Bird gun

[ctafoya]

I've never really bird hunted. The wife and I have been talking for years about getting some shot guns and giving it a whirl. I'd like to have something that could pull double duty for turkey, as we want to start getting into that as well. 

What are good options that wont break the bank?

What loads and shell lengths?

[lancetkenyon]

Get a semi-auto.

I would suggest a nice O/U, but you do NOT want to be shooting 3" turkey and duck loads out of a light, fast O/U.  

[CouesPursuit]

Loaded question!

If you're not going to hammer ducks and larger birds on a frequent basis, a 20 gauge is an option for your wife if she did want a o/u. 3" shells would take turkeys without a problem. 

If you want to keep all your options open and never be under-gunned, get a 12 gauge. A semi-auto makes for easy recoil on most any willing shooter but like Lance said, I wouldn't choose to put my wife behind a 12 o/u. 

Lastly, go shop around, hold and shoulder a few if you can. Close your eyes and pull up to the shoulder, swing it around and go with comfort you can afford.

[Delw]

a 20gauge  O/U for the wife or a  20guage  LW 1100, they are easier to swing and lighter.

for you a O/U in. then get a cheap mosberg pump for turkey

I got a lightweight 20 1100 your more than welcome to try out along with ammo also. Good swinging gun My daughter quail hunted with it and shot skeet with it

[NOTAGS]

Dove and quail, all you need are 2 3/4 game loads, 6 or 8 shot,everyone has their preferences. I killed a lot of turkey with. 2 3/4 4 shot before buying  3 “ mag, and then. 3 1/2”. Choke is more important than that last 1/4”,full for Turkey , IC or mod for quail/dove. Plus 1 on Lances semi auto suggestion. A good gas auto has little recoil. 

[ctafoya]

Recoil is not an issue. My wife shoots her 7Mag and my 300 WSM all day without issues. She shoots the heck out my 870. 870 is setup for hunting in the house, not game. 

I do like the idea of a semi auto. I had an old Winchester semi when I was in high school. inherited it from my grandpa. Some cockbag broke into our house and stole before i could ever get into bird hunting.  

What really confuses me about this is I just don't know crap about chokes. Thanks for all the input so far. 

[firstcoueswas80]

I recently bought a Remington 3.5" Versamax.

 

Pretty sweet.

I have yet to hit anything, but it shoots nice.

[dmoto]

My Beretta A300 has served me well over the years for ducks, dove and quail. I saw that Dunn's has them on sale for $599. Might be worth a look? 

https://shopdunns.com/product/beretta-a300-outlander-12ga-3-28-barrel-black-synthetic-stock-semi-automatic-shotgun-j30tt18/

 

[CouesPursuit]

No offense to FC80 but I held the Versamax and it felt like I was swinging a metal pool noodle. Had the same feeling with the Stoeger M3000/3500. Beretta A300s felt much better but still wasn't as good as my 870 I had at home that I was upgrading from. I found the right one on my 6th try and have NO regrets for taking my time. My point isn't to brand name drop, but to emphasize fit and that it is hard to take someone's word on the best shotgun without trying it yourself. Maneuverability = success.

I'll also chime in that 3.5" shells seldom provide any advantage and I wouldn't focus too hard on a 3.5" chamber as a requirement. 

As to chokes without too many words, a full choke is a constricted pattern (farther shots, larger birds, often for a more skilled shooter), improved is a wide pattern (closer shots, smaller birds), and modified chokes are in the middle and ideal for most hunting applications. Most shotguns come with 3 chokes and the effect on lead is not the same as steel. Aftermarket chokes are often better. "Patterning" a few different loads and choke combos is a good idea for each type of hunting you might do.

[10Turkeys]

With a shotgun fit is everything. Another thing is how you mount your gun. Most rifle shooters will throw the gun into their shoulder then flop their head on the stock, with a shotgun your eye is essentially your rear sight so you have to mount it correctly. There are several you tube videos on the subject, just type in shotgun mounting. Gil Ash has a good video.

[thegunsmith2506]

I own several shotguns and by far the most comfortable to me is the Browning Maxus with a 26in barrel. Shoots everything from light dove loads to 2-1/4 ounce turkey loads with no issues. The recoil is tight enough that my wife shoots it for turkeys too. 

[Couzer]

I use a Benelli SBE II for everything, great gun. 

[recurveman]

I'm a 20 gauge fan.   Own a bunch of them.    I love my benelli.  It still has some recoil but not bad.   The fit of the gun is key to shooting accurately.   O/U's are cool but for hunting they drive me crazy.  After you shoot one shot I'm always wondering.......do I reload or do I wait and see if something else fly's up at my feet.   With a pump and semi you can add another shell or two without your gun being broken open.    

I shoot a 12 gauge for bigger things that need to die.   I would think fur animals and geese.    Everything else can be done with a 20 gauge.    I only shoot 3.5" shells out of my 12 gauges.   Normally I shoot blackcloud BB loads and I don't care if it is ducks, geese or dogs.    They all drop like rocks.  I've shot a ton of 12 gauge and any of the recoil operated guns are junk in my world.   You need a gas operated gun.   I've narrowed it down to the winchester SX 3.   I think they might have a newer model this year.   It is gas operated and that decreases the recoil by a ton.   Now recoil isn't the end of the world but less recoil means you can shoot your second and third shots much faster.   

As far as chokes.   This is very easy.   90% of the time you should be shooting a very, very open choke.    Something like Cylinder or Skeet.   I shoot skeet in my upland 20 gauge with smaller pellets and a modified in my duck/goose 12 gauge so I can whack them further out with bigger pellets.  

[DUG]

Like others have said, get the wife a 20 ga semi auto preferably with a softer or squishy recoil pad. Recoil will make them not have fun. For you a Beretta of some kind in 12 ga....A390, A391 or A400 is hard to beat. They also have shims for fitting the gun to you. You can shoot anything with them in 3" or 2 3/4". Another shotgun to look for is a Browning Gold Hunter. Most birds/clay targets just put Imp. Cyl. in and be done with it. Go to the skeet field and you will learn how to swing the gun.

[BusterAZ]

A 20 gauge semi gauge gas auto is hard to beat for dove and desert quail. Longer barrels and receivers can be difficult to swing on tight flushing Mearns, but still easily kill a Turkey. For ducks, a 12 bore is a much better option!