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Best Do It All Shotgun
- Thread starter aworth117
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krizia829
Senior Member
Me personally, I'm a huge fan of the Remington 1187. I'm a 20ga semi auto fan. You can hunt anything with it and it's not so rough on the shoulder. But I also like classic wood stock guns so I know for waterfowl that won't be good.
Tristar makes some nice semi auto shotguns for all types of hunting with synthetic stocks for very reasonable prices. Depends on your budget though on what we can recommend..
Tristar makes some nice semi auto shotguns for all types of hunting with synthetic stocks for very reasonable prices. Depends on your budget though on what we can recommend..
menhadenman
Senior Member
Check out the Yildiz O/U (Legacy?) at Academy. It’s a great buy around $500. I’ve shot a pile of quail and some ducks with one. I’m not really a shot gun guy tho so you’ll probably get better advice.
earlthegoat2
Senior Member
12 ga for sure. Probably a 3 1/2” chamber if you want it to do it all.
Would have to be a pump for reliability with all loads.
A highly protective finish because you would be using it all the time.
It would need a few barrels for versatility to go after all game. Longer and shorter vent ribs and a slug barrel too.
I personally use a Browning BPS 20 ga with a 22” barrel with chokes. I don’t use it for all things though. Just squirrel, rabbits, birds, sporting clays, turkey and deer occasionally.
Goose hunting requires a 12 ga. Maybe ducks too. However, TSS shot (if you want to pay big bucks for ammo) makes smaller shotguns viable for turkey and anything else. You can even use TSS buckshot with really small pellets like #4 or even TT and kill deer.
Would have to be a pump for reliability with all loads.
A highly protective finish because you would be using it all the time.
It would need a few barrels for versatility to go after all game. Longer and shorter vent ribs and a slug barrel too.
I personally use a Browning BPS 20 ga with a 22” barrel with chokes. I don’t use it for all things though. Just squirrel, rabbits, birds, sporting clays, turkey and deer occasionally.
Goose hunting requires a 12 ga. Maybe ducks too. However, TSS shot (if you want to pay big bucks for ammo) makes smaller shotguns viable for turkey and anything else. You can even use TSS buckshot with really small pellets like #4 or even TT and kill deer.
Gator89
Senior Member
Viper G2 - TriStar Arms
RELIABLE, FUNCTIONAL AND HARDWORKING The Viper G2 is rigorously tested 5,000 rounds for endurance. Offered in a number of configurations, the Viper G2 is the choice for all serious shooters and hunters. Viper G2 Series The TriStar Viper Series Semi Automatic Gas Operated Shotguns are reliable...
www.tristararms.com
CZ 1012 G2 - CZ-USA
Combining the reliability and world-record breaking consistency of the CZ 1012 with the critical features American bird hunter’s demand.
cz-usa.com
@earlthegoat2 Good point. I was looking at a decent pump combo with two or three barrel options for versatility. Sounds like that may be the way to go.
Gator89
Senior Member
Yildiz A71 in 20 gauge. I've got a lot of shotguns, but that gun gets grabbed 9 times out of 10 when I head out. I have Yildiz O/U's also, but just know they do tend to have more felt recoil due to the lighter weight.
RamblinWreck88
Useles Billy ain’t got nothing on ME !
Most any good shotgun will do whatever you need it to with a change of shells and chokes. That's the great thing about shotguns. Though I think for versatility, camo/synthetic is the way to go. 3.5" chambers, shorter barrels, and rifled slug barrels all have the own little benefits, but non of them are a must. You don't necessarily have to limit yourself to a pump either.
If changing barrels is important to you, Mossberg 500's are among the best-supported, most affordable options out there, so it might not be a bad idea to consider expanding to another offering within that platform.
Personally, when I wanted a do-it-all shotgun, I went with a Benelli Supernova. I didn't know what kind of hunting I'd be getting into, so I wanted to have something that could technically work for anything. I like that the 3.5" chamber can handle anything, and I feel that I can drop it in the mud, spray it off with a water hose, and keep blasting. Extra benefits to this platform are the ability to adjust drop and cast, a big 'ol trigger guard that I can fit thick gloves through if I need to, and the magazine cutoff. Drawbacks are that it's heavy and additional barrels are typically expensive.
If changing barrels is important to you, Mossberg 500's are among the best-supported, most affordable options out there, so it might not be a bad idea to consider expanding to another offering within that platform.
Personally, when I wanted a do-it-all shotgun, I went with a Benelli Supernova. I didn't know what kind of hunting I'd be getting into, so I wanted to have something that could technically work for anything. I like that the 3.5" chamber can handle anything, and I feel that I can drop it in the mud, spray it off with a water hose, and keep blasting. Extra benefits to this platform are the ability to adjust drop and cast, a big 'ol trigger guard that I can fit thick gloves through if I need to, and the magazine cutoff. Drawbacks are that it's heavy and additional barrels are typically expensive.
Robert28
Senior Member
Beretta A300 Ultima. Best semi-auto on the market under $1000 and it’s not even close.
trial&error
Senior Member
quite honestly it's pretty tough to beat the reliability of those cheaper pump shotguns (500 870 maveric). Autos and over/unders are great. Many still have problems from time to time. I'm not knocking any shotgun, but the pumps are reliable on the cheap. Compared to the inertia systems.
Nimrod71
Senior Member
For a pump it would be a Rem. 870 Wingmaster in whatever gauge you like and for autos I would go with a Rem. 1100 in 12 ga. with 28 in barrel, or a Tristar in whatever gauge you like.
Hillbilly stalker
Senior Member
870 no questions asked. It will and can do anything you need. Much easier breakdown and cleaning than a Mossberg or many others. Time tested and proven. Only thing more reliable than a 870 is a claw hammer.
870 is a great choice.
Got rid of the Benelli, too heavy, too noisy, no need for artillery with todays ammo.
I have the Yildiz in .410 O/U and a Winchester pump in 20 gauge.
I can hunt everything that interest me.
I may get the Yildiz in 20 gauge O/U just for the reduced weight.
The Yildiz comes with 5 chokes.
Got rid of the Benelli, too heavy, too noisy, no need for artillery with todays ammo.
I have the Yildiz in .410 O/U and a Winchester pump in 20 gauge.
I can hunt everything that interest me.
I may get the Yildiz in 20 gauge O/U just for the reduced weight.
The Yildiz comes with 5 chokes.
1eyefishing
...just joking, seriously.
I like the extra barrels for max versatility and that means the pump for max reliability.
I'm a Remington (shotgun) fan and have the 870 SP Mag with 28" vent rib+chokes (waterfowl), an 18" shorty with choke tubes and rifle sights (turkey). I used to use the shorty with a 4" slug rifled slug choke for slugs, but I wound up with a Hastings Paradox slug barrel with cantilever mounted Leupold.
This gun has done it all for over 3 decades, so I sold my 3 1/2" 1187 I shot a few ducks and geese with, but kept my 1100 LT-20 for quail and dove...
The matt-finish/comp stock SP Mag and an extra barrel are probably close to your budget, if still available...
I'm a Remington (shotgun) fan and have the 870 SP Mag with 28" vent rib+chokes (waterfowl), an 18" shorty with choke tubes and rifle sights (turkey). I used to use the shorty with a 4" slug rifled slug choke for slugs, but I wound up with a Hastings Paradox slug barrel with cantilever mounted Leupold.
This gun has done it all for over 3 decades, so I sold my 3 1/2" 1187 I shot a few ducks and geese with, but kept my 1100 LT-20 for quail and dove...
The matt-finish/comp stock SP Mag and an extra barrel are probably close to your budget, if still available...
longrangedog
Senior Member
No need for multiple barrels if you have a barrel that will accept screw in chokes and the need for using a pump for reliability was true decades ago but not now with modern semi-automatics. Get a Remington 11-87 which reliably functions with high or low brass 2.75" or 3" shells. Forget the 3.5" shells unless you're looking to develop a permanent flinch!
1eyefishing
...just joking, seriously.
A bead sighted vent rib will not cut the mustard for very much slug shooting but that may not be a priority anyway.
Don't want to carry a long barrel in the turkey woods or swing it over my knees with close brush and sharp eyes watching.
I think more options are more versatile.
A pump fits a budget much better also.
Don't want to carry a long barrel in the turkey woods or swing it over my knees with close brush and sharp eyes watching.
I think more options are more versatile.
A pump fits a budget much better also.
georgia_home
Senior Member
2 1187’s, mid 90’s vintage. Over 10k on one and 20k in the other. Still going strong. and two 870’s. 12g exp from 89? Another fairly new. Iirc maybe from ?16? 20g.
if I were looking tomorrow, not sure where I would lean. 12g but … maybe utilitarian stoger pump, a friend let me borrow his. Seemed fairly reliable. or maybe try one of the Turks in 12g/sa to torture test like the 1187. See what they can do.
I guess I’d be asking for advice too
if I were looking tomorrow, not sure where I would lean. 12g but … maybe utilitarian stoger pump, a friend let me borrow his. Seemed fairly reliable. or maybe try one of the Turks in 12g/sa to torture test like the 1187. See what they can do.
I guess I’d be asking for advice too
georgia_home
Senior Member
Also: some guy had a combo 20g 870 bird / short cantilever rifled slug barrel for 300. almost tried to scratch that itch.
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