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Old December 25, 2012, 10:42 PM   #1
Diesel77
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Christmas gift... to myself

Merry Christmas, everyone!

As a follow-up to my early Christmas gift of a Beretta pistol, I'm thinking of using my gift cards intended for ammo to buy a shotgun.

What do y'all think of the Mossberg Maverick 88? I'm mainly a pistol shooter and new to gun ownership, so any general beginner shotgun tips are appreciated.

-D
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Old December 25, 2012, 11:13 PM   #2
shootniron
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Personally, I think there are better options for an entry level shotgun. I would look at the Remiington 870 Express before the Mossberg. I am really not a fan of pump shotguns, but many people like them a lot.JMO
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Old December 26, 2012, 01:08 PM   #3
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Diesel, depends what you are looking to do.

For defense the Maverick is an inexpensive option but I'd prefer a Mossberg 500.

If you want to learn to shoot clays/bird hunt I would say an O/U from a reputable maker (provided not abused a 2nd hand one will serve you for years). Maybe sporter configuration with 28" barrels and 3" chambers if you can and multichoke.

Whatever your choice, enjoy your shotgunning and best wishes for the New Year.

ATB,

Scrummy
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Old December 26, 2012, 01:19 PM   #4
BigJimP
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Just like in handguns....there are dozens of mfg's ...and literally dozens of models from each mfg ...on shotguns.../ its hard to pick a handgun for someone - and equally hard to pick a shotgun - especially if you're new to shotguns / what you want it for, etc.

But in general terms...a lot of us no longer depend on shotguns for defense...and shotguns that are typically setup for "tactical use only" ...tend to sit in the safe a long time and rarely get shot. Now that doesn't mean that a good pump shotgun is a bad investment. But the more versatile you can make the gun ...maybe the more you'll use it / and still have something you could use for Defense - but maybe not optimal as a "fighting shotgun"...something like a Browning BPS Hunter model with a 26" or 28" barrel - in my opinion, is a good long term pump shotgun...and a lot of gun for the money ...selling new at around $ 575 or so....

http://www.browning.com/products/cat...id=012&tid=211

A gun that has changeable screw in chokes - a barrel length of at least 26" ...and probably a 12ga these days is a very good general use shotgun. There are Mossberg, Remington, Benelli's and of course the Browning I put the link up for. The Browning is my favorite pump gun...but you may like one of the others better...depends on what fits you the best.

Before you buy ....I'd suggest you get with some buddies at the range and shoot a few different shotguns...find out what you like / what you don't like...and maybe what fits you / your eye is the rear sight on a shotgun - so how you mount the gun / how it fits you is critial to make the gun hit where you look.../ its very different than handguns - but similar to the concept of the grip angle on a handgun..
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Old December 29, 2012, 06:41 AM   #5
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I am looking at the Maverick 88 as a HD shotgun myself. I was the armorer for a while and I just never fell in love with the 870's we have. Plus the 88 will take mossberg 500 barrels.

I am looking at maybe getting a couple of those. Best of luck to you.
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Old January 1, 2013, 10:51 AM   #6
Diesel77
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Happy New Year!

Thanks for all the feedback, gents (and ladies if I've misidentified any of y'all).

For budget reasons, I'm looking at a Mossberg Maverick 12 ga with a 28" barrel.

I'm of the mind that that will serve me well for HD purposes (I don't plan on going room to room clearing my house, but God forbid I need to use it, I'll be in my house - which I know well - and will have to point it at the bad guy once). But like BigJimP noted, I actually want to take the thing out to use it.

Will a 12 ga 28" barrel be good for trap/skeet/clay?

Will a 12 ga 28" barrel be good for getting into hunting down the road?

Cheers,
D
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Old January 8, 2013, 04:40 PM   #7
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the mossy 500 here can be had in our shops used for around to under $300.
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Old January 8, 2013, 04:59 PM   #8
Carne Frio
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The Mossberg 500 has a more ergonomic safety. It is ambidextrous.
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Old January 8, 2013, 06:08 PM   #9
hogdogs
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249 for a 500 at Walmart with wood but ported barrel.
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Old January 9, 2013, 11:41 PM   #10
Diesel77
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Thanks guys, I ended up getting a Maverick 88 12 ga, 28" bbl for $219 at Dick's. After my gift cards etc. I got the gun and a case for $15.

I'm thrilled about it - doing a little bit of modification and I should be taking it to the NRA range this weekend.
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Old January 10, 2013, 03:22 AM   #11
Scrumbag
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Diesel, enjoy your shotgunning!

Is the barrel multichoke?

Also, might well be worth getting a shorter (~20") rilfe sighted barrel for HD/Slugs whilst hunting. But this isn't urgent and can be got later on down the road as you get a little more experience and decide what sort of shotgunning you are going to do.

Welcome to the fraternity brother!

ATB,

Scrummy
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Old January 10, 2013, 09:52 AM   #12
Diesel77
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Thanks, Scrummy!

It has modified choke, I think. Whatever the accu-choke that comes with the 28" field barrel is...

I can definitely see myself getting more barrels for different uses, or to be honest, getting entire new shotguns for different purposes, too...
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Old January 10, 2013, 10:12 AM   #13
BigD_in_FL
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Quote:
Will a 12 ga 28" barrel be good for trap/skeet/clay?

Will a 12 ga 28" barrel be good for getting into hunting down the road?
The short answer is ......yes it will

The longer answer is....that while it will suffice for both mentioned activities, it will generally not be the best choice for either. Similar to buying a pickup truck - not the best choice for long daily commutes from a gas perspective, nor the best choice to race at Daytona -but it COULD.
Pumps are great because they are a jack-of-all-trades gun; however they tend not to be a master of any. So, if your usage is a casual one for clays and hunting, go enjoy it and have fun. If you start to develop a hankering to really get into clays or hunting, you will realize that a more "mission-specific" gun will give you greater success.
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