Andy Schroeder, president of South Central Steel (SCS) in Harpersville, enjoys hunting. Hunters like SCS president Andy Schroeder need to have a good sense of what firearm to choose when going hunting.

1. Choosing a Shotgun
for Duck and
Waterfowl Hunting
Andy Schroeder

2. Introduction
Andy Schroeder, president of South Central Steel (SCS) in
Harpersville, enjoys hunting. Hunters like SCS president Andy
Schroeder need to have a good sense of what firearm to choose
when going hunting.
While older hunters often used the same shotgun for all hunting,
specialty firearms have become more common in recent years, with
shotguns designed specifically for shooting specific types of game
coming into vogue. For waterfowl hunters, these criteria are often
quite narrow.
Waterfowl hunters should choose a shotgun designed to handle steel
shot. Steel shot became mandatory in wetlands during the mid-
1980s, so a gun used for a lot of waterfowl hunting must be able to
handle the consistent use of steel.

3. Hunting
Steel shot delivers less force than lead, so to make up for this,
pellets must be larger. This in turn necessitates larger shells.
Most waterfowl hunting guns, thus, should use 3-inch or longer
shells. The 12 gauge or 10 gauge shotgun performs quite well,
with the smaller shells of higher gauges typically under-
performing or having few options available.
Finally, the gun should have some weight to it in order to
disperse the recoil of waterfowl loads. If recoil proves too
intense, increasing the gun weight by adding weight to the
barrel, just beyond the forearm, as well as to the stock, can
mitigate the issue.