Best Duck Hunting Guns 2023 – Reviews and Buying Guide!

You’ll rarely find a sport as iconic as duck hunting. For many experienced hunters it’s not all about fun and activity rather it’s a game that teaches a lot and helps you sharpen your basic skills. In order to experience that first, you need to pick the best duck hunting gun so that you are all set to relish the fun and frolic the woods will offer you.

To help you with the search we have compiled a list of the best available hunting guns that are popular, accurate, reliable, and offer the best features. We have mentioned their notable features, advantages, and drawbacks so that you can have your pick easily.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go ahead read on and choose the most suitable duck hunting gun for yourself.

9 Best Duck Hunting Guns Available

1. Remington 870 Classic Trap

This has the longest barrel (30-inch), and the brand has been in the duck hunting game since our grandparents’ hunting age. It’s a special version that possesses a 4-round magazine, a smooth double-rail pump. It’s stock and the firing grip both are solid and provide the needed stability and weight.

The thing that caught our attention the most is its accuracy. With a 30-inch barrel, you get the best reliability and the quality machine work that the brand is renowned for. Not only this, but they also include three of their custom Trap Rem Choke tubes: the long handicap, the singles, and the mid handicap.

Other than that, the gun is a little off-budget for a pump-action but is a reliable and promising product.

Notable features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Pump action
• 30-inch barrel
• 3-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 8.25 pounds
• Classic walnut stock and fore grip
• Includes 3 choke tubes

Check The Best Priceat Brownells

2. Browning A5 Stalker

The browning A5 Stalker owns the most reliable semi-auto shotgun action on the market that will never cease to amaze you. It is a recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun, and is very easy to operate.in the world of firearms, ‘simpler’ stands for ‘more reliable’. And for this very reason, the original auto-5 enjoyed its success in the market for years.

The downside of recoil-operation is that there’s no gas bleed-off, and the barrel actually slides back to the chamber in your next round. All this leads to some serious kickback. Not only is the A5 Stalker reliable, but it’s also durable and promises accuracy. The grip is easy to hold and you can draw a bead on a duck rapidly and without facing any hassle.

Having said that, this gun has a fairly steep price tag but if you crave a reliable semi-automatic thing then the price is secondary.
Notable features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 7.25 pounds
• Black polymer stock and foregrip

Check The Best Priceat Brownells

3. Winchester SX3 Waterfowl Realtree Max-5

The Winchester SX3 Waterfowl Realtree Max-5 is manufactured to sling as much lead as it can and as quickly as possible. It is powerful and offers a firm grip. The tube magazine holds up to 4 rounds, and the barrel itself is 28 inches and offers the appropriate amount of accuracy.

Features a stable, Realtree camo polymer stock and proper grip that provides optimum weight for proper stability and recoil absorption. The sights on this gun are somewhat mixed,, while the front sight is a fiber optic TRUGLO that can be seen easily. But you need to have your own rear sight in order to relish the proper access to more things.

Overall this is fast, reliable, and heavy enough to stay on target thus is listed under the category of best duck hunting guns.
Notable features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3 ½-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 7.25 pounds

Check The Best Priceat Brownells

4. Benelli Montefeltro Tro Left Hand

One of the few left-handed shotguns. The Benelli Montefeltro Tro Left hand is refined semi-automatic furniture. It features a 4-round tube magazine, gas-operated, semi-operated action ejects spent cartridges from the left side, instead of the right. This one is a real lifesaver if you are a left-handed shooter.

It has solid walnut furniture that gives the back end a little extra heft for stability and recoil consumption. It is thick and comes with a rubberized butt pad that further cuts down on kick and rests conveniently against your shoulder as you aim.

Having said that, The Montefeltro has a tall, red bar front sight, but merely rea sight. This is also a little expensive but is still cheaper than most semi-auto shotguns on the list. Overall, it’s a worthy purchase, especially for a left-handed shooter.

Notable features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 7.1 pounds
• Solid walnut stock and fore grip
• Left-handed ejection port

Check The Best Priceat Brownells

5. Beretta A350 Xtrema

The Beretta A350 Xtrema is one of the quickest semi-automatic shotguns currently available in the market. It is produced for only one thing and that is firing as quickly as possible. The gas-operated semi-automatic action cycles with blazing speed allow for lighting fast-follow-up shots on your aimed waterfowl.

This gun has a 3 ½ inch chamber that accepts even the heaviest birdshot shells on the market, so be prepared to be impressed. The polymer stock is dense enough to offer appropriate balance and features an adjustable rubber butt pad. Using the included shims, you can adjust the Xtrema to the exact pull length you require.

All this will cost you some coin, but not much. Overall, this is great if you wish to fire at the highest possible speed.
Notable Features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3 ½-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 7.25 pounds
• Max-5 camo polymer stock and fore grip
• Max-5 camo finish

Check The Best Priceat Palmetto State Armory

6. Benelli Super Black Eagle III

The Benelli Super Black Eagle III comes with five multiple choke options to customize your duck gun. It is a gas-operated, semi-automatic shotgun that uses the same action as the original Super Black Eagle which has been renowned for its reliability for years. All you need to do is pull the trigger and it will go boom.

This shotgun sports a 28-inch barrel that can be changed with any of its five choke options. The options include: a flush fit Cylinder, Improved Modified, and Full, and extended Improved Modified and Full. The polymer stock is durable, dense, and possesses enough eight to offer appropriate balance and recoil consumption.

The one drawback we observed in this best duck hunting gun is that it’s steep price. However, if the quality is supreme for you then its range should not stand in between your purchase. It is the most reliable gun currently available in the market.
Notable features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3 ½-inch chamber
• 3-round tube magazine
• Weighs 7 pounds
• Realtree camo polymer stock and fore grip
• Realtree camo finish
• Includes 5 choke tubes

Check The Best Priceat Palmetto State Armory

7. Benelli Vinci

The Benelli Vinci uses the same formation as the Super Black Eagle III. It is created to be as reliable as it can be. With a few tweaks, it’s actually a level down version of the Super Black Eagle III and offers the ultra-reliable gas-operated semi-automatic feature. This also features a 26-inch barrel, that makes it lighter than most full-sized shotguns. It allows for less recoil than a pump-action 12 gauges, so you can aim at your target easily.

In addition to that, you need to have a front sight or install your own rear sight as the Vinci doesn’t have one which is the major disappointment we notice on this expensive duck hunting gun. However, it’s very light for a full-sized shotgun.

Notable Features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 26-inch barrel
• 3-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 6.8 pounds
• Max-5 camo polymer stock and fore grip
• Max-5 camo finish

Check The Best Priceat Palmetto State Armory

8. Browning Gold Light

The Browning Gold Light fires a robust, 10 gauge shell. It is the shotgun of choice for hunters who wish to cover the widest possible spread. It throws more lead than any other shotshell is currently available. Until and unless you’re loading custom 8-gauge cartridges for your black powder rifle, this is as powerful as it can get.

The Browning outfitted the Gold Light with a dense polymer stock and firm grip. The best part is it brings your recoil in line with what you actually expect from a 12-gauge.

If your intention is to make the best possible boom, the Browning gold light is the best and most recommended for you then.

Notable Features:

• 10 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3 ½-inch chamber
• 3-round tube magazine
• Weighs 9.5 pounds
• Mossy Oak camo polymer stock and foregrip
• Mossy Oak camo finish

Check The Best Priceat Palmetto State Armory

9. Remington 11-87 Sportsman

The Remington 11-87 has been a staple of American duck hunters over many years. It is the working man’s version of their pricey 11-87 base model. The only difference is the lack of rear sight and the use of black polymer instead of camo skin and woodland camo.

It is a reliable, gas-operated semi-automatic action and also keeps the heavy polymer that balances the gun’s total weight. Thus providing excellent recoil reduction, even if it’s an inexpensive gun.

Go for this if you are looking for an affordable, reliable duck hunting shotgun.

Notable Features:

• 12 gauge bore
• Semi-automatic
• 28-inch barrel
• 3-inch chamber
• 4-round tube magazine
• Weighs 8.25 pounds
• Black polymer stock and foregrip

Check The Best Priceat Palmetto State Armory

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.1 What to look for in a duck hunting gun?

Before making your purchase just make sure to check the following:

• Accuracy
• Reliability
• Durability
• The sturdiness of the grip
• Weight
• Ability to recoil

Q.2 Is Remington 870 good for duck hunting?

For an amateur into shotgun sports and upland or waterfowl hunting, a simple model 870 will work just great.

Q.3 Is it a good idea to duck hunt with a pump shotgun?

Usually, a pump gun will shoot a modern duck load comfortably in no time, so yes it is feasible to duck hunt with a pump shotgun. But we’ll still recommend having a duck hunting gun for duck hunting.

Conclusion

While looking for the best duck hunting guns, there’s no particular size that fits all. You might be searching for a usual pump-action piece that can be upgraded over years or you must be looking for the best semi-auto shotgun with all the bells and whistles.

No matter what you were searching for, we have compiled the best available varieties of hunting guns that are sure to fulfil your requirements. So go on and pick the one that checks all your preferences.

Get back to us in case you need further insights or wish to share your suggestions/experiences.