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Pump guns are cheap, they’re durable, and they work no matter what. They’ll cycle in all weather, shrug off abuse, and shoot faithfully for years, all in exchange for minimal care. The pump’s dependability makes it a favorite for law enforcement, for the military, and for home defense, all for the same reasons it makes a good hunting gun. They will shoot any load they’re chambered for, no matter how light or heavy.
Despite the pump’s advantages, you don’t see quite as many in the field as you used to. Semi-autos have cut the reliability gap, and the pump market has changed. The finely finished pump guns familiar to past generations are gone. The new breed of pumps places a premium on affordability. They make great first guns, backup guns, and only guns because they work and don’t cost a lot. We rounded up some of the most popular slide actions today and a few classics that have stuck around. Here are the best pump shotguns—old and new—you can buy for the field or range.
The Classics
- Winchester Model 12
- Browning BPS
- Ithaca 37
- Remington 870 Wingmaster
best overall
Mossberg 835
Pros
- Large bore shoots good patterns
- Extra weight dampens recoil
Cons
- No black synthetic version available
Specs
- Gauges Available: 3 ½-inch 12-gauge
- Weight: 7.75 pounds with 28-inch barrel
- Barrel Length: Varies by model, 20-28 inches
- Capacity: 5+1
- Finish: Urethane/blued, camo Black, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Max-7
- Stock: Hardwood or synthetic, pistol grip “tactical turkey” available
- Drilled and tapped: Yes; in addition, the optic-ready version features a cutout for a red dot
- Price: Starts at $661
The original 3 ½-inch shotgun, debuting in 1988, is still on the job, throwing big payloads at turkeys and waterfowl through what is essentially a 10-gauge barrel with a long 12-gauge chamber on a stout, nearly eight-pound frame. The 835 has a recently improved top safety and enough weight to swing smoothly and dampen recoil. It comes in one waterfowl and two turkey models, with a small red dot included, and the other with an optics cut.
best value
Mossberg 500
Pros
- Proven design (over 11,000,000 made)
- Reliable
- Top safety recently improved for easier operation
Cons
- Forend held on by an annoying nut in place of mag cap
Specs
- Gauges Available: 3-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 20-gauge, 3-inch .410
- Weight: 7.5 pounds with 28-inch barrel
- Barrel Length: Varies by model, 20-28 inches
- Capacity: 5+1
- Finish: Satin wood/blued, Mossy Oak camo
- Stock: Hardwood or synthetic, pistol grip “tactical turkey” available
- Drilled and tapped: Yes, in addition, the optic-ready version features a cutout for a red dot
- Price: Starts at $533
More Model 500s have been made than any other shotgun, ever, suggesting Mossberg had a good idea back in 1960 when the gun came out. Inspired in part by Remington’s old, great Model 31 pump, the Model 500 works. The top safety is equally accessible to right- and left-handers, and it has been redesigned for easier use. The Model 500 is made in several variants and combo packages in 3-inch 12-, 20-gauge, and .410, including scaled-down “bantam” youth models. New in the M500 lineup for this year is a trio of slug guns with synthetic stocks and iron sights. One is a smoothbore .410, the other two are a rifled 12- and 20-gauge. The Maverick 88 is the budget Model 500 with a couple of changes, like a ringtail forearm and a crossbolt safety, and it sells for an impossibly low price.
best budget
Stoeger P3000
Specs
- Gauges Available: 3-inch 12-gauge (3 ½-inch 12-gauge in P3500)
- Weight: 6.9 pounds
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Capacity: 5+1
- Finish: Black, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Max-7
- Stock: Synthetic
- Drilled and tapped: No
- Price: Starts at $329, $399 for P3500
The P3000’s lines recall the Benelli Nova, and like the Nova, it has a rotary bolt that makes for fast cycling. It’s a fairly light gun, under 7 pounds in the 3-inch 12-gauge. Drawbacks include a small safety button and a heavy trigger, but it’s hard to beat at its low price. You can get it with a handsome walnut stock for very little money, along with the even cheaper black synthetic model.
Specs
- Gauges Available: 3-inch 12-gauge
- Weight: 6.4 pounds in 12-gauge with 28-inch barrel
- Barrel Length: 26 or 28 inches
- Capacity: 4+1
- Finish: Black, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Max-7
- Stock: One-piece polymer stock/receiver
- Drilled and tapped: Yes
- Chambering: 3-inch 12-gauge
- Price: Starts at $529
Pros
- Light weight
- Smooth action
Cons
- One-piece stock/receiver cannot be shimmed or adjusted
Benelli’s Nova 3 is a redesign of their pump. The original Nova broke new ground with its steel-reinforced one-piece polymer stock and receiver. The new Nova has an all-polymer one-piece stock-receiver, shedding the steel frame and around a pound of weight. Yet Benelli claims the new all-polymer frame is stronger than the old one (the original Nova, in 3 ½-inch 12-gauge and 3-inch 20-gauge, remains in the lineup).
At around 6 ½-pounds in 12-gauge, it may be the lightest pump on the market. It retains the same fast rotary-bolt action but adds the bolt face from the M4 semiauto. Benelli engineers also shortened the pump stroke, though at the expense of 3 ½-inch capacity. But the shorter stroke makes the gun cycle even faster. The trigger guard is larger, and the trigger has an improved pull. The enlarged trigger guard makes the gun easier to handle with cold fingers. The receiver has a drilled, tapped steel insert for mounting an optic. The guns come in 3-inch 12-gauge with 26- or 28-inch barrels.
Specs
- Gauges available: 3-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 20-gauge
- Weight: 7.5 pounds with 28-inch barrel
- Barrel Length: Varies by model, 22-28 inches
- Capacity: 5+1
- Finish: black synthetic or camo/steel
- Stock: Synthetic, compact, and turkey-thumbhole available
- Drilled and tapped: Yes
- Price: Starts at $219
Pros
- Price tag
- LH and compact models
Cons
Patterned in part after the SXP, the Chinese-made Stevens 320 is the lowest-priced pump gun I am aware of, starting at $219. It has a smoother stroke than a cheap pump has a right to, although the trigger pull is weirdly squishy. That didn’t stop me from running a couple of straights with one on the skeet field, though. It comes in several 12- and 20-gauge models, including a modified thumbhole-stocked turkey gun and a true left-hand version. There’s a combo home-defense/hunting gun that includes two barrels for $329, which is incredible.
Specs
- Gauges Available: 3 ½-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 20-gauge
- Weight: 7 pounds in 12-gauge with 28-inch barrel
- Barrel Length: Varies by model: 18 to 30 inches
- Capacity: 4+1
- Finish: Varies by model: blued, Perma-Cote FDE, gray, black, camo
- Stock: Varies by model: hardwood, walnut, synthetic, camo
- Drilled and tapped: yes
- Chambering: 3 ½-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 20-gauge
- Price: Starts at $399
Pros
- Slickest pump action around
Cons
- Some don’t like/can’t reach the safety at the front of the trigger guard
The SXP is a low-priced, alloy-framed pump gun with a rotary bolt that makes it so smooth you can pump it without even realizing you pulled back on the slide. It really does seem to pump itself. The SXP comes in 3 ½-inch and 3-inch 12-gauge models, as well as 3-inch 20-gauge models, in several variants, including a trap model and a pistol-gripped turkey gun.
The Classics
Pump guns have always been less expensive than semiautos and O/Us, but many of yesterday’s pumps were built to a higher standard than today’s pumps, which are largely meant to be very inexpensive guns. Those older guns were made to last, and many are on the used market if you want something more refined than most currently made slide actions. Here are some of my favorite classics.
Winchester Model 12
Introduced in 1912 and made until 1963, the Model 12 became a legend as a hunting gun, a target gun, and a combat shotgun in WWII. Two million were made in 12, 16, and 20 gauges. Only a few 28-gauge guns were made, and the .410 version was a different design called the Model 42. Some 3-inch, 12-gauge magnums were made in the ’50s and early ’60s, and they are great duck guns.
Browning BPS
Made from 1977 to 2024, the bottom-ejecting BPS came in 10-, 12-, 20-, 28-gauge, and .410. It was always well fit and finished, especially throughout the ’80s and ’90s. They had a thumb safety on top of the receiver that made them a favorite of lefties and break-action owners.
Ithaca 37
A lightweight, bottom-ejecting pump, the Model 37 was based on the John Browning-designed Model 17 Remington after its patents expired. It remained in production for fifty years, died, and was resurrected a time or two. With over 2,000,000 made, there are plenty to look for on the used market. The “Featherweight” was a favorite of upland hunters. The Deerslayers were among the first dedicated slug guns, and later rifled Deerslayers are some of the most accurate slug guns made. Ithaca currently offers a small number of well-fit and finished pumps that carry a premium price.
Remington 870 Wingmaster
Currently, no new 870s are being built, and that may never change. Rather than waiting to find out, look for any one of the tons of Wingmasters from Remington’s glory years still out there on the used market. Those old guns from the 70s, 80s, and 90s were made to a high standard of fit, finish, and function. They are made in all gauges but 10. You do have to be aware that not all the 12- and 20-gauges were 3-inch guns, and the 16s are nothing more than 16-gauge barrels on 12-gauge frames. Otherwise, these were some of the best mass-produced shotguns ever made.
How We Tested Pump Shotguns
I shot pumps at waterfowl for years, using all the popular models. I’ve used them for skeet and trap shooting as well, and I hunt turkeys exclusively with pump guns. Reliability, smooth action, and the ability to deliver fast follow-ups are the most important qualities in a pump, and every pump I’ve shot has gotten a workout at skeet doubles to test those traits. I also test guns for weight and trigger pull. Although pumps are primarily budget guns now, I look at fit and finish. These are my favorites from over the years.
FAQs
Yes. Before reliable gas semiautos and affordable O/Us appeared in the ’50s and ’60s, many people shot clays with slide actions. Pumps have no drawbacks for singles trap, where you shoot only one shell at a time. A round of skeet includes four true doubles, but it’s not difficult to cycle the action in time to break the second bird, which is coming at you. For years, Model 12 and Remington Model 31 pumps dominated skeet shooting in the United States. Sporting clays stations vary widely. All the targets are thrown as pairs. Some are no problem to shoot with a pump. Others will test your shooting skills. There are special pump gun events at some shoots, which often include triples.
Pump guns were practically made for waterfowl hunting. They are rugged and simple. They work well in cold conditions that might turn a semiauto sluggish. A good pump can take a real beating and keep on working. They aren’t as sensitive to ammo as some autoloaders can be. Any load, from the lightest to the heaviest, works in a pump. Finally, they don’t cost much, so when you beat them up, you don’t feel so bad about it.
Everyone Should Own a Pump
Pumps were always utilitarian guns, and that’s truer now than ever. Find one that functions and that suits your needs. If you upgrade to other guns, the pump will always have a place as a truck gun, a bad-weather gun, or the foolproof gun you shoot when its fancy replacement is in the shop.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
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