looking for pump or semi-auto 12gauge shotgun. i want to try duck hunting this year for the first time and need to get a shotgun for it. my 410ga grouse guns arent gonna cut it.

not looking to spend alot. under $200 if possible.

thanks alot

You can probably get a new one for slightly over 200 unless you're sticking to you budget. Walmart usually has some Remingtons, Savages for pretty inexpensive. Good luck whatever you get, i'd like to try my luck for ducks this year too.

For a pump, I recommend either a Remmy 870 Express Magnum, a Benelli Nova, or a Stoeger P-350. Mossbergs are real workhorses and are affordable, but for the price you can do better.

Hit up gunshows.

Im actually scalling down from my Remington 870 pump to a 20 gauge semi (Bennelli Montefeltro here I come, baby!) just because 98% of all my shotguning is clays and after 4 hours of clays my shoulder is black & blue.

Just so you know, most higher end Shotgun makers dont even make pumps anymore. If you can FIND a CZ 712, BUY it!! semi auto, NIB for only $350!

For Semi auto, Beretta, Benelli, Franchi, and Stoeger all make top-notch shotties. and like I said, if you can find a CZ semi, BUY IT! Also dont forget the former Warsaw pact for high quality shotguns for bargain bin prices.

If I was going to buy another 12 gauge for hunting, it'd prolly be a Franchi 712 Raptor.

I love my rattling Mossbergs. Killed everything from rabbits, ducks, geese, pheasants, grouse, quail, deer, coyotes, elk, raccoons, possums, starlings, and everything else I pointed it at.

Get one with a synthetic stock, and you are set for 10-20 years of use with a gun that costs less than $200.

Sure, they aren't pretty, but I wouldn't evr cry if I scratched mine or dropped it on the ground. It'll shrug it off and be ready for the next shot.

i've been around looking at different sguns and i havent seen anything that has fit my liking. but then again im not really knowing what im looking for in a good shotgun. i do know quality when i see it and i just dont see that in the guns at walmart. although im sure they will fit my needs to problem. im just not a big fan of their products no matter what it may be.

now then i do have one ?

do i really need to buy a 12 gauge for ducks. would a 20ga fit my needs??? what is the difference in shot distance??

thanks

definately 12ga (IMHO) i don't know that you can get a variety of steel loads, nor can you get the pellet density in 20 ga. if you were only going to get 1 shotgun, get a 12. a 20 would be great for quail thru phesant, a 10 guage, great for geese, but a 12 (especially a 3 1/2" mag) gives you lots of versatility. i've got a benelli nova and am thrilled with it. it's all polymer, when i get home from hunting in the rain, i dunk it in the shower, dry it off and i'm good to go. the 870 is probably the most popular shotgun ever. the mossberg 835 is a good gun, too, except it's ported, and loud as he!! in the duck blind. if you're going to hunt ducks, i'd probably go with a polymer stock and fore end, something that'll shoot 3 1/2's and camo (if it's not too expensive). a 26" barrel would be about the minimum i'd go, as the longer barrels tend to point better. screw-in interchangable chokes are almost a must. if you get one like this, you can hunt everything from pigeons to phesants to turkeys to snow geese. let us know what you come up with.

oh, yeah check this out:
http://www.shotgunworld.com/new.html


willy

http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=470329
here is one for sale just what land cruiser ordered.

$300 will get you a benelli nova. thats where i would go if you got a little flex in your budget. otherwise mossberg 835 is a great gun for the $$$, i don't think they're too much less than a nova
stick with a 12 gauge and one that will shoot 3" and 3 1/2" mags. this way you could try turkey hunting some day, which i did this spring and it is addicting. can't wait for next spring.
as someone earlier mentioned his rattling mossberg. they rattle, but you can't break them. i could see how one would think it weas a lack of quality, but don't let it bother you.

Like Dogfish said, the Mossberg 500 with the synthetic stock is about as cheap and realistic as you can go for entry-level. I still use mine that I've had for ten years. It shoots fine and I've scratched it plenty (It was my first gun as a kid, I'm only 20), but it doesn't make me cringe to look at it when I remember how much it costs.

If you're the average American and have to see this in a payment schedule, I've had my $200 gun for 10 years, which makes it $20/year for a heck of a lot more ducks then most of my friends have shot with much nicer guns.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still planning on getting a nicer gun later... But this gun has been awesome for entry level!

-Curtis