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The late Nash Buckingham shot wildfowl with his Becker-bored Fox nicknamed Bo Whoop, Elmer Keith and Charles Askins had their 10-bore Ithaca NID magnums, and Jack O'Connor favored the Winchester Model 21. Wildfowl guns all, made to shoot heavy loads at big Canada geese or fast-winging ducks. Beyond those there have been numerous shotguns whose mystique is in the name "Magnum," which implies long chambers capable of firing heavy loads through tightly choked barrels solely for hardcore wildfowling. Of every style of action, they are as relevant today as when they were first developed.

Although early hunters shot 8- and 10-gauge guns at waterfowl (the loads for these mega-gauges were very modest compared with today's Roman-candlesque magnums), the rise of the waterfowl-only shotgun came about largely in the mid-1920s. It was at that time that the Western Cartridge Co. released its legendary Super-X shotshells. Using a new progressive-burning propellant, the shells provided higher velocities with improved patterns, especially when loaded with Western's premium copper-plated Lubaloy pellets. Simultaneously, the A.H. Fox Gun Co. released its legendary HE-Grade Super Fox, causing a stir among hardcore wildfowlers. Not to be outdone, L.C. Smith countered with its Long Range, or Wild Fowl, guns, which were built for three-inch shells. The arms race was on.

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