Oh most humble of internet experts, what shotgun should I buy?

Here are my requirements:

Western turkeys, waterfowl, the rare upland trip.

I am left eye dominant and right handed. As life should be complicated.

But for the turkey end I'd rather shoot right handed with an optic.

In no particular order, as they are similar in price. Made in Italy and of decent quality.

Benelli m2 Field

Franchi Instict


Can a right handed left eye dominant person use a Burris mount or do I need to get set up for a left handed shotgun.

I haven't shot a shotgun in a long time. Like 10 years.

Using a RH gun when left eye dominant just requires closing the off eye.

Yes, I understand closing an eye is concidered bad form, but it's the simple way to deal with that issue, so it may be considered a non issue.

As to the two guns you mentioned- the Franchi is a sort of knock off of the benelli.

I'd choose whichever one fits you better.

The benelli will likely have better fit and finish, and cost more.

Don't totally forget the Beretta autoloaders. They are gas operated and tend to shoot a bit softer if Italian is a requirement.

Personally I use the Benneli super black eagle as it can use the 3.5" shell, which has some advantages with nontoxic shot and heavy turkey loads. They are on the lighter side, so recoil can be noticeable but nothing unacceptable to me.

Really, it will come down to which gun fits you best.

I picked up a Browning Maxus 2 not long ago, and it is a fantastic gun. Pricey, but very nice. I've shot doves with it, and will try it on waterfowl this year. Would be a decent turkey gun, but where we hunt here in woods, a shorter barreled gun is easier. Out west may be a different ballgame.

Selecting a gun to be used for turkey/waterfowl AND upland is going to require sacrifice at both ends of the spectrum.

I have a Benelli M2 field with a 28" barrel which I have used for both waterfowl and upland. It works. In fact on my first trip to Argentina many years ago I used it for ducks in the morning and perdiz and dove in the afternoon. Not ideal, but it worked.

The M2 action also allows for a broad range of ammo, from goose/duck loads to light loads for dove and upland.

Of the two I'd buy the M2.

Shotguns dont have to be fancy or expensive to be effective. I've got plenty, but the one I grab most often now is a used Rem 870 Express 26" I got for 175$.

It has killed turkeys, quail, chukar, Huns, etc.

I am also left eyed and right handed - I only close my left eye (more often squint) at the very last split-second. I kill plenty of birds and most often more than the guys I hunt with.

I have a Franchi Instinct that I use for coyote, turkey, doves, quail, and waterfowl. I bought the 26" barreled version it's slightly more useful in the coyote brush and turkey woods than the longer 28" barrel. It has been a great gun for the two years or so that I've owned it.

I have an original Super Black Eagle with a 24" barrel and have used it for years on waterfowl, turkey and doves. More recently, I bought a new Super Black Eagle 3 with a 28" barrel and shot very well with it on doves and plan to take it on a guided duck hunt in January. It probably will be my new turkey gun as well. I shoot a Benelli Super Sport Briley gun on sporting clays so I'm partial to Benelli.

I started duck hunting with a SBE II. The recoil of the inertia gun gave me a headache by the end of the day. I mostly shot 3 inch #2s.

I switched to a Browning Gold and the headaches went away. I now am using a Maxus II for waterfowl hunting and annual snow goose trips to the lower 48.

On these snow goose hunts, I am shooting 3.5 inch BBB roman candles and do not have a headache at the end of the day of hunting.

So, if recoil bothers you, I would recommend a gas gun. If not, then whichever shotgun has the features you like and fits you best would be my suggestion. Shotguns need to shoot where you look when shooting at flying game. So, gun fit is important.

Ditto on the M-2 great guns up to 3 inch.
Better yet if you can find one is the M-3
which is both a semi-auto and a pump gun.
Field barrels up to 28 inches screw choked and
home defence bbl in 20 inch cyl. bore inter-changeble. Canada is trying their best to
outlaw semi-autos so the M-3 qualifies as a
pump. If never going to Canada for geese, No big deal stay with the M_2 FYI

Beretta A400 Xplor.... super gun and fun to shoot