Published on November 17th, 2023

‘Tis the season for waterfowl, and we have a good one for you this week on the Browning Blog.

One question I often hear among waterfowlers is: What shotgun should I shoot and why?

It’s a fair question. There are many guns on the market. However, in the minds of two other waterfowl nuts and me, there are only two choices. 

A5 Wicked Wing, Auric and Maxus II Wicked Wing, Auric

Foster Bartholow and his brother Matt are clay target kingpins. Their list of accolades is long and distinguished. However, when Foster isn’t tuning flying orange discs into puffs of dust, he’s hunting waterfowl.

“You can’t beat it,” said Bartholow. “I love to shoot shotguns, and ducks and geese over decoys are hard to beat.”

When Foster hits the field and water, he carries Browning’s Maxus II. Powered by Browning’s industry-leading Power Drive Gas System, this composite stock beauty is shim adjustable for cast, drop, and length of pull. 

Rubber overmolding on the stock and forearm boosts your grip in all conditions, and Speed Load Plus means easy, quick loading and unloading. 

“It’s my waterfowl go-to,” said Foster. “I have used the Maxus II in every weather condition imaginable. I have used and abused it, and it just keeps doing what every waterfowl hunter asks for in a shotgun — it keeps cycling and going boom.”

Besides the shotgun’s no-fail repeatability, Foster added that he just shoots the gun remarkably well.

“I shot the A5 for years and loved it, but in my opinion, the Maxus II is a game changer. It’s so darn consistent; for me, it comes up naturally. I pull so many doubles and triples with my Maxus II. Last year, I ripped a triple with my Maxus II in a blizzard. It was ridiculous. Winds were blowing upwards of 50 miles per hour. The shotgun shoulders so well and throws down on target like a dream. It is balanced, and from teal to puddle ducks and everything between, it has my trust.”

While my 18-year-old son, Hunter, would disagree, the Maxus II is my go-to shotgun when ducks and geese are on the menu. 

Hunter is incredibly seasoned for only 18 years old, so don’t take his opinion with a grain of salt. He has hunted ducks and geese since the age of 12 and we hunt hard in our neck of Colorado. Hunter told me the other day, as we were bickering back and forth about whether the A5 or the Maxus II is the ultimate waterfowl shotgun, that he would give away his Chevy pickup before he parted ways with his A5. He wasn’t kidding! 

Hunter loves the direct eye-to-rib alignment the classic humpback receiver provides. He cheers the 30 percent longer sight plane, feels it keeps him on target, and allows him to be instinctive as he moves from one bird to another.

Dad, however, is a Maxus II man. Like Bartholow, the biggest reason I opt for the Maxus II over the A5 is how I shoot it. From early-season teal buzzing decoys to late-season honkers, I shoot the shotgun exceptionally well. I love that shooters have a choice in barrel lengths of 26 and 28 inches, and I’ve yet to shoulder a more balanced, forgiving shotgun. 

I love that both the Maxus II and A5 models with a 3-1/2 inch chamber will cycle shotshells from 2-3/4 inches to 3-1/2 inches. This feature alone speaks to the versatility of both shotguns. I also appreciate the SoftFlex cheek pad on the Maxus II. Combined with the Inflex Recoil Pad, shoulder and cheek abuse is minimal, even when shooting heavy 3-1/2-inch goose loads. I also cheer the oversized controls, which make loading and handling the shotgun a breeze. Mostly, though, I can hunt an entire season in muddy cornfields, swaps, river bottoms, dry fields, etc., and never give the gun a full cleaning. While I don’t recommend this type of shotgun mistreatment, it sure is handy to have one that will stand up to constant abuse and still perform day in and day out.

Corey Mulhair is another waterfowl nut. Corey manages Split Reed’s website, a one-stop shop for booking a killer waterfowl hunt, grabbing some merch and, most importantly, digesting accurate, trustworthy, and informative waterfowl content. 

Mulhair wasted no time jumping into the Maxus II/A5 discussion.

“I guess I’m a little different, but I don’t have a favorite,” Mulhair said with a chuckle. “I shoot both incredibly well, have never had a mechanical failure with either, and I simply love how these shotguns look.”

While Mulhair didn’t want to get too hung up on aesthetics, he did note that, in his opinion, the A5, especially the A5 Wicked Wing and the Maxus II, are two of the sexiest-looking shotguns he’s ever shouldered.

“Browning does such a fantastic job giving waterfowlers options,” Mulhair said. “And I don’t just mean by offering great waterfowl shotguns like the A5, Maxus II, and Silver. I love all the camo finish options, and their Wicked Wing shotguns with the Cerakote and Goose Band choke tubes are hard to ignore. When you’re hunting with someone and see a Browning shotgun, you take notice and admire the build.”

Mulhair also pointed out that when waterfowl hunters purchase an A5 or Maxus II, they get three excellent choke tubes. 

“I love the Invector-DS Choke Tube System of the A5. These chokes are as good as many custom chokes. Typically, what I do, because I shoot both models so well and have so much confidence in both, is set one up with an Improved Cylinder or Modified choke and one with a Full choke. This way, I grab the gun that makes the most sense for whatever is on the day’s hunt agenda.”

“Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either. Both are pure waterfowl shotguns that will meet — and likely exceed — any hunter’s needs and expectations.”

So, the question remains: What Browning waterfowl shotgun is right for you? The answer is it doesn’t matter. Whichever Browning build you decide to put your trust in, it won’t let you down, will prove remarkably accurate, and help you make memories in the field that will last a lifetime.

Spend some time on the website. Read about the many technologies that make Browning shotguns superior. Enjoy the process. Click on all the camo patterns these shotguns come in, and then head to your nearest Browning dealer and make your purchase.