Best all around shotgun. What is it?

The one you own, and have spent time training with.

Remington 870 20 gauge. Very versatile gun. I have the express "youth" model so its nice and light too. The only shots that really hurt in terms of recoil are 3" Federal 2Buck. People will say get a 12 gauge but 12 gauges are heavier guns. The barrel on my model is 21" inches, a very good compromise between HD length and hunting length. People will tell you that 20 gauge slugs generally have better path to target than 12 gauges.

If you're looking for a home defense set up, I'm of the mindset that the more your gun looks like ONLY something you'd go hunting with, the better off you'll be in court. These zombie killer guns are completely over the top, chances are you will not need to even fire one shot, much less 25+. If you want a practical tactical application... I'm going to pump up my own thread (no pun intended)

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=416366

+1 to the Silverbullet 1719.

I have a Remington 870 and a Beretta 1201FP. I'd count on either one of them to do anything I need done.
Will

The one you own, and have spent time training with.

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Nuff Said!

"The one you own, and have spent time training with."

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Good advice. I happen to like SxS doubles and have practiced with them for years. I can shoot a 25/25 at the trap range with one, and take down game with the other. Practice is the key. It doesn't matter what you use. I just like SxS doubles best, but I know I'm in the minority. The rich, old guys with their Perrazi O/Us hate it when I beat them on the trap range. Whatever you practice with is what you'll do best with.

12 gauge or 20 gause shells will be much cheaper to do a lot of practice than your 16 ga. And I am guessing that cracked barrel is not conducive to a lot (or any?) shooting.

Get a Remington 870 in 12 ga and shoot it a lot.

I think what everyone is saying is that you can't buy your way into excellence. Practice and get to know your gun. Prepare to spend just as much money on ammo as your gun.

Enjoy your new gun!

Between the pump and semi, I would go with the pump. They are simple machines= less things to break. After you spend time shooting it, you can run it just as fast as a semi. Trust me on that, I can empty my 870 pretty fast if needed.

12ga is actually cheaper and far more versatile. Can't beat an 870 with choke tubes for all around current uses as so much stuff is available for it. The Mossberg 500 works OK and is cheaper..

For woods bumming I like my spartan side by side coach gun with screw in chokes in 20 gauge. Slugs are accurate to 50 yards and shot will take small game and birds, like having a combo gun in the field. 3" loads even take ducks. It's light, handy, and breaks down and stores in back packs or about anywhere. I think if I was out for survival looking for food, this would be my tool of choice even though I have a 12 gauge side by side, 12 gauge pump, 12 gauge auto, 16 and 10 gauge single shots. Also, for outdoor use in survival situations where you're back packing and carrying your ammo, 20 gauge is more compact and lighter to tote than 12.

By tactical, I guess you mean a fighting shotgun. If two shots ain't enough, a pump shotgun would be my choice and a Mossberg 500 would be my choice of pumps....or Browning BPS. I like the ergos on those guns. I own a Mossberg.

I'm not a tacticool guy and if I wanted a fighting weapon afield, I'd go for a rifle, personally, one of my sub MOA bolt guns that I can connect out past 500 yards with would be my preference. Probably be my Remington M7, light and handy, yet 3/4 moa accurate and I know it well enough to take anyone out to at least 400 yards so long as my rangefinder's battery doesn't go flat. I suppose that would depend on your TEOTWAWKI scenario, though. I'm not really into foil hats and if my biggest worry were law breakers, shooting from long range isn't in the cards, not justifiable, so back to the shotgun.

Maybe a mossberg 500 or Remington 870, with magnum chambers. (Not super-magnum.)

The one you own, and have spent time training with.

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That's a very good answer. But to answer what you're really asking, there isn't one. But a pretty good case can be made for several, for an all purpose type gun:

Remington 870
Benelli M1 & M2
Browning Gold
Browning BPS
Winchester Super X2 or X3
Beretta 390/391/Extrema
Mossberg 590A1

maybe others...you want pump or semi-auto? For your purposes, survival and defense, ultimate reliability is at a premium - that means pump is probably what you want. So then we get to budget. If you're on a very low budget, then grab a Norinco Hawk 982 (Rem 870 Clone) or a Mossberg 590A1. Little bit higher budget, go for the Rem 870. FWIW, I like my Hawk 982 very much.

I'd say that a Remington 870, Wingmaster or Police, would be the most durable and usable shotgun that you could ask for. With a 20" barrel with rifle sights and screw in chokes you could do just about anything with it.

I own multiples of my handguns and rifles because I worry about wearing them out. My 870 Police is the only weapon I own that I don't think I'll ever be able to break.

Any good modern repeating shotgun, either pump or semiauto, with interchangeable barrels, should do nicely. One short barrel with rifle type sights for defensive use or big game hunting and large pest control, one longer barrel with choke tubes for clay games/wingshooting/small game hunting and small pest control, should cover the gamut.

A modular design is a good idea, the more popular the better, with a variety of accessories available. It should be relatively easy to repair if anything goes wrong with new bolt assemblies, fire control assemblies etc. available and affordable. Non-owner repairable problems imposed by the design should be minimal. And IMHO it should be relatively inexpensive, so a complete spare gun is a manageable possibility.

12 ga. 870s work for me...

lpl

ive got a fie .410 that i like a lot. its tough, easy to clean, lightweight, and very versatile even in the worst conditions. id like to get the second barrel, for it, the 30.06 barrel that was supposed to be in the box, but it can wait a day or two

Another vote for the 870.
Pick one of the many 870s.

remington 870 pump I have a wingmaster but the express is nice for the money

I'll give another vote for the 870. I currently have a Wingmaster 12 ga with a 26" barrel and a Express 20 ga. with a 21 in barrel

The Express is the one that sits by my night stand and goes to elk camp though, it's lighter and with the shorter barrel it much easier to handle quickly.

Remington Model 870™ Express® Turkey Camo. 21" vent rib if you have to hunt with it plus HD or the SPS-T super gobbler™ 24" pistol grip gun.

Gor pure home defense Remington 870™ Police synthetic 18" bead sight gun its better built than the express and more corrosion resistant.