Cheap shotgun?

this is about as dressed up we get to shoot at those big orange disks.

Maverick 88. It had the least bad reviews of all the budget shotguns. I have less than 100 rounds through it, but it's been 100% so far.

I have a Norinco M37 (Ithica M37 copy) I bought a loooong time ago, never had a problem with it. I think you can get them for around $125 on Gunbroker and other auction sites.

Ive got an EAA Churchill i just picked up. My FFL buddy brought it in on a lark a couple weeks ago, and we shoot a few hundred rounds thru it. Nice gun, if a little on the light side for shooting heavy loads.

before that I've had mostly mossberg 500s, and Mav 88s with the random 870 tossed in.

I inherited a Montgomery Ward Model 31, 12 gauge, 2 3/4" full choke, take down pump. It's actually a Stevens 620 designed by Moses Browning, but sold in hardware stores under many names since1904. Blue book value around $150, but a tough, reliable shotgun.

I'm getting close to buying a Citadel Wart/Boss/??? Hog from Rural King and doing a bunch of upgrades on it.

I'm more than willing to wrench on a $199 gun, whereas I won't even add a sling swivel to the butt on my Ithaca 37.

Assuming that happens, I'll report on how it does. I don't plan to fight the Battle of Prokharovka with it.

I found the ATI clone of the 870 works flawlessly (made by the Ottoman gun company), when I bought mine they were $100, the NEF pardner 870 clone is a good shooter also, if you want something with pretty wood and a smooth action the old wingmasters are a good choice but for more money.

eastbank said:

this is about as dressed up we get to shoot at those big orange disks.

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Yup. High fashion at the Turkey shoot a couple weeks ago.



I think he might have been thinking about Skeet, they dress to impress each other.

I bought an old well used Wing master for $225 and ended up giving it to my nephew who needed a shotgun to protect his castle.
So I did have an inexpensive HD shotgun for a short time.
Wing masters were the faves at the police academy for good reason.
The lad got a heck of a good gun----but that's what uncles are for, right?

$100 h&r 20” 20ga single shot shotgun is under my bed. #5 gameshot won’t overpenetrate drywall but is useful deterrent at 10’. as it autoejects spent rounds can be run fast.

Recently bought a 9 shot 590 (not A1) for not all that much---so now my abode is protected by a 590 and an 8 shot 88 and both are much less expensive than my O/U's and 4 year old or so Wingmaster's or Benelli M2.

Cheap shotgun torture test: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2021/08/05/tactical-shotgun-build/

Worked for awhile.

GEM said:

Cheap shotgun torture test: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2021/08/05/tactical-shotgun-build/

Worked for awhile.

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Even after it went down it wasn't what I'd call a major failure. Putting that pin back in and staking/mushrooming the ends a bit so that it doesn't work out as easily likely would have it back in service. The furniture loosening up you could likely fix with a bit of Loctite on the stock screw.

Still, I will admit that I don't trust cheap auto-loaders nearly as much as cheap pumps. Autoloaders are nice and a lot of companies build good ones, but there can be a lot of tuning and precision on getting them to work right, and on the cheap end of the scale I don't think they always get the attention they need.

mgmorden said:

Even after it went down it wasn't what I'd call a major failure. Putting that pin back in and staking/mushrooming the ends a bit so that it doesn't work out as easily likely would have it back in service. The furniture loosening up you could likely fix with a bit of Loctite on the stock screw.

Still, I will admit that I don't trust cheap auto-loaders nearly as much as cheap pumps. Autoloaders are nice and a lot of companies build good ones, but there can be a lot of tuning and precision on getting them to work right, and on the cheap end of the scale I don't think they always get the attention they need.

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One thing that I never considered was actually substandard MATERIALS and MANUFACTURING PROCESSES.

I recently saw a review of a Charles Daley "tactical" semi-auto where the bolt carrier and piston heads were quite obviously improperly heat treated (maybe sub-par materials as well) leading to the sort of peening and galling that I'd only expect from a pure blowback Chinese "mystery pistol" chambered for 7.63mm Mauser. There's a similar video regarding older revisions of the Citadel Warthog, where the locking surfaces are peening to the point of out of battery firing, leaving fired shells looking like they'd been run through a garbage disposal.

When your QA is that bad, you're skating on thin ice liability wise.

I think most of folks buying the cheap guns regard them as underwear drawer guns or leaning against the wall, to be picked up and fired in their one and only self-defense use. They are not being used in classes or competitions. They are the Taurus 85s in pockets and purses, fired only a few times. Thus, they might work for that singular incident.

jstert said:

$100 h&r 20” 20ga single shot shotgun is under my bed. #5 gameshot won’t overpenetrate drywall but is useful deterrent at 10’. as it autoejects spent rounds can be run fast.

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If it want Penetrate drywall it want stop a threat! What happens if the one trying to murder you is hopped up on drugs and feels no pain? That #5 is only going to pee them off.

jstert said:

$100 h&r 20” 20ga single shot shotgun is under my bed. #5 gameshot won’t overpenetrate drywall but is useful deterrent at 10’. as it autoejects spent rounds can be run fast.

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For me, deterrence stops with the presentation of the firearm. If that's insufficient "deterrence", we move to ELIMINATION of the threat.

Anyone who when confronted with a firearm, doesn't IMMEDIATELY flee or surrender is deranged, impaired or thinks you're not serious. That's no time for half measures. Shooting someone, whether it be with 9mm pinfire or 8ga Paradox is deadly force. You might as well use something most likely to take your assailant out of the fight before he can do you harm.

Stevens 320 youth 20gauge with 00 buck is good.
$147 at Walmart and it's killed plenty of game and still works great

mindbent said:

Just curious how many of you have a sub $300 shotgun for home defense. Was looking at my LGS web page and they have a few different makes of 12g pumps with 18.5 inch barrel. Dickinson and EAA Churchill for example. I want to get one for home defense only so it needs to be reliable. Probably just take it out 2-3 times a year. This is not a what should I get thread. I'm asking what people's experience is with cheap shotguns, call it research. Hope you're all having a good day.

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I own and have shot 2 canik 9mm pistols. They are Turkish made. If the Churchill is as good I’d buy two.

Blkhrt13 said:

I own and have shot 2 canik 9mm pistols. They are Turkish made. If the Churchill is as good I’d buy two.

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So, Wilson Combat makes some rather nice 1911s and has done for some time. Does that mean Remington made Marlins from 2014 were great too?

The issue is not where the gun is made, it’s the price point to which it was made.

Roverguy said:

So, Wilson Combat makes some rather nice 1911s and has done for some time. Does that mean Remington made Marlins from 2014 were great too?

The issue is not where the gun is made, it’s the price point to which it was made.

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Actually if you read the “if” you would see there is no such relation. But i would tell the op and was about to, look at canik and see if they have an offering available I would hope their quality of process is equivalent on long guns as it is with handguns because the handguns endured nato testing standards. They also sell for 200 to 300 less than the cz they mimic.

Blkhrt13 said:

Actually if you read the “if” you would see there is no such relation. But i would tell the op and was about to, look at canik and see if they have an offering available I would hope their quality of process is equivalent on long guns as it is with handguns because the handguns endured nato testing standards. They also sell for 200 to 300 less than the cz they mimic.

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No beef with Canik reliability. But if the company that makes Canik pistols makes a $200 shotgun, it will be crap. Because one cannot make a good shotgun, ship it to a port, ship it to the US, pay import duties and clearance fees, excise tax, importer/distributor margin, and retailer margin and have a decent gun left at even $300. AyA, the Spaniards, make some very nice guns. The Matadors they made for Sears weren’t.

Nevertheless, I will amend: It’s not where a gun is made, or by whom it is made, it’s the price point to which it was made that matters.

Roverguy said:

No beef with Canik reliability. But if the company that makes Canik pistols makes a $200 shotgun, it will be crap. Because one cannot make a good shotgun, ship it to a port, ship it to the US, pay import duties and clearance fees, excise tax, importer/distributor margin, and retailer margin and have a decent gun left at even $300. AyA, the Spaniards, make some very nice guns. The Matadors they made for Sears weren’t.

Nevertheless, I will amend: It’s not where a gun is made, or by whom it is made, it’s the price point to which it was made that matters.

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I went and looked the tristar shotguns run about 600 at this time

Blkhrt13 said:

I went and looked the tristar shotguns run about 600 at this time

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And the OP is talking about sub $300 guns…