What is the one gun that you can recommend?  I got lots of shotguns and other guns but I want to know what you guys recommend.  I am hunting ducks next week and don't want to take a clays gun.  Keep it simple and short and you must at least have shot the gun before you can recommend it.  I have always liked Remington's and was thinking about the 1187 SPS Camo but it ain't cheap.  Local shop has a SBE for about 1K since the SBE II is available but I don't think it fits me well.  I really like OU's the best but was thinking about an auto for this application.  I shot the Gold and was not impressed.  Thanks for your help.

Easy.  Benelli Super Black Eagle (Got 1).  If you don't like the fit, try a Beretta semi auto (Got 2).

Remington Rider No. 9 with 34 inch barrel,28 guage!!!


Bob

I have always used a Win 1300 pump, not fancy and works fine, but I've been eyeballing a new SuperX2 in camo for next season. Friend has a Nova, and its a fine shooter also; it'll take up to 3.5" shells too. The Super Black Eagle is supposed to be the be all end all waterfowlers shotgun FWIW... never shot one of those though.

A punt gun.

plastic stock 870 magnum with 3 1/2 inch chambers - I can use mine for a paddle, crutch, or a club without the slightest guilt - it's a cheaply made shotgun, excellent for rain and mud; the worst thing that can happen is that I have to carry it back to the truck.

Benelli Super Black Eagle II  of course I'm biased, I work part-time for  a Benelli dealer.

Spare no expense?  

I have a Super X2 for a waterfowl gun, and I am totally satisfied with it. I could not be happier with it.

OOOOOOOO, good I already got an 870 super mag synthetic stock 12 ga.  You are making it too easy on me.  Try again. I want to buy a new gun.  

browning BPS used 1 for 10+ yrs. for ducks. pumps are better for me cause we get muddy and dirty where we hunt.  Thought duck season was over?

BPS is too damn hard to tear down and put back together for me.  I had one in 10ga but got rid of it and went semi auto instead.  3-1/2" Heavishot in 12ga is just as effective, I think.  I've yet to have a malfunction with either my SBE or 390 in spite of mud, grass, dirt, crap, etc.  The Italians know what they're doing.

Benelli

Spare no expense?
Easy....
Benelli.

For those that want to kill just as many and still have $$$ for other toys, ammo, hell, buying a good dog to go with the gun? 870.
Just picked up a combo that was oh-so-fortunately mis-marked at WalMart for $249.
26" shot barrel and 20" slug barrel, 3 chokes AND a case..  Gotta love minimum wage inventory workers, eh?  

I think a cannon with some bird shot in it would be effective.

Arkansas duck season is open til the 20th.  Also, I have seen a Benelli SBE malfunction before so they are not totally idiot proof.  This one was dirty as hell....I mean real dirty like with gumup on it so bad you could.......well you get the picture.  

For those high flying flocks, this should bring them down.

This will work

For those high flying birds


SPRINT Missile

A cone shaped missile that accelerated at 100g, achieved a speed of Mach 10 in 5 seconds, had an ablative coating to dissipate the heat that was generated from the fiction from the atmosphere and was so accurate that the radar had to be de-tuned during testing so that it would not hit incoming RVs. It was a phenomenal missile. Sprint was armed with an enhance radiation nuclear warhead in the low kiloton range.

i shoot 4 different duck guns..

a winny 1300 black shadow .12 guage...( 2 barrel- one 26, the other 28) synthetic- 3 inch

a winny 1200 .20 with a 24 inch tube, choked I/C- wood 2 3/4 inch

a BPS .12 with a 26inch tube, choked I/C ( regular wood stock gun, cut for me) 3 inch

a beretta pintail .12 gauge with a 26 inch tube..synthetic 3 inch

all use briley extended chokes except the the . 1200 and BPS


the BPS is by far my baby....
the 1200 is a legend...around those who know me...that little quail gun has brought down more ducks out of timber than german 88's took out allied bombers..

the BPS is the ultimate blind gun...with its bottom ejection..and tang safety. for normal people and our southpaw oddities...

I dont think you can go wrong with either the Benelli or a Beretta Extrema,
I have a Beretta and a Rem 870. The 870 is the gun I use to hunit in the bays with (salt water), the Beretta is my favorite, easy to shoot, comfortable and it looks good to boot!

For those REALLLY fast waterfowl I offer you this:



"If it flies it frys"

CW

Browning Auto-5, 12 gauge.

Benelli SBE or SBE 2.

I shoot an original SBE (Heckler and Koch days!) for 6-7 years and never once have I had a jam. It works faster and more reliable than pumps IMHO, seccond choice Benelli Nova. Thats a damn good shotgun also!

Several years ago I was in the market for a semi-auto water fowling gun. I had used a Rem 870 for 20 years to hunt ducks, but decided it was time to try semi-auto. I went to the gun shop and narrowed my selection down to the two guns that fit me best. Shotgun fit  should be your number one priority. I had decided on the Benelli SBE or the Winchester Super X2. I read numerous reviews and talked with fellow hunters about both guns.

I ended up going with the SBE because of the ease of cleaning and the adjustable stock shims. To clean an SBE you would remove the magazine nut as normal, however the entire receiver breaks down. This makes it very easy to clean the gun at the bench or in the field. The parts are very simple on the SBE.  The adjustable stock shims allow the shooter to adjust the guns drop on the stock to be fit to the shooter. This is helpful if you will be using the gun to hunt waterfowl with heavy jacket on and also dove hunting with just a t-shirt ( may affect how the gun fits some people). I had heard many stories about how reliable the SBE was so I decided to perform a little test. I hunted all of December and January and never cleaned the gun, hunting roughly 3 days a week in salt water and mud.  I had no problems at all with the gun. The only negatives I can see with the SBE are, Price and Benelli states that the SBE will not shoot 1 1/8 ounce loads or lighter. I must have gotten lucky because mine would shoot 1 ounce loads right off the shelf. I know several others that have older SBE's that once they were broken in would shoot lighter loads. For shooting waterfowl I recommend IC choke with Winchester Supreme 3 inch, #2 steel. You got to let the birds work the decoys, let them get in close. I have shot thousands of rounds through my SBE and have been completely satisfied, I highly recommend the gun.

The Berreta Al 391 or extrema are also good choices and have the adjustable stock, but I have no personal experience with it. I don't know anything about the SBE II except that it is ugly as hell.

James Purdey & Sons  12 Bore Sidelock