So I was up at Cabela's today with a buddy. He was buying a rifle that I was trying to talk him out of, but he did not heed my advice. Now he'll have a mediocre rifle that'll leave him wanting a better rifle anyway.
While he was doing his mental health assessment form (barely passed it), I was looking at shotguns. I've always wanted a more appropriate home defense weapon and assumed that I'd end up with a Remington 870 Tactical. I felt the tactical but it just didn't feel natural in my hand. It felt 'thin' compared to what I was used to and the controls weren't as intuitive to me. When I picked up the mossberg 500, i wasn't impressed. The pump felt sloppy and the fit and finish just felt crappy.
I picked up the Winchester expecting a cheaply made foreign gun and it had red badges to grab your attention (I figured they were compensating for something). When I held it up, the balance was very nice. The synthetic stocks felt fine in my hands, and the action was smooth, but still firm and inspired confidence. I'm told it has a sweet feature that throws the pump back to the shooter, allowing the shooter only to need to push it forward to load another round. I got home and began reading some reviews about it, and I've read nothing but good things. Honestly - I can't find a bad review of the shotgun.
Does anyone have any experience with it? It appears to be based off the 1300 design (which is probably why I prefer the size & feel - it's what I'm used to). I'm saving up my Cabela's 'points' on my credit card and I'm about half way there. I'm almost sold on this thing.
I also saw this item available. It has the field barrel and a shorter home defense barrel for a $100 premium over a single barrel item. If it's as easy to swap barrels as it is on my 20 ga 1300, then it's a swap that takes less than 2 minutes. Thoughts? Experiences?
http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=021C&mid=512257