870 vs. 1187

[Revolver Ocelot]

I'm looking for a home defense shotgun and am having trouble decidng which to get. I've had semi's and autos and had no problem with either so I'm hoping someone on here can help me tip the scale in one direction or another.

 

[Virginian]

I voted for the 870 because I think either will be waaaaay more than one would ever really need for true home defense, and you can pick up an 870 quite a bit cheaper.

 

[jdh]

The fore end on an 870 is easier to find and work under stress than the little charging handle on the auto.

 

[mlaustin]

Semi-auto shotguns, today, are very reliable, but you're still at the mercy of a mechanical system reloading the weapon. With the pump gun, it is 100% in your hands.

I prefer to eliminate as many points of failure as possible in home defense situations, which means the pump gun. Once you get some experience with it, you'll be able to shoot 95% as fast as a semi auto anyways.

 

[Virginian]

The fore end on an 870 is easier to find and work under stress than the little charging handle on the auto.

A non-issue here. The safety is in the same place.
I am a safety conscious person. I keep hearing all these stories about people getting killed with unloaded guns, so I keep mine loaded. And I make sure everyone knows they are loaded.

 

[jdh]

You keep it cocked with a shell in the chamber and the safety on?

The whole idea of a shotgun is to make the bad guy stop in his tracks, soil himself and give up all will to continue by the simple sound of the racking of a shotgun action.

 

[Virginian]

The whole idea of a shotgun is to make the bad guy stop in his tracks, soil himself and give up all will to continue by the simple sound of the racking of a shotgun action.

Don't you believe it. You have been listening to way too much hype. If he is a dope head, or perhaps worse an armed and skilled bad guy, you just let him know exactly where you are. He may be toting an AK, and you may get dead. Even if you tie him, you still lose.

 

[PJR]

If you practice with a pump it's a good choice. If not then go with the semi. A semi is not as mechanically reliable as a pump however the pump depends more on the ability of the operator.

I currently use an 870 but make sure I put at least 100 rounds through it or my other 870 to stay in practice.

I'm also not a fan of the Remington semi-autos. I've experienced too many failures with them to trust my life to one. YMMV.

 

[Youngster]

As far as semiautos go I would only trust a newer higher end design for defence, so no to the 1100.

 

[jdh]

The concept of satire is lost on some people.

 

[jojo200517]

Voted 870, just don't trust the automatic shotguns that much. The pump just gets it done and if you practice you can shoot it just about as fast as the auto.

 

[b.thomas]

The 870 for home defense, although my preference for most hunting/target shooting is a 1187 auto. Less things to go wrong with a pump gun!

 

[twice barrel]

I voted 1187.

My experience has been that when well maintained an 1187 or 1100 are totally reliable.

But my absolute recommendation is to use the one you are most familiar with. In a tense home defense situation that will make the most difference.

Regards,

TB

 

[chas08]

The concept of satire is lost on some people.

The problem is not the concept of satire being lost. The problem is that some poor inexperienced "dumb _ss" may actually believe it to be a deterent. I voted 870 even though I own both, for the dependability factor. I keep mine fully loaded, safety on.

 

[lobo9er]

1187 uses "O" rings that can fail doesnt it?

 

[chas08]

1187 uses "O" rings that can fail doesnt it?

The short answer is yes. But I've never had one fail. I replace it every two or three hunting seasons. Both on an 1100 and 1187 Super-Mag.

 

[Blue Line]

I had the O-rings on my 1100 fail unannounced at the skeet range, so in theroy it could have happened at home as well. I would vote for the 870, there are over 10 million of them, so they got to be doing something right.

 

[pikid89]

has anyone ever had a 870 double feed with super mag shells

 

[Pony Express]

I voted 870. I'm not a big fan of autos, but i reckon if i did buy one i would save up for something like a benelli...yet i'd rather spend that money on ammo practicing with my 870. I had an auto once, a mossberg 930, but thats long gone. It was fun on the range but i couldnt trust it for hunting, much less home defense. It wouldnt cycle lighter loads, double fed sometimes. I have heard some rather complimentary reviews of the 930's so maybe i got a lemon.

 

[lobo9er]

i dont know much about autos, do they all use an "o" ring ?

 

[throdgrain]

No, Benellis certainly dont.

 

[WVMountainBoy]

I voted 870 because my 870 is more reliable than my 1100. My eleven hundred hasn't had mishaps but maybe 10 times out of 15 years, but thats 10 more than my either of my 870's. All 10 instances of failure in my 1100 were failure to eject winchester low brass 8 shot. So blame the shell if you like, but my 870 has no issue with them.

 

[L-2]

Great question! I didn't vote on the poll as it really depends on the person. I own/use both an 870P and 11-87P. Some pros & cons in no particular order:
-my 11-87P's reliability has been fine for 1,000 rounds (est'd). Clean and inspect the o-ring after shooting everytime. That's the maintenance. If cleaning and inspecting is not one's "thing", then go toward the 870.
-many on this forum are expert shotgunners shooting thousands of rounds in trap/skeet/clays etc. These folks experience o-rings degrading (high round count & age) on 11-87s. Most will not have this problem.
-I mainly see cops and regular novice folks at the ranges where I shoot. The more common problem with pump/870 failure is short-stroking (also stance). Again, the experts here do not encounter this problem. The person who doesn't plan to practice or shoot much may have this problem. In this case, a semi will be better.
-For home defense, the ammo is likely going to be something like 00 buck &/or slugs. By all means, test any ammo loaded/fielded in one's shotgun, but generally these ammo types will function fine in the 11-87P and, of course, the 870.
-For semi-auto pistol shooters, the 11-87P may also be more familiar. Chamber the round; shoot until bolt locks back. No need to pump with authority. This is an over-simplification in shotgun training, but, practically speaking, not everyone will be getting this training & practice of moving, shooting, loading, and ammo selection of buck to slugs or vice versa.
-the 870 generally will run and feed most anything, especially if a lower powered, low recoil type round is going to be used. For HD and using a semiauto, the lower powered stuff is probably unnecessary, though. Using a Wincheser, Federal, Remington, or equivalent 2 3/4" 00 buck should work fine in either gun. Again, test ammo before fielding.

If the original poster is comfortable with both platforms; knows he'll do the maintenance; then choose either gun. Can either gun shortstoke or be shortstroked? Sure. Shoot enough to experience a malfunction but also shoot enough to readily clear the malfunction or automatically transition to handgun and I think we'd be getting to where we'd ideally need to be.

 

[Ester IX:XVI]

870!!!

 

[Virginian]

I have been shooting 1100s and/or 11-87s for 46 years and haven't lost an "O" ring yet. Yes, at $4 for 6 I do have some spares. They do not move in service. The only way they get damaged is taking them off over the magazine threads during cleaning. The other main cause of "failure" is getting 'O' rings that are not resistant to petroleum products, and they dissolve/deteriorate. Viton or neoprene is forever. The original ones were metal 'V' rings.