# goose gun advice



## manitoba hunter (Sep 16, 2007)

ive been looking forward to buying a new gun for the up coming season. i need a gun thats very reliable in all conditions and that can handle the heaviest of loads. i'd love to hear your recomondations and hear about your favourite goose gun too. thnx guys :beer:


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

remmington 870 express!!!!!! :beer:

uke: benelli nova


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

Other than Avery's sh!ttys suggestion, the Benellis Nova for the price is awesome and I have never had a single problem after years and never cleaning the thing. Does nothing but keep on kicking out shells.


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## Goose Guy350 (Nov 29, 2004)

Remington 870


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Remington 870, ever since I saw pieces come flying out of a Nova action I would never let anyone I knew buy one. At least Benelli fixed it, but I have an 870 that I got for $250 and it shoot 3.5inch like a charm. I don't know if any gun has been treated harder in its first year than that 870 either. The outside of the barrel is a rusty orange from being in the snow and rain the bead is broken there is blood all over the stock and forearm, but it still operates like a champ.


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## harvester (Jan 23, 2008)

Benelli SBE is the best!! IMO

Mike 
Freestyle Calls Pro-Staffer


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

870 those guns can be kickedd around and still shoot straight. Though I mainly shoot a Browning BPS. I like the BPS because of the bottom eject.


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## Jordan64_24 (Jan 23, 2008)

i shoot a benelli super nova and love the thing and not only just shoot it during hunting season but i use it in the summer shooting black birds out at a farm and we go through at least a two tp three CRATES a day and we work for about a month and a half and my gun still shoots!


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

#1 choice- Benelli nova
#2 choice-870 express super mag.


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## bagsmasher (Mar 2, 2007)

considering the number of triples that one scores in a given year I would suggest an over/under 12ga capable of 3 1/2 in shell. Mine has never failed. You don't have to shoot 3 1/2 in shells but you do have the capability. You also don't run out of shells as fast.
Struck out this morning...Cheynne river froze over and geese must have went to Cabela's pond by Sydney.


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## crewhunting (Mar 29, 2007)

buy and nova they are geat if you are going to get a pump if your going to get an auto get a sbe they are the best did some hunting in sandy soil and well those are the only auto loaders that keep shooting. If its only geese your shooting get a ten i love mine the browning gold is a great gun.


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

I have never heard anything bad about Nova's from someone that owns them. It's always this one guy or I heard. Only thing to them is the rattle but who cares I'm not stalking Antelope with it. Thing is rugged and if Chuck Norris used a shotgun it would be a Nova.


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## hevishooter (Jan 11, 2008)

go with the mossber 535 or 825!! i think it is the best gun for the price!!
especially if you are gonna have the gun in the mudd and muck and dirt it will never fail!!


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

hevishooter said:


> especially if you are gonna have the gun in the mudd and muck and dirt it will never fail!!


Gotta pull the ole' :bs: out on that one. My 835 was very roughed up for 8 years, but on them 7th & 8th years it wore out it's welcome deeply (frequently mis-firing) and was VERY close to being thrown like a javelin one day. Kevin from Custom Gun Works here in Fargo will tell you that same gun brings in some good business also. :lol: (Mine and my buddies wore out at about the same time and his was a year or two newer.)

Don't get me wrong, it's a decent gun and will still shoot but it's 100% reliability simply wore out. Their life expectancy doesn't rank up with the 870's.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Check out the shotgun forum as this has been discussed plenty over there. You'll get a lot of opinions on this subject. Id recomend an 870 or a nova for pumps, although I shoot better with and prefer 870's. Its hard to find a pump that wont be reliable, bps's are the main ones ive seen be less then reliable.

As for autos, i'm a big fan of Winchester sx2/sx3's, I haven't had a hiccup with my sx3 and have a few friends who are also very happy with theirs. Otherwise the beretta extremaII's are sweet guns as well if you want to spend a little more, have friends who are very happy with them too. I know of a handful of guys with SBEII's who have had issues with the buttpads staying in place and them cycling reliably, for some reason the SBEI's seem to be more reliable in what Ive seen. I personally wouldn't be overly confident buying a cheap auto like a stoeger or mossberg, heard too many bad things about them and autos are definately more finicky then pumps.

Just my 2 cents, for the most part if you are good to a gun, it will be good to you.

P.S. 3" loads kill geese really damn dead as well.


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## hevishooter (Jan 11, 2008)

hevishooter wrote: 
especially if you are gonna have the gun in the mudd and muck and dirt it will never fail!!

 bandman wrote:
Gotta pull the ole' out on that one. My 835 was very roughed up for 8 years, but on them 7th & 8th years it wore out it's welcome deeply (frequently mis-firing) and was VERY close to being thrown like a javelin one day.

mine has been in the family for like 10 years now and it has now failed us at all!! as long as you clean it after every hunt youll be fine!!
so.... :box: :dead: !!! 8)


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

> as long as you clean it after every hunt youll be fine!!


I'll get right on that as soon as I start changing my oil after every time I go for a drive. :roll: (Maybe that's the way you roll, but most guys clean their guns after the season "IF THAT at best".)

It's pretty hard to fix a scored piston just by cleaning it for example. Parts simply wore out from lots of repeated use over the years.

I know I'm not going to change your mind, but I'm just stating personal experience and too many stories I've seen, discussed, and heard that I could relate to.

If it ain't broke don't fix it. :wink:


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## Jordan64_24 (Jan 23, 2008)

mossberg is the worst gun around they fail in mudd all the time and never hold up


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

I would say Extrema 2 with KO all the way. I have never had any misfires. 2 other guys that I always hunt with also have Extremas. No problems there either. We do clean our guns more than once a season though. usually at least once a week. i prefer to take care of my equiptment.

I also have an 870...of course no problems there either.


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

Auto-loaders demand it though. :wink:


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## hevishooter (Jan 11, 2008)

well if you have a gun you should treat it good and clean it more than once a year!!! it can rust and get all nasty in the inside!!
:withstupid:


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## T Shot (Oct 4, 2002)

Sorry hevishooter but I'm going to have to agree with Bandman. My 835 worked better as a walking stick or a club than a shotgun. I can't believe I actually sold it to someone. For the record, I take good care of my guns, so it wasn't abused.


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## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

Just clean it before long-term storage (especially the bore) and other than that common sense "should" run it's course.

I can't believe I'm still talking about this, mossberg smoshberg. :eyeroll: (And yes, that emoticon really is misunderstood on this site.) :shake:


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

If I cleaned my gun after every time I used it I would spend more time cleaning my guns then sleeping!

Once a month or so.

Thats one of the reason's I don't like my SBE II you have to clean the damn thing. Although it is by far the easiest gun to clean, besides my Glocks!


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## mnbirdhunter (Sep 15, 2005)

If money isn't much of an issue i would go Benelli SBE II otherwise a Rem. 870


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Go SX3 my SBE II is a pile.


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## hevishooter (Jan 11, 2008)

well i like to clean my gun everytime!! i like to make sure there is now crap in the mag and in the chamber!! and make sure the pump is working fine!
id like to have my stuff for more than 5 years!!! i cant just go out and buy a brand new benelli if i dont feel like cleaning my gun!!
so have fun treating your guns like ****!! :beer:


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

i don't like to clean my gun because im superstitious. If i shoot good i don't want to hinder anything that would make me shoot bad. And as you could guess, i shoot good all the time!!!!! thats why i wait till the seasons over :beer:


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

I have an SBE and actually didn't even break it out of the case once this year. Why would I when my 870 never jams. It is just a liablilty having the Super Black Eagle hunting not knowing whether it will cycle this time or not.


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## crewhunting (Mar 29, 2007)

dont get a mossberg they arent the best break down alot. I work at a gun shop we dont even stock new ones becauswe of bad craftmanship you might get lucky and get a good one like my friend but most people arent lucky.,


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## JNedved (Jan 24, 2008)

I use the Benelli Super Nova. I used to have a Mossberg But I wanted some thing a little better so I bought a super nova and I love it. It can handle anything I put in it and it is easy to clean. Even when it is dirty it will still work just fine. During the summer I can put about 1,000 shells though it before I clean it and it will not give me any problems. I even put an extension on it and that makes shooting even more fun. I just think it is a good all round gun. The gun I wish I had, and hopefully will next summer, is the Benelli Super Black Eagle 2. I have seen people use it and it looks like fun. I want that gun because it can handle 8 shot lo-brass shells and it can handle the big goose loads.


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## Mike Benjamin (Jan 7, 2008)

Unless you have $$ to drop, on a really good goose gun, go with the Nove, or the stoeger pump... Both are good guns! If you like a semi auto, the Xtremas both I and II are GREAT guns!! The SBEs are good guns too!


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## ghostbuster (Nov 30, 2007)

i think u should get a bennili nove 
mine has not chamed on me ever and it is very reliabe


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## AdamFisk (Jan 30, 2005)

My first shotgun ever was a youth 870. Nothing but good to say about that.

I used to have the old Mossberg 835. For the first 3-4 years I loved the gun. After that, it started going downhill. Now it sits in a case in a closet just because I can't bring myself to throw it away. I will admit I don't clean my guns religiously, and would never want to. If you don't have a problem cleaning a gun after every hunt, then the Mossberg may be right for you.

Needless to say, I now shoot a Beretta Xtrema and really like it. It has given me a few problems in the couple of years I have owned it. But that is probably due to me ONLY cleaning it 1-2 times a season. For a semi-auto, I can live with that. My brother has had a SBE II for one season and has had more problems with it than I have my Xtrema.

But in my opinion, the best shotgun ever made for reliability and money is the 870. My next gun may very well be a 870.


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## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

You may see bad things about Nova's and Mossbergs, but of the last 8 debates about the best pump I can't remember one bad thing said about an 870. They work always.


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## goosedwn (Sep 14, 2007)

I shoot a browning, going to buy a SBE 2 but I know the 870s rep I've seen it for the money its the best gun around. My buddy left his in the bushes for a year in front of the house. Sprayed some wd-40 on it and killed nice 9 point. Rust and all.


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## shea_patrick33 (Jan 23, 2008)

I'd have to say the 870 Wingmaster super mag. It shoots all the loads that anyother gun can. i wouldn't go with the 870 express though because its just a cheep version of a great gun. i've never had any problems what so ever with my wingmaster i probubly will shoot it for the rest of my life!!!


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

Well since the only bad thing about the Nova is a rattle that doesn't mess up your shooting, I think it wins.

870 uke:


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## quacker stacker (Jan 19, 2008)

The one thing you need to remember about pumps is that alot of jaming that happens is due to user error, most of the time they will jam you just aren't pulling it back far enough and you catch the shell on the way out, I have a 870 that ive never had any problems with and i just got a beretta a-390 that is an awsome gun also.


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## manitoba hunter (Sep 16, 2007)

sounds like the 870 has quite the reputation for bein a good goose gun. thnx for all the help guys. :beer: has anyone on here ever had a problem with an xtrema 2???


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

TANATA said:


> Well since the only bad thing about the Nova is a rattle that doesn't mess up your shooting, I think it wins.
> 
> 870 uke:


don't u have to have a tool or something to get the plug out of a nova? I was pheasant hunting once and i had to borrow a gun(nova) and the stupid thing jammed on me. I seriously had roosters getting up everywhere around me and couldn't even shoot. Finally i got the plug cap off after prying the crap out of it with a swiss army knife

I should just threw the stupid gun at the pheasnts instead of trying to shoot them with it!!!


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

Ya I'm pretty sure you have to have a tool to get it out that's why I haven't messed with it. I have not had a problem with mine other than a rattle. Lots of boxes through it and it just kicks them out and fires them.

Only other thing I've heard is some the plate doesn't drop down fast enough, too tight or dried up or something, and the first shell will fall to the ground instead of going to the chamber.


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## Original Goosebuster (Jan 12, 2006)

I really enjoy my Browning Gold hunter. U have never really had any problems with jamming except for being really dirty and I mean REALLY DIRTY! goosebusters can vouch for me with that gun. I have used it in the rain, in the snow, in 20 below, in the mud, just about everywhere.


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

Like I said in the thread similar to this, 90% of the time you will get one of two answers, nova or 870. Both will do the job just fine and whatever works for you, shoot it.



> but of the last 8 debates about the best pump I can't remember one bad thing said about an 870.





> i wouldn't go with the 870 express though because its just a cheep version of a great gun.


There you go.


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## magnum44270 (Jul 20, 2007)

my buddy has put his *gold hunter *through the worst i ahve ever seen, he never cleaned it ever, and it always worked , i took it out one time and it shot amazing so i cleaned it afterwards and it was filthy, i had to clean it 3 times before it was clean.....

stay away from the nova. i have had one, and they are junk!... lots of freeze up in cold weather, loud and clanky/noisy which is very important not to have in the duck blind or goose blind , !!..... and i shot it like sh!t.. sold it after 1 year and went back to my *winchester 1300 speed pump*, and have never been happier


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

Browning is junk I would rather shoot a wristrocket at them then a Browning. When I worked at Scheels in 2005 during duck season we had 85 shotguns come in for problems.

The list were as follows:
53 Browing 
21 Remington 
7 Winchester 
3 Ithica
1 Benelli

Now that was just one store. When all the stores got together It came to past at a meeting between all the Scheels that year this was a very simalar trend.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

870
very affordable SUPER reliable, will work when you need it to, it's that simple. PLUS, it can always be decked out into a tack shotgun, it's the only way to go


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

shooteminthelips said:


> Browning is junk I would rather shoot a wristrocket at them then a Browning. When I worked at Scheels in 2005 during duck season we had 85 shotguns come in for problems.
> 
> The list were as follows:
> 53 Browing
> ...


I believe that. Have never heard good things about Brownings shotguns but I don't shoot anything other than my A Bolt. BPS seems to earn the nickname Big Pile of Sh!t whenever I've hunted around one.


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