Waterfowl Shotguns
The duck boat is the place where 'pretty' guns go to die. Between salt spray, mud, and frozen slush, your shotgun is basically an expensive club that needs to go bang three times in a row without fail. The forum world is eternally divided: you have the 'Inertia' crowd who wants a gun that runs dirty and stays slim, and the 'Gas' crowd who wants to shoot 3.5-inch goose loads without needing a shoulder replacement.
What Separates Good from Great
Inertia vs. Gas
Inertia guns (Benelli, Franchi) are lighter, slimmer, and stay cleaner because the 'gas' stays in the barrel. However, they kick harder. Gas guns (Beretta, Winchester) bleed off energy to cycle the action, making them much softer to shoot, but they need to be cleaned more often to prevent carbon buildup from turning them into single-shots.
Oversized Controls
If you can't operate the safety, bolt handle, or bolt release while wearing 5mm neoprene gloves, the gun is useless. Modern waterfowl-specific models now come with 'tactical' sized controls out of the box so you aren't fumbling while the mallards are backpedaling.
Corrosion Resistance (BE.S.T. vs. Aqua)
Steel shot and salt water are a recipe for rust. Look for specialized coatings. Benelli's BE.S.T. and Beretta's Aqua tech are essentially 'permanent' finishes that prevent the gun from turning orange after one morning in a coastal marsh.
The Call
The softest shooting 12-gauge on the market. Between the gas system and the 'Kick-Off' stock, it feels like shooting a 20-gauge even with heavy 3.5" shells.
The slim, trim legend. It points like an extension of your arm and is famous for running in sub-zero temps where gas guns might freeze up.
80% of the A400 for half the price. It handles a bit 'chunkier' but has the same legendary Beretta reliability and gas system.
Made in the same factory as Benelli. It uses the same inertia system but puts the recoil spring around the magazine tube, making it easier to clean and balance.
The only pump gun that will truly survive being used as a boat paddle. Shims for fit and a magazine cutoff button for safe fence crossings.
The first 3.5" 12-gauge ever made. It's overbored to 10-gauge dimensions, meaning it throws steel patterns that put most $2k guns to shame.
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