For an all around gun, any action will do as long as the gun fits.
if a person is going to be doing more pass shooting and higher volume
( read longer shots) , then a semi will be better over the course of a day because of the recoil factor.
From a blind, weight is actually a good thing as well, because it absorbs recoil and you don't have to pack the gun around like upland hunting.
However, if you are jump shooting, a lighter gun is preferred by many .
I have shot many of the newer semis and they are pretty good for the most part, but no better IMO than an 1100 Remington, simply because to realize the difference one has to fire a lot of ammo to notice the difference.
I don't hunt with a semi, in fact I don't hunt very much with a 12 bore , and when I do it's a SXS hammer gun.
Most of my waterfowl hunting these days is done with a 20 over decoys.
Many if my friends use older 1100's or newer semi autos like the Maxis or Extrema, and they all think theirs are the best!
However, like EH11 stated, make sure it fits- most of the newer guns have shims and spacers to help with this.
Cat