Best Waterfowl Shotguns

[BIGINNER]

I have a Browning Maxis 2    great gun.  You should shoulder multiple guns before you buy.  I was convinced that the SBE III or the Beretta A400 was the way to go until I shouldered them. Changed my mind quick.  Lots of great "best" shotguns out there. You just have to find one that fits you good.

[kselkhunter]

I have a Browning Maxis 2    great gun.  You should shoulder multiple guns before you buy.  I was convinced that the SBE III or the Beretta A400 was the way to go until I shouldered them. Changed my mind quick.  Lots of great "best" shotguns out there. You just have to find one that fits you good.

    I was also certain I wanted the A400 as well, but ended up with the Browning A5 because of how it felt when I shouldered it.  Fit is important.

[KP-Skagit]

Fit is important but equally important is learning to shoot your gun. My dad made the switch from and SBE 1 to SBE 2 and went from the best shot I know to an ammo makers favorite hunter. The raised rib was enough to throw him off. That said, he stuck with it and is back to shooting better than ever. Point being, the fit was basically identical but there were still some challenges.

I would be curious to hear the issues the OP is having with his SBE 3 before going to recommended a different gun.

[h2ofowlr]

Fit is important but equally important is learning to shoot your gun. My dad made the switch from and SBE 1 to SBE 2 and went from the best shot I know to an ammo makers favorite hunter. The raised rib was enough to throw him off. That said, he stuck with it and is back to shooting better than ever. Point being, the fit was basically identical but there were still some challenges.

I would be curious to hear the issues the OP is having with his SBE 3 before going to recommended a different gun.

Many don't put the time in to learn the gun or accomodate it's pattern.  They are used to shooting a specific way and the gun is junk if they can't hit it when they bury the bird vs. floating the bird.  If its your go to shotgun for everything, than learn it.  In the trap world, when you get a new gun or make stock adjustments it can take 500 plus shells to get used to the changes.  Some are ready to sell after a half box of shells.

[Sliverslinger]

I love my Beretta A400 Extreme. Have maybe 500-600 rds through it if all lengths and sizes and have yet to have a single malfunction.

[Chesterdog]

I love my Winchester SX3.  I'm getting the SX4 this summer.  The bead sight on the barrel broke off three years ago and it made no difference to me or the amount of birds I take home.  It's a good lesson for new hunters.  Once your swing becomes muscle memory, you stop hesitating to aim and your follow-through helps you lead birds.

[Kola16]

Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus. It is a little over your $1500 price, but it is worth it if it fits you well. It is the lightest recoiling shotgun and cycles faster than you can get on target for a second shot. I have had mine get bumped by the dog, dunking it completely in the saltwater. I just do a quick shake out and it cycles flawlessly. If I ever needed to, it field strips in 15 seconds. I've had mud in the chamber, and I just submerge it in water, shake it out and fire

[Basinguy]

I have been shooting several shotguns the last few years hunting ducks and geese. I love automatics, but unfortunately I have discovered that if you hunt all different kinds of areas and conditions your gonna need a pump either as your main gun, or a back up. I used a cheap girsan mc312 just to finish off the season last year after the 1100 blew up. I actually started to like it besides it giving me a cheek bruise every hunt. Then I sat in a wind storm blasting snow geese and it started to fail. the guy next to me went through 2 auto's before going to the truck and giving up. I ended up missing out on a few volleys that day, not happy. I didn't give up on the gun, cleaned it, but then it got super cold a few weeks later. It started to misfire on my duck hunts as well as my buddies brand new remington auto was misfiring as well. I gave up. My hunting buddies all say the same thing, auto's are cool, but they all have issues, not all the time, but when they do it sucks. I have been finishing the season along with my 2 boys all with the winchester sxp's. They shoot every time any load, but they are pumps. Just wanted my 2cents out there to any guys out there that are thinking about auto's. if you just hunt for fun once in a while your probably fine, but if you hunt in water and dirt I would bring a back up. 

[h2ofowlr]

I have been shooting several shotguns the last few years hunting ducks and geese. I love automatics, but unfortunately I have discovered that if you hunt all different kinds of areas and conditions your gonna need a pump either as your main gun, or a back up. I used a cheap girsan mc312 just to finish off the season last year after the 1100 blew up. I actually started to like it besides it giving me a cheek bruise every hunt. Then I sat in a wind storm blasting snow geese and it started to fail. the guy next to me went through 2 auto's before going to the truck and giving up. I ended up missing out on a few volleys that day, not happy. I didn't give up on the gun, cleaned it, but then it got super cold a few weeks later. It started to misfire on my duck hunts as well as my buddies brand new remington auto was misfiring as well. I gave up. My hunting buddies all say the same thing, auto's are cool, but they all have issues, not all the time, but when they do it sucks. I have been finishing the season along with my 2 boys all with the winchester sxp's. They shoot every time any load, but they are pumps. Just wanted my 2cents out there to any guys out there that are thinking about auto's. if you just hunt for fun once in a while your probably fine, but if you hunt in water and dirt I would bring a back up.

When it gets into the single digits or negative digits, you need to do a complete cleaning on your semi auto and make sure you have no moisture in the gun and all the gunk is cleaned out.  You also need to run a lube that is made for the cold.  Standard gun oil will act like molasses.  I run the safariland Break Free CLP.  No issues with the cold when using it.  Clean dry gun is key.  If you get snow in the action or the dog shakes near the gun, clean it again before the next outing.  I also carry a can of the CLP with me in case I have any slowing of the action.  That will fix your issue at hand.  You have to change lubes up when it get's really cold or use the correct type.

[Stein]

The other thing to note is that pumps aren't without their malfunctions either.  For me, reliability jumped way up when I ditched the 870 for a semi-auto.  I'm sure others have different experience, but anytime any piece of debris got in mine it would be very unhappy.  My semi-auto functions with a fairly ridiculous amount of grass, mud and junk in there.  It was great for shooting clay, shooting anything during the summer or even rain, but once things get dirty in the least bit it was incredibly unreliable.

I fixed the cold problem by living on the west side and not going out when everything is hard froze over.  Gotta love long seasons.

[follow maggie]

I love my Remington Versamax. It’s been reliable, fits me nice & I knock down a lot of ducks with it

[Phishead]

Fit is important but equally important is learning to shoot your gun. My dad made the switch from and SBE 1 to SBE 2 and went from the best shot I know to an ammo makers favorite hunter. The raised rib was enough to throw him off. That said, he stuck with it and is back to shooting better than ever. Point being, the fit was basically identical but there were still some challenges.

I would be curious to hear the issues the OP is having with his SBE 3 before going to recommended a different gun.

Thanks for all the input. Great discussion on this topic. Will definitely check out Skagit Arms setup when I'm in the neighborhood in the next couple of weeks.

My biggest issue with the SBE3 is it shoots high. I had the SBE2 and decided to upgrade when the 3 first came out and it's been very inconsistent. It shoots high and to the left which I've tried to adjust to but is now a major pain given it's my go to gun for upland, ducks and geese. I could go back to the 2 but why not try another gun.  Maybe it's in my head but i've had a hell of a time adjusting for all these different hunting scenarios and my shooting has been inconsistent as a result. doesn't help I don't get out as much i'd like either. Plus I'm always itching to try out new stuff be it decoys, blinds, calls and guns. must be the gemini in me.

[Special T]

Fit is important but equally important is learning to shoot your gun. My dad made the switch from and SBE 1 to SBE 2 and went from the best shot I know to an ammo makers favorite hunter. The raised rib was enough to throw him off. That said, he stuck with it and is back to shooting better than ever. Point being, the fit was basically identical but there were still some challenges.

I would be curious to hear the issues the OP is having with his SBE 3 before going to recommended a different gun.

Thanks for all the input. Great discussion on this topic. Will definitely check out Skagit Arms setup when I'm in the neighborhood in the next couple of weeks.

My biggest issue with the SBE3 is it shoots high. I had the SBE2 and decided to upgrade when the 3 first came out and it's been very inconsistent. It shoots high and to the left which I've tried to adjust to but is now a major pain given it's my go to gun for upland, ducks and geese. I could go back to the 2 but why not try another gun.  Maybe it's in my head but i've had a hell of a time adjusting for all these different hunting scenarios and my shooting has been inconsistent as a result. doesn't help I don't get out as much i'd like either. Plus I'm always itching to try out new stuff be it decoys, blinds, calls and guns. must be the gemini in me.

I think this is a fitment issue. Head and shoulder alignment should fix this some combo of shims and adjustable but stock should make this work properly. 

[h2ofowlr]

Fit is important but equally important is learning to shoot your gun. My dad made the switch from and SBE 1 to SBE 2 and went from the best shot I know to an ammo makers favorite hunter. The raised rib was enough to throw him off. That said, he stuck with it and is back to shooting better than ever. Point being, the fit was basically identical but there were still some challenges.

I would be curious to hear the issues the OP is having with his SBE 3 before going to recommended a different gun.

Thanks for all the input. Great discussion on this topic. Will definitely check out Skagit Arms setup when I'm in the neighborhood in the next couple of weeks.

My biggest issue with the SBE3 is it shoots high. I had the SBE2 and decided to upgrade when the 3 first came out and it's been very inconsistent. It shoots high and to the left which I've tried to adjust to but is now a major pain given it's my go to gun for upland, ducks and geese. I could go back to the 2 but why not try another gun.  Maybe it's in my head but i've had a hell of a time adjusting for all these different hunting scenarios and my shooting has been inconsistent as a result. doesn't help I don't get out as much i'd like either. Plus I'm always itching to try out new stuff be it decoys, blinds, calls and guns. must be the gemini in me.

When you have a change in the way the gun shoots, the biggest ticket to fixing the issue or retraining your hold point and point of aim is practice.  If you can get to the range on a frequent basis, you would get used to where your gun shoots and the muscle memory would get to where you need to be.  In my case where I shoot trap and sporting clays frequently, I need to stick with similar shooting guns.  One change effects the other activity i like to do.

[Basinguy]

switching up guns a lot, you can do it, but it's like anything else. Tons of reps at home is what I do and I have my kids do it to. Most people just put the gun to their shoulder a couple times then start shooting or hunting. Some people can get away with it but I have to spend lots of time finding that spot on the gun. I practice with my eyes shut and then open them when on target. I check (rifle aim) to see if Im lined up, if not keep going until it fits like a glove. I can train to make my gun shoot high, or low