This is taken from The Complete Hunter: Duck Hunting -

In years past, no " real" duck hunter would think of going afield with anything but a full - choke shotgun. Of course, a full-choke required a good shooting eye, but it would bring down the high flyers. With the ban on use of lead shot, however, preferances in duck hunting guns have changed dramatically. When purchasing a duck gun, consider the following:

Gauge - The lead shot ban has lead to the demise of the 16- and 20- gauge guns for duck hunting. These guns simply do not deliver enough of the lighter steel shot for a clean kill at normal duck-shooting ranges. Today, the 12-guage is the choice for the great majority of duck hunters, although some prefer a 10-gauge for extra long killing-range power.

Chamber Length - The length of your gun' s chamber determines the length of the shells you can shoot. The standard chamber length in a 12-gauge is 2 3/4 inches; in a 10-gauge, 3 inches. Most 12-gauge magnums have a 3 inch chamber; a few 3 1/2. A 10-gauge magnum has a 3 1/2 inch chamber. A standard chamber is adequate for the majority of duck hunting, although a magnum gives you about 10 percent more range. Never try to shoot a shell longer than the chamber length, which is usually stamped somewhere along the barrel.

Barrel Length - Old-time duck hunters maintained that a longer barrel produced higher shot velocity, resulting in greater effective killing range. It' s true that a long barrel works best for long passing shots, but not because of significantly higher shot velocity. The extra barrel length gives you a longer sighting plane, and the extra weight results in a smoother swing. For pass-shooting or any other type of hunting that requires greater accuracy , select a gun with a 30- to 32- inch barrel. For jump shooting, or any other type of hutning that requires quick shots, a 20- to 26- inch barrel is a better choice because you can shoulder it and swing in a hurry.

Action - Pump and semi-automatic actions are popular in duck hunting, because they enable you to fire 3 shots (the legal maximum under federal law) in rapid succession. The extra shots are often needed not only for multiple kills, but to finish off cripples before they can escape. Most pumps and semi-automatics have a 5-shot magazine, so they must have a plug to prevent inserting more than 3 shells.

Many hunters believe they can shoot better with a sem-automatic, because it has less recoil, and no arm movement is necessary to eject shells. But a pump is more reliable; it has fewer moving parts to malfunction in the frigid weather duck hunters often encounter. Despite the obvious disadvantages of a repeater, many hunters prefer double barrels for their simplicity and the tradition they represent.

Choke - To prevent the shot from scattering too much, shotgun barrels must decrease in diameter at the muzzle. The ammount of constriction, called the choke, determines the size and density of your shot pattern.

Open (wide) chokes, such as skeet and cylinder, are seldom used in duck hunting because they do not provide the shot density adequate to kill a good sized duck at normal shooting distances. Chokes must commonly used in duck hunting ( from widest to narrowest) include: improved cylinder, modified, improved modified, and full.

As a rule, the greater the expected shooting distance, the narrower the choke you should use. But when using a full choke barrel, shot size is also a consideration. Most shotgun manufacturers advise against using steel shot larger than size 1 because abraision from the hard shot may " blow out" the choke. Shooting large steel shot through a full choke may result in overcronstriction and too many " fliers," pelets that sail erratically and seperate from the main shot group.


With all that said, I prefer the Remington Model 870 Express Magnum.

Hope it helps,
Daniel