Roland,

I am considering the purchase of a 3.5 inch pump shotgun. I have been trying to find review information on the above 2 guns without any success. I have the manufacturers catalogs. I am looking for some objective comments, or information. Any information you could provide would be helpful.

Jon

In the spirit of the Securities Act of 1933 for full disclosure of all material facts, I have not owned either or handled either the Remington Wingmaster Supermag or the Mossberg 835 UltraMag extensively. Having established my high level of ignorance, I still have an opinion.

I don’t think you will go wrong with either one. The basic design of a pump action shotgun is relatively simple and robust. The likelihood of you wearing either of the guns out is small. You will probably wear out your shoulder and back before anything breaks on one of these guns.

The advantage of the Remington is that it has been around forever. No, not forever, but a very long time. Parts and accessories are abundant. The design is has not significantly changed since its introduction in 1950. That in itself it testament to solid design and manufacturing. The Mossberg has also been around a long time, though I don’t think it is as long in the tooth as the Remington. I’m not really sure about parts and accessories. Also a solid design.

Both these things are anvil tough. Maybe more like hammer tough. When was the last time you broke a hammer?

Selection between the two will be more on the subjective elements such as looks and feel and quite possibly price. Always remember the cost of a shotgun is a small fraction of total shotgun ownership cost when ammunition and targets are factored in.

The recoil from either gun is (ahem) stout when shooting heavy target loads, and can be expected to clear your sinuses (sneeze, cough) if you are shooting 3.5 inch shells. Shooting overhead shots as one would do at waterfowl magnifies the felt recoil as your body doesn’t move as much when shooting horizontally.

Good luck in your eventual choice. When I have used pump guns I really enjoyed the action. There is a rhythm to using a pump gun that is very pleasing. For many in the heat of a hunt, the second shot from a pump gun tends to be more accurate than the second shot from a semi-auto because working the action on a pump tends to bring the muzzle back down.

Roland Leong, Managing Editor
Shotgun Report, LLC