Need a suggestion on a shotgun

[Chris Phelps]

I've decided its time to add a shotgun to the collection. 90% of the time, I will be firing slugs or buckshot from it. I want something as short as I can legally make it, overall. Pump or semi only. Hopefully it wont cost me an arm and a leg. Who has some suggestions?

[banditt007]

if you are going to be shooting heavy hitting loads like slugs n buckshot from it i suggest you get it in semi just to suck up some of the recoil as compared to a pump.

also the heavier the gun the less precieved recoil, so i would also choose a heavier one...

[BobK]

Can't go wrong with either the Rem 870, Mossberg 500, or Winchester 1300. The seems to be more aftermarket parts and accesories for the 870 and 500. Benenelli is a fine choice also. I got a good used 870 at pawn shop and customized it myself.

[Ruger4570]

for me it would be a Remington 1100 or 870. My other choice in a pump would be an Ithaca 37.

[hoghunting]

All are very good suggestions and very good guns. Slugs do hurt after 5-10 rounds, so I would stay with an Auto like the Rem 1100, 1187. The pumps work just fine, they do kick more during recoil.

[SD_Chop]

I would say for pump 870 or moss 500, semi rem 1187. But over all if u got a few extra bucks the benelli M1

[Chris Phelps]

What is floating around for reasonably priced semi's that will fit my need?


I would normally download the CDNN catalog, but I cant get adobe reader to load on my work computer, and I am never home anymore.

[biglabsrule]

i take it youre not planning on hunting with this gun or youd want the full barrel, but if you are i can vouge that ive taken a few deer with my 870 wingmaster with rifled slug barrel... if not i still think the 870 express is a good choice try this new version just out..
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...l_shotguns.asp
they have both an 1100 tactical and the 870 tactical...
look under specs and you see the 870 comes with a short 18 or 20" barrel and the 1100 can come in either 18 or 22" :P
and as for the magazine capacity its the standard 4 plus 2, 3, or 4 more depending on the barrel length you choose so you could have one in the chamber and another 8 rounds ready, thats alot of take down power, specialy with buckshot!

[Chris Phelps]

Negative... no intention of hunting with it. This is purely a defense against any animal I cannot easily drop with a 223 round. A friend and I are planning a camping trip pretty soon, and we are going to take the ARs out with us for a bit of fun punching paper. The only problem is, this particular area is infested with bear and mountain lion. The bear are not known to attack people, so the likelyhood of ever needing the shotgun is slim, but I don't want to be one of those people in the yearly statistics.

[biglabsrule]

i see, the link i posted for the tactical weapon are more for home defence but no doubt would work great and then would be practical for by the bed :P personaly id want my .30-06 for taking on a bear, not that i would think itd attack me, more like id be shooting at it as it ran away...
Bears are becomming bolder though, a year back i had one wonder on my front lawn, shot over its head with a 12 guage, withing 20 mins the dam thing was wondering out of the woods again, they absolutely love the bird feedrs we use with black oil sunflower seeds, actualy theyve been back already, tore through a bib wooden suit feeder i had made, they do have power no doubt about it.. have a good time out there...

[JohnBrowning]

Get a Vang Comp barrel and a Knoxx compstock, and painful recoil will become a non issue.

[Death from Afar]

Well said JB. I am looking at a Vang comp barrel, but the BATF are apparently not cool on them leaveing the US. *sigh*

[ATW525]

Maverick 88... the best buy of defensive shotguns which can accept a large portion of accessories for the Mossberg 500. They can easily be had for less than $200 new and you won't cry if it gets a few dings out in the woods.

[Savage10FP308]

For a pump you can't go wrong with a Rem 870 or a Mossberg 500.

[pturner67]

"Maverick 88... the best buy of defensive shotguns which can accept a large portion of accessories for the Mossberg 500. They can easily be had for less than $200 new and you won't cry if it gets a few dings out in the woods."


This is what I was thinking of getting. Primarily for home defense. I already have a Ruger GP100. I will most likely get a Mossberg Mav 88 this weekend

[FirstFreedom]

Yeah, the Maverick is a good inexpensive choice. Keep your barrel 18 and 1/8th " to be safe from having your wife and dog killed.

[pturner67]

No wife but I have a dog.

How will barrel length prevent the killing of wives and dogs? Not meaning to be funny or anything but I don't get it.

[FAL-schutter]

I'll latch on to this thread, rather than starting a new one...

I'm thinking of acquiring a "utility" shotgun, primarily for home defense (my first child was born recently, and I've gotten a lot more protective all of a sudden) and to see off more dangerous forms of wildlife on camping trips. I'm former Dutch military (immigrated to the US three and a half years ago), and while I'm experienced with a variety of firearms, shotguns are not among them.
Here's the thing: I'm a southpaw, but I suspect my right eye is dominant, so I'm not sure about whether I should invest in a right- or left-side ejecting weapon until I figure out whether I'd be better off shooting right- or left-handed. The Ithaca M37 seems the perfect solution, since it ejects spent shells downward, and the new ownership has a rather sweet-looking new "home defense" model which seems ideal; mechanically fairly fool-proof, nice big ammo capacity, while also being more "jury-proof" than, say, their "law enforcement" model.

I note, however, that the "home defense" model is only available a 3" chamber. Now, I'm a pretty big guy and I figure that with good instruction and plenty of practice, I can handle a 12-gauge weapon, but I'm a little leery about going straight for 3" shells. So what I need to know is, can you safely chamber and fire 2 3/4" shells in a weapon with a 3" chamber?
I acknowledge this is a total n00b's question, but I figure you'll never know if you don't ask, and this seems a good place to ask.

[Blackwater OPS]

Can't go wrong with either the Rem 870, Mossberg 500, or Winchester 1300. The seems to be more aftermarket parts and accesories for the 870 and 500.

+1 I would go for the 870 with the marine finish considering the application. Can't beat that stuf.

[yorec]

Yep - I'd suggest the Mossy 500 or Remington 870 route too.

[ATW525]

can you safely chamber and fire 2 3/4" shells in a weapon with a 3" chamber?

Absolutely.

[Dave McC]

Fal, yes. Shorter shells will work in longer chambers but not vice versa.

[HK_P7]

I would go for a Remington 870. I own a modified 870 and a Benelli M3, and I end up shooting the 870 more. You got a lot of accessory choices with with the 870, plus there are many custom shops as well.

[jhgreasemonkey]

Right now Big 5 has a rem 870 security shotgun on sale for a little over $200. Great buy I was in there yesterday and did a double take at the price tag. I guess big 5 is only in the west though. Also dont forget to look at the ithaca 37 homeland security model. You can get them new for around or under $200. They are recently back up and running at Ithaca so it might be difficult to find one at the moment.

[FAL-schutter]

ATW, Dave, thank you both.