I’m hoping to get some recommendations for a shotgun to use for upland game hunting and maybe eventually some waterfowl hunting. My wife wants to get into bird hunting so I’m looking for a lightweight and handy 20 gauge. I want something simple and reliable. I’d like to stay on the cheaper end of things.
rem 870 simple and reliable as it gets. But a 20 ga probably not the best thing for waterfowl. I would get a 12 to start with if only one. Then save for a OU 20 ga when you have more money. The barrel lengths for upland vs waterfowl need to be different. Upland needs to be quick and snappy. Waterfowl smooth and long sight radius with inertia.
Of course get one with interchangeable chokes and can shoot steel.
BTW I have many rifles and pistols and shotguns and my Ruger Red Label 20g ou is the firearm I love the most. Sadly not made any more but she is a sweetheart. Bought it new 30 yrs ago for $830. - which was a king’s ransom for me then. Never cried once on that money well spent.
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Rem 870 or Mossberg 500 are the two most popular. I personally prefer the Mossberg.
If you want recoil reduction, look first at the action of the gun. A semi auto will have much less recoil. Then, the load. A light 12 gauge load can kick less than a heavy 20.
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In your arsenal , do you have any Browning Citori Gran Lightening by any chance? Absolutely a gorgeous piece. A 410g is on my list to get.
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Sadly no. Always wanted one but was out of reach. I also have a Mossberg 500 type for 3.5 in mags for turkeys but kind of always preferred Remingtons. If recoil is an issue as Jim said then a used 1100 20 is a nice gun as well but will be twice as much cost to buy. I do have the Mossberg 970 in camo for waterfowl which is nice but not a necessity. Certainly not a quail or chukar gun. Geez like everything else it seems these days we get deep into specialization.
The nice part of a Moss 500 is safety location on tang vs trigger on a remington. I feel a rem is better built but just personal preference.
I have to second that a 20 ga is a little light for waterfowl. I have a Rem 870, Win SXP, and Mossberg 935. I haven’t sprung for the OU yet, looking to get a Citori, so for upland I use the SXP. It’s based on the 1300 and is a nice pump gun at a reasonable price. I would add that one for consideration. I take the Mossberg semi for waterfowl as it can handle the 3.5" shells.
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What does the “cheaper end” mean to you? Under $500, or under $1,000? Beware of the really cheap Turkish made stuff. Do you have a preference for pump, side-by-side or over/under, or semi-auto?
For example, the Beretta A300 is a more approachable price-point than their more expensive A400. You can find these for around $750-850 USD. An A300 would get you into one of the highest quality semi-automatic options that is available on the market today, but it will run about $300 over the price of a semi-auto from Mossberg. This is a worthwhile upgrade in my opinion if you want semi-auto. A Mossberg will do the job, but the Beretta is a big step up in quality for just a little bit more money. Beretta A300 Ultima 20-Ga. Semi-Auto Shotgun | Bass Pro Shops
For a pump action today the best buy is still a Mossberg 500 field, the newer 870s are still a little harder to find for some reason, and for a few years they were having QA issues though that might be ironed out now?
If you are a lefty, you might want something more ambidextrous like an over-under. CZ actually has a pretty good option at an affordable price-point even though it is made in Turkey. If CZ puts their name on it, then generally you can count on it. I think you can even get them with cerakote now; here is an example: CZ Upland Ultralight All-Terrain Break-Open Shotgun | Bass Pro Shops
I might even pick one of these up myself–my brother brought one to pheasant opener this past weekend and he has nothing but good things to say. It also looks more expensive than it really is, which is kind of CZ’s thing.
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Thanks to everyone for the good info. I think my plan will be to pick up a 20ga and start out with some upland and see how we do. I know very little about shotguns, so the advice is all super appreciated.
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Let us know what you end up with!
As with all things there are tradeoffs.
A semi-auto has less recoil and faster second/third shot.
A pump has more recoil and slower follow up shots.
But should cost a lot less than a semi.
And you will shoot fewer shells. Usually a first miss will be a second miss but not always. A third will be a miss. A semi auto will tend to have you shoot 3 times at each bird even though by the time you get to #3 the bird is usually out of range. Of course with a pump - second shot will be long until you get good at cycling and #3 will be out of range.
I think a pump shotgun is a better learning gun to start with until you get your shooting skills honed.
With a pump you take your head off the stock to pump and then re- aim on the bird. With a semi the second and third shots usually have the same issue you had with the first shot - hence successive misses. Head placement and eye alignment on the stock is a big factor for shooting high or low. Follow through for ahead or behind. Kind of like golf - keep your head down. Field guns have a different sight aiming point than a trap gun - and trying to look at your target raises your head and a miss. Find a trap or skeet range and practice- tons of fun. Or a 5 stand which is fun but a lot harder to learn on.
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I have a question regarding the “misses”, Would having a “double trigger,” O/U or SxS reduce your #2 miss?
@rosskruse nailed it. Can’t add a thing except to encourage people to read your post a couple of times and think about it and then hit the trap/skeet range and practice. Looking forward to pheasant season opening on Nov. 9th here in CA.
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Kind of the same thing though nothing faster to second shot if using a single trigger. A OU is fantastic for upland. Adds a level of joy. Usually faster to first shot as well. I have not used a sxs so could not say - double triggers the same.
My vote is for the Benelli Supernova 12 or 20.
Our family hunts behind shorthairs/labs and has had them all, WIN SXP, REM 870 & 1100, BEN Super Black Eagle and the BER Extrema. I am a little shocked the Nova hasn’t made the list at 549.00.
Meh, the Mossberg 500s and Maverick 88s are still cheaper than the Supernova ($350 and $250 respectively) and they are more widely available. Can even find them at like Walmart for example. Benelli SBE or Ultralight is an excellent choice for semi-auto, though both those are still more expensive than the Beretta A300 which is arguably an even better action, and made here in the USA. But yeah, if going with a pump-action, I’d probably stick to Mossberg.
I use a Browning Auto 5 Gold trigger and love it. My wife and brother-in-law use Benelli. Those Benelli’s are really nice. The brother law is a huge waterfowl guy and was sponsored for a while and swears by them.
Yeah, I love Benelli’s too. Can’t go wrong with 'em. I would love to see Benelli release an equivalent of the Beretta A300 vs. the more expensive A400–basically just a more budget-friendly version of their Super Black Eagle. Andrew mentioned that he wanted to stay on the “cheaper end of things” so that’s why I would lean toward the A300 over the Benelli. Also love that the A300 is made in the USA.
Mossberg …patriot.
It is not cheap but the nicest lowest kick shotgun that I have ever shot was the Benelli montefeltro. My sister and younger kids shoot it all the time and love it. Also super light.
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