TheGreatBamReno
FNG
Man, I think you'll see from the numerous recommendations here that it's a wildly personal choice on which gun everyone prefers.
I realize this is not all that helpful in choosing one gun vs the others, but the advice I'd give you is to go handle each of the top tier semi-auto guns from Benelli, Beretta, Remington, Browning and Franchi (I personally don't think pumps are a great choice for a waterfowl gun if you're going to hunt ducks in a whole bunch of different ways - i.e. a pump would be hell for me in a layout boat or blind). Shoulder each of the guns and see which one seems to point naturally true for you without having to adjust your typical shooting form (obviously starting with good form to begin with). Take them down and figure out how easy each is going to be to clean and maintain. If possible, find a buddy or friendly neighbor and shoot some clays with your top options. After doing that, I think you'll quickly find which gun fits you best.
Following all of that, if you're torn between two different guns, then I think you can start considering issues like weight and cycling system (gas vs. inertia). Among the top guns of the top mfgs, these items aren't likely to make a big difference at the end of the day. There are trade offs to each of these items that are going to come down to personal choice - i.e. lighter weight means easier to carry in the field (good for upland) vs. slightly higher felt recoil; gas guns slightly heavier system with a few more pieces that can break vs. inertia driven guns, but the inertia gun will have more felt recoil due to lighter weight and the recoil system. Just keep in mind, I've seen malfunctions of some sort on every mfgs guns over the years. They're shotguns after all - they need routine maintenance and things often go wrong in the world of shotgunning. Choose the gun that fits you best from a reputable brand and just prepare yourself to have to do some maintenance and make some repairs over the years.
I personally prefer my Remington VersaMax I've had for the last 9 years (it's a gas system). It's been my sole shotgun for all of that time, shooting everything from clays, to upland, to waterfowl. Aside from some routine maintenance (upgraded recoil spring, new firing pin and firing pin spring), I've not had any issues with my gun, and I hunt pretty hard (if I had to guess, I'm pretty well over 10k rounds through it at this point, shooting literally every different shot and shell size). As always, take my experience with a grain of salt. There are many people that hate on Remington for various quality and reliability issues. I might be one of the lucky ones. I prefer gas to inertia for the lower recoil and reliability for cycling lighter loads, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy and shoot an inertia gun.
One final point, I like the option to cycle 3 1/2" mags through my gun, but I rarely shoot them - there's just not that much added benefit for the added cost IMO over a 3" shell. If the gun that fits you winds up being a 3", don't sweat it too much.
Cory
I realize this is not all that helpful in choosing one gun vs the others, but the advice I'd give you is to go handle each of the top tier semi-auto guns from Benelli, Beretta, Remington, Browning and Franchi (I personally don't think pumps are a great choice for a waterfowl gun if you're going to hunt ducks in a whole bunch of different ways - i.e. a pump would be hell for me in a layout boat or blind). Shoulder each of the guns and see which one seems to point naturally true for you without having to adjust your typical shooting form (obviously starting with good form to begin with). Take them down and figure out how easy each is going to be to clean and maintain. If possible, find a buddy or friendly neighbor and shoot some clays with your top options. After doing that, I think you'll quickly find which gun fits you best.
Following all of that, if you're torn between two different guns, then I think you can start considering issues like weight and cycling system (gas vs. inertia). Among the top guns of the top mfgs, these items aren't likely to make a big difference at the end of the day. There are trade offs to each of these items that are going to come down to personal choice - i.e. lighter weight means easier to carry in the field (good for upland) vs. slightly higher felt recoil; gas guns slightly heavier system with a few more pieces that can break vs. inertia driven guns, but the inertia gun will have more felt recoil due to lighter weight and the recoil system. Just keep in mind, I've seen malfunctions of some sort on every mfgs guns over the years. They're shotguns after all - they need routine maintenance and things often go wrong in the world of shotgunning. Choose the gun that fits you best from a reputable brand and just prepare yourself to have to do some maintenance and make some repairs over the years.
I personally prefer my Remington VersaMax I've had for the last 9 years (it's a gas system). It's been my sole shotgun for all of that time, shooting everything from clays, to upland, to waterfowl. Aside from some routine maintenance (upgraded recoil spring, new firing pin and firing pin spring), I've not had any issues with my gun, and I hunt pretty hard (if I had to guess, I'm pretty well over 10k rounds through it at this point, shooting literally every different shot and shell size). As always, take my experience with a grain of salt. There are many people that hate on Remington for various quality and reliability issues. I might be one of the lucky ones. I prefer gas to inertia for the lower recoil and reliability for cycling lighter loads, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy and shoot an inertia gun.
One final point, I like the option to cycle 3 1/2" mags through my gun, but I rarely shoot them - there's just not that much added benefit for the added cost IMO over a 3" shell. If the gun that fits you winds up being a 3", don't sweat it too much.
Cory
