Duck hunting shotgun question...

[IMay1280]

Hi guys,

Long time lurker, rare poster... But I'm being eaten up with a question about a shotgun. I've been invited to go duck hunting later this year, but need a shotgun for the trip. I've never owned a shotgun before, much less hunted with one, and I'm beating my head against the wall trying to decide which to buy.

I've laid hands on a lot of different guns in the store, and I love the feel of the Winchester SXP Long Beard, which is set up as a turkey gun (thus, the name). I'm an AR tactical guy, and feel very comfortable with the pistol grip and sites setup the gun comes with. It's not exactly the ideal setup for duck hunting, from what I've read, but I'm not sure when the next chance I'll have to hunt ducks will be, outside of this trip, and figure deer/turkey is more likely here in my area anyway. So, my questions are these: will I get laughed out of a duck blind carrying a 12ga 3.5 chambered sxp long beard to shoot at ducks, will the 24" barrel even really give me the average distance I'd want, and, if those answers are in the gun's favor, what changes would you make to it to help tilt the scales in my favor (which choke, etc)?

Thanks in advance for any answers, thoughts, etc.

-Ian

 

[IMay1280]

Oh, and I'm looking to stay under $500 or so for the gun. Figured that might influence potential responses!

 

[D_Max]

An short barrel in a blind is hard on your fellow hunters, for the money and no more than you will use it find yourself a nice 870 Remington, if you were going to hunt duck alot i would say buy and semi auto and save your money and buy a beretta or benelli , but an 870 will do exactly what you want and will make a fine turkey gun also

 

[D_Max]

mod lead choke = full choke for steel or buy a pattern master choke for steel

 

[Lionheart]

I would suggest you try to borrow a shotgun for the duck hunt.

 

[D_Max]

I would suggest you try to borrow a shotgun for the duck hunt.

Great idea

 

[24on48hunting]

Either borrow as mentioned above or buy one that will cover all of your needs. You can get great patterns and kill ducks with any 3" or 3.5" mag shotgun, just make sure that you are using a load that patterns well in the particular gun/choke combo. A shorter barrel does well in flooded timber, but in a blind, I'd stick with a 28" barrel considering the fact that you'll likely have guys on your left and right.

 

[IMay1280]

Thanks a lot guys, exactly the kind of guidance I was hoping for.

 

[musket]

Ask the guys that invited you what they use. There are many different habitats to duck hunt. Shooting over decoys would require a different choke and loads than hunting standing timber. River hunting is different than pass shooting and so on. Most avid duck hunters have more than one shotgun and would probably loan you one.
I used an 870 for years with a lot of success. But, the gun needs to fit you. By that, I mean that length of pull is important, but more importantly, does your eye naturally sight down the rib without a lot of head adjustment? It doesn't have to be a perfect fit, but, if you're fighting the gun into alignment, it'll be hard to hit a fast moving duck. Everyone has their favorite brand of shotgun, so, you can't go buy what someone else suggests for you. Their favorite Browning may be the best fit for them, but not a good fit for you.
Also, get out to a skeet range and practice and try to get some advise on how much to lead the targets. There's a lot of difference between rifle shooting a stationary target and shotgunning a moving target. And, no fancy fiber optic sights. You don't look at the front sight when shooting a flying clay or duck in flight.
I wouldn't buy a shotgun until you find out if you like it. If you do like duck hunting, it won't be just a little bit. It'll get in your blood and then you'll want the best gun you can afford. I used to duck hunt every chance I got, but I only get to go every once in a while, now. It can be an expensive hobby, especially here in Georgia where ducks are scarce as....duck's teeth. So, saying all that, I just use my over/under, now. It shoots better that I do.
Report back here and let us know if you liked it. Or, you may be too busy out buying waders, calls, decoys, boat with a blind, dog, etc, etc, etc.

 

[Huey Deer Processing]

You really don't want to go shorter then a 26 inch barrel. The Remington 870, browning BPS, or stoeger are all good options under $400