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 March 29, 2005, 01:24 PM   #1
charliep
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 28, 2005
Posts: 3
shotgun for home

Hi gang Can someone tell me their preference for a shotgun for home protection thanx charlie p
charliep is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 01:37 PM   #2
WillBrayjr
Junior member
 
Join Date: September 26, 2004
Location: Northern Indiana
Posts: 1,881
That depends on how much you're willing to spend. $325.00 should be enough to get you a Remington 870 Express out the door.
WillBrayjr is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 03:12 PM   #3
Dave McC
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 13, 1999
Location: Columbia, Md, USA
Posts: 8,811
Mine the archives, that's a FAQ.

My choice is the 870, but there's lots of good choices out there. The software in much more critical. Training, not technology.

What a defensive shotgun needs are....

Reliability.

Durability.

Effectiveness. Practically a given with shotguns.

Ergonomics and size. Short enough to handle in close quarters, with controls and "Chops" the operator knows and uses.

Defensive shotguns are aimed at anything past contact distances.

Sights should be easy to pick up, rugged and hard to knock off.

For HD, a light is usually a good choice.

HTH....
Dave McC is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 03:49 PM   #4
16ga
Member
 
Join Date: March 9, 2005
Posts: 21
Definitely a pump action, since they cycle more reliably than semis. Recoil is a small price to pay for your life.

A 12 ga., for size and ammo availability and choice.

You want a short bbl. for quick aiming.

A widely available model is better, since there are more aftermarket parts and local gunsmiths will be better able to fix them.

All that points to a short-barreled Remington 870, Mossberg 500 or Winchester Defender in 12 ga. I prefer the Rem to the Win, and the Win to the Mossberg.
16ga is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 04:03 PM   #5
Paintballer
Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2005
Posts: 58
I am in the same boat. I have been considering the Mossberg 500 12ga with 18 inch barrel, but I want the higher capacity the 20 inch barrel model offers. I cant find a magazine extension for the Mossberg. So I was looking into the Remington 870 and Winchester 1300 defender. I have read that in a hurry, the Remington is difficult to load due to the elevator being in the down position and you can get your thumb stuck in there trying to load shells. Anyone had a problem with that?
I see that most folks have a Remington, so are Mossbergs that bad?
I am going to a gun show here in Portland, OR next month to buy a 12 ga, so any advice/help would be great. Also, what should I look for around the $300 price range?
Thanks.
Paintballer is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 04:13 PM   #6
WillBrayjr
Junior member
 
Join Date: September 26, 2004
Location: Northern Indiana
Posts: 1,881
Remington has a 12ga 870 model with a 18in barrel and 6 shot capacity. Remington also has managed recoil 12ga loads too
WillBrayjr is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 05:09 PM   #7
utaherrn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 16, 2005
Location: Happy Valley, USA
Posts: 649
Mossberg 590

Have an older Winchester 1300. There's a little flat metal plate on the underside of the bolt that the action bars hook into and holds the firing pin and spring in place. It's only held by a single screw. After every 100 rounds of slugs or buckshot, that screw would shear off, tying up the gun. After 3 or 4 screws sheared off, I had to weld the plate to the bolt. If the firing pin were to ever break, I'll have to buy a new bolt. It sits in the safe now. Can't sell it in good faith the way it is and don't want to spend the money to buy a new bolt to sell it. Don't know if current Winchester pumps are the same design. Loved the gun other than that. Nice smooth action, etc.

Have had a Remington 870 Express, lots of FTF, sent back to Remington twice, not fixed. Have had 2 friends with same model gun, same problem. I've heard Remingtons are excellent, but that's not been my experience.

Have a Mossberg 590, excellent so far except for a dirty action caused some FTF, worked great since I learned how to clean it thoroughly once in a while.

Good luck
utaherrn is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 05:52 PM   #8
dickfunk
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2005
Posts: 160
I have a Mossberg 500 Persuader for home defense. I picked it up for about $200. 8 shells, 18" smooth-bore barrel, reliable pump-action, pistol grip and a seperate stock...hell of a 12 guage.
dickfunk is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 06:56 PM   #9
jonathon
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 14, 2005
Location: Washougal, Washington. YEHAW!
Posts: 1,872
Can't beat a Winchester Defender on price(or quality either ), You can get them for under $200 depending on where you look
__________________
Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good


More CZ M52 info than you can shake a stick at!
jonathon is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 07:33 PM   #10
Pezo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 2005
Location: Vernors and orange barrels.
Posts: 661
I was thinking about a 590a1 myself. The product #51663 model on their website. 20" barrel , 9 shots . sounds good to me.
Pezo is offline  
Old March 29, 2005, 09:12 PM   #11
itsmike762
Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2004
Posts: 60
Lots of good house shotguns out there, I went the Win 1300 route myself, but Dave has it right, train. Get one that feels good to you then train, train, train.
itsmike762 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 04:39 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 0.06136 seconds with 8 queries