Thanks for the replies fellas. probably going to go with an 870 of some sort. I like the idea of the 3 1/2 shells but the way we have been landing geese I don't feel it is necessary. plus the shells are a lot more expensive when you are hunting 2-3 times a week.....

I am staying away from mossberg, that is what went to $hit on me already. The only other one I was considering was the Benelli nova's....

I have been beating the hell out of my Remington 887 the past couple years and it seems to be hanging in there.
great for the mud and rain of the valley.

Right on Dave. is the 887 an autoloader?

My 3.5 870 seems to point and shoot about the same as my 3 inch.

887 is a pump. I hunt it too much nasty stuff to trust an auto to not foul on me.
A lot of guys dont seem to like em but they shoot just fine for me.
http://www.remington.com/product-families/firearms/shotgun-families/pump-action-model-887.aspx

you can probably find one for $250 if you are patient.

10g guns for bird hunting is way overkill regardless of if thats what its "designed to do" . I have used both 3.5" and 3" loads a lot goose hunting and the 3.5" packs more kick with out looking like an a$$hole trying to flock geese at way too long of range.

I also used my 870 for close range coyote hunting on my family's ranch in wyoming. That 870 would drop a dog like nothing. That paired with my mini 14 is the perfect coyote setup.

you can also get the "Slugger" barrels by Remington to shoot Sabot slugs pretty damn accurately at 100+ yards... they are rifled tho, so you wont want to run rifled slugs, or any shot of any sort, it wont work too well...

i think they run around 150 ish...

Dude,you don't even make any sense. A 10ga shooting 1 3/4oz of shot is "way overkill" but a 3.5" 12ga shooting 1 9/16 oz isn't?

It really doesn't matter though. A 3" chambered 12ga with todays non-toxic loads will do 99.9% of what any duck or goose hunter needs to do.

like i said BM, check out the CZ 712 and 912... they were shooting over 1000 shells a day in Argentina on doves without 1 hickup, misfeed, misfire, anything... and as said in the video, if your gun is going to break, it will break there.... the vid is in that link i posted...

I just bought this 870 Marine Stainless Remmy.

I use a Benelli Nova for turkey and it works great. I've pumped quite a few shells through it without any problems. Everything from turkeys to clay pigeons to an old water heater, never an issue. I bought it because Cabelas was out of 870's the day I went to buy a gun. The action seems to be a little smoother than the 870 but it weighs a little more but I like a little heavier gun.

With some 00 Buck that would be some good flea bag medicine.
If that sort of thing was legal of course.

+1 on the 870 i have a benneli nova and havent shot it since i got the 870

haha good point. I agree a 3" 12g will take down anything that flies.

hard to go wrong with the 870. look for an older wingmaster magnum, they can be had for a lot less than a new express and are a much nicer gun.

the wingmaster super magnum was only produced for a year or two, i've seen pictures but never handled one. guess remington figured that producing a 3.5" chambered gun in "high grade" was kind of pointless, seeing the conditions that most 3.5" guns are used in.

I've had a Benelli Nova for a year now and I have no complaints. I didn't notice this at first, but others mentioned that it "clicks" quite a bit when in the field. A little heavy compared to other guns on the market, but overall a great gun at a decent price...

I have 2 pumps- 1 Beneli Supernova 26" bbl 3-1/2 mag and a Remmy 870 supermag with a 28" bbl. I would recommend both for an inexpensive shotgun $350-$500
I am partial to over/unders so I also have a Wincester 101 Field Grade 28" bbl and a Browning Citori XT Trap Grade 3 with a 32" bbl.
The Winny is gonna cost ya $1100-1300 and the Browning around $2500-3000...

All are great guns its all in what you wanna do with each and the money you have to spend.

I picked up one of these a couple of years ago after getting frustrated with my 870......it has been a great gun for me, easy to carry, never need that 3rd shell anyway

Paid right around $500

Got 3 870s, no complaints. 3 inc chamber with magnum turkey loads
really lets you know it went bang.

I am purchasing the 1969 wingmaster this weekend. 3" chamber and is like new. Hope I made a good choice.......