HD shotgun... Pistol grip or standard stock?

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rogerjames

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My next purchase will be 12 gauge for HD. I am leaning towards pistol grip as it makes the overall length shorter and more maneuverable. I understand that this will present a more unnatural shooting position and will probably sacrifice some accuracy and possibly some speed with follow up shots, but I am thinking that this is a worthy tradeoff. What do you guys think?
 
Get both, a pistol gripped full stock. Best of both worlds. You still get reasonable maneuverability in tight spaces with instant use if needed, and you still have the full stock.

I have a Speed Feed on my 1100, and it works very well. My only complaint is the shape of their pistol grip, but thats a personal problem.
 
I use a OEM stock on my 590, cut down to a LOP that's more comfortable, about 12.5 inches. I cant find a PG stock I like, and I dont want to buy one just to try it. It gets expensive.

As far as PGO shotguns go, I'd rather have a Desert Eagle. This way I could have the heavy weight, powerful ammo, and low capacity with quicker reloads and sights I could actually use without worrying (much) about getting hit in the face by recoil.

I have a Speed Feed on my 1100, and it works very well. My only complaint is the shape of their pistol grip, but thats a personal problem.
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For a lot of people. I hate the fact that they're hollow, so I couldnt grind into a shape I'd like.
 
It must be cold up your way, so you are stoking the flames.

I have a Mossberg 500 Cruiser (The Tactical) with a pistol grip from Knoxx. I love it.

I'm thinking of getting another one, only in .410 for a bedside gun.
 
Mossberg 12 ga Cruiser with factory pistol grip fits my needs. Only change I might make is to add a Tommygun style handle to the forearm for greater control.
 
Pistol grips w/out a stock, which is what I think u r referring to, are awful. Anyone who knows how to use a shotgun stays away from them. However, sometimes space and, to a lesser extent, maneuverability demand it. Then, as with my latest project and "go-to" HD gun, a pistol grip may be the best if not ONLY solution.

Things that I decided even made them acceptable were the availability of lower-recoil ammo, wraparound forearms, and ported barrels. Couple those with an also typically-dopey sidesaddle with a light and you've got your arm.
 

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I have to say standard stock. Hollywood has made far too many folks think that shotguns don't have to be aimed. Just pick it up and SPRAY! After all, it'll hit anything within a 20' radius, right? So with pistol grips, one simply sticks the butt (if there is one) in their ribs and fires. Or with no stock at all, maybe it'll be fun to play Rambo. A pump with a stock tends to force the shooter to do things right. Number 2,3 or 4 buck--great for "indoor" use will spread out VERY little over the 10-15 feet or less most people will be from an unwanted intruder. It takes an aim to hit them. Point and hope ain't so hot.
 
With the possible exception of dedicated purpose entry guns such as an LEO doorbuster, ALL shotguns should be equipped with a full stock. For HD, the full stock is vital if one is to be at all proficient. If you like the concept of the pistol grip, then as somebody else said, get a full stock with a pistol grip molded into it. Personally, what I like in a tactical shotgun is a full shoulder stock that's cut about an inch shorter than my normal pull length, ala a "youth model". I find it's faster to deploy and there's virtually no penalty for the slightly shorter stock, and yet everybody in the house can use it. BTW, I'd say stay away from folding stocks too. Both the sole pistol grip and the folding stocks are more for Hollywood movies than for practical tactical.
 
You definitely have to aim a shotgun, just like anything else. You may get a "pattern" as the distance increases, but up close, bird shot, buck shot, it doesnt matter, its all basically a slug of sorts.

You could always try to mimic the "spreader" they tried on some of the military shotguns, but I dont think they found them to work very well. Gimmicks usually dont.

The advantage to the pistol gripped full stock is, it allows you to move through tight quarters, like a hallway, with the gun still pretty much at the ready, but instantly mountable when needed. It can also be fired from usually less desirable positions with better effect and control.

If you want to see what I'm talking about moving around wise, take your AR or AK, and make believe its your shotgun and move around your house with it. Then take you standard stocked shotgun and do the same. I think you'll get the idea.

Personally, I like my AK over the shotgun for this anyway. Its easier to load quickly, handier to handle, and its got night sights and a red dot on it. My 1100 aint bad, and it does have night sights and a light on it (I took the Aimpoint off, as it wasnt as handy), but its heavier and cumbersome compared to the AK (or AR), and nowhere near as easy to deal with. My wife also has a lot easier time loading, shooting and handling the AK too. After getting a slug mixed in with a couple of rounds of #1 Buck at the range one day, she about through that 1100 at me. :)
 
Get a pistol grip and get a full stock.

Go to the range and shoot 10 rounds with the pistol grip, then 10 rounds with the regular stock. Don't pussy foot around. Bring your tools with you and change the stock at the range. Nobody is going to judge you for trying different things.

Use ammunition you plan on using for home defense, ie; slugs or buck shot. I see and hear guys that carry .357+P but practice with plinking .38 ammo so they can "save". What's the point of practicing with ammo you aren't going to use in real life?

Take into account what you liked and disliked about each stock, and decide for yourself. You can ask armchair command all day and get 800 different answers but you're the only one who can make the right decision.

Personally, I don't advocate the use of a PGO for a shotgun. It's a shoulder fired weapon and should be used as such. Pistol grips are for pistols, just as bird shot is for little birds. You would think that having it's intended purpose IN THE NAME would give people a clue.
 
Hello, if it's legal in your country you should think about a foldingstock. with that yozu would have both options.
 
PGO's work for close range self defense. Period.
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AMD's right. Just because something doesn't work "very well," or "best," or even "adequately," doesn't mean it doesn't "WORK."

You CAN defend yourself with a PGO shotgun. If you feel the need to be at your best with the gun, you don't want a PGO, for reasons that can be discovered through the most cursory search of this topic here on THR.

But, if it's all you have or all you can afford, even a PGO loaded with birdshot is better than a dirty look and harsh language.

-Sam
 
First, get some basic home defense training (the NRA Personal Protection In The Home class is a good start). That should help you get over the idea of the benefits of "maneuvering" around the house with a shotgun.

As far as the gun itself is concerned, I think you should get one with both a PGO and a full stock as well.

Then shoot it, first with the PGO in place, then with the conventional stock.

And see which one actually works best for you.

The only pistol grip on a shotgun around here is on a High Standard Model 10A. It's a bullpup design...

fwiw,

lpl
 
it's a matter of personal taste, i suppose, but count me firmly in the camp that finds PGO shotguns a bit silly if not useless. it's a long gun, and just like any other long gun, it should be fired from the shoulder for best results.
 
My Remington 870 Police Issue will do just fine. I'm trying to figure out what would be the best mix of 00/bird shot shells loaded. Even bird shot within 10 yards would be close to lethal. 00 will take limbs off and a chest shot your dead. I hope I never have to find out.
 
pistol grip shotties only work in Hollywood. for practical use, get somwthing with a shoulder stock, traditional or with a pistol grip. remember, just 'cause it's a shottie, doesn't mean you don't have to aim.
 
You can actually do some respectable work with a PGO with practice, at least within close confines, but I think I would rather even have a handgun over a PGOed shotgun in most cases.
 
If you do go pistol grip only tkae a look at the Pachmayr presentation style grip. IIRC it's called Vindicator. That will absorb and spread out the shock to make shooting it a lot more comfortable. The factor plastic grip puts all the energy right into the web of you thumb which will hurt after only a few rounds.

However I do not recommend PGO, just giving a tip in case you go that route.
 
Try a pistol and a standard stock. See what fits YOU best since YOU will need to trust YOUR life with it.
Personally, I loathe pistol stocks on anything but a pistol, so a 870 Tactical is what I have. Then again, the wife and I have bedside holsters for our pistols so who knows which tool will see use.
 
Thanks for all the responses. A few clarifications and a few comments.

I live in a small condo with an open floor plan, so basically.... I open my bedroom door and I see the rest of the condo. When I suggested that a PG was more maneuverable, I did not intend to suggest that I was creeping through the house and clearing rooms :D. I apologize if the term "maneuver" was erroneously translated.

In my situation, "more maneuverable" means I can lean over the edge of the bed, grab the pistol grip, and be ready to go without getting out of the bed. A common stock would require me to stand and shoulder the weapon.

For those of you that think the pistol grip is "strictly hollywood'... how many of you are willing to break into my living room?!!!!! Put your money where your mouth is!

I am serious...
 
Roger, I don't usually participate in threads that mention PGO shotguns because they always seem to devolve into childish bickering and the "signal-to-noise" ratio hits rock bottom, fast.

In this case, I think there just may be some value in making a few comments, so I hope you take them in a spirit of friendly concern.

In my situation, "more maneuverable" means I can lean over the edge of the bed, grab the pistol grip, and be ready to go without getting out of the bed. A common stock would require me to stand and shoulder the weapon.
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With the greatest respect, I believe you need some training, or at the very least you need to seek out the wisest guidance you can find and then practice. This statement, if meant literally, indicates a very poorly conceived defensive strategy, and some misconceptions of how to fight in close-quarters with a long-gun.

Ready to go, in a gun fight, without getting out of bed? A full stock requires you to stand? This is not a well-informed plan.

As a nudge in the right direction, practice moving to a position of low cover and concealment, and firing a full-stocked long gun from various field positions besides standing. In the extremely unlikely event of a home invasion requiring you to defend yourself in your bedroom, taking cover behind the bed or some other cover/concealment and accurately firing a full-stocked shotgun from a kneeling position will make you ten times as effective as any possible scenario involving you firing a pistol-gripped shotgun from a supine position, lying in your bed.

Even a few minutes of practice will show you the value of a more considered technique.

For those of you that think the pistol grip is "strictly hollywood'... how many of you are willing to break into my living room?!!!!! Put your money where your mouth is!
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Please don't fall into the trap of using this tired cliche. No one here cares quite enough about your safety to figure out where you live, travel to your home, commit felony breaking and entering, and risk (however unlikely) catching a shotgun pellet -- just to prove that your notions aren't the very best. We can provide a little advice. Taking it is up to you.

Think of it this way: Such hyperbole is about as valid as those folks who defend a .22 LR as a viable self-defense cartridge by saying, "Well, if a .22 is no good, then let me shoot YOU with one!" Finding no takers, the smart fella then decides that .22 must be quite the man-stopper.

Don't be like that.

-Sam
 
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