Bottom feeding and ejection prevent dirt and debris from entering the receiver and spent shells are tossed directly at your feet so they are easy to find and collect (and won’t bounce off your buddy’s forehead in a duck blind). Its robust receiver is forged from solid steel, which means it isn’t the lightest gun on this list but it is certainly one of the most durable. The workhorse BPS (Browning Pump Shotgun has been in production for over five decades. Browning BPS The BPS is an absolute workhorse pump shotgun. I have found that straight-stocked pistol grips offer the best accuracy for most shooters and that is reflected in this list of shotguns. Lastly, the gun must shoot well and thus fit the shooter properly. Only the 12-gauge model of the Browning BPS fails to meet that criteria, but you can always buy it in a 20-gauge to trim some of the heft off the gun. The gun should also be light enough that you can carry it afield all day long for upland hunts or deer drives (where legal). If you are only going to buy one gun for all your hunting pursuits, it must stand the test of time, and protecting the gun’s exterior is paramount. A good all-around shotgun must also be durable, which is why every gun on this list comes in a synthetic option (with the exception of the Stevens 555). Inertia-driven and gas-powered auto-loaders have a higher chance of failure, but as long as you keep these semi-autos clean, they will run just fine. The pumps rely on you to cycle shells and the over/unders don’t need to spit out spent hulls until you break the gun open.

That’s why pumps and break-action shotguns are such a smart buy.

If your gun doesn’t shoot it’s not much use to you. The most basic necessity in a do-all shotgun is functionality. First, What Makes a Good All-Around Shotgun?

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