Realtree Max-5 is a pattern for hunters who sit in flooded timber and watch the sky, and the Stoeger M3500 wears it well. It is a 12 gauge semi-auto with a 26-inch barrel and 4 rounds, priced about eight hundred seventy dollars.

The M3500 is built to handle 3.5-inch magnum shells, which turkey hunters and goose hunters sometimes want. Big shells kick hard, but a semi-auto action helps soak up some of that recoil. A 26-inch barrel keeps the gun handy in a blind or on a walk.

The Max-5 camo covers the stock and often the metal, so the gun disappears against cattails and trees. Pattern it at the range with your chosen load and choke, because magnum loads can behave differently from standard shells.

Clean the action after wet hunts, and lightly oil it. A gun built for heavy use needs a little steady care. For ducks and geese on the sounds of eastern North Carolina, it is a solid and affordable tool. This shotgun is new. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer for the background check and transfer.