Fudd Friday: Pump-Action Or Semi-Auto Shotgun For Hunting?

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• AX800 Suprema: Beretta’s New Flagship Shotgun for Waterfowl Hunters 
• Mossberg Silver Reserve Shotguns: New Waterfowl, Turkey, Synthetic Options 
• The Greatest Blunder In Commercial Firearms History 

Weighing the options, deciding what matters

A few points at first. While you decide what works for you, let’s point out that whether we’re hunting upland birds (pheasants, grouse, woodcock) or waterfowl (geese and ducks, mostly), it doesn’t make much difference in what action you decide on. There are lots of great upland shotguns in both semi-auto and pump-action configurations. The same goes for waterfowl. However, it is worth pointing out that waterfowlers often slug it out against the elements in much worse conditions than upland hunters, which raises our first question:

Which is more reliable?

This is the biggest contention point in the bird gun debate. Pump-action fans believe their shotguns are more reliable, since the shooter is in control of operation, not automated mechanical bits that can get gummed up on a semi-auto. And the pump-action fans have a point here; some semi-autos run like garbage. They can be fussy about what ammo they use. A semi-auto’s action can get gummed up with dirt or carbon from fired shells. Freezing weather can also impede a semi-auto. I’m not saying this is true of every semi-auto, but it’s a possibility; the only time I ever had trouble with my old Baikal MP-153, the ultimate workhorse, was when I was lax on cleaning and temperatures dropped.

Under those same conditions, a pump-action will almost always continue working, as long as the operator does their part. And that’s a good final thought on this point. A good friend who spent a lot of his younger years chasing coastal birds once said a pump-action might be more reliable than a semi-auto, but it also introduced the possibility of user error. You can never short-stroke a semi-auto, but you can do so with a pump, if you’re out of practice.

Which is more affordable?

This is the other big question, and again, the pump-action generally wins here, as long as you’re buying a new shotgun. The influx of Turkish-made shotguns has somewhat skewed the market here, but even a Turkish pump-action will be cheaper than a Turkish semi-auto.

If you’re buying used, the same pattern holds. You can certainly find a cheap, used semi-auto, but the best guns—think anything from Remington, Benelli, Browning or Beretta—will still typically see a semi-auto selling for more than a pump.

Which will kill more birds?

The final question, and honestly, I think the answer is twofold. I believe that most hunters will kill more birds if they switch to a semi-auto, but I think it’s a moot point, because the shotgun isn’t what holds most hunters back from success.

I can say that back when I was a very serious waterfowler, I used to hunt black ducks in every coastal creek between my workplace and my home. I’d get off the job and jump-shoot the big redlegs and wouldn’t quit until I was successful every day; and every Saturday I could, I set up on the coastal marshes over decoys. That’s a lot of practice, and I got pretty good with my old Winchester 1300 Speed Pump, the fastest pump-gun on the market at that time. And yet, when I switched to semi-autos, I was noticeably more successful, particularly at jump-shooting.

My friends who switched noticed the same thing. Some shooters think this is because the semi-auto action allows better aiming; you’re not pumping the action and moving the barrel around. Uh, maybe, but some pump-action fans actually think this helps them, as they use their hand on the forend to guide the gun on-target, so this isn’t a settled question.

Others think it could be due to the reduced recoil in many semi-autos, making it easier to stay on-target and reducing a shooter’s flinch with heavy loads. This could be the case, or maybe it’s just a case of familiarity, and I would have been just as successful with my old pump-actions if I’d never switched. I do know that the most successful hunter in our usual opening-day duck shoot uses a pump-action; he always limits out easily. But in his case, it’s because his blind is right on the X, and the rest of us have to shoot his leftover birds.

And that’s what I think the real answer is here. The best shotgun question isn’t really relevant if you aren’t doing the rest of the work of scouting and actually getting out hunting. I’ve owned plenty of semis and pumps, and enjoyed them all; I prefer a semi myself, but the real factor holding me back from filling a limit isn’t the gun I choose. It’s the time I put into all the other parts of the hunting process, and that’s the best advice I can give any young hunter looking to choose their first bird gun. Buy something you can afford, something that will run reliably, and that you actually want to hunt with, whether that’s a semi-auto or pump-action, and then get to work on the rest of the equation. Worry about what gun to buy once you’ve mastered the basics and beyond.