Best combat shotgun for heavy use excluding Moss 500/Rem 870

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The Glock of shotguns IMO is the Benelli Nova. They're not expensive ($350ish) and will serve your purpose well. I'm not sure there are many autoloaders that will do well in the environment you described, especially those you've listed.
 
I standardized on the Benelli M2 with 21" barrel for my multi-use (field and HD/SD) needs. It's pretty dang bulletproof (if not cheap) and the manual-of-arms is really straightforward, but as has been pointed out really isn't going to fare any better than any other option if it's left to collect dust all day and get sprayed with WD40 at night.
 
Your Tractor is not a gun and your gun is not a tractor. You can not expect to treat your gun like your tractor and have it last very long.
Your Tractor is a piece of equipment, and I'm sure that you have tools to work on it. Do your tools get the same treatment as the tractor?
Your Shotgun is not a piece of equipment, it's a tool that needs to be cleaned and cared for to keep it in working condition.

Thanks, but unfortunately if something doesn't hold up to my use case it's better off in the scrap heap. Meticulous maintenance just to stop something from rusting up is a no go. I have a browning 380 that gets the same treatment and last week I fired it for the first time in a year. Perfectly fine.
 
Meticulous maintenance just to stop something from rusting up is a no go.
If it were just to keep something from rusting up, I would agree with you, but maintenance is performed to keep a firearm functioning. I'll bet that Browning 380 isn't subjected to the same conditions as the shotguns have. Perhaps you should have that son sit you down and teach you how to properly care for a firearm, he has been taught the correct way by the USMC.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
 
Let’s revisit the lubricant/protectant. Anything wet will grab and hold debris whether it be dust and grit, leaf litter, etc. have you considered any of the spray on waxes that the carrying fluid evaporates out quickly after application leaving your gun both protected and dry? The other side of this seems like a Kolpin or similar scabbard is in order to protect the gun from the various abuses described. A rugged scabbard, and appropriate chemical use should keep the gun running for a lot longer than a few months.
 
I'm fully aware of how to take care of my guns. The rest of my guns are extremely well taken care of. But the shotgun will be treated how I've described. Need something that will last 6 months plus. I would rather buy another one than spend more than a few minutes a month spraying down the shotguns.
 
You eliminated the "glock of shotguns" from consideration in your first post, and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find one that meets all of your other requirements. Pick whichever one you want, because they'll all fail you fast.

Since no one has mentioned it, I'll toss the Saiga 12 out there.
 
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You eliminated the "glock of shotguns" from consideration in your first post, and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find one that meets all of your other requirements. Pick whichever one you want, because they'll all fail you fast.

Since no one has mentioned it, I'll toss the Saiga 12 out there.
FWIW I've never seen a saiga get through a match without multiple mulfunctions. Not once.

To the OP, since you're resolved to abuse these guns and seem okay with paying for a new one every 6 months, I'd get the cheapest Maverick 88 you can find. $180 or so, maybe less. You could buy them by the crate.

Nothing I know of will RELIABLY and CONSISTENTLY put up with your treatment and shrug it off for years.
 
FWIW I've never seen a saiga get through a match without multiple mulfunctions. Not once.

To the OP, since you're resolved to abuse these guns and seem okay with paying for a new one every 6 months, I'd get the cheapest Maverick 88 you can find. $180 or so, maybe less. You could buy them by the crate.

Nothing I know of will RELIABLY and CONSISTENTLY put up with your treatment and shrug it off for years.

Meh. I don't think it really matters what we say to the OP. Lots of good advice given, all summarily dismissed. Reminds me of a thread in the strategies and tactics forum where the OP swore off automatic transmissions because his automatic transmission burned up his 1982 El Camino. Once. Also chopped up his pump guns because of a bolt failure or something.

oh, wait...https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-a-single-shot-shotgun.842097/#post-10937681
 
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The Remington 870 and Mossberg 590 are as tough as it gets. If someone is strong enough to open a break action single shot or double they are strong enough to handle a pump. A 20 ga will be a lot lighter and easier to handle if someone isn't as strong. Recoil is about a wash because of the lighter weight of the 20.

Any type of lubricant in those dusty conditions will just attract dirt, dust and crud that will lead to problems. Under those conditions it is best to remove all traces of any gun oil and run them dry.

I was thinking the same thing.
Other than the rare extractor issue I’ve never heard anyone complain about reliability on an 870. Likewise the Mossberg counterparts don’t have common issues.

This talk on WD40 makes me cringe.
It’s great for spraying off sockets and hand tools to clean and put a light coat of oil to keep them from rusting. It was designed to get rid of water hence the name Water Displacement not be a lubricant.

Gardens, farms, construction sites, etc can be harsh places. I agree a few minutes to clean your tools is worth it. Not to rag on OP but I wonder if he cleans his tractor and other tools. Caked mud and dirt isn’t good for them too. Now no one expects farm equipment to look like a show car, but a little care goes a long way.

I always wonder about those who don’t do preventive maintenance and care. I once had a client who had a cleaning business. He bragged he never maintained his vans. Said they never gave him problems. Yet at his shop he had a yard full of broken down vans and trucks.

So I’ve learned not to always believe what people say about how they care for their things.

I was going to suggest a Mossy 930 but if OP has issues with a 870 I can be sure a 930 will be worse.
 
Meh. I don't think it really matters what we say to the OP. Lots of good advice given, all summarily dismissed. Reminds me of a thread in the strategies and tactics forum where the OP swore off automatic transmissions because his automatic transmission burned up his 1982 El Camino. Once. Also chopped up his pump guns because of a bolt failure or something.

oh, wait...https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-a-single-shot-shotgun.842097/#post-10937681

You can't make this stuff up...
 
Meh. I don't think it really matters what we say to the OP. Lots of good advice given, all summarily dismissed. Reminds me of a thread in the strategies and tactics forum where the OP swore off automatic transmissions because his automatic transmission burned up his 1982 El Camino. Once. Also chopped up his pump guns because of a bolt failure or something.

oh, wait...https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-a-single-shot-shotgun.842097/#post-10937681
Wow
 
Benelli M1,M2,M3,M4 Super90 series. I have a M1 and M4 and they always run. I would agree the Nova or Super Nova are excellent more cost effective choices in a pump. I have a Nova with regular stock and ghost rings and I can do head shots with slugs at 50 yards with it. They are underrated IMHO. The semi-auto Benelli's are expensive but they run forever.
 
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