What pump shotgun are you buying if Mossberg and Remington (Rem Arms) are not an option?

Browning is the ONLY new pump I would have.

Big fan of Rem Wingmaster. IF I needed a pump shotgun, it would be a previously loved 870.

ITHACA

In my humble and limited knowledge humble opinion, the tacticool home defense market had screwed up the availability
of good hunting/target grade pump shotguns.

The Mossberg 500, Remington 870, Bennilli, Ithaca, and Winchester should have suitable models for huntng but they don’t.

I bought a .410 Mossberg 500 in the mid-2000s and a couple Remngton 870 a few years later for critter control around our horse property and they have done fine but in reality
do not get fired much. One of the 870s has an AR style collapsable stock to allow fitting the gun to my 5’-2” wife and my 6 foot frame.

I’m not sure any of these pump shotguns would work well for regular clay target shooting. Their configurations is not conducive for the target game and vice versa.

cfullgraf said:

I’m not sure any of these pump shotguns for regular clay target shooting. Their configurations is not conducive for the target game and vice versa.

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I use to use my 410 Mossberg 500 for skeet all the time. I never had any issues. While a purpose built skeet gun would definitely be better, the 500 gets the job done. I have been using my 410 500 since 1984 and it has had a lot of shells shot through it. It still works just as well today as it did when new.

I've had good luck with my Winchester 1300 Defender for quite a few years. They make various models.

if money is no object.....Ithaca. Had an old used one decades back and very impressed.

Dad had 1 shotgun, 870. Never felt a need for anything more.
My buddy has 1 shotgun, 870. Shoots skeet, consistent 23 and 24.

Dan Carlisle, Olympic skeet shooter, shoots a Moss 500. Looks like it was drug down a long, rough road, rattles like boxcar full of marbles. Watched him shoot 5 steel plates in 1.66 secs.

"Beware the man that only has 1 gun, he probably knows how to use it."

Regardless of what pump guns are available, I prefer the fit and feel of the old Ithacas, preferably 1955 and earlier. But the later guns are very good too. The new Ohio ones are reportedly good, but I don't connect with "souless" CNC product as much as I do guns that were hand crafted.

I6turbo said:

Regardless of what pump guns are available, I prefer the fit and feel of the old Ithacas, preferably 1955 and earlier. But the later guns are very good too. The new Ohio ones are reportedly good, but I don't connect with "souless" CNC product as much as I do guns that were hand crafted.

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Tell us about those guns! Three look to have choke tubes. Looks like fun at a range or field!

Why not an autoloader?

If I were buying another pump gun, I'd try and find another 12 ga Ithaca Featherlight. I traded mine many years ago for an Ithaca xl900 20 ga semi auto with a shot and slug barrel. I was deer hunting in those days in shotgun only areas. I should have kept my Featherlite and just bought the xl. Sigh. I did get another 12 much later when the Browning Gold Hunter 1st came out. A client was a Browning salesman and he finegled selling me one for $400.

Barnfixer said:

Tell us about those guns! Three look to have choke tubes. Looks like fun at a range or field!

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Sorry for the delay, this is the first time I’ve gotten back here this week. From top to bottom those are:
1954 Auto 5 with 18.25” barrel, Colonial Sporting Clays screw-in chokes, and refinished wood. I’ve since added a Kick-EEZ pad like on the Ithaca’s. After setting this gun up this way it became my favorite shotgun to take out and shoot. Prior to the modifications I was an O/U guy, with some love for 20 gauge SxS.

1952 Model 37 with 19.25” barrel and Colonial Sporting Clays, Kick-EEZ pad, slightly shortened stock, and refinished wood. (The factory LOP on these Ithaca guns is long. I just shortened this one so that it’s 13.625” including the pad.)

1966 Model 37 with 19.75” barrel and Colonial Sporting Clays screw-in chokes. I’ve replaced the 1966 style stock and forearm with 1952 versions, and refinished them. LOP on this one is 14.5” which is not as maneuverable as the others but good for target shooting and passing wing shooting shots.

1950 Ithaca Model 52 shown with 30” solid rib barrel and original stock and forearm finish. I’ve since refinished the wood, shortened the stock to 14” with a Kick-EEZ pad, cut the barrel to 18.25” and plan to have the same Colonial chokes installed. It is very light and quick.

I do like the old 870’s and earlier I mentioned I had a 870 project. It was beat up with a little rust, wood wood was dinged, cracked, swollen on the butt and without a barrel. I started to put it back together yesterday. Not done yet but getting closer.

I do not know about new pump guns. I do have an older Ithaca 37 that is my favorite. If the quality of the new Ithacas is as good, it would be worth owning.
I also own a 20 gauge Benelli Nova. I have tried it on the Trap field but with little success. It does rattle a bit but it functions well….now if I could hit with it…

mcb said:

Never liked Mossberg (Taurus of pump shotgun) and Rem Arms is dead to me. What NEW pump shotgun would you buy if those two brands were off the table? If you need a configuration to guide your advise I would be looking at a standard/general hunting configuration, 26-28 inch vent ribbed barrel, screw in choke tubes, standard magazine size, polymer furniture is desirable but not required, no camo though. 12 gauge, 3-inch chamber but I would not mind a 3.5 inch chamber.

I am not seriously going to buy but this question came to me Turkey hunting this weekend and I realized I was not even sure who was still making pump shotguns it has been so long since I bought one. I used the same pump gun I have been using for the past 20+ years.

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mcb said:

Never liked Mossberg (Taurus of pump shotgun) and Rem Arms is dead to me. What NEW pump shotgun would you buy if those two brands were off the table? If you need a configuration to guide your advise I would be looking at a standard/general hunting configuration, 26-28 inch vent ribbed barrel, screw in choke tubes, standard magazine size, polymer furniture is desirable but not required, no camo though. 12 gauge, 3-inch chamber but I would not mind a 3.5 inch chamber.

I am not seriously going to buy but this question came to me Turkey hunting this weekend and I realized I was not even sure who was still making pump shotguns it has been so long since I bought one. I used the same pump gun I have been using for the past 20+ years.

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Couple of years back, couldn’t find a Mossberg or 870 for a reasonable price, so I did some research on other brands and found out that CZ sells the ‘612’, a lightweight pump made by Aakar in Turkey. It was relatively cheap, I bought the EAA version, since I like CZ products I figured they weren’t going to sell some junk import and put their name on it. After shooting it for a while, I really like this gun! Mine is the self defense version, 18 1/2 barrel, simple pump shotgun.I wanted it for bear or home defense, it’s very lightweight but has functioned flawlessly after shooting everything from bird shot to 3” Brenneke Black Magic slugs. I’ve had 870’s in the past, but after taking this gun apart and inspecting the action, I don’t see any reason to doubt this gun. I would take it into bear country feeling well armed, and I like the light weight. One warning though, it kicks like a mule with heavy loads, and the 3” slugs are crazy, I was putting a folded t-shirt on my shoulder when shooting off the bench!

mcb said:

Never liked Mossberg (Taurus of pump shotgun) and Rem Arms is dead to me. What NEW pump shotgun would you buy if those two brands were off the table? If you need a configuration to guide your advise I would be looking at a standard/general hunting configuration, 26-28 inch vent ribbed barrel, screw in choke tubes, standard magazine size, polymer furniture is desirable but not required, no camo though. 12 gauge, 3-inch chamber but I would not mind a 3.5 inch chamber.

I am not seriously going to buy but this question came to me Turkey hunting this weekend and I realized I was not even sure who was still making pump shotguns it has been so long since I bought one. I used the same pump gun I have been using for the past 20+ years.

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mcb said:

Yeah I might have been a bit harsh. But my limited experience with Mossberg has not been good, though that is all second hand and borrowed guns I have never owned a Mossberg. I once saw the plastic fire control housing fall out of the bottom of a shooters Mossberg while shooting a round of five-stand.

But it was mostly a mental exercise, trying to figure out what other option are still on the market other than Mossberg, Remington and my BPS.

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Ive had that same happen. 2 tiny plastic ears are all that hold it on. Mossberg is junk.

For the sake of the mental exercise, besides Mossberg and Remington, we have CZ, Browning, Winchester, Savage, Stoeger, Benelli, FN... those are just a few of the notable names. There's less notable names in cheapo pumps like Charles Daly, Pointer, Tristar, Rock Island etc. If we include "tactical" or bullpup pump guns, we also have Smith & Wesson, Keltec, and more. Personally, I wouldn't buy a single one. If I wanted a pump gun, I'd pick up an old Model 12 from the used rack. There's always a few. If I wanted a turkey gun with modern features (polymer, 3.5" chamber) like the OP described, I'd get an inertia-driven Benelli. SBE 3 if the 3.5" was a mandate, otherwise, I'd consider the other options like the M2 Turkey. Second choice would be Versa Max or V3, again depending on the exact feature requirements and availability.

If someone can't decide between a pump or an auto, there is the Benelli M3, which can perform both functions. On the pricey side though.

Being on a tight budget and fixed income Mossberg has always been my prefered pump shotgun. However if I couldn't get one of them and had to pick then the EAA Churchill would be my pick. My nephew has one and even tho it kicks like two mules, it shoots straight and every shot flawless so far as he has over 500 rounds through it. If tho I had the money and could have my choice then either a Benelli or Browning would be home with me.