"Acceptable" SD Shotguns

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Phil DeGraves

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I heard someone say today that the S&W Eastfield Arms 916 was "unacceptable" as a self defense shotgun. I've shot those; they seemed okay to me, as good as a Mossberg 500. Does anyone have bad experience with this gun?

My personal preference is for the Winchester 97 and the Browning A5, both "acceptable" guns.
 
Hi Phil,

No less of an expert than Clint Smith says the best shotgun wound he ever saw as a police officer was a #71/2 skeet load shot from a single shot shotgun. Would anyone want to take a skeet load or two from 10 feet? I think not.....

"You might be surprised what you could do with a single shot shotgun and a little bit of training. Learn to run the gun that you have". Clint Smith Thunder Ranch


Shoot safe,John
 
I tend to think that the most "acceptable" gun is the one with which you're most proficient, regardless of model. In a self defense situation, you dont want to be fumbling around with an unfamiliar gun, even if it is a super-duper-tacticool "recommended by the experts" model.
 
What subsonic said, and welcome to him.

It's not the Arrow, it's the Native American. Having said that, I like more capacity and a repeater. Have used Remington, Winchester, Mossberg, and Saiga as home defense guns. Currently using an NEF Excel auto 5, with an 870 pump clone (Norinco) on order.
 
Phil,

I had a run-in with one back in the 1980s which belonged to an acquaintance that was a boat anchor at best. He was always after me to fix one thing or nother with it. But it was worn slam out, an ex-LE gun that was beat to death. That one I would have rather have used as a club, in fact I'd say someone already had...

One in decent shape should be OK to play around with, but they've been out of production so long I'd be wary of getting one with any idea of serious use in mind. There are far too many makes/models available with abundant spare barrels, parts and accessories to pay much more than collector or historical oddity attention to the 916, IMHO.

hth,

lpl
 
An "Acceptable" defensive shotgun is.....

Reliable. The Ayoob test, 200 rounds of duty ammo glitchfree is a good rule of thumb.

Reasonably durable, capable of being used for training and recreation for years without breaking.

Controllable by the user.

Well known to the user.

Capable of firing commonly available shotgun ammo.

And having the confidence of the user.

Note there's nothing about bellsnwhistles, after market bling or Tactical/ Practical hoodoo.

HTH....
 
Nothing wrong with a single shot shotgun at all. When you break open the barrel the spent shell ejects, you load another shell, close the barrel and your ready for a follow up shot if necessary. The single shot shotgun I have around the house has a shell sleeve on the butt with 5 rounds of #4 Buckshot in it. With a little practice you can load a shell almost as fast as you can rack the slide on a pump gun. (did I say that right?? LOL)
 
What you heard is a reference to the 916 being a poor quality shotgun.

When compared to others available, this is in fact true. I would not bet my life on a 916 unless I had to. Nor would I choose a Savage 67, 30, etc. , or a Nobel shotgun. That has nothing to do with the fact that someone has one that in fact works fine, or that someone has had good luck with theirs.

The truth is, that there are some guns that by design and by materials and manufacture, that are less than reliable overall. The S&W 916 is one of those. Prone to breakage, jamming, etc. These are not the kind of firearms I would trust with my life , given a choice. The Mossberg 500 has them beat by miles .
 
Phil,

Dave puts some common since to the question.

I am not familiar with the S&W gun but Googled it. I'd say that a well functioning model should be just fine. A '97 is old, therefore questionable in my mind.

As a child, I remember the A-5 being the shotgun of choice for African Safari Guides because it was a quick reliable repeater that held 5 rounds.

Now go back to testing of each to make sure it meets the Dave test.
 
Look, I already have five really good reliable SD shotguns, including, like Goblin, two SxSs. All I wanted to know was why some people didn't think the Eastfield 916 would be acceptable. My experience with them was favorable. Apparently, this is an anomaly. Thanks.
 
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