Pump or Auto

What scatter guns are you using?

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Pump or Auto

Postby Duckin_It » Fri May 22, 2020 3:57 pm

Who shoots what? I have a Mossberg 835. I've had autos and keep going back to a pump. I seem to shoot them better than I do a auto.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Rick » Sat May 23, 2020 12:06 pm

Welcome. I have both and shoot the semi-autos more than the pumps.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Ducaholic » Tue May 26, 2020 8:46 am

Owned pumps my entire duck hunting life until about 10 years ago. Shot BPS from the time they were first created in 1980 up untl 2010. Then I bought a Browning Silver Hunter Auto and haven't looked back. I have shot and also owner a Benelli SBE II and a Beretta A400. The Beretta is the best shooting gun of the three auto's although I like the semi-hump of the Silver Hunter the best in terms of finding the bead the quickest. The Browning also has the most noticeable recoil so I shoot is less.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Darren » Tue May 26, 2020 10:32 am

Ducaholic wrote:Owned pumps my entire duck hunting life until about 10 years ago. Shot BPS from the time they were first created in 1980 up untl 2010. Then I bought a Browning Silver Hunter Auto and haven't looked back. I have shot and also owner a Benelli SBE II and a Beretta A400. The Beretta is the best shooting gun of the three auto's although I like the semi-hump of the Silver Hunter the best in terms of finding the bead the quickest. The Browning also has the most noticeable recoil so I shoot is less.



What a fun discussion to have in offseason, welcome Duckin_It !


Given I've a lot of Beretta experience, now about 25 years with my AL390, and a sold Xtrema2 and A400 Xtreme, I'd caution use of the term "best shooting" since that's awfully subjective, but I would absolutely say it is the softest shooting (as about any gas gun would be vs. an inertia gun). Did not care for all of the moving parts (and the sounds that went with them, i.e. spring, in my A400. When I decided to dip my toe in the dark side, a Benelli inertia gun (M2), it was for a trial, a trial that resulted in my selling of my shelved A400. Just a cleaner, crisper action on firing, less moving parts, easier to clean after rainy hunts. When wearing jackets, I dont notice the increased pop of inertia gun recoil, but out on the range in a summer t-shirt......she'll pop you even with light loads.

My AL390 was an outstanding duck gun but I retired her from the salt marsh after the barrel started showing some pitting. She still sees the clays course plenty, absolute favorite for that application because you'd struggle to find a softer shooting gun out there.


Some prefer the inherent increase in trigger discipline that a pump brings to a volley, in that you have to think a bit more by taking time to pump, whereas some get carried away with the speed of autos. As a result, that extra time to focus/pump often results in more quality shot choices.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby SpinnerMan » Tue May 26, 2020 11:12 am

Darren wrote:Some prefer the inherent increase in trigger discipline that a pump brings to a volley, in that you have to think a bit more by taking time to pump, whereas some get carried away with the speed of autos. As a result, that extra time to focus/pump often results in more quality shot choices.

Throw in an extended magazine for spring snow goose and you would be amazed at how many shells some people can burn through without hardly hitting anything.

My guess is that not making their shots count is a big problem for a lot of people even when it is only 3 shells in their auto.

I like my auto but the only thing I would add is that I've never not had a pump go bang. I cannot say that about my auto. I've had more problems than most. Nothing more frustrating than nothing happening when you squeeze the trigger.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby 5 stand » Tue May 26, 2020 11:35 am

Duckin- it if you shoot a pump better than an auto, giddy up!
The last year I shot registered targets was in 2012. Shot the Missouri State sporting Clay shoot. There was a guy there that shot a pump, he was a couple stations ahead of us. We stay backed up most of the day, so we got to watch him shoot at least 5 station. I told my buddy Luke I haven't seen that guy shooting that pump Miss but a couple targets, he replied yep he's shooting well. We finished up the day, and checked the scores that afternoon. He had shot a 96/100, and was leading the event. Sunday he backed it up with a 97/100, to win the Missouri state championship.
I wouldn't bet against a pump in the right hands.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby #1WATERFOWLER » Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:47 am

I currently shoot a Benelli M2. Had a Benelli M1 prior to it that my son now shoots. I have a Remington 870 as a backup gun but have never had to use it.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Ricky Spanish » Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:28 am

I was a die hard 870 wingmaster guy.
Fought the semi auto thing.

Then one day I ended up in a ten man blind with guides lots of them. I was blessed to hunt with ALL GUIDES in them blinds for a lot of days.
Think any rubbed off?
Point is that a wad of teal came in on opening day and we killed every single one. Over and over again...takem.
Id get off one or maybe two shots.
Pumping is too slow in that bunch.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Rick » Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:58 am

Ricky Spanish wrote:Then one day I ended up in a ten man blind with guides lots of them. I was blessed to hunt with ALL GUIDES in them blinds for a lot of days.
Think any rubbed off?
Point is that a wad of teal came in on opening day and we killed every single one.


Can't help but wonder about a camp with "lots of" guides who weren't working an opener...
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Deltaman » Mon Feb 08, 2021 9:45 am

I flipped from a pump (Ithaca 20 ga) to an auto (went through several 1100's in the 70's and 80's) and back to a pump, when we were forced to shoot steel. I had a family and was broke, but found out fast that I needed a 3" gun. Bought an old SKB pump from a friend for $150 dollars, and was happy to make the change. It was the smoothest pump I'd ever used, and was death in my hands for years. As I've gotten older, reflexes and hand/eye co-ordination are just not as sharp, so I bought an M2. Less recoil and I can get back on a bird much faster after a missed shot. I have since acquired a SBE, and shoot them equally. I considered the Beretta when I purchased the M2, but all those moving parts pushed me to the Benelli.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so"
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby SpinnerMan » Mon Feb 08, 2021 10:26 am

Obviously, the most important thing of all is to make that first shot count. Pump, auto, or single shot. The first shot is exactly the same. Making that count is probably the biggest difference in birds harvested between different hunters.

Honestly, I believe a large fraction of hunters would be more effective with a single shot. They know they must make that shot count.

My experience with people using semi-autos and extended magazines for snow geese is that they save more snow geese than anything else. One example, we had 10 or more hunters (effing BS, but I can bitch about that another time) all with semi-auto extended magazines and we had 5 snows trying to commit suicide. About 80 shells we did in fact kill them all. I actually had time to shoot 5 times at 3 different birds and believe I probably got 3 of the 5. All 5 should have died at the first volley. Had everybody had a single shot, I believe that would have been the case. However, most people had emptied their 8+ shot magazine before I was on my 4th shot.

Few people can shoot fast AND accurate. Hell most people can't shoot slow and accurate. Anything that encourages most people to shoot faster saves birds and helps the shell companies.

If you hunt a lot and shoot well, consider a semi-auto. If you don't, save your money. Plus it will probably increase your success because it will slow you down which will probably improve your shooting.

On Canadas, my opportunities for triples versus triples completed is much higher with my pump than my semiauto.
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Re: Pump or Auto

Postby Ricky Spanish » Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:48 pm

Rick wrote:
Ricky Spanish wrote:Then one day I ended up in a ten man blind with guides lots of them. I was blessed to hunt with ALL GUIDES in them blinds for a lot of days.
Think any rubbed off?
Point is that a wad of teal came in on opening day and we killed every single one.


Can't help but wonder about a camp with "lots of" guides who weren't working an opener...

The club was different. First split was just for us. No clients. Weird? Yep.
All sorts of weird about the place but most can't hack it.
On weekends guides and members hunted. First split same way whole split.
Weekdays second and third split were pay hunters.
Different ambiance completely.

There were open days that were good so friends, other guides, were called.. it was surreal and impossible to believe but yes. Guides on opener all smacking down teal or whatever in droves. Believe it or not
Some were honker guides from southern Illinois. Others were snow goose guides to be used later. They weren't all licensed in arkansas as guides. We had fun.
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