Duck hunters argue about everything from decoy spreads to dog breeds, but the real fireworks start when you ask them about shotguns. These five workhorses show up in blinds across the country for good reason, and we’ve reference both expert opinions from Outdoor Life and Field & Stream as well as real users on forums like Duck Hunting Chat and Refuge Forums. They range from the blue-collar reliability of the Mossberg to the yacht-club elegance of the Beretta, but they all share one thing: they work when the birds are flying. Some cost more than others, but they all do exactly what a duck gun needs to do – they go bang when you pull the trigger and put birds on the strap.
5. Mossberg Ulti-Mag
The Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag handles the biggest waterfowl loads like no other pump gun on the market. Duck hunters know this gun from its distinctive overbored barrel – the same size as a 10-gauge. Mossberg built every part of this gun from scratch to manage 3.5-inch shells, not just stretched out a regular 12-gauge design. When those steel BBs fly through that big barrel, they stay rounder and hit harder, but kick less than you’d expect.
Out in the blind, this gun just works. Load it with anything from light 2.75-inch shells for teal to heavy 3.5-inch goose loads – it cycles them all. The dual extractors grab spent shells even when they’re wet and frozen, and the steel lockup stays tight hunt after hunt. Sure, it’s heavier than some guns, but that extra weight helps on those days when the mallards are pouring in and you’re shooting box after box. The ported barrel helps you get back on target fast when you need that second shot at a crossing greenhead.
4. Benelli M2
The Benelli M2 finally costs what it should have years ago. Most duck hunters know this gun – it’s that sweet-swinging semi-auto that just never quits, and now it won’t empty your wallet like a Black Eagle 3. That Comfort Tech stock means you can shoot heavy steel loads all morning without feeling beat up, and the three included chokes let you set up for anything from decoying teal to pass-shooting geese.
You can grab one in either 12 or 20-gauge. The 20 is perfect for timber hunting when you want something lighter to swing through the trees, while the 12 handles those windy days on big water. The inertia system shrugs off marsh mud and ice like they’re nothing – just what you need when you’re breaking ice at dawn in December.
3. Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus
The A400 Extreme Plus might cost as much as a good duck lease, but there’s a reason you’ll spot these guns in just about every serious waterfowler’s blind. Beretta built a gas gun that weighs less than most inertia guns, and that 28-inch barrel splits the difference between quick-pointing and steady-swinging. No duck gun handles quite like it when you’re trying to pick one greenhead out of a flock.
That Kickoff system isn’t just marketing hype – it turns heavy steel loads into something that feels like target loads. You can shoot cases of 3.5-inch shells without feeling it the next morning. The gas system also means you can run light loads during early teal season and switch to goose loads without touching a single adjustment. Two thousand bucks is a lot of money, but this gun will still be running smooth when your kids are old enough to hunt.
2. Browning Wicked Wing A5
The Wicked Wing A5 proves Browning hasn’t forgotten how to build a duck gun that turns heads and drops birds. That famous humpback receiver now wears burnt bronze Cerakote that shrugs off salt spray and marsh mud. From light target loads to the heaviest goose shells, this gun cycles them all without a hiccup. The extended chokes that come with it pattern steel like you’re still shooting lead.
Browning slapped Realtree Max-7 on the stock and forend, but this isn’t just another pretty camo gun. The inertia system inside borrows from the original Auto-5’s DNA. At two grand, it costs more than a guided hunt on Stuttgart’s best fields, but you’re buying a gun that’ll handle everything from September teal to late-season geese. Plus, that bronze finish means you won’t be the guy in the blind with a shotgun that looks like it came from the rust bucket.
1. Winchester Super X4
The Super X4 brings Winchester’s gas gun know-how down to a price that won’t make your spouse file for divorce. At just under a grand, you get a workhorse that patterns almost as well as guns costing twice as much. The flat dark earth Cerakote means you won’t spend your offseason fighting rust, and that RealTree Timber camo disappears in any duck blind from flooded timber to cattail marshes.
Winchester didn’t forget about lefties either – they built a true left-handed version instead of just slapping the safety on the other side. Whether you pick the 12 or the 20, the Super X4 handles everything from light target loads to the big 3.5-inch magnums that put geese on the ground. It’s not trying to be the fanciest gun in the marsh – it’s just trying to be the one that works every time you pull the trigger.
