I need a bird hunting shotgun, recommendations?

[LongWayToFall 0]

Well as the title says, I am going bird hunting in the near future and need a long barreled shotgun, preferably semi automatic. I would very much like a Remington 1187, although they are getting hard to find around me. I would like it to be used, or new if the price is reasonable enough, my budget is somewhere around 400-600. I have been told not to bother with berettas, they are not very good. So what is everyone using out there? If I have to go to pump, I might just get a mossberg 500 and swap the barrels out if need be. I had one before and it was great, but would like a semi.
I have not been hunting yet, but recently got my license and am on my way to North Dakota with a friend to pheasant hunt. I went with him last year and after seeing how many birds there are and what fun it is, I GOTTA get in on that.

Thanks for the help!

[PhreeZone 15]

If you decide away from the Semi I highly recommend an Remington 870. I've downed a lot of birds and rabbits with mine. I'll swap the barrel over and then use it for slugs come Deer season. Its a budget gun but well suited to getting torn up by brush as you crash though brush piles and fence lines.

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[LongWayToFall 0]

Good idea. Does it come with a full length barrel and low capacity mag already? The problem with the moss 500s I see is that they are usually the security model, 20 inch barrel and 8 shot mag. This would mean I need a hunting barrel and shorten the mag. (new tube, and maybe new spring as well?)

[buff 0]

Rem 1100 but you can't go wrong with the venerable 870.

It's called the Hillbilly Hop N Pop dude.
If you're gonna be stupid, you better be tough.
That's fucked up. Watermelons do not grow on trees! ~Skymama

[LongWayToFall 0]

What is the difference between the 1100 and 1187?

[warpedskydiver 0]

A used Benelli M1, then you can configure it for many purposes in a matter of minutes.

I do not think you can wear one out.

[warpedskydiver 0]

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If you decide away from the Semi I highly recommend an Remington 870. I've downed a lot of birds and rabbits with mine. I'll swap the barrel over and then use it for slugs come Deer season. Its a budget gun but well suited to getting torn up by brush as you crash though brush piles and fence lines.

A mossy 500 has the best of both worlds, it has the best placement of the safety as well.

Parts interchange between the 870 and mossy

[warpedskydiver 0]

I found a barely used mossberg 500 field configuration with only 1 box put through it for $150.

I then camouflaged it and did a trigger job before giving it to my brother.

[Halfpastniner 0]

Personally, I would (and did) choose the 870 over the Mossberg. The Mossberg just feels like a cheap plastic toy in my hands.

If you are set on an auto, a Benelli is the best choice, but you would probably need to find a used one to fit that budget. But damn they are sweet.

The 1187 is nice is well but its a bit heavy, which you might find annoying to carry around the woods.

BASE 1384

[warpedskydiver 0]

That is strange since they are essentially the same shotgun, maybe it was the furniture that made you feel that way.

[Brains 2]

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What is the difference between the 1100 and 1187?

1100 are chambered for 2-3/4 shells and the 11-87 will take 3". They did make an 1100 magnum, my father has one that will accept 3" magnum loads.

for autos to hunt with i use a Browning Gold Hunter (won in raffel) and an older Winchester super X model 1. My 20's are an older Baretta AL-20 and a Baretta Silver Pigeon O/U

I have put thousands through an 1100 though and for upland game birds you wouldn't need the capability of 3"magnum but you would for ducks and/or geese.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Remington 870 Express 12ga w/ 28" barrel... best 300ish bucks I ever spent on a shotgun.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model_870/model_870_express.asp


The more you shoot them, the better they get. They're basically the same as a Wingmaster, but less fancy in finish.

[LongWayToFall 0]

Lots of 870 fans, sweet! A pump gun does sound like quite a blast, and I was really comfortable on the mossberg 500 I used to own. So, if I can only find an 870 or 500 with a full mag tube, what is involved with swapping the mag tube? I remember the barrels being very easy to swap but not the tubes. I figure the full length barrels can only be put onto 5 (or somewhere around there) shot mag tubes, not the full length 8 shot.
I did some calling around this afternoon and the people who do have the semi autos are asking crazy prices for them. I think I can get a mossberg 500 for somewhere around 300-350 though, nice!

[FallingOsh 0]

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A used Benelli M1, then you can configure it for many purposes in a matter of minutes.

I do not think you can wear one out.

Love the Benelli.

--------------------------------------------------
Stay positive and love your life.

[Andy9o8 0]

I'd recommend an over-under twenty- eight gauge Perazzi Brescia. Dick Cheney uses that brand to shoot both birds and people. And what's better than a two-fer?

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

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Lots of 870 fans, sweet! A pump gun does sound like quite a blast, and I was really comfortable on the mossberg 500 I used to own. So, if I can only find an 870 or 500 with a full mag tube, what is involved with swapping the mag tube? I remember the barrels being very easy to swap but not the tubes. I figure the full length barrels can only be put onto 5 (or somewhere around there) shot mag tubes, not the full length 8 shot.
I did some calling around this afternoon and the people who do have the semi autos are asking crazy prices for them. I think I can get a mossberg 500 for somewhere around 300-350 though, nice!

Ummm... are you looking for a shotgun to go bird hunting or a shotgun to go bird poaching? Most places you're limited to 3 shells in the gun while hunting, so even though you can get 5 in the production tube on an 870, you've got to keep the plug in there to be legal. Why the insistence on being able to get 8ish shells in the mag for "hunting"?


Anyway, you really seem to be a Mossberg fan. That's okay, some folks who skydive like Racers.

[LongWayToFall 0]

http://akimages.crossmediaservices.com/dyn_li/600.0.90.0/Retailers/Big5SportingGoods/080427_DT_59a.JPG


This is the security version. Short barrel, full length mag tube. If I bought this instead of a hunting model (they are harder to find) then I would need to install the longer barrel. The problem with that, is that I doubt they ever made an 8 shot 26-28 inch barrel. (The lug on the barrel determines the length of the mag tube) So I would need to buy the longer barrel, as well as the 5 shot mag tube. I'm just not sure how hard swapping the tube is, when I had mine apart it was well attached to the receiver.
My mossberg was a solid gun, I liked it very much and it was about as reliable as you could get. If a racer worked every time while maybe not looking stylish, that is ok with me. I think they have problems though, so maybe better to compare it to a Norinco, or Colt.


































Just Kiddin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I will be installing a plug on my mag tube regardless, it will be 2+1.

[steve1 5]

I've got an 870 Express model, that I use on pheasants. We live close to North Dakota. I bought mine for $200. about ten years back. I have a short barrel with sights for home defense and turkey hunting. For pheasants and ducks I have a 28 inch barrel.

To tell you the truth, the 28 inch barrel seems a little too long for me. That gun doesn't point fast enough. I think it might be better with a 26 inch barrel.

Pheasants get up fast, and you need a fast pointing shotgun. Some of the over and unders are really nice. They usually cost more money though....

[nate25 0]

they make a plug for most any gun. If you buy a gun and it does not have a plug in it and you cant find one, well you just arent looking in the right places. you can always make one. I have forgotten to mine back in and just broke a stick off to the correct length.( the only time I ever take my plug out is when im deer hunting off horse back)

I also use an 870 mainly for ducks. when I go pheasant hunting I usually take my over-under. There is no gun that will shoot 2 shots faster than an over under. Hell all you need is a single shot unless you jump up 2 birds.
If you are having to ask these questions a third shot is not going to do you any good anyway.

[Misternatural 0]

12 ga Winchester 120 ranger, 1200,or 1300, pump with choke tube inserts 24 to 28" barrel good all around very versatile reliable gun,from turkeys to ptarmigan! it's been to Alaska and back, I have had mine for 20+ years- has NEVER jammed, awesome!

If you are not so much of a meat bird hunter -double barrel in a 20 ga. for that Field and Stream feeling.

YEAH!! HUNTING IS THE REAL FREE RANGE...... EAT WILD & HAVE FUN!!!
Oh, and watch where you shoot...don't be like "DICK"

Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires.
D S #3.1415

[LongWayToFall 0]

Pheasant is the most delicious meat EVER. I plan to limit for 4 straight days and eat until I pop. :)

I'm heading out to a gun store to check some things out, I'll let you know how it goes.

[LongWayToFall 0]

Damn. $815 out the door for an 1187, 870 win is about $425. Big 5 has some 870s for less, $350ish.

[Ron 7]

I have an Rem 870 and a Moss 500. Both are good guns, I prefer the safety on the Moss.

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o, if I can only find an 870 or 500 with a full mag tube, what is involved with swapping the mag tube?

All you need is a plug. The gun *should* come with one. The one on the Rem was plastic, the Moss was just a dowel rod.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[tkhayes 125]

I have a Browning BPS, really like it. Clean and easy, but pricier than the Remington 870.

Both have a variety of barrels and chokes to fit them. I have a short barrel for in the woods, grouse and such, and long barrel with full choke for ducks and geese.

Autos are nice, but for the extra money - do you really need to bang off 5 rounds in rapid succession? If you are a lousy shot yes.

For the price of one auto, you can buy two pumps. Or one pump and and a couple barrels and choke systems.

[warpedskydiver 0]

A plug is easily made from a piece of PVC pipe that is just less than 3/4 OD

That way it will not bind up inside the spring