i am lookin for a good duck/goose/some pheasant 12 gauge. i was lookin into gettin a remington 870 express. it is in my price range at the moment but i am wondering if that is an ok gun to start out with or should i pay the extra buck and get a more expensive gun, like a beneli or a berreta. just curious to see what you guys would recommend. thanks!

870. My dad has had his for 25 years now and although he finally replaced the stock 2 years ago it still shoots great.
The 870 is a great gun. I am looking at getting one with a synthetic stock as soon as i have some funds so that i can have a duck/goose/mud gun for beating around out in the marsh. Either the 870 or a Nova.

If it's in your price range, get it! you really can't go wrong w/ an 870. Good Luck!

870 is the way to go the hie priced guns are just that hi priced. your paying for a name I shoot mossburg my self Im hard on guns Ive rinsed them off in salt water and kept on shooting take it home tear itapart wa**** and shoot the next day. good luck Jim

Take a close look at a Nova before you buy.

I'd get the 870,but be warned that the express model will rust in a heartbeat. Its especially bothersome when hunting around saltwater. Most days I hunt saltwater my 870 already has rust forming before I get home.

Its not that big a deal to take care of it though,a silicone cloth removes most of it with a bit of rubbing.

I have a Nova I bought new and while its a good workhorse I always go back to my 870,the 870 just fits me better and that means I shoot it better.

I concur with the 870 vote. Haven't tried a Nova, but I bought a used 870 for about $125 when I was in college, and I'm still shooting it 12 years later. I shoot well with it, and I'm not as worried about it getting dinged, etc., as I would be with a more spendy model. That being said, I'm looking at O/U's right now for upland birds - but I'll still use my 870 as my all-around gun.

If you aren't hunting the salt get a nice gun in my opinion. I have a Weatherby O/U for non salt hunting and a piece of crap Winchester 1300 for the salt that is "disposable".
I have two friends with the Nova and they both like em.

thanks for you input guys!

What constitutes a "nice gun" is obviously very much dependent on personal opinion. I have an 870 that I got in 1978. After hundreds of trips and thousands of rounds it fits me like a glove, and most importantly goes "boom" every time. To me it is a very nice gun. I have several other shotguns, but almost never use them.
My son has a newer 870 express that works well for him. As stated above the finish on the gun is not as good as the older ones. With a little looking you might be able to find an older 870 "Wingmaster" that probably is a higher quality gun than the new ones.
I'm amazed at the number of low priced pumps on the market these days. Go to a gun shop and look at several models and see what feels best. Some of them, Mossbergs for example, seem pretty sloppy in the action compared to the 870. But to each his own!

I had a Mossberg 835 and the biggest reason I sold it was the ported barrel. That thing was way too loud to be used in a duck blind. It was considerably louder than my 870 or Nova.

It was a good beater though,it never failed to go boom,no matter how much mud and muck it got loaded with.