“inertia-operated”

The end of duck season is a sordid affair. Yes, there’s work to be done, with mud and muck encasing nearly everything you own, and the contempt you hold for your alarm clock is palpable. … But why quit now? The best hunting of the year is waiting south of the border.

From sleek Italian over/unders to pumps that punch above their pay grade, these new scatterguns should be on every hunter's wish list.

Get a closer look at the EAA Girsan MC312, the latest addition to our #SundayGunday series.

The new Weatherby 18i semi-auto shotguns are built on an inertia-operated action that provides reliable cycling in an evenly-weighted gun. The Italian-made line consists of three models; the elegant Weatherby 18i Deluxe, the 18i Synthetic and the 18i Waterfowler.

Built on the inertia-driven system that harnesses recoil to operate the action, the new Franchi Affinity 3 and 3.5 Elite shotguns are fast, slim and reliable. Stocks are adjustable for drop and cast, and barrels feature a Cerakote finish, lengthened forcing cone for better pattern density and a TrueGlo fiber-optic front sight.

An upgrade to the original model, the new 12-gauge Affinity 3.5 sports design features that increase its appeal to the American hunter. It’s dependable, durable and lightweight, and with an MSRP around $1,000 and a seven-year warranty, it’s a shotgun you won’t hesitate to carry into the swamp.

The 28-gauge Ethos is a quality sporting shotgun from a trusted maker, and the 3-inch shells go a long way toward closing the power gap between this increasingly popular sub-gauge and its larger kin.

All things considered, the Benelli SBE 3 is a well-planned evolution of not just the SBE platform, but semi-automatic shotguns in general. The dominance of the pump gun is over, never to return.

Browning's revived A5 Sweet Sixteen captures every bit of the famous design, but in a gauge that has brought back more than a few sweet memories for hunters across the country.