# Best Pump



## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

A coworker wants to buy a 12 gauge pump for her husband, either wood or camo synthetic. Who makes the best one?


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Hard to go wrong with a Benelli Nova or Winchester SXP.


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## Deacon92 (Jun 6, 2017)

I second the Benelli Nova.


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## Wire (Nov 2, 2017)

Third the Benelli Nova or Super Nova.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

the one that fits...

if the height at comb and length of pull are off then it doesn't matter how good the gun is. 

benelli, winchester and remington all make good guns. make sure your co-worker likes where the safety is positioned. that way they'll be more apt to use it.


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## quackaddict35 (Sep 25, 2015)

I 4th the nova, a very solid gun 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Anything other than a Remington 870 Express.-O,-


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## Papa Moses (Sep 27, 2018)

I have 2 buddies that have a Remington 870. Piece of scrap metal IMO. Winchester or benelli is a good choice.


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## MallardFlew (Feb 22, 2012)

I learned to hunt with one shell at a time off my 870 express. It was one of the 1980 something models. I have used it over and over and shot hundreds of shells through it and still love it. However My wife and daughter have the Winchester pa08 12 gauge. My wife loves hers, an older model, and not too bad of a kick. I love my daughters (she can't shoot it yet....) and use it as my back up gun. I took it out last year having never shot it and was surprised at how natural it felt when I killed a hen pintail with the first shot out of the gun. So I am an advocate for the older model Remington and the pa08 from Winchester.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

MallardFlew said:


> I learned to hunt with one shell at a time off my 870 express. It was one of the 1980 something models. I have used it over and over and shot hundreds of shells through it and still love it. However My wife and daughter have the Winchester pa08 12 gauge. My wife loves hers, an older model, and not too bad of a kick. I love my daughters (she can't shoot it yet....) and use it as my back up gun. I took it out last year having never shot it and was surprised at how natural it felt when I killed a hen pintail with the first shot out of the gun. So I am an advocate for the older model Remington and the pa08 from Winchester.


The PA-08 is a Weatherby.
My 870 was a single shot too. Not because it wouldn't hold 3 shells, but because I only got one shot and it jammed.


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## MallardFlew (Feb 22, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> The PA-08 is a Weatherby.
> My 870 was a single shot too. Not because it wouldn't hold 3 shells, but because I only got one shot and it jammed.


Thank you for pointing out my mistake!;-)
There should be a law that gun manufacturers names can't start with the same letter... or that I should pay more attention to what I am writing... one of the 2.

My 870 was a single shot because my dad had control of the shells... it was good for me though made me a better shot.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

Fowlmouth said:


> The PA-08 is a Weatherby.
> My 870 was a single shot too. Not because it wouldn't hold 3 shells, but because I only got one shot and it jammed.


for those of you getting stove piped shells, i had the same problem too. could have swore it was the extractor but after polishing the chamber the problem disappeared. now it's a dual purpose gun. it fires 3 shells in a row and doubles as a push pole/paddle.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

APD said:


> for those of you getting stove piped shells, i had the same problem too. could have swore it was the extractor but after polishing the chamber the problem disappeared. now it's a dual purpose gun. it fires 3 shells in a row and doubles as a push pole/paddle.


Mine would shoot the first shot, dump the next shell on the ground. I would then have to double pump the gun to get the 3rd shot in the chamber. I just got tired of dealing with it so I bought a SXP. My SXP gets stove piped when it's cold. (depends on the shells I shoot)


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Benelli Nova is a hunting combat gun! I think its better then the Super Nova

The Nova was my weapon of choice for several years until I fell victim to the semi-auto plague.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

Back when I hunted with a pump I had a Browning BPS. It had a magazine cutoff switch on the mag tube next to the receiver. It screwed me up a couple of times so I took it off the gun. It was a good solid gun and dropped the empty hulls at my feet. I really liked the top tang safety. Perfect place to have one imo. 
Ithaca is still making the model 37. They seem to have a cult following. I've never held one. 
Nova's, 870's and Winchester pumps are a dime a dozen. Utah gun exchange is littered with them probably for a good reason. Day after day somebody is trying to dump one of those three.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

JerryH said:


> Nova's, 870's and Winchester pumps are a dime a dozen. Utah gun exchange is littered with them probably for a good reason. Day after day somebody is trying to dump one of those three.


Probably selling because they shot their buddies autoloader and found out what they were missing out on. They are upgrading to the autos.;


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

Fowlmouth said:


> Probably selling because they shot their buddies autoloader and found out what they were missing out on. They are upgrading to the autos.;


They're dumping those clunky pos for subgauges!!:mrgreen:


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

JerryH said:


> They're dumping those clunky pos for subgauges!!:mrgreen:


Okay, okay. I was going to post something elitist but held fire, but Jerry's given me some cover. I was going to say that I've never had a failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to eject, stovepipe, etc, since about 1998, when I switched to O/U's. In recent years I've shot a 20 gauge M2 without a hiccup. I still prefer the O/U, but a Silver Pigeon I is close to $2k, so not for everybody, and too nice to use as a mud gun.

However, this person is a medical assistant and really can't afford anything fancier than a pump. After reading the responses here I suggested the Nova.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

A friend of mine has shot a Nova for years. He's very deadly with it and its served him well.


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## Subway (Aug 28, 2018)

Ithaca waterfowl or the browning bps.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

If I was to buy a pump gun it would be a SXP


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

JerryH said:


> They're dumping those clunky pos for subgauges!!:mrgreen:


Most waterfowlers haven't even thought about sub gauges. I mean everyone knows you got to have a 12 gauge 3 1/2" BBB load to kill a duck. :?


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> JerryH said:
> 
> 
> > They're dumping those clunky pos for subgauges!!
> ...


And that's just for Teal!!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

goosefreak said:


> And that's just for Teal!!


I just don't understand the whole 3 1/2" thing. Maybe back when the ammo companies were trying to figure steel shot out it was a good idea, but unnecessary now days. The 2 3/4" & 3" stuff is the best!


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

Don't pick on your fellow waterfowlers. You two just barely discovered the mighty 20!!


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

JerryH said:


> Don't pick on your fellow waterfowlers. You two just barely discovered the mighty 20!!


But, still. I haven't shot a 3.5 inch load for 15+ years.. and i'm barely getting by the skin of my teeth!!!:grin:

I only use the 20ga because they wont let me use a slingshot!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

JerryH said:


> Don't pick on your fellow waterfowlers. You two just barely discovered the mighty 20!!


I watched fish-n-fool shoot a 20 ga. exclusively for several years, and he pounds birds with it. My kids all shoot the 20 ga. I was just a little slower coming around, but I always wanted one. The Tristar 28 ga. is next on the list, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the 20.

I think I have purchased maybe 3 or 4 boxes of 3.5" over the last 20+ years. 5hitty patterns and the recoil sucks.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I've never shot 3" 12 gauge shells, let alone 3.5". I have a lifetime supply of the 2 3/4" 12 gauge fodder. I bought some of the 20 gauge 3" Remington shells because they were on sale (1 ounce), but I'm happy with the the 2 3/4" stuff.


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> I watched fish-n-fool shoot a 20 ga. exclusively for several years, and he pounds birds with it. My kids all shoot the 20 ga. I was just a little slower coming around, but I always wanted one. The Tristar 28 ga. is next on the list, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the 20.
> 
> I think I have purchased maybe 3 or 4 boxes of 3.5" over the last 20+ years. 5hitty patterns and the recoil sucks.


I got the wife the tristar raptor last year and she loves it. It's to short for me but fits her really good.

I will never go to a 12 guage I am allot better shot than that. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDCE36kQRdrDk6Pr6


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

Well you guys have bad mouthed it but I love my 870 for Ducks. I am on my third one since 1989. I have dropped them in mud, water and just down right beat the crap (not intentionally) out of them and they have never failed. Never had a jam or a mid fire. Sorry for those who have had bad experiences, I have had all three of my boys have an 870 as their first guns. No problems yet.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

It's too bad my 870 was such a POS because it was the best fitting, best feeling shotgun I have ever shouldered. When it worked, I felt like I couldn't miss with it.


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

Well I haven’t ever felt like I couldn’t miss. I know how I shoot 😉


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

Fowlmouth said:


> It's too bad my 870 was such a POS because it was the best fitting, best feeling shotgun I have ever shouldered. When it worked, I felt like I couldn't miss with it.


if that one fit you well then you should try the winchester sx3. drop at comb is the same and length of pull is real close. i got one years ago in a 26" and my 870 and baikal haven't left the safe since.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

APD said:


> if that one fit you well then you should try the winchester sx3. drop at comb is the same and length of pull is real close. i got one years ago in a 26" and my 870 and baikal haven't left the safe since.


Oh I have the SX3 and SXP. Great guns and great fit.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

I've had 3 variations of the Remington 870, and loved them all. The Wingmaster (1968 I think) was the smoothest. My Express from the mid '90s is the least smooth. All have been reliable, and never had jamming problems. I've never shot the 3"s. I'm and upland guy - never hunted ducks. Just not my thing. But I do love my Remington 870s.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

From the sounds of it my Ted Williams pump from Sears isn't even in the running -O,-
That's ok, it still kills stuff and feeds just fine.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

middlefork said:


> From the sounds of it my Ted Williams pump from Sears isn't even in the running -O,-
> That's ok, it still kills stuff and feeds just fine.


I have an old JC Higgins Model 20. The trigger group cracked and it's no longer serviceable.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

I know you wanted info on new modern pumps. 

But what about older vintage pumps. It's surprising to me what prices model 97's and model 12's seem to bring.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I have a 1950's (1953, IIRC) vintage Model 12 if anybody is interested. Don't know what it's worth, but it's in very good condition.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

paddler said:


> I have a 1950's (1953, IIRC) vintage Model 12 if anybody is interested. Don't know what it's worth, but it's in very good condition.


Vent rib - checkered stock??


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

JerryH said:


> Vent rib - checkered stock??


Nope. Plain Jane, Full choke, classic early 50's gun when paper shells full of lead was the norm. A shooter.


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