+1
For a good all around shotgun I got the BPS 12 Ga. Upland Special.
http://www.browning.com/products/cat...12&type_id=216
The short 22" bbl makes it handy/quick enough for HD, it has interchangeable choke tubes for hunting all sorts of things and groups Forster "rifled" slugs really well for bear defense.
The fact that I'm a southpaw steared me toward this gun
but the safety is in a more natural location for any shooter than the 870's or Nova's. The thumb naturally clicks it off as the gun is brought up. To save some dough the Mossberg 500's et. al. have the same safety location and will work juuuust fine. They, IMO, aren't as "classy" as the BPS but there isn't a thing wrong with them. I'd just go for a model that has interchangeable choke tubes and it'll work fine for HD and trap/bird hunting.