These four sub-gauge shotguns will help you cancel a lot of migrations during the 2026-2027 waterfowl season.
by Jace Bauserman
Hunting waterfowl with sub-gauge shotguns is an incredibly fun and fulfilling experience. Picture this: the sun rising over the wetlands, casting a golden hue across the water, while you and your friends gear up, fueled by anticipation. There’s something about the stillness of the morning that sets the stage for an unforgettable hunt. Using a sub-gauge shotgun, like a 20- or 28-gauge, or .410 bore, enhances the experience even more. These shotguns are lighter and more manageable, making them easier to swing and follow fast-flying birds; however, payload is reduced, meaning fewer pellets and a narrower margin of error.
The reduced recoil is a game-changer, especially when you’re out there all day. It allows for quick, accurate follow-up shots as ducks and geese do it dirty in the deeks. Plus, the challenge of taking down these birds with a smaller gauge adds an exciting twist, demanding precision and skill. Ultimately, hunting ducks and geese with sub-gauge shotguns is about more than just filling the bag. Here are four great sub-gauge go-to waterfowl shotguns for 2026.
Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote 20- and 28-Gauge
Benelli’s Advanced Impact (A.I.) technology has proven its mettle. Waterfowl hunters, myself included, report increased penetration and devastating wound channels when using standard steel shot. According to Benelli, A.I. Crio system barrels produce a more uniform and tighter shot string that, when combined with the included A.I. Extended Crio chokes, put more pellets on target with more energy. This energy, which is retained in-flight speed, allows budget-friendly steel shot to crumble birds. A.I. technology is an excellent advancement for sub-gauge goers due to the amount of pellets it puts on target and how those pellets are able to penetrate deep and carve excellent wound channels.
For 2026, Benelli gives sub-gauge goers its SBE 3 A.I. Cerakote 20- and 28-Gauge offerings. Available with longer 28-inch Crio system barrels, camo stock options are many, and all 20- and 28-gauge models are chambered to handle 2-3/4- and 3-inch shotshells. The receiver and barrel are coated with Cerakote to reduce shine, provide a racy look, and further weather-proof these metal components.
The ComfortTech 3 stock utilizes shock-absorbing chevrons placed throughout the stock along with the rear recoil pad, to keep your cheek welded to the stock, allowing you to send magnum loads, keep your cheek on the padded upper portion of the stock, and swing through to ensure precise shooting.
Naturally, Benelli’s new sub-gauge offerings utilize the tried-and-true Inertia Driven System, which can handle everything from light dove loads to goose killers. Constructed with durable steel locking lugs on a rotating bolt head, the Inertia Driven System ensures rapid loading and ejection, even on days when the Mercury drops.
The 20-gauge variant is favored by hunters who prioritize lightweight mobility without sacrificing power, making it an excellent option for close to mid-range shots. Conversely, the 28-gauge option creates a more delicate shooting experience, perfect for those looking for a balance between performance and finesse. Both models feature ergonomic stocks and versatile choke systems, enabling shooters to customize their setups to specific hunting needs.
Browning A5 Camo 20 Gauge
Waterfowlers asked for it, and Browning delivered. Not every hunt for migrators requires a 12-gauge, and with the sub-gauge craze in full swing, 2026 was the perfect time for Browning to drop 10 new A5 Camo 20 Gauge models. Available in 26 and 28-inch barrels across five (Auric, Vintage Tan, Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Habitat, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Realtree Max-7) camo offerings, the new A5 Camo 20 Gauge is light, feels excellent in hand, and comes to the shoulder quickly and clean.
Whether you want a 20 gauge to go along with your 12-gauge arsenal or are a small-framed shooter who craves reduced recoil, the A5 Camo 20 Gauge handles well and reduces felt recoil even when shooting magnum 3-inch shotshells with heavy payloads and ensures ideal eye-to-barrel alignment via the legendary humbpack receiver. Weighing just 5 pounds 13 ounces for the 26-inch barrel and 5 pounds 14 ounces for the 28-inch version, these lightweight shotguns ensure ease of carry throughout the day and provide excellent handling when birds approach.
Designed to be its best when Mother Nature is at her worst, Browning’s ultra-reliable Kinematic Drive System uses recoil to operate the action, reducing shoulder shock and ensuring clean cycling, even when the weather is foul, and shotgun internals are less than clean. Browning is so confident in the Kinematic Drive System’s reliability, that it backs every A5 with a 100,000-round or five-year guarantee.
The composite stock is bulletproof, and A5 barrels are engineered to withstand the punishment of steel shot while still providing excellent patterns with other popular waterfowl metals like Bismuth and Tungsten.
Recoil is further reduced via back-boring, a technology that increases the inside bore diameter to its ideal, maximum allowable specification. Back-Bored technology reduces friction between the shot cup and the barrel, allowing the energy developed by the powder to send the payload at a higher velocity.
A technology that doesn’t get as much limelight as it should, Ergo Balance ensures a fast swing and excellent feel from the Inflex II Recoil Pad to the muzzle. This shotgun is a nightmare for waterfowl.
Winchester SX4 Hybrid Hunter Bottomland
Originally introduced in 1986 by Toxey Haas, Bottomland camo has made a resurgence. Some claim it’s the nostalgia, others, like me, prefer the pattern because it mimics bark, dirt, and sticks. It works well in shadowy and dark-timber environments, and from deer to turkey to big bulls in heavy timber, it’s an excellent go-to pattern. Bottomland is also a top-tier waterfowl pattern. From fields to marshes to timbered river bottoms and standing timber, Bottomland wins. For 2026, Winchester Repeating Arms adds Bottomland to its highly-touted SX4 Hybrid Hunter Bottomland.
The tough-as-nails aluminum alloy receiver wears a no-shine, protect-at-all-costs Cerakote Flat Dark Earth finish, and so does the 26- or 28-inch (your choice) barrel.
Designed to be a waterfowl wrecker, the SX4 Hybrid Hunter Bottomland 20-gauge is chambered to handle 3-inch waterfowl loads, but the Active Valve Gas System will cycle light 2-3/4-inch dove loads with ease. The same system used for the SX2 and SX3, the Active Valve Gas System is reliable and handles extreme weather and temperature swings with ease, and, though gas-driven, reduces recoil. This is one of the most durable gas systems I’ve ever tested. There’s a reason A LOT of guides that hunt the salt use and rent out SX4 shotguns.
Boosting in-the-field handling, the SX4 Hybrid Hunter Bottomland features enlarged controls, including a larger bolt handle and oversized bolt release button. The rounded, close radius grip and textured gripping surfaces boost feel, and this shotgun comes to the shoulder quickly, promotes balance, and swings easily.
Your new SX4 Hybrid Hunter Bottomland comes with a front-mounted TRUGLO fiber-optic sight and a trio of Invector-Plus (F, M, IC) choke tubes. Inflex Technology soaks up felt recoil like a sponge, and sling swivel studs make sling attachment quick and easy. Make no mistake, the SX4 Hybrid Hunter Bottomland is a do-all shotgun, but its build screams waterfowl.
Winchester Repeating Arms added Black Nitride Surface Treatment to harden the chamber and bore surfaces and help those surfaces resist corrosion. Nickel Teflon coating on the bot and bolt carrier reduces friction and corrosion. This shotgun thrives in extreme weather and environmental conditions.
Mossberg International Silver Reserve Eventide .410 Bore
Now for 2026, from master gunmaker Mossberg, is the over/under Silver Reserve Eventide in .410 Bore. A break-action shotgun with a 3-inch chamber, 26-inch barrel, and weighing just 6.5 pounds, the Silver Reserve Eventide .410 bore is perfect for smaller-framed shooters and accomplished waterfowlers wanting the added challenge of getting birds closer and executing excellent shots.
The logo-engraved receiver looks excellent, the shell extractors never fail—the shotgun is easy to load and unload—and the tang-mounted safety with barrel selector is functional and perfectly located. Dual locking lugs ensure positive lock-up, and the synthetic stock with checkered grip and forearm feels great and promises excellent handling in bad weather.
The dual 26-inch barrels wear a matte blue finish to reduce bird-spooking shine, and with five factory chokes to choose from, the Silver Reserve Eventide .410 Bore can be customized to match any waterfowl environment or situation. The vent rib provides immediate alignment of the eye with the front fiber-optic bead.
