The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Dave McCracken Memorial Shotgun Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old January 7, 2005, 04:04 AM   #1
stout
Member
 
Join Date: January 6, 2005
Posts: 15
looking for the perfect self defense shotgun

there are so many shotguns for home defense and i want one that i can put all types of cool acessories on it. Is the winchester 1300 defender a good choice? or should i go with somthing else?
stout is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 04:20 AM   #2
klondike
Member
 
Join Date: November 27, 2004
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 31
If money is not a big factor I would highly suggest a Benelli. Preferrably an M3 since its dual-operation you can use a wide range of loads in it. An M1 or even Nova Pump tactical would all work very well. If those run a lil too high for you, I've had good experiences with Remington 870s, I assure you will not regret picking one of those up. They are not all that expensive either, good gun for the price.
klondike is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 04:32 AM   #3
stout
Member
 
Join Date: January 6, 2005
Posts: 15
so is there somthing wrong with the winchester 1300 defender?
stout is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 11:52 AM   #4
John_StLmo
Junior Member
 
Join Date: June 19, 2004
Posts: 14
<deleted>

Last edited by John_StLmo; January 8, 2005 at 12:08 AM.
John_StLmo is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 11:57 AM   #5
FirstFreedom
Junior member
 
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A.
Posts: 12,451
No there's nothing wrong with the Win 1300 - great shotgun, IMO. 870 good also. Mossy 500/590 good also. Benelli good. Hard to go wrong...

As for me, I currently have a Mossberg 500 - reason being that I'm saving to throw this on it:

http://www.knoxx.com/NewStyleKnoxx/P...SideWinder.htm

There's your cool accessory!
FirstFreedom is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 12:13 PM   #6
444
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 20, 2000
Location: Ohio
Posts: 3,968
Not a recomendation, but just something to think about.

Louis Awerbuck is probably the most respected defensive shotgun guru in the world. He has probably seen many thousand shotguns with every possible gadget and gimmick known to man being put through their paces. Who knows how many rounds of shotgun ammo he has personally fired.
I looked into his vehicle a couple times and he has a shotgun mounted to the transmission hump. It is an 870 that looks to me to be bone stock other than a shortened buttstock and a Surefire light. In the one shotgun class I took from him, he had a couple of his personal shotguns there and they were 870s with a Surefire light.
If I was looking for the ultimate defensive shotgun, I would pay attention to what he has.

So what do I have ?
I have two 870s with Surefire lights and shortened buttstocks.
__________________
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
444 is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 01:29 PM   #7
CJNies
Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2004
Posts: 70
I've had an 870 in one shape or another since 1980, and wouldn't be without one. Nothing against the other shotguns mentioned, it's just that the 870 and myself are a good fit, and you can get a lot of toys to add to the 870
CJNies is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 03:25 PM   #8
Dfariswheel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2001
Posts: 7,477
stout:
To cut to the chase, there's nothing "wrong" with the 1300.
ANY one of the American "Big Four..Remington, Winchester, Mossberg, or Ithaca) will serve you quite well.

However, you stated you wanted a HD gun that you can "put plenty of cool accessories on".

Issues of over-accessorizing aside, THE most accessorizeable shotgun in history is the Remington 870.
If there is a shotgun accessory available, it's available for the 870.

So, if you want a HD gun, any good pump from one of the Big Four will be perfect.

If you want to play around with additions to the gun, and want the widest possible number of options, the 870 will offer that over any other brand.
Dfariswheel is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 04:17 PM   #9
FirstFreedom
Junior member
 
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A.
Posts: 12,451
Quote:
If there is a shotgun accessory available, it's available for the 870.
Very true. *EXCEPT FOR* the coolest one of them all - the sidewinder. It is only available as a drop in for the Mossberg. YMMV. Knoxx is supposed to start making them for the Rem 870 on a mail-in-and-install basis, but not yet, and maybe not ever.
FirstFreedom is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 05:04 PM   #10
stout
Member
 
Join Date: January 6, 2005
Posts: 15
thanks for all the help and i think im gonna go for the the 870. is there any specific 870 i should go with? like the police edition.
stout is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 05:30 PM   #11
2002gti
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 20, 2004
Location: FIND ME
Posts: 1,125
go for the cheap home defense one for the low $200's. i have a 1300 and am going to reccomend the 870 also based purely on its butter smooth action, compared to winchester/mossberg there really is no comparison.
__________________
HEE with the most toys dies happiest
2002gti is offline  
Old January 7, 2005, 11:43 PM   #12
klondike
Member
 
Join Date: November 27, 2004
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 31
The marine models aren't too bad though it might be unnecessary. It looks very nice, has a 18" barrel and extended mag too. Good shotgun but that model is a lil more, like 400 or more I think.
klondike is offline  
Old January 9, 2005, 01:26 AM   #13
43061
Member
 
Join Date: January 9, 2005
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 45
I carry two Remington 870's and love them both.

The one inside my patrol car is a 3 1/2 inch Super Express Magnum with the barrel cut to 18 inches with a Vang Comp System, and MMC ghost ring sights.

The one I carry with me for high risk situations is a 3 inch Express Magnum with an 18 inch police barrel. It has an Argonaut Armament AR15/870 stock adapter with a Rock River Arms adjustable stock, and a Knight's Armament RAS 870 rail with an EoTech 552.

Both have Wilson Combat magazine extentions and six shot side saddles along with SureFire 618FA weapon lights.

The second one will eventually get the Vang Comp System, but my pennies have been going into a Rock River Arms AR15 which at this point only has the EoTech 552 added to it.

I will say both are heavy shotguns, but you're only carrying it in the house and not across a field somewhere. Get the Vang Comp System done and all the pellets will go into the bad guy and not take out the living room with him.

Argonaut Armament stopped making adapters. If I was going to buy one now I would go with Mesa Tactical. Both of them have the buffer spring in line with the barrel.
43061 is offline  
Old January 10, 2005, 01:04 PM   #14
264fan
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 27, 2004
Posts: 2
The 870 Police is a great choice you can always pick up a good used one that a PD may have sold. You can always buy a new one. Pumps are always more intimidating, just rack the slide and anybody knows what they are up against.
264fan is offline  
Old January 10, 2005, 02:06 PM   #15
Crosshair
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 16, 2004
Location: Grand Forks, ND
Posts: 5,333
I have a slightly used 870 Marine Magnum on layaway at Cabelas for $425. Nice smooth gun IMHO. I would preferably go with a pump, the sound of it sends the message. At Cabelas whenever someone is looking at a pump and racks it, everyone looks up. Don't know why but in home defence that sound is the sound of a can of whoopass being opened.
Crosshair is offline  
Old January 10, 2005, 05:01 PM   #16
Doug242ti
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 29, 2004
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 316
you mean your pistols dont make the same noise everytime you round a corner like they do in the movies? :barf:
__________________
www.pbase.com/dkauer744
NRA Member
Doug242ti is offline  
Old January 12, 2005, 01:12 PM   #17
liliysdad
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 7, 2004
Posts: 1,145
My personal go to gun is an old 870 Wingmaster Riot, basically the same as the Police, excpet for the blued finsih versus the Park'd job on the Police guns. Id shy away from the Express if you can, but they are still solid guns, especially compared to the Mossberg.

I like mine simple, so here's what Ive done. Scattergun Tech (pre-wilson) +2 extension with clamp, Speedfeed 12.5 LOP synthetic stock (without the pistol grip or round storage), chopped down Express synthetic forend ( I abhor corn cob forends, and my factory riot wood stocks are too pretty to get beat up in the patrol car), and Mossberg Ghost Ring sights (cheaper than any other aftermarket sight, and just as good, IMO). Works great for me.
liliysdad is offline  
Old January 12, 2005, 09:15 PM   #18
cpileri
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 24, 2001
Location: Peoples Republik of Maryland, Sister State to Kalifornia
Posts: 619
One thing.

The police models are great becasue the good, workable, cost-effective accessories are in large part designed for them.
About police models...
Whatever you get, if its a surplus police or new police model that has an 18-in barrel then they mean an 18.000 inch barrel!
I almost had a stroke when a former shooting buddy took it out! See, from the bolt face on a closed action to the muzzle is indeed 18 inches. But from the outside edge of the receiver to the muzzle (measured from the outside, parallel to bore axis) it is about 17.75!
I started looking around all paranoid to see who was looking too closely at us. It was nerve wracking until (like 1 minute later) he pulls out a wooden dowel marked by using carpet tacks to attach a metal tape measure and was 18" long. He slid it in the bore on a closed action, etc and there actually was a nanometer or so of barrel to spare. I wasn't too amused, and didnt fire it cuz I was still paranoid about my fingerprints being on it.
C-
__________________
___________________________
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants;
it is the creed of slaves." -- William Pitt (1783)
cpileri is offline  
Old January 12, 2005, 09:32 PM   #19
liliysdad
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 7, 2004
Posts: 1,145
Who cares if the barel is 18" or 18.25"? 18" is legal, and thus the way it should be. The barrel is measured from the front of the breech face with the action closed, no matter what the external measurement is.
liliysdad is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:28 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.09986 seconds with 10 queries