The most tried and true of all of them is probably the Remington 870 mag(3in shells) or supermag(3.5in shells). I can't think of a household around that doesn't have at least one in the gun cabinet. They can be had pretty cheap too from anywhere that sells guns and from pawnshops. Close would be the Mossberg 500 or 830/835 (which shoots 3.5in shells). The safety on these is operated with your thumb on top of the receiver. These are also really cheap. My brother shoots a Benelli Nova pump. He loves it. It's an ugly thing (the gun, that is) but it gets the job done very nicely. The rem and the mossy are heavy and kick pretty nicely. A 26"barrel is a pretty good all around length. 28" provides a longer sighting plane but isn't necessary and will add to weight. My gun has a 28" but only because it's a really light gun and I found the 26" on mine to be a little "whippy."

 

I like th broning BPS with the 26" barrel. It also has the safety on top which I love. That gun is indestructable which is a good thing when you are duck hunting.

 

i love my benelli m 1 but is starting to wear a little and is jamming at the worst possible time if u know what a mean. my moss 500 has never let me down but is so heavy :thumbsdown:

 

If you whant a reliabul gun the mossberg 500. I have 2 a 12ga and 20ga I have droped them in mud the gooy stuf that splats when you hit it. wased it off in saltwater and went hunting with no problem at all good clening when I got home. I allso have a remeation model 10 thar hard to find but you can holed the tregr down and as fast as can pum ti will fier it will shoot 3" to. THe wenchter model 12 will do the same but only shoots 2 3/4" :hijacked:

 

Try typing with fingers, not elbows.

 

Browning BPS or the good ole Remington 870, either would get my vote but I do own 2-870's personally!!

 

The Remington 870. It is the most sold shot gun in the world for a reason. Also almost all of your law enforcement have been carrying them for years. I have harvested an untold number of Ducks, geese, Quail, Dove, and a few other species (snakes) with mine. I got it when I was 9 years old and hunted with it until two years ago when I graduated college and was able to afford a Super Black Eagle II. Most of my friends hunt or have hunted with an 870. I have beaten the crap out of mine over the years and hardly ever cleaned the dang thing and still works like new. Hands down I would go with an 870 w/26" barrel. From my experience the mossberg is not as good of a firearm as the remington. also you pick up parts and accesories to an 870 at almost any store that sells shooting irons. Just a thought.

 

Hard to beat an 870, I like long barrells on my bird guns, at least 28 or 30. Benelli needs to stop making the nova, that is a ugly, loud and rattly, piece of junk. If I wasn't shooting an automatic or o/u I would buy an 870.

 

Go with an 870. I bought mine for $150 years ago. That gun has been through so much abuse only to keep me killing ducks year after year. Duck hunting can be brutal on guns and the 870 will last you some years.

 

I love the benelli nova. The nova will take any kind of shell you put in it and the camo makes a nice addition for a waterfowl gun. Have a 870 too, and its good and just as reliable, a total workhorse and will never you let you down (at least the older models, I've heard some bad things about the newer ones).

What ever fits you the best, for me its the nova...but I can shoot the good old 870 just as good.

 

I have a mossberg 835 & 500 I also have a 870 don't know that I would part with any of them. I do not duck hunt with any of them any more but I use them for turkey hunting now. But I know I used the 835 as a boat paddle and push pole and finished a duck hunt and not cleaned them for the 6 months and pick them up and start shooting turkeys in april. For the money I think there is no way to go wrong with any of the three guns.