pump for waterfowl

I hunted waterfowl 53 days last fall without cleaning my Beretta gas gun. Clean em at the end of the season. Zero malfunctions.

With today's heavy waterfowl loads, recoil mitigation is important to me. Much of our shooting is long [50+ yards] so we shoot higher velocity 3" and 3.5" loads.

As others have stated, look for an older 870 if you want a pump gun.

Whatever shotgun, I want to be able to screw on a Patternmaster tube.

The only really bad gun I've ever owned was a Browing Gold Hunter. First year they came out. Saw one at my local shop just before a trip to SD. Caught hell from the MRS. bought it a day or two before I left. Planned a trip to the range but work or life happened. Day one three shots three birds. Love the gun. Go hunt chickens out in the grass lands. Start having malfunctions. Pretty much a single shot now. Get my birds go back to the hotel tear the gun down. Clean and lube. Turned into a single shot after the first shot. Then the extractor broke. I don't think it had a box of 23/4 inch #5 down the tube. Drove into Pierre and traded it on a cheap 870. I don't think I got any cash out of the deal so I guess it was an expensive 870.

I actually think all the majors are producing good reliable semi auto shot guns. I guide pheasant hunts from late September until the end of March, just two or three days a week, but I do see a lot of shotguns. The only ones that have had hiccups are the Weatherby. Occasionally a guy will have issues with a gas gun, clean it up at lunch and it's good until next year. Typically when I have to tear one down for a client it hasn't been cleaned in years.
If you actually want to kill birds buy a shotgun that fits regardless the operating system. You might be surprised how good you can shoot.
I've only seen a few of the Nova pumps. The guys who had them were rookies and consistently short stroked them. 3 or 4 guys over the year, but they all had the same issue. Definitely operator error, I just don't know if the system contributed to the error. I just don't see rookies short stroking 870s to the same extent. I think it's a simple training issue with the Nova to run it correctly.

Johnslam said:

I've used a Remington 870 since I was 13 with no problems (29 now).

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I got my 1st shotgun for my 12th birthday, a Remington 870 WingMaster 12ga. 3" Mag. with a 28" full choke, vent rib barrel. No problems with it, ever. I'm 58 now and have close to a dozen shotguns in my safes today, many of them are semi-autos. My old 870 WingMaster is still my "go to" shotgun for most of the hunting I do.

Yeah, there were a couple years the Golds were problematic. Once Browning was aware, they remedied the issue. The initial 10 ga. Golds had a similar issue.
If you get a gold manufacrured outside those couple of years, you have a great pea shooter.
I have multiple SxS and O/U guns and love them. Bought the Gold on a whim because I got a heck of a deal ( new in box, estate sale) and figured I would have it as a loaner when somebody wanted to go hunting with me. The gun really surprised me.

It would be very disappointing to learn Remington was going cheap to make a few bucks. Seems like the 870 has stood the test of time, it will continue as long as they don't start to fail.
Remington marketing guys don't have the best record.

I have a nova pump never fails

While I long since graduated to a Benelli for the bulk of my waterfowling, but on occasion, for close in hunting over decoys, I'll bring my well used Winchester Model 12(Briley choked), IMO, the "Masterpiece" of pump guns. I will still use my Model 12 Skeet for clays, and a 20ga for upland birds......Yes, I'm an old fart!

Yep model 12s are probably the epitome of a proper pump gun.

Nova pump!!! Always fires!! Patternmaster tube.

For a gas gun, and trying to keep it under $1k, it looks like it comes down to a Beretta A400 (or A300??) or a Remington V3. Any help from those in the know to narrow it down?

870 Hands down.I have 2 of them that I bought back in 1976. One for me one for my dad both work great.Clean them once a season and keep on going.

scs12345 said:

Why focus on inertia guns over gas, especially with the reduced recoil the latter offer to help with successive shots?

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Recoil isn't always significantly less. My Super Vinci has less recoil than my Xtrema 2 did. Without the kickoff. Heavier gas gun had more recoil. So not always true. But I have installed the kickoff in it and now it's the softest shooting 12ga I have tried. It can go both ways.

I bought a Remington 870 when I started duck hunting. I've bought new 870s to make dedicated turkey guns out of them. I've found nothing wrong with the Remingtons. I have zero use for a semiauto shotgun.