[kis2]

hey guys, ive mostly been into rifles, but lately ive been peeking into shotguns, and i was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a shotgun, for around $150. a good, short, home-dfence type. 12 gauge i guess. i live in south dakota, so odds are i can find a good used one somewhere. maybe something i could dress up in a tac stock or something, you know, make it look cool, match my new fiberglass stock on my sks.

[1 old 0311]

Mossburg 500

[Hoppy590]

il add to that, a mossberg 590. 9 shot pump. lots of accesorys real simple guns

[Thin Black Line]

You probably won't find a M500 --definitely not a M590-- even used for
$150. There's some chinese knock-offs of various pumps at the big
box stores you could find in that price range. I'd even recommend
the CD Field Slug Auto despite the minor problems I had with it:
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=211772
But it will run you $300+.

If you're new to shotguns, I'd recommend a pump over an auto, though,
and I'd pay the extra $$$ for the Mossberg pump if this is going to be
your primary HD weapon. I'm partial to the M's because I carried one
in Iraq and they are super reliable. They also digest *everything* you
put into it and I've hunted everything with my civie M590.

Don't let those Rem 870 guys try to steer you away --everyone I know
who had the 870 switched to the M500/590 after they got a taste. :cool:

[mnrivrat]

Local gun show last fall had a lot of Remington 870's from police trade ins for about that $150 price. Used 500 Mossbergs are fairly easy to find in that price range also , and these are the two brands to look for.

There are others but these are the most popular .

[hub]

i would try looking at some pawn shops, gun shows, news paper classified adds, bargain mart, ect to find a rem 870, moss 500, or ithaca m37. ive seen some new pardner pumps for around 180 like thin black line stated, they are chinese made knock offs of the 870 sold my harrington and richards arms. the ones i seen had synthetic stocks and short barrels called protector. i dont know about the quality of the pardner's but they have a one year warrenty from H&R. i dont have a link but you can go to marlin web site and link to h&r shotguns for pics and info.

[Keegster]

Check out Mavericks. Its a company thats owned by Mossberg. They're supposed to be good quality. Academy Sports has the field model for about $140

[Ditchtiger]

i found a 590 stainless for $150. got lucky! was going to sell it for profit until i shot it. it's fun to shoot and very reliable.

[Hoppy590]

my 590 was 175 so they are in the price range if you look around

[Eightball]

Don't let those Rem 870 guys try to steer you away --everyone I know
who had the 870 switched to the M500/590 after they got a taste. Count me as one who went in the reverse. The Mossberg's system just doesn't impress (for that matter, neither does an 870, but that's getting picky).

Anyhow, there's some stuff from H&R for around 150--6 shot, 18" bbl, synthetic. Dunno how easy mods would be to the stock or anything. I would say that probably one of the best to get,even though it's outta that price range--would be an 870 Marine Magnum. short barrel, 8-shots, and it has screw in chokes, as opposed to the fixed cylinder bore of the 500, 590, and others. And it's stainless. Dunno where to "get one", though--but where I work probably has a branch near you, and we can get it for.......i think $450 is the asking price, new (PM me if you want me to check on that for you). That way, you could legitimately switch the chokes, and use your gun for skeet, etc, and not be overly laughed at, becasue you could get some decent results. Just a thought.

That, and 870's tend to lend themselves to modifications much easier than Mossbergs.

(In case anyone's curious, I'm a Benelli fan:p ).

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Maverick! REALLY hard to beat for the price.

[halvey]

Don't let those Rem 870 guys try to steer you away --everyone I know
who had the 870 switched to the M500/590 after they got a taste.:scrutiny: I'd really wonder about the crowd you hang with. :uhoh:

[sm]

dfariswheel

Do a search under his username in regard to questions about Winchesters Mossberg's , 870's Smith&Wesson, and High Standard, shotguns in regard to LEO and Military contracts throughout history.

I am big on gun fit to shooter.

One must always remember a few things. Most American Shotguns are of dimensions for fit a male, 5'8" , 160# and 32" sleeve, with average neck.

This is why when one "scrunches" around the gun in a store, or puts the butt into elbow, and trigger finger "reaches trigger" - this is NOT gun fit.

Reason being when a Skeet target is going 55 mph, or that dove has afterburners on, dipping, diving and turning, or that quail explodes, or huffing and puffing running and gunning at 3 gun - one misses - cause the gun don't fit, and under pressure, fatigue stress - one cannot scrunch around, the controls are not easy to manipulate.

Try a variety of guns for fit by shooting them.

Now...

If the 1300 fits, off the rack - or maybe the person whom let you shoot their 1300 fits YOU as well. Then get ALL the measurements.

Then...if you want a Mossberg, 870, FN [1300]...whatever, for action type, whatever - or find a steal of a deal on a JC Higgins, you are better prepared and educated to get a gun off the rack / used/ that fits, and / or able to get the fitted to you.

Just like vehicles...

[sm]

Fit

Shotguns are just like vehicles.

I do not do Mopar, and I do not do front wheel drive Personally.

See a person may really really want a certain vehicle. It may be what the LEOs drive, the Military use, a NASCAR "looks like / mfg name" , be the lastest fad...whatever.

A person does not, or I would hope not, just buy one without having actually sat, ridden or driven one.

One really want a certain vehicle , whatever reason, or combination of reasons.

They sit in it. Okay, they "adapt and scrunch" at first. Emotions taking over, before anything else. Keep sitting, umm, they "settled in" and Emotions take a back seat to common sense.

Headroom, actually sit up and not enough headroom, this is going to be a bit uncomfortable on a longer trip.

Seats sit a bit funny, fiddle with seat, now the headroom is worse/ better. Pedals, gearshift is worse/ better. Radio CD player is worse/ better....

We have not driven this vehicle yet, still sitting in it in the lot. Okay time for husband, wife, son, daughter, grandma, grandpa - whomever will drive this vechicle / ride in vehicle sits in it.

More features good/ bad.

Now the vehicle is going to be started and driven. Umm, controls to start/ put in gear and ready to go, are good/ bad.

Rut roh! Boy that was close, car crossed over in front and not being used to car, and fit, almost wrecked this sucker have to "do" and not "project" how this car FITS.

---

Back in the day all vehicles were rear wheel drive. LEOs used Chrysler, Chevrolet and Ford. All 3 made a rear wheel drive "cruiser". As is done now, vehicles were chosen by bid. Whichever one had the best fleet price and service is what determined what vehicle that agency used.

I hated the Chryslers. First thing that whiny starter. Next the suspension "floated". I mean first it whines, then it felt like one was not in control of the vehicle, this was police package too, civilian models floated even more.

Depts went to Chevy and Ford - Chrysler kinda got forgotten. Chevy Caprice had a great package, then got stupid and dropped the Caprice. This left Crown Vic. Old days this was Fairlanes, LTDs...

Front wheel drive came along. Well I hated the whole idea from the get-go. Still I did take an evasive/ defensive driving lesson or two and I confirmed my concerns. They do NOT do bumping a parking stop block, onto/ off from a curb, such as mediums , or take a little dip in the grass , like just off the shoulder.

This was all in learning. I was caught in real life in a front wheel drive, a Mopar no less, having to evade and wiped out a front end...I mean a 10 speed bike as fragile as they are would have done better.

Interesting, the LEO Depts found out the same thing. Should have asked me and saved some money.

More Interesting is various makers known for front wheel drive, such as the "economy cars" , Datsun Nissan, Toyota, Honda...etc, are actually going to make Rear Wheel drive vehicles.

The Torque and HP is such now on these "economy cars" the front wheel drive set up will NOT handle it, especially in / adding steering and manipulating the car at higher speeds, turns and defensive measures.


Crown Vic is a nice vehicle. That said just because the Police uses them , that is the BEST car for Grandma. Grandma may not be able to see over the dash, reach pedals, and cannot manuver to miss Fluffy the neighbors cat that runs out in front. That is how "sail cats are made btw'.

Granted I did suggest to a 17 year old to tell daddy and mommy the Police do use rear wheel drive Mustangs as interceptors , and she really really wanted a Mustang since grandma was going to buy her a car for graduation. 18th B-Day and for College . It worked :D

Of course her mom got a new Ford Truck , simple one because some of our ummarked cars are Ford Trucks.

Dad got Grandmas' [ his mom's] old Buick for a get to work car since his mom can no longer drive. :p It is what happens being the daddy , you get the hand-me-downs.
He is allowed to drive the Mustang and Truck to the gas station to fill them up. :D

My point being, it does not matter what "_____" uses. It does matter what Fits you for your task.

Mossberg makes a nice gun, granted we never saw one , or heard much about these growing up. Winchester '97, Model 12, Ithaca 37 were THE guns proven in Combat, LEO, and Hunting. Later the 870 was / took over as it was proven, still is with over 6 million have been mgfd.

Mossberg got the bid for some agencies. Agencies that do not use the guns as hard use, and/or budgets "said" go for low bid.

see dfarriswheel's write up on historical accounts. He is a qualified, trained gunsmith btw, in / for more than one gun mfg. He is NOT a parts changer - he is a Gunsmith - there is a difference.

870 is like rear wheel drive, with a good suspension, engine and trannie. Proven, works and no matter what else comes to be - folks go back to what works.

Nissan, Toyota, Honda ...etc are.

[Hoppy590]

Mossberg got the bid for some agencies. Agencies that do not use the guns as hard use, and/or budgets "said" go for low bid.

yes, the united states marine corp and other armed forces dont do any "Hard use" jobs. i mean im sure fallujah was a walk in the park. :neener:

dont be a hater. i mean if you want to use your car analogys then remington is chevy and moss is ford. they both had their highs and lows. it just comes down to preferance

lets not have an 870 v 500 war.

[sm]

Hoppy590,

And not directing this to you , directed to me and everyone else.

There will NOT be a war, or bashing in regard to Mossberg, vs, Anything.

I will report any such posts so fast it will surprise folks!

I was not labeling any vehicle with any gun mfg.

MY POINTS :

Have always been and always will be :

-Safety
-Gun fit to shooter
-Gun fit to shooter for task
-Getting Correct Basic Fundamentals
-Continuing to incorporate Correct Basic Fundamentals in getting lessons/ training
-Passing Forward
-Fun
-One cannot buy skill and targets

Now I am a bit ticked off at some of THR's members. This is not something new.
We have a Mission Statement at THR and TFL, and sister sites.

Responsible Firearm Ownership.

My role, and the role of others have been to Pass Forward from Experiences to New Shooters.

Internet, IMO , has hindered often times more that helped with its Marketing, and concerns only for making money for advertisers, a shiny seat for rear ends to post that have no friggin' idea, or care about folks actually getting started off correctly, and dividing RKBA and firearms folks apart instead of uniting.

Now I like to have fun, razz, tease with friends hereon THR and TFL. This also shows Tyranny and fence sitters WE are NOT a bunch of knuckle dragging idiots.

New shooter asks about a new gun.

Some are serious and want to learn , I am one that has experiences in teaching new shooters, and advancing skills.

Collecting fine shotguns - someone else is better than I.

Armchair Quarterbacks, Bling Bling, and Tack-Tickle not my thing.

I'm Practical, serious and damn good at what I know. I earned this, and I don't give a rip if folks disagree with me, me being more of Correct Basic Fundamental person. I do not care what folks think of me personally. I care a WHOLE bunch on folks getting it right on this learning stuff.

I've said it again, I will repeat it.

LOTS of folks DO NOT post on THR, TFL that used to. Including Staff.

Folks that have experiences, folks could only dream of getting information from any source.

Members ran them off.

Off Forum, via PM, Email, landline, and delivery sources I am not the only one assisting shooters that are fed up with on-line interactions trying to get , or trying to share.

Some of you might be real shocked what some members are doing behind the scenes to assist members on THR and TFL.

Real Shocked! Folks spending thier own time, and monies for others.

---

Shotgun forum is typically a very easy forum on THR. More so than L&P and General.

One of my best friends I have, and due to us living in different areas, have to communicate via internet - I met because Shotgun Forum Folks were Totally Rude and Awful to him here.

I was so pissed off, I can still get pissed off if I were to let myself remember all the terrible rude posts and how he was treated.

I PM-ed him, apologized for THR and in Particular Shotgun Forum of THR.

I offered to assist, if he was still willing, via PM and Email. He accepted my offer and we have been very close since.

I can do a quick count of another 11 folks , THR shotgun forums alone, has run off. Some post time to time, most lurk.

They contact me and others about shotgun questions.

I know all about Metal & Wood by Dennis Bateman over at TFL.

I and others also know and understand the make, model and such are NOT the important aspects of choosing a particular firearm at times.

Common sense has to come into play.

Hey, we have Champion Shooters, Gun fitters, Armorer's , Gunsmiths [ not parts changers, there is a difference] trainers, instructor...etc on this board, and I know why, they don't and won't post, because the told me and others why.

Just food for thought , for new members asking questions and to remind those of us that reply to posts.

[Thin Black Line]

I'd really wonder about the crowd you hang with.

People who are paid to carry guns: Military....Police....SWAT Instructors....
people who've carried the Mossberg in the desert for months on end where
their lives are on the line vs those with 870s in their hunting shacks for 2
hours waiting for some points to appear.;)

[ArmedBear]

Funny thing is, the only guy I know who has destroyed a shotgun through hard use is a hunter. Mossberg 500. He hunts waterfowl in the desert (CA-AZ border). There's hunting, and there's hunting.

[Thin Black Line]

The question then becomes would he have destroyed an 870 sooner?

Also, *what* did he replace the Moss with?

[halvey]

People who are paid to carry guns: Military....Police....SWAT Instructors....
people who've carried the Mossberg in the desert for months on end where
their lives are on the line vs those with 870s in their hunting shacks for 2
hours waiting for some points to appear. Your misinformed comments make no sense. Look at how long and hard the 1911 was in use. Yet now, it's gone. But I suppose the 1911 has always been for Bullseye shooters and for guys who have too much money. :uhoh:

Many times agencies list a criteria and if met, the lowest bid gets the contract, even if another gun is better. There were a lot better guns submitted than the Beretta, but the Beretta met the criteria, then had the lowest bid, even though the military would have been better off with a different model.

[Roadwild17]

I've seen 3 wore out scatter guns in my day. One was my dad's Featherlight (made by Ithica for Western Auto). You could chamber a round then rack the slide back all without pushing the slide release button. The second was my grand dads 870, same as with the Ithica. Third is my uncles Mossy 500, out dove hunting one day, puts te bead on, pulls the trigger, gun goes boom and the barrel pops off the receiver. He got the dove at least.

The point I'm getting at, just about all major shotguns are quality arms that will see more rounds than what the average person can keep count of. They will ALL ware out at one time, and lemons do get through on all side.

Get the one that works for YOU. You should be comfortable with the controls in a no light situation and it should fit you reasonably out the box but its not the most important thing. You can always have the stock cut or just get a better matching stock. Once you get it, go shoot it, shoot it a lot. And whatever you do, dont buy into the 870 vs. 500 thing, its just hype.

[Thin Black Line]

Your misinformed comments make no sense. Look at how long and hard the 1911 was in use. Yet now, it's gone.

Hey, the 1911 analogy might have worked 20 years ago when everyone
was writing and raving about the 'wonder nines', but now it's 2006. Before
you shoot off the "misinformed" comment, you might want to check and see
who is using the 1911 again. Same is true for pump shotguns. ;)

[Autolycus]

I have a Mossberg 590 that I really enjoy. It is my first shotgun and it seems well built and reliable. It is fun to shoot and I have faith that it will get the job done. I even used it to shoot clay pigeons with some friends. I didnt do to bad but I was not half as good as the other guys I went with.

Overall I chose the Mossberg over the Remington 870 due to the more lefthanded friendliness of the 590.

[CZguy]

hey guys, ive mostly been into rifles, but lately ive been peeking into shotguns, and i was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a shotgun, for around $150. a good, short, home-dfence type. 12 gauge i guess. i live in south dakota, so odds are i can find a good used one somewhere. maybe something i could dress up in a tac stock or something, you know, make it look cool, match my new fiberglass stock on my sks.

You might keep your eye out for a S&W model 3000. (or Mossberg 3000, same gun) This is a close copy of the Remington 870 built by HOWA in 1984-86. The quality of these guns is very high and they go for around $125.00--$175.00.

OK, back to the squabbling, sorry to interrupt. :D

[deputy tom]

kis2,if you wanted a tool for HD you can buy a used Maverick,Mossberg 500 or Rem. 870,trim the barrel to 18.5 in and re-install the bead for very little money.With any of those you have a good working shotgun,just like a Woodsman's Axe,the right tool for the job.But as you have suggested that you might want to "dress it up" later on then the maverick has less options due to the fore-end arrangement.I suggest that you pick any one of the previously mentioned shotguns,find the right price for condition,mod. or have it done by your favorite Gunsmith,get to know it inside and out,and enjoy the fun of shooting it.YMMV.tom.

PS,while the Japanese S&W 3000 and later Mossberg 3000's have a slight collector status,you might want to steer clear of them due to possible trouble finding accessories for them let alone a local parts source.Again,YMMV.tom.:cool:

[Mannlicher]

go to a pawn shop, and buy a used Winchester, Mossberg, or Remington. You should find something in your price range.