Hello all,

I've recently gotten back into hunting and need to make a couple investments as it were. I checked out various forums and y'all seem to know what you're talking about, so I figured this would be the best place to ask. I'm sure a number of these have been debated before and I'm sure a number of people will refer me to previous threads, but that's kind of the point. Anyway, here goes:

1) I'm looking for an all around shotgun for pheasant, waterfowl (geese included), deer and turkey. After a fair amount of research, I think I have settled on the idea of a combo gun, the two in question being the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500. Any information would be helpful, but I'm particularly interested in the longevity of the gun as well as the durability/ruggedness. Basically, can you drag it through the woods all day and still have it shoot straight year after year (with maintenance of course) and is it worth paying the extra $$ for the Remington? Also, is a rifled barrel really even necessary for the type of shots you'd take at a deer in New England forests?

2) Small game hunting! I'd welcome any opinions on rimfires for squirrel and rabbit. I have a thing for bolt action Marlins because that's what I grew up with, but I'm wondering if semi-auto isn't the way to go. The Model 60 and Ruger's 10/22 both look like good options in that regard, but I also have a strong urge to stick with the bolt action. I feel like a follow up shot would be about the same with either, though preferably a follow up shot wouldn't even be needed. I've always told that the bolt actions are usually more accurate and, from my experience, that seems to be true. Any thoughts?

I think that about covers it for the moment. Thanks very much.