Hi from Eastern North Dakota

Shotgun was the first firearm I started shooting for hunting. Started around 9 or 10 years old with a youth hammer fired single shot 20ga that kicks like a mule. Still to this day it is the hardest kicking shotgun I have shot. Started with clays so I could shoot dove better. I would wear the thickest coat I owned to absorb some of the recoil of that 20ga, even during the hottest July summer days, and my shoulder would still be black and blue afterwards.

My most reliable shotgun that I used as my primary for over a decade and a half was a Benelli nova pump 28in 3 1/2in chamber. It is heavy, especially with the old mercury tube in the butt of the stock, but a reliable tank when it comes to mud, ice, and snow.

I currently use a Winchester SX4 28in 3 1/2 in chamber for my primary. The reason for the SX4 is because I love duck hunting and do a lot of off handed shots to drop the low and fast fly-bys that often happen with ducks. With the SX4 being a reliable gas operated semi auto, I don't have to have it shouldered like most inertia driven guns. Plus the gas action pushes through dirt, mud, and ice much better then inertia. North Dakota gets cold and I've had friends that have had their inertia driven guns (Browning A5s and Benelli SBEs) freeze up, while the gas operated keeps chugging along.