thus, side by sides. Old ones. At this point my favorite gun is a W&C Scott, made about 1885. It was a 10 bore. I had it chambered into a 3 inch 12. With Briley steel shot tubes.
This gun might be replaced this season as my favorite. I have decided to "make" my own personal waterfowling gun. To this end, I took a Tudor (English) 3 inch 12 with 32 inch barrels and a weight of nine pounds. (I like heavy guns for waterfowling!!!) I am not a very good shot, but do better with guns that have 28 inch barrels. So, I had Briley cut the barrels to 29, and install steel choke tubes. I also had them grey the barrels, rather than re-blue. Then I had a stocker refinish the stock, forend, recut the checkering, and carve in a checkered side panel.
In December it will go to the engraver. On each side I will have a brant head, very deeply engraved. These will be surrounded by scroll. In front of the trigger guard he will engrave the Delta Waterfowl logo. With more scroll. The fences will have deeply engraved arrows and vines.
To a degree it might end up too nice to use, but I don't baby my waterfowl guns, and really want this one with me during my last years. (which I hope won't be anything soon!)
Once this gun is totally done, I'll post a photograph.
I spoke with Dave Hagerbaumer the other day, and he said to thank all of you for the kind things posted about his book. (I made a copy and mailed it to him) Regarding the book, it now looks like I will not be leaving as hoped in early September. I have a shipment of guns in England that customs has cleared to be sent over. So I need to wait to get these. It now looks like I will not be leaving until about September 12-15. Maybe even later? So if anyone wants a book prior to me leaving, I am still in Oregon. Hope everyone has an excellent season. Worth Mathewson
 
Started with my grand fathers browning double auto. Then bought an 870 to keep that gun out of the swamp. Was shooting a ton of skeet then so I bought an skb waterfowler, 30 in 12 ga ou. and shot it a lot. Sold it when I won a rugger at a shoot and I never should have. I miss that gun.
Bought a Fox that I like but my fav. is the 10 ga SxS that I found after holding another spanish 10 (Stoger Zypher) about six times in a local shop till someone smarter paid for it.
Feeling like a heel I stumbled onto a Churchill(Spanish)double with 32 inch tubes. What a blast to smack anything that flies with that thing. Skeet with 1 1\4" oz #8 reloads is a blast and trap is fun too. But a box of old 2 oz # 2 LEAD will turn your head. Looks like the deck of the carrier Nimitz when you raise it to your cheek.
 
My current gun is a Beretta A390 autoloader, 3". She has synthetic stock and forearm. This has been a very reliable gun for the past few seasons. I only paid $500 brand new.

The old one is a Remmington 878 autoloader circa 1960's. This gun was as well very reliable.

Both guns are easily field stripped with few small parts to loose. No complaints about either.
 
SBE II with one season on it. I shoot it well and it handles the salt well. I also realy like how simple and light it is. I have shot all kinds of ammo through it but really like hevi-steel #4's in three inch for ducks and federal tungston/iron #2's in three and a half inch for geese and brant. No I don't think I need the 3 1/2" but they sure bring birds down.

Gene
 
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