Help Me Choose A HD Shotgun

[KPS]

I have no experience with shotguns since shooting them about 13 years ago.I want a pump that has lots of upgrade potential which leads me to the REm 870 and Moss 500.Are there any models that come standard with 18"-20" barrels with ghost ring sights?I don't plan on shooting trap/skeet or hunting with it so it will be primarily for home defense.Can anyone lead me in the right direction or give me some suggestions?

[Rob62]

As far as I know only the Mossberg comes with factory ghost ring sights installed as an option. Both come from the factory with 18" barrels.

My recomendation like many here will be to get the 870. Not that there's anything wrong with the Mossy. Its hard to go wrong with either. Try to shoot both if possible and get the one that you find to be the most comfortable and easiest to hit with.

Good luck with your decision.
Rob

[Andrew Wyatt]

You really can't go wrong with any of the big three.

Mossbergs are nice, and you can buy a long barrel model, for non HD stuff, and buy their ghost ring sight kit which is an 18 inch barrel and rear sight (which installs in holes already tapped into the reciever)

[9mmMike]

For SG that will sit at home and (hopefully) never be fired in anger, I'd get the Mossy. It's cheaper and as Rob mentioned, it is already tapped for the ghost ring.
Personally, I like the 870's but I shoot a bunch and that's the SG that I liked the best.
If you are not going to shoot it much, why spend the extra dough?
Both are fine, reliable weapons.
Mike

[Fish Springs]

Try Wally World and find a Winchester 1300, 8 shot and practice. This action unlatches shortly after firing and it can be cycled very quickly.

I love 870's but have learned to run the M 1300 faster than the 870 and it was 189 dollars and took a handfull of #4 buck to get over the 200 dollar mark. The 1300 is ugly, fast and has a stout wood stock which will double as a club.

[jthuang]

http://www.members.tripod.com/~jth8260/shotgun.html

Justin

[DougB]

A friend of mine recently got a Norinco 982 that is a clone of the Remington 870. It cost him about $180 and comes with a nice adjustable ghost ring sight and synthetic stock. It looks pretty good, although he hasn't actually shot it yet.

I have a Winchester 1300 Defender. I like it - high capactiy, smoother action than the Norinco, but it doesn't have the ghost ring sight and it wouldn't be especially easy or cheap to add one. If I needed another and didn't want to spend a lot, I think I'd give the Norinco a try.

Doug

[Dave McC]

Doug, I suggest you use the Search feature and see how some of us feel about ChiCom clones.

KPS, a shotgun of any sort is an excellent close range weapon in TRAINED hands.In untrained or unfamiliarized hands, it's a problem and not a solution.

One great way to train yourself and have fun doing same is the clay games. Another is "Practical" matches.

Back when the State of Md was paying me to teach folks to shoot, I noted that only the people that shot a shotgun recreationally moved past bare minimum level. And, the folks that shot the most were the best, regardless of discipline. IOW, a casual trapshooter shooting 500 rounds a month( low by trap standards) would be far and away better than an average hunters, shooting less than 100 rounds a year.

Also, GR sights are a nice to have on a pure HD gun, but not essential. Much good work has been done with a bead. My HD tools double as deer gun, so they have them. However,I doubt that if I fired ANY realistic COF at realistic HD ranges, my scores would be much better or worse using just a bead.

As for choice of HD pump among the Big Three, get what FEELS the best/ That's the McCRule...

[CMichael]

KPS I am very happy with my Mossberg Persuader with the extended magazine.

It's a 12 gauge 20". It was also relatively inexpensive.

I know you said that you didn't want to use your shotgun for trap and skeet. I think that is a big mistake. You can get a lot more pleasure playing those games than just keeping it in your closet.

Also, playing those games familiarizes you with the gun so you are better prepared to use it for home defense if you have to.

You can purchase separately a 28" barrel for the Persuader. It's $116 for the barrel.

I don't recall well but I think the gun itself was about $200.

Michael

[six 4 sure]

But, my personal HD shotgun is a Bakial (EAA) "Bounty Hunter" double barrel. I keep it loaded with #4 buck. With the shorter barrels the overall length is surprisingly small.

I don't think any type of conferntation is going to last more than a couple shots in my place, so I think the double is a good call.

It has also been quite devistating to the local jack-rabbit population.

The only big complaint I have is the hard plastic butt pad, but that's an easy fix.

Six

[KPS]

Well, the more I think about it, shooting skeet does sound like alot of fun.I didn't know you could buy longer barrels for Mossbergs.

[dfaugh]

I checked into this...You can't get longer barrels for the "Special Purpose" (7+1) Mossbergs, that I could find...But if you get standard (5+1?)models, you can get pretty much anything you might want....

[CMichael]

KPS the way I got into this stuff is that I told my wife I wanted to have a shotgun for HD. I got the I'm never gonna have a gun in my house bit.

She knew I wanted one. So on my birthday Nov. 13 she bought me the Persuader. I was very pleased.

I then went into the range and started trap shooting. I was having so much fun and the people at the gun club were so nice that my wife wanted a shogun for her birthday Nov. 27.

So now we go shooting together on weekends.

KPS you can get a lot of pleasure shooting trap and skeept. Infinetely more than just keeping the shotgun in the closet.

There is one disadvantage to a pump. If you do shoot doubles (two clays in the air at once) it's hard to do it fast enough with a pump.

Other than that a pump is reliable and relatively inexpensive.

For the Persuader I believe there is one barrel you can get. It's 28". I just got it and get wait to shoot it at the range. Unfortunately, the past several weekends it has been raining here. It's $116, I believe part 90241.

Please let us know how you progress.

Best,
Michael

[CMichael]

Dfaugh respectfully you are mistaken. You can get a 28" for the Persuader with the extended magazine. I know because I just got one.

Michael

[Poodleshooter]

Yeah, but the barrel options for the 8 shot Mossys are pretty limited. You CAN remove the magazine tubes however! Get a 5 shot tube, and an 8shot tube, a riot barrel for the 8shot, and sporting barrels for the 5 shot and you have one of the most versatile guns in existence. There is something to the ability to use the same gun for skeet, trap, HD, duck hunting, quail hunting or deer!
FWIW, I have a 5+1 Mossy 500 under the bed, stuffed with Federal Premium OO 3".
I use it for all of the above.

[hitnthexring]

If you can spend $1,000, get the Benelli M1 with the pistol grip, ghost rings, & the 7-shot extended magazine. Or the Wilson Scattergun with the light.

[Popsicle]

I don't know if you have Big 5 sporting goods where you live, but here in Las Vegas, NV. they sell the Mossberg combo packages all the time for 219.00 on sale. They include a synthetic stock 12 ga. model 500 with a 28" Accu-choke barrel, and also include an 18.5" riot barrel. These are underrated guns, in my opinion, and I would be looking very hard at one of these packages if I needed another shotgun at this time. Hope this helps!

Pat Brophy