How to Choose a Duck Hunting Shotgun

Duck hunting is something that you must prepare for ahead of time, and one of the things you need to do is pick the right shotgun to suit your needs. You may have your heart set on one particular gun model, but you should keep in mind where you'll be hunting, and if you want to carry a heavy gun several miles through a swamp. This article will give you some pointers to get you started looking for and finding the right gun for you.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Buy a gun reference guide. There are many of these books out there, and they will give you a list and descriptions of shotgun manufacturers, gun models and price ranges.

2. Use a 12 gauge shotgun. This is the traditional choice for most duck hunters; 20 gauge does not provide quite as much power and amount of shot in each shell while smaller gauge guns are better for smaller birds, not ducks.

3. 
    
   An old side by side model with double triggers

   Choose a double barrel shotgun if you plan on walking/moving around a lot. These guns are usually much lighter, and are not prone to jamming when shooting.

4. 
    
   Pump shotgun in action, ejecting a shell

   Pick a pump action shotgun if you want one more extra shell than the double barrel, and also want reliability. Pumps typically do not jam often, but are a bit heavier than the double barrels, and do take longer to fire because of the manual pumping required to reload.

5. 
    
   An automatic shotgun

   Shoot an automatic shotgun if you want more speed. You don't have to manually pump this gun to eject the spent shells, and you still get three shots like pump guns have. Automatics are usually the heaviest of the three models, so keep this in mind if you plan on wading in the swamp! Sitting in a duck blind is a better environment for a hunter with an heavy automatic.

Tips & Warnings

• Think of your future hunting environment--lots of walking or sitting? Choose accordingly.
• Don't forget to pump your gun if you use a pump shotgun! It's easy to forget sometimes!

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[duckaholic]

on 8/13/2009 This is the worst advise I've ever read about selecting a shotgun. Most of this information is not correct. For example:
1)A 20 ga. shotgun WILL kill a duck. Don't get a 12 ga. if you're not comfortable with the recoil.
2)Double barrel shotguns are not always lighter. Look up the specifications on a couple of different models.
3)Speed should never be considered when selecting a shougun. Most of the "reloading time" is done during the recoil after the gun is shot. Regardless of the action of the gun (pump, automatic) it still takes time to aim back at the target. If you try to shoot quick, you usually won't hit anything.