Excellent!
Took a little while, but this question is finally generating some replies
Yeah, I looked at the shotguns out there and pretty much came to the same conclusion as you guys did: the cost is not THAT much more, it seems to be the same old workhorse of a gun, and you can shoot any 12 ga shell through it. add it all up and it is a win-win.
Two more follow-up questions:
1. How much does the mechanism of the 870 super mag differ from that of the 870 magnum? I'm not asking how the gun functions (I know how to work it, its identical to its sisters in every respect), but rather, was there any substantial re-engineering of the basic 870 mechanism, or is it simply a matter of making the chamber and ejection port longer and just beefing it up to tolerate higher pressures? I ask since we're talking durability here, and if its basically the same gun, I'm willing to wager that it will endure just fine.
2. For you tactical-type people out there: Would having the longer chamber/ejection port make load-switching drills (like 'select-a-slug') easier, or will the extra space make malfunctions more common? I like the 'slap and slam' ability of the 870 police model. I'd hate to slap in a slug and have the gun choke.
Cheerio!
Mike
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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein