Which Pump Gun Is The Best?

My first choice would be the 870 Remmy,also,you forgot another great pump, Savage 67 !

Hmmm, Remington has sold over 10 million 870s'. OK, I vote 870. I think all the ones mentioned are fine choices. Back when I bought my 870, you either bought a Winchester, Remington or Ithaca in the pump line. Your mileage may differ. No offense Mossy owners.

The one you shoot and handle best. Some people like the Mossberg safety on the back of the receiver. I grew up with my dad's Remington 760, so the trigger-guard safety feels fine to me. I use 870s for everything.

Jack a few hundred rounds through it, and it will become instinctive.

I should probably also plug the old Winchester '97. They sure are fun.

Remington 870. I have three of them and 5 barrels. One for birds, one with a smooth slug barrel for the house and a rifled barrel for deer.

Its perfect for every situation, up to and including, trying to rule the world.

What is so special in Remington 870?i think Mossberg 500 has better reliability.

My J.C. Higgins Model 20 trumps them all.

faizi said:

What is so special in Remington 870?i think Mossberg 500 has better reliability.

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Probably nothing! Most likely either one would suit someone just fine and after the are dead and gone it would keep running for their kids too.

Its all personal preference. I started with an 870 and never liked the feel of anything after that.

What makes you think that the Mossberg is more reliable? I can't make either of them jam.

also have a savage 67 with broken action bar!!Good gun but no spares in the UK.

Best pump gun IMHO is the Winchester Model 12. For those in current production I'd select the Remington 870 or Browning BPS. I haven't had a chance to shoot one of the Benelli Novas but they look good and seem smooth operating from handling one in the gun store. Mosbergs are OK but the ones I've shot are definitely rougher in the action than either the Winchester or Remingtons.

Sorry, but this is way past old.

My vote is for the 870 (great gun), but the BEST pump it the '37. Ithaca made the smoothest, highly reliable, best pointing pump. I have (or had) Rem, Mossberg, Browning, and Ithaca pumps- the Ithaca is my absolute favorite.
Most reliable: older 870
Best value: Mossberg 500
Prettiest: Browning
Best all around: Ithaca by far, IMHO

Wow... This is one tough question.
Let's see, I have each model mentioned and a couple not mentioned.
The Ithaca 37 is fantastic! Great bottom eject and very easy to reload in a hurry. Being a lefty I appreciate that and the quality & craftsmenship. This 37 is my favorite!

Now I have two 1300 Winchester's, a Defender and a long barrel. That speed pump is incredible and these are both pretty darn accurate. Very light and easy to carry for prolonged periods of time. And smooth as a hot buttered rum on a cold Friday night in January at 2:00AM after working hard all day. Goodness I love the 1300, it's my favorite!

And as for my Model 12 Winchester. Well it's made like few if any others. And it has never failed to fire even on occasions when I racked out the rounds just to see what it felt like. The metal has aged beautifully as has the rich wood. And firing that shotgun is almost as good as watching others pick it up and admire it. The model 12 is my favorite!

As for my Mossberg, well it's always in the truck, always! And when my others are safe & sound locked away at home this puppy is there, ready, willing and more than able. Never fails to fire and it's got the safety located where every other shotgun's safety should be. This Mossy is my favorite!

As for my 870, well it's one heck of a shotgun. Built like a solid brick **** house and feels like it! Sure it's a tad heavy after a few hours of packing to where the hogs were last seen. But it's nice to know it's with me. This 870 is my favorite shotgun!

I guess I just love pump shotguns.

Got to agree with ByAnyMeans! The Winchester model 1300 speedpump would be my choice. I own three of them.

It seems like a lot of people prefer the Winchester 12 or 1300 ... As far as the 12 goes, didn't they stop production in the 60's? Wouldn't that make all the guns 50+ years old? It must be very difficult to find an M12 in nice condition - also, I'm guessing they came in many different styles, and the trench/riot style would be the toughest ... just speculation. I am fairly new to shotguns, so this post is mostly a general inquiry than anything actually helpful

For build quality and modern worksmanship I think the Browning BPS is the best. If you can find a smoother action right out of the box, I'd like to know about it.

How on earth could the Ithaca 37 have been left out of this poll?

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Because I'd vote for the BPS, anyway.

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I chose the 500 due to it having the same reliability as the 870 but being lighter which makes it easier to handle. Ergos are better for me as well.

Damian

This is blasphemy! Haha...you left out the only pump shotgun to have passed the USMC torture test. The Mossberg 590 A1 is the best pump money can buy IMHO. Can your shotgun do this?

"TARGETING AND ACCURACY (PATTERN):

At a range of 40 yards (+/- one foot) aim shall be taken at the center of a pattern sheet not less than 40 nor more than 60 inches square. The shot pattern shall be such that not less than 33 1/3 per cent of the shot pellets shall be within or cut the edge of a 30-inch diameter circle for accuracy (pattern), drawn entirely on the pattern sheet so as to enclose the most shot. Five patterns shall be fired from each gun and the average must be as specified. The guns shall be hand held during firing, or mounted in a fixture that simulates hand firing. Ammunition shall be as specified in 3.17.3.

ENDURANCE TEST (LOT ACCEPTANCE)

Shotguns shall be capable of withstanding the firing of 3,000 rounds with no unserviceable or broken parts and no more than three (3) malfunctions using standard commercial 12-gauge, 2 3/4 inch, 00 buckshot (9 pellets), maximum load shells. Type I shotguns shall include M7 bayonet and scabbard as specified in 3.3.1.a.

ROUGH HANDLING

After completion of the performance test, three weapons shall be chosen and subjected to the rough handling test. Each weapon will have the safety "on", a primed cartridge case in the chamber, and a fully loaded magazine. One weapon shall be conditioned at -20 degrees F, one at ambient, and one at +120 degrees F for a minimum of four hours prior to the test. The weapons shall be dropped a minimum of four feet (lowest point on the weapon to the drop surface) in each of the following five modes:

Butt end down

right side down

left side down

top side down

45 degree angle with verticle plane- butt end down

The drop surface shall be 85 + 5 Durometer (Shore A) rubber mat, one inch thick, backed by concrete. At the test conclusion the weapon must be safe and serviceable and the primed shell shall not have fired.


INTERCHANGEABILITY TEST:

Shotguns shall be tested for interchangeability of repair parts (see 3.18) by disassembling the shotguns and placing parts of each kind in the same container. The ten shotguns shall then be reassembled using repair parts taken at random from each container and subjected to the functioning test of 4.6.3 and the headspace test of 4.6.2.

HEAT SHIELD EFFECTIVENESS

Type I shotguns shall be tested for heat shield effectiveness (see 3.3.3.e). The shotgun and its ammunition shall be conditioned at 78 degrees +/- 8 degrees F for a minimum of four hours. Then 25 rounds of standard, commercial, 12 gauge, 2 3/4 inch, 00 buckshot (9 pellets) maximun load shells shall be fired in not more than 3 minutes (rate of fire is to be approximately 1 shot every 5 seconds). Immediately after completion of the firing, the temperature of representative ares of the heat shield shall be measured. No measurement shall exceed initial temperature plus 40 degrees F. Areas to be measured and measuring equipment used shall be approved by the Government representative. At the discretion of the contractor, this test may be performed in conjunction with the endurance test (4.6.5)."

I've shot the top 3, never even held the bottom two. If it had been on the list I'd vote Ithaca model 37 but it wasn't, so I went with the Winchster. I've got a 1200 and the 1300, both are very good guns. Still like the Ithaca's better though

There polls are like Ford vs Chevy. I like the Mossbergs and my good friend like Remmingtons. We both have our reasons. We are both right. I've shot his and he's shot mine and we both find the other shotgun to be a good weapon but neither of us feels and desire to switch.

All these polls can do is steer you away from something that is truely awefull. Much past that, I've never seen one poll that would talk me into a specific firearm over another.

I used to be a hardcore 870 guy (and I still own two of them). Then I bought a Benelli Nova. Say what you will about the looks, but for my money, it's the best.