Fighting shotgun setups: 500/590's & 870's (Pics welcome)

My "dream" fighting shotgun setup ? A Remington 870 Wingmaster, 20" field barrel w/ brass bead, w/ mag tube extension and fixed cylinder bore.

But I'll settle for a 20" hammerless coach.

My HD gun is a 20ga 870 exp. with an 18.5" cylinder barrel, Knoxx collapsing stock, plastic forearm, +2 mag tube, and a 6 shot Mesa Tactical side saddle. Receiver and mag tube have a thin layer of textured bedliner on them followed by some OD green. Barrel and everything else is black.

I keep a pair of 3" 4 shot turkey loads followed by a trio of 000 buckshot shells in the tube with a few slugs and a few turkey loads in the saddle.

This is the first gun i ever got and my pops had an 870. Always thought the Mossbergs were rattly and cheap feeling.

This is the gun that replaced my AR as a trunk gun.

It's a Maverick 88 that started life as a very cheap field gun. Modifications are as follows:

Barrel sent to Gunsmith to be cut down to about 19"

Replaced the pinned forend for a slide action tube assembly and an integrated flashlight forend

Originally Installed a hard side saddle, but have since changed it to esstac Velcro side saddles(makes getting the gun into action out of the car much faster if need be)

Installed a Magpul stock with a one point sling.

Overall it runs extremely well, and really other than the stock option which is a preference, it covers the 3 most important things for me. Light, Ammo, and sling. I shoot it well out to about 100 yards with slugs and the bead, so I'm not too worried about a sight personally.

As a general proposition I'll never be posting photos of any of the armaments I have at hand.. I will, though, post up what I came up with many, many years ago when I worked the street - and my shotgun was my first choice always for any hot calls.... It's simply a bandoleer that takes into account how important it is to keep your ammo clean and ready to go. I've posted it up once before I believe... It's an M16 bandolier and standard five round boxes of shotgun ammo in each mag compartment (they fit perfectly...). Each box has the bottom cut out but left in place until needed. Then you pull the box with the ammo needed and allow the rounds to stay in the pouch until required. With this setup you can tell at a glance whether you're reaching for buck or slug - and never needed - but when it was needed - that extra ammo was bright and clean - ready to go... I'm happy to report, though, that it was never needed and hoping it never is...

bandoleer rolled up and ready to go

each box holds five rounds with labels up so you can see at a glance what your choices are - pull the box, leaving the rounds in place and you're ready to go. That bandoleer across your chest was pretty handy in motion. Years and years go, during the cocaine cowboy era - it was entirely possible that my guys might run into automatic weapons fire and I wanted the means to be able to extract them if it occurred (we were pretty seriously out-gunned for a time...). Very glad to say that it was never needed at all. In fact, on the street, I only fired a single shot in 22 years...

SwampWolf said:

I've posed this admonition before but I think it bears repeating: When installing a "side saddle" type shell carrier to the receiver of a Benelli Nova pump shotgun, be careful not to tighten the bolts down too hard. Doing so will distort the plastic receiver enough to prevent the pump from moving; at least it did on my Nova.

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I had the same experience with a Remington 1100M as well..

DustyGmt said:

Pics for reference, this is my idea of a pair of perfect fighting shotguns. I have a couple other remington/mossbergs but these are my idea of the ideal fighting guns.

Remington 870 :top
Mossberg 590 :BottomView attachment 1100630

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Slick and clean. I really like those guns.

Everyone has different likes and dislikes pertaining to their fighting shotgun. I have three, the oldest is my Norinco M37 copy which is fine though it is easy to short stroke. I also put a Choate youth butt on it to shorten the LOP, it's the one in the center.



The one on the bottom is my favorite, a KS7 that holds 7+1

The last, but not least is my SDS import BLP M12 semi auto with 5 round magazines.

Shotguns need to be basic, no frills, simple affairs in pump or semi-auto. Too many accessories means too many distractions. A coach gun is also a good option. You need to find an action and pattern you are comfortable with. A shotgun is never the wrong gun unless you are working at rifle distances. A shotgun is a multipurpose smoothbore musket, works under a huge variety of situations.

I was issued a Parkerized 870 with a 14" barrel and tritium rifle sights, V-TAC sling, and a Surefire light built into the forend...best slug-gun ever. They stopped issuing 00 buck shot and gave us 1 oz slugs only due to the limitations of the effectiveness of the 00 buck. That shotgun was perfect around cars and clearing buildings, and if you knew what you were doing, fast for follow-up shots.

A 9 shot 590 and a 8 shot Mav 88 have primary duties around the house--both are stock other than a butt cuff holding extra shells---I really need to get some lights for them.

If pressed, I have a pair of newish Wingmasters 12 & 20 that I have additional 20in rifle sighted barrels for each---Remchoke for the 12 and IC for the 20---I also have a 21in barreled Benelli M2 12ga that could work too but it's mainly one of my more used field guns.

870 and 1100 magnum.
Did get a Benelli clone to mess with, as i didnt want to drill and tap my remingtons for an optic mount.

The Benelli clone is nasty in recoil. Changed stock and pad. Next is trigger work. Stinks to drop an extra 100 bucks to make it like it should be. But if it runs good ( so far 100 rounds w zero stoppages ) ill proly have it threaded for Remchokes and make it my turkey gun too.

IMHO any mount that uses the trigger pins on Remington should be avoided.

Velcro is the way to go. Receiver or buttstock. Run it dry and slap another card on.

Gator Weiss said:

Shotguns need to be basic, no frills, simple affairs in pump or semi-auto. Too many accessories means too many distractions.

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Your criteria is incompatible with me. A light to PID, a sling for retention because a sling to a long arm is like a holster for a handgun, and a simple yet light and rugged red dot for faster target acquisition that depending on the model, removes any parallax doubt like sight alignment would with irons. And an adjustable buttstock because LOP really does matter, makes for a mission capable home defense shotgun in my hands, or it will be almost worthless due to quixotic handicaps being decreed.

I am still trying to figure out exactly what you mean by saying we'd be distracted. An always on dot, light with it's activation switch ergonomically placed, and a sling is far from being acting factors to be distracted about.

I agree with Clint, and if you remove the recoil pad on most shotguns and rifles these days, and replace them with a butt plate, the LOP's are usually just about right.

Shorter is better. Its quicker and easier to mount the gun, and get a good, head down cheek weld on the stock. If your thumb is thumping you in the lip, move your thumb.

In pursuit of short overall length with my 18” Mossberg 500, I tried a Hogue youth overmold stock. Shot some full power buck and some slugs, and decided that stock, 12” I believe, was just too short. Replaced that with the Magpul stock, which is just about perfect for me.

Combat shotgunning has ones body facing the target more. Gun tucked a little more on body for recoil control. Hence the need for less LOP

Hookeye said:

Combat shotgunning has ones body facing the target more. Gun tucked a little more on body for recoil control. Hence the need for less LOP

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And if armor is being worn (should be worn regardless if there is still time situation dependent), they can also get all of the armor facing the threat instead of showing an unarmored cummerbund or if soft armor is being worn an unprotected shoulder and armpit.

My go to is a Mossberg 500 Persuader 20 inch , barrel 8 shot magazine I want to put a heat shield and maybe give it a trench gun look. right now it is bone stock it has sling swivels from the factory but I haven't felt the need to put a sling on it since I have other shotguns for in the field and this little fellow is mostly a H.D. and range toy .I got a Mossberg after my cousins had one and didn't manage to break it like everything else they got their hands on. They were notoriously rough on their stuff , so if a Mossberg survived everything those dudes put it through I knew I would not wear one out.

A quick note... All of my shotgun experience (with minor exceptions) was in police work - at the range or on the street. In the 22 years I worked - it was almost always in body armor. Early on we had to purchase our own - and my first armor was the original Second Chance vest - in following years it was much upgraded after my outfit began issuing our gear - and I wore it like religion - day or night, uniform or plain clothes in winter and all summer long down here in south Florida (many, physically larger, could not wear body armor in summer conditions down here... ). As a result all of my shotgun usage was in armor - and it does make a difference in how you work with a shotgun... Very glad to retire out and never wear that armor again (you learn to live with the dis-comfort...).

Has anyone been able to find a new Remington 870 Tactical?
If so, how was the quality?