Anyone use only just pump shotguns?

can work a pump faster than most semiautos, and I have far less chance of jamming a pump than a semiauto. If I short cycle it- its my fault, not the gun's.

Click to expand...

I own an FN SLP - it will put 6 hulls in the air simultaneously. If you can do that with a pump, you're the bionic man. The gun has over 1,000 rounds through it at this point, with mixed loads (light / heavy / buck / slug), and mixed length loads (2-3/4 and 3) and has never malfunctioned. Try mixing 2-3/4 and 3's in a pump - unless you practice a lot - you will short stroke the gun.

The SLP has far less recoil than a pump, and that's not just a "perception" on my part - you can keep the gun on target far better than a pump with follow up shots. I have a High Standard pump that I bought in 1964 and a Browning Micro-Trap (it was on sale, couldn't resist). I've shot the Benelli M4, and the SLP will easily keep up with the Benelli with less recoil.

The receiver on the SLP is shorter than the Benelli and much shorter than any pump I've seen, it balances almost as well as an O/U and is the most shootable semi I've found. I'm getting a 28-inch barrel for it, as shooting trap with an 18-inch barrel with ghost ring sights and a ramped front sight is ...well...a bit more of a challenge than one could imagine.

First and foremost, when a perp hears the classic "chunk chunk"...the racking of a well oiled pump normally changes their mind very quickly resulting in instant retreat.

Click to expand...

Uh..huh..sure they do...another mall ninja fable? Well, okay then, while you're shuck shucking - I've gotten off 3 shots.

Pump or auto? At this point, I'll take the auto over the pump every time.

<laughing> Its obvious you lean towards the semi auto, I respect that and your opinion. You keep believing you'll have three off before I pump once. First, you'll be flash blind from the first shot and probably do a great job destroying the drywall around the doorframe or hallway. Maybe another graduate from school of my way better than yours?

Ninja fable...that was really good though. To each his own

I've got more than 50K shells fired from 870s behind me, but these days I shoot a couple O/Us more at the clays range. Still hunt a little, there the 870 shines.

Everyone should have g a good pumpgun. It's the Swiss Army Knife of shotguns.

I have only owned pump shotguns, and even took my mossburg 20ga to my first skeet shoot a few months ago and hit 42 of 100, a guy in my team had a remington semi auto and it jammed about three times, so unless I find a semi auto real real cheap I don,t think i,ll ever buy one.

Uh..huh..sure they do...another mall ninja fable? Well, okay then, while you're shuck shucking - I've gotten off 3 shots.

Click to expand...

Not all perps are high on drugs. In fact, most probably aren't. And I would bet that many burglars are unarmed, too. (Not smart on their part, but whatever...) If you were unarmed while breaking and entering, you'd run from the sound of a shotgun racking, too.

Buckhorn Cortez, first off, I love your name. Second, I cannot put six hulls in the air at once with my pump, although I can put three in the air at once. That seems like plenty to me. Additionally, I'm on a very fixed budget. I'm more than aware that there are some great semi-autos out there, but none cheaper than my Pardner pump 870 clone. My friend has a cheap semi ($300) and it jams once in every other round of trap he shoots. Of course, not every semi-shooter has this problem, but they usually have nicer guns. As for mixing 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells in my gun, I do it all the time and I never short-stroke, though my home defense loads are all 3 inch hulls so that's not really an issue. As for weight and recoil issues, I'm a big guy (6' 4") so that doesn't bother me in the least--probably should have stated that in my first post, but oh well. I appreciate the weight of the gun in case it has to be used as a blunt force implement, and the recoil as I said just isn't an issue with me with shotgun fire.

There's also the matter of the condition in which one keeps their HD shotgun. Mine isn't kept loaded, but with the slide locked and a full side saddle and butt cuff. I do this because the gun just leans next to the closet door of the bedroom (no kids, and gf knows how to use it so AD not an issue) and is in plain sight. If time is really an issue, I'd defer to my GP100 which is either on my belt if I'm awake or on the night stand if I'm sleeping. I figure by the time a BG gets to the shotgun and figures out its not loaded, it's over for him. On the other hand if I'm alerted before the entry, I just go over to the shotgun and prime it for some action. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone without a backup HD gun or to someone who hasn't practiced loading the shotgun from the side saddle or buttcuff in the dark and under stress, but it works for me. A semi would be some extra fumbling, but who am I to be critical when I havn't owned one or practiced with it. My bias toward the pump is similar to my bias toward the revolver--I'm a fan of simplicity. I like my guns to have the smallest number of moving parts possible for ease of maintenance and reliability.

I never bought the racking thing. Massad Ayoob says racking the pump before clearing your home after a strange noise just lets an experienced criminal know you are an amateur who brought an unchambered weapon to a fight. I tend to agree. So the only thing my criminal will here is a faint "click" when the safety goes off.

Shooting a pump gun is sort of like driving a stick shift. It makes you feel like you are part of the machine.

Had a fun day at the range with my friends and our pump shotguns. My 500, a 590, a 20g Mav 88, and a Sig Sauer P220 (not shotgun, but still fun).

Put 220 rounds through my 500 with the new Hogue Tamer pistol grip (very comfortable, not like the factory at all). No misfires or issues at all. Spare me the gospel about pistol grips; I feel completely comfortable using it in my house with RR 00BK, and have spent the week doing the flashlight drill in my bedroom, kitchen, and living room.


Anyways, none of us had any issues with our pump guns, and somewhere around 500 rounds between them all.


Keeping my eye out for a well priced auto, and will likely pick one up, but for now, I trust mine and my girlfriend's safety to my $300 pump that sits in the closet, 5 in the tube, 1 in the chamber.

One of the earliest posts said it best. Something about the rhythm with a good pump. Maybe it's from 25+ years of shooting my Winchester 1200 (ya think?), but a semi just doesn't feel natural when it cycles. Got rid of an 1100 and an Auto 5 because of that.

It's all in what you like and are comfortable shooting. Confidence is 90% of this game.

Pumps rule,have Winchester m12 in 20 and 12,m37 in 20,870 wingmaster in 20,mossy 835 and 500,lots of fun with the old pumps.