Meet the Eventide Waterfowl
The Eventide Waterfowl falls under Mossberg’s International lineup of overseas-production firearms. In the case of the Eventides, the Waterfowl hails from Turkey, with barrel stampings of Khan/Kayhan.
The O/U uses 28-inch barrels, putting the double at 45.5 inches of overall length and weighing in at 7.25 pounds empty. There’s a magnum-length 3.5-inch chamber and dense rubber recoil pad. Many traditional over-under features are found on the Eventide Waterfowl. It has corrosion-resistant chrome-lined barrels and chambers, and dual locking lugs define the action.
A tang safety doubles as the barrel selector, making it easy for bird hunters to quickly switch between two different choke tubes. To that end, Mossberg includes a full set of five choke tubes packed in a hard case along with a basic flat wrench.
While your average clay and upland O/U shotgun shows blued steel against walnut furniture, the Eventide Waterfowl goes Mossy Oak Vintage Shadowgrass camo against Patriot Brown Cerakote. The single trigger design mates with ventilated rib barrels, a red fiber-optic front sight, and sling studs.
Though still creeping up on the grand price point, the Mossberg’s $980 retail pricing sets the Eventide Waterfowl at the lower end of the O/U hunting shotgun market, against its nearest competitors in Browning and CZ.
Specs
- Action: Over/Under
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Overall Length: 45.5 inches
- Length of Pull: 14.5 inches
- Weight: 7.25 pounds (empty)
- Chamber: 3.5 inches
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Gauge: 12
Field Notes
We’ve extensively hunted gobblers across several states with Mossberg’s Eventide Turkey, so we weren’t coming in blind on the Waterfowl. Internal build features remain largely constant, but barrel lengths, camouflage, finishes, and overall feel give the guns a different aesthetic.
The Eventide Waterfowl has some weight to it at almost 7.5 pounds loaded and with a sling. That tang-mounted safety and barrel selector mechanism is familiar to most O/U shooters and worked well in this platform.
Right out of the box, the action showed tight tolerances and opened with some stiffness. Like most O/Us, especially the hunting variety, the Eventide Waterfowl loosened up to an easier action after firing a couple dozen hunting rounds. Even after multiple boxes of pretty heavy hunting loads, the Waterfowl maintained its integrity, amid what we’ll call inopportune weather.
Though a weighty gun, felt recoil is stout enough when firing loads like Federal Premium Black Cloud Steel #4, Hevi Shot Hevi Hammer BB, and Winchester Xpert Snow Goose #1 & 2 shot, all in 3.5-inchers. We did run some 2.75 and 3-inch shells just to ensure smooth function, and the gun chewed them all up without a hiccup. Despite rougher handling as part of this test, it looks and feels like new.
My Thoughts
All in all, the Eventide Waterfowl did everything we asked of it. Despite several extended outings in the rain, mud, and all-around inclement weather, the shotgun came out no worse for the wear, even though it wasn’t always thoroughly cleaned until the following day. The rather aggressively checkered stocks were welcome in such conditions.
The camouflage against Cerakote coatings look good and serve practical purposes in the field. The 3.5-inch chamber is a nice touch, especially for waterfowlers seeking longer-range loads, as more manufacturers go to 3-inchers.
It wasn’t all stars for the gun, though. Some hunters, this one included, would prefer ejectors instead of extractors on such a gun. This is largely personal preference, but for waterfowl hunters, who often have rapidly disappearing chances at multiple shots, quick reloads are appreciated.
The 14.5-inch length of pull is long for a hunting gun that is used most often by those dressed in bulkier waterfowl gear and waders. Larger-framed shooters may appreciate the length more, but we would have liked to see removable spacers.
Lastly, the synthetic furniture has a hollow feel, an unwelcome note to an otherwise stout-feeling double. This is remedied easily enough with some foam but could have been addressed at the factory. Those few shortcomings may not even be noteworthy for many shooters.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Reliable and durable
- Camouflage and Cerakote finish looks good and is practical
- 3.5-inch magnum chamber
- Included set of five chokes
- Aggressive grip checkering
- Ventilated rib barrels
- Fiber-optic front sight
- Sling studs
Cons:
- No ejectors
- LOP a bit long at 14.5 inches
- Synthetic furniture doesn’t feel solid
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Stout recoil
Summary
Hunters seeking a double-barreled shotgun built specifically to pursue ducks and geese should give Mossberg’s Eventide Waterfowl a good, long look. Despite a few shortcomings, its more reasonable price point makes it an attractive and practical build for the hardcore foul-weather hunter. Though it’s a dedicated duck and goose hunter, the so named Waterfowl could easily do double duty on clays and other game.
