Best pump shotgun?

[pmeisel]

The Mossberg 500 has done that for me for 25 years. But i'd like an Ithaca 37 just as well.

[avalanche04]

well i have too agree the bps 20ga or 12ga is the best by far! i have a remington 870 slug gun with a canolever and i hate it, it jams all the time i had the bolt slide too far forward on me wheen i was cleaning it and had too take it to a gun smith too have it fixed, so i put it back in the gun safe and that is where its been for the last several seasons.

[Hig789]

Hard to beat a 870 or an 835 for a one and done all around gun. I haven't shot a BPS but I am sure its a quality gun.

[mtnman]

winchester model 12

[catnphx]

I used (and still have but haven't used in years) an Ithaca 37 for years when I was younger ... it was a great, great gun for hunting.

My recent purchase of a Mossy 590A1 is for HD (38.5" versus my Ithaca length of 47") but my Ithaca is a great gun. I don't remember EVER having a problem with the Ithaca and I was pretty rough on it as a young person.

[Bamashooter]

Remington 870 Express Super Magnum. This shotgun can do it all at an outstanding price.

[jhog1]

I own a 1912 (made in 1913). It still shoots just fine. John Browning designed an exceptional shotgun.

As mentioned the Model 12 was designed by Winchester engineer Thomas Crosley Johnson, but it was based in part on the M1893/97 which was designed by John Browning

Winchester Model 12, full chock. Preferably pre '64.

This would be just about all of them since the model 12 was discontinued in 1963. After 63 Winchester only made a few Special commemorative model
12's that could only be purchased through a specialized gun collector purchase program.

[Deerhunter]

Remington 870 Express Mag. If your feeling froggy go ahead and get the Super Mag. For most hunting you wont need the 3.5 inch chamber anyway, but you can get it. I shoot 3 inch out of my 870 Express Mag for ducks and geese, well till I got my Browning Maxus.

Get an 870 with a 26 or 28 inch barrel for birds and stuff then get a 18.5 inch rifled barrel to shoot slugs out of and you have everything you need. I have killed a lot of game with mine.

[dgludwig]

This would be just about all of them since the model 12 was discontinued in 1963. After 63 Winchester only made a few Special commemorative model
12's that could only be purchased through a specialized gun collector purchase program.

Starting around 1988 through 1990, Browning produced 8,000 Miroku-made, Model 12 reproductions, chambered in 20 gauge only. From 1991 to 1992, they offered 7,000 of them chambered in 28 gauge. Winchester (USRAC) via Miroku, made 5,000 Model 12s, chambered in 20 gauge, in two different grades, from 1993 to 1995. These were all Japanese-made "Model 12s" and the few that I've examined were very well constructed, nicely finished shotguns

[gyvel]

I'd say an Ithaca is worth a close look (which incidentally, has the same bottom discharge that Brownings have).

That's because it's a Browning design.

And I have to agree that an Ithaca 37 is an excellent shotgun, but the 870 is no slouch, either.

[gyvel]

This would be just about all of them since the model 12 was discontinued in 1963. After 63 Winchester only made a few Special commemorative model
12's that could only be purchased through a specialized gun collector purchase program.

Are you referrring to the "Y" series Model 12s made in the 70's? I never considered them "commemoratives," but, rather, limited commercial production.

[LUPUS]

Be sure that the chamber and the magazine tube are empty and free of shells.
Pump the action of a Ithaca 37.
Pull the trigger and dry fire the gun.
Keep pressing your trigger finger on the trigger as it may happen under stress.
Pump the action as you are pressing the trigger.
Then let the trigger reset for next shot and try to pull the trigger...

You will observe that the hammer is not cocked...

In a refined design, the trigger must be disconnected during cycling and the sear must catch the hammer regardles of the trigger pressure and shooter errors. Such kind of a desing flaw in Ithaca 37 can not be acceptable in my book especialy in a defensive shotgun, at least for me...Just my 0.02$...

Best regards..

[semi_problomatic]

If you like the 870 but want to save $$$ then look at the NEF pardner. 870 clone, just built better, and only $200. Everything from the 870 fits on it except the barrel. Plenty of money left over to buy shells.

[kozak6]

Be sure that the chamber and the magazine tube are empty and free of shells.
Pump the action of a Ithaca 37.
Pull the trigger and dry fire the gun.
Keep pressing your trigger finger on the trigger as it may happen under stress.
Pump the action as you are pressing the trigger.
Then let the trigger reset for next shot and try to pull the trigger...

You will observe that the hammer is not cocked...

It depends on when it was made, mostly.

I don't remember the cutoff date, but older Ithacas (and reportedly police versions?) will actually fire as soon as it locks into battery if you do this.

[jaguarxk120]

That feature as removed by the request of the ATF somewhere before 1975. I have two 1975 guns and they do not have that feature. The earlyer guns do, how earlier than 1975 I don't know.

[mojave_desert]

I guess I read too many reviews and comments.

For every ten people I can that love mossberg i can find ten people that have complaints with it and have read that thing has quality issues. I have read many good comments on the 870 but some say they are not as good as the older models and In one review I have read that the 870 has flimsy parts.

I thought about browning and again allot love it but have complaints on that as well and one says BPS stands for Big piece of S**t. On Benilli I hear some are picky on what you feed it and that they are one piece and if you break the stock you are screwed.

What is one to do!

[mojave_desert]

oh..Now I have to do more research on this.

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/fir...er_defense.php

[semi_problomatic]

Look into the New England Firearms pardner pump. Its a 870 clone, but actually built better.

[dgludwig]

For every ten people I can that love mossberg i can find ten people that have complaints with it and have read that thing has quality issues.

You have to get past the internet drivel in order to make an informed decision. There are a lot of well-informed people who contribute to the forums and their inputs can be very useful and helpful. Then there are well-intentioned but uninformed people who often times dispense advice freely based only on what they've heard or read somewhere (usually from like-minded posters participating in the gun forums) but have no real evidence or personal experience to support their claims. There are a lot of posters who have legitimate beefs about a particular firearm but it's important to know how popular the gun is in terms of sales (the more out there, the more likely you'll hear some complaints from dissatisfied owners) and to acknowledge the fact that more people will understandably express their negative opinions about a gun they've experienced trouble with than there are people who will post to praise a firearm they've had no problems with. And let's not forget the serial trolls whose missions are simply to prowl cyberspace in the hopes of stirring up trouble.
It's been my experience that over time you will come to know which contributor to the forums can always be trusted for giving good advice and which ones can't be.
I'm convinced that if Saint Peter himself set up a gun factory in heaven and turned out perfect shotguns, there'd still be people who'd complain about them. Not saying that Mossbergs are perfect shotguns but, then, neither are Purdeys.

[LilHog]

I own a few mossberg 500's and a few remington 870's and all are of the newer variety available on the market. I shoot them all very much and can tell you that they all function and shoot just fine. If you buy either of these guns there is a 99.9% chance that you will be very happy with them and receive a trouble free gun that will last you a life time. Go to your LGS and hold both and cycle the actions and see how they fit you, guaranteed you will leave with one of them and be very happy.

[DAVID NANCARROW]

Already have it....an older 870, 26 inch barrel with 4 different choke tubes. Now I get to spend the rest of my days feeling that action get slicker and slicker with every stroke of the pump handle

I like the reliability I get with it. Easy to break down and service, parts are everywhere, and its a solid perfomer. Put the 10 shot mag extension on and Im ready for the zombies trying to snitch my twinkies and ice cream. Re cap it stock and put in the plug and ready for bird season. Handles slugs very well.

I had a mossberg 500 years ago, but I didnt like the way it broke down. Especially didnt like the spot welds holding the action bars to the pump handle breaking on me in the middle of a pheasant hunt. I did like the safety position on the mossy better, but thats okay.

[boots]

I have had my Benelli Nova for 2 years and have not had a single hiccup with it....knock on wood