HD shotgun questions

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Combat-wombat

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Hey, I'm in the market for a HD shotgun. I've got a couple of questions, because I'm new to shotguns. First, should I get a Mossberg 500 Persuader or Mariner, a Remington 870 (I don't know which type yet), or a Winchester 1300 or similar (I don't know what type with the Winchester, either)? I 'm more in favor of the Mossy or the Rem. because you can get more accessories for them, but if anyone can convince me that the Winchester is superior to the other choices, I'll go for it. I know you guys are going to tell me that all those accessories aren't needed (sling, barrel shroud side shell saddle), but I'm just a person who likes to accessorize guns, I don't care if it actually improves tacticality or not in reality, just as long as it looks as tactical as possible. What can I say? I am NOT someone who wants to put a pistol grip or folding stock on though. I want a good fixed stock (I'm liking the Hogue OverMolded) that takes out a lot of the recoil, and I want a very good recoil pad on that stock. I'vr never fired a 12 ga. (or any shotgun for that matter) and I don't want to mess with recoil. And don't worry, I'm not going to be one of those people who puts a 3-inch magnum shell in the first time and get blown away. I want some recommendations for light shot to start out with, too. I basically want to get started in shotguns.

Luckily I have a grandfather who used to be very involved in shotguns and was a great skeet/trap shooter. He could take me shooting a shotgun for the first time. However, he used handguns for self/home defense and never used shotguns for that purpose, so I want your guys' help for the matter of setting up a tactical HD shotgun, what shot to use first, etc. BTW, I know I am under the magical age of 18 where everyone magically becomes mature enough to own a gun. Anyway, I know that and when I talk about buying a gun, I mean my parents would buy it on my behalf. (after I convince them to) Just sometimes when I talk about buying a gun on these forums, I get a bunch of people telling me that I can't buy a gun. I know thw laws, I'm not stupid. Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
You said something about tactical looks... well then
I'd get the 870 Marine Magnum. did you see Nightwatch's Marine Magnum? It looks TIGHT!

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24551&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

scroll down near the middle. Put a Mepro reflex sight on it or ghost rings. Bling it out.


As for HD ammo, I do all 00buck no slugs, no no birdshot. And no staggered stuff like first load bird shot next three buck shot and last one slug. No color coordination to see what is a slug or a 00buck. JUST ALL 00BUCK leave it at that.

Why? Because my plan is grab shotgun and shoot buckshot. I thought about loading birdshot first and then slug last or different combo's but I know myself and when it gets to a life threatening situation all that planning is gonna go out the door and I won't know what is comming out the other end of my shotty. I'll probably just react, Aim for CM shoot. Watch him go down, look for his buddies then repeat.

as always CYBYWY
 
don't listen to nippy about blingin out your gun. he's been livin large for too long. a reflex sight is unnecessary if you have a taclight, since your sights are backlit anyway.

go to a shop that stocks all three, and ask to handle the 20" mossberg 500 with full length magazine tube, the 590a1, the winchester defender (the long mag tube 1300), and a remmy 870 police.


buy the one that fits best.


buy lots of ammo, then shoot it, then buy more.


then, you can decide on accessories.

speaking personally, I'm fond of the mossberg 500. it does away with my two main complaints with the 870, which are the bolt release location, and the shell lifter.

with a mossberg, it is impossible to tie up the gun by not loading it properly. not so with the 870.

of course, the 870 is more durable than a stock 500.

once you buy acessories, you'd do well to remember a couple of things;

first, putting a PG stock on a mossberg is counterproductive, do to safety location (a pg stock effectively blocks your most direct route to the safety)

secondly, shotgun stocks are designed for bead sights. if you put a reflex sight or GR sight on your gun, you'll need to raise the comb.

thirdly, don't put a sidesaddle on your gun untill you've tried maneuvering a shotgun with one around your house.

I have problems with them because i'm left handed, and they hang out away from my body. this makes the shotgun effectively wider than having it on the other side would be.

don't worry about using uberdeathray mmo for your gun. you pay a price in recoil that is not made up for in effectiveness. stick with low recoil buck and you'll be fine.

for practice, use light loads. no sense beating the snot out of yourself.

if you get a "sporting" gun in the future, get one of the same action type as your HD gun. make it fit like your HD gun. this'll make for better cross training between guns.

you can put a good flashlight on your gun for cheap. lemmie know what you get, the inside diamter of the pumphandle, the outside diameter of the action bar assembly sleeve, and how long you want the rail, and i can make a rail mount that mounts on the pumphandle for an M3, surefire or other light.

i can make a surefire compatable flashlight housing for you if you want, as that's the lion's share of the cost with a surefire light.
 
 
Don't get a HD shotgun. Get a shotgun you can have fun with and use for HD also. Once you're past the recoil hump, darn near all shotgun use is fun.

The Big Four pumps are oft sold in combos, with a short barrel and a long one. Use the long one for clays and hunting, the short one for crisis management. Since the "Chops" are the same, practice with one carries over to the other.

Get used to the weapon you pick BEFORE getting the accessories. Only add those things that will aid you in placing that cloud of shot where and when you want it to be, and doing so in comfort.

In a 12 gauge, the increasingly available 7/8 oz, 2 3/4 dram, 2 3/4" target loads are GREAT choices for starting out.Wish they'd been around when I was starting.

It's hard to say just what the best HD load will be for YOU, since use environments vary so much. By and large, a light load like those mentioned above are good for inside use, lessening the chances of overpenetration(Lessen, not eliminate) without reducing stopping power enough to matter.

And your grandpa may have something to contribute. Older shotgunners can be valuable resources, and I bet he'd be glad to help you out.
 
Me with my Mossberg 590 Mariner :D

attachment.php


This thing is fun fun fun fun!! Oh, and it lives right next to the bed. :evil:
 

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If all your looking for is a general purpose HD shotgun that is LM and will last a lifetime, go with an 870 Marine Magnum. You dont need GR sights or a sidesaddle. Just a good investment. ;)

straight.jpg
 
I bought a used Winchester 1300 Defender (long tube) for $100. Ran 100 rnds through it to make sure it worked right, then bought some more and did it again. Functions perfectly.

Added accessories;
Sling
6 Shell side saddle

I load it with Remington STS target loads #8 shot. (i live in an apartment with fairly thin walls)
 
Let me remind you guys that I originally said I would not put a PG or Folding stock on, so you don't have to tell me not to. I still want more advice on a good, reciol-reducing fixed stock and a good recoil pad to go on it.
 
There is a special recoil reducer incorporated in all of the major shotgun brands that most shooters are completly unaware of.

It only becomes evident after you have fired about 2000 shells through the gun.

I have 16,000 + shells through my 12 guage Winchester Defender 1300 all in about 8 months.

The funny thing is, standard 9 pellet buck now feels like the lightest target loads used to when I first bought the thing.

BTW as a plug for the Winchester Defender 1300.
18' barrel (standard)
Hi Viz bead (standard)
8 shot capacity (standard)
Sling Mounts (standard)
Rotary bolt (standard and bloody fast mate)
Reliable 16k shells and no probs
All for a shade over $200

HS/LD
 
to help stem the tide of rampant winchester defender buying, i must now shamlessly plug the long tube mossberg 500


20 inch barrel (standard)
brass bead (standard)
8 round capacity(standard)
sling mounts (standard)
870 style bolt(really simple)
all for 219 from big five when they have them on sale.


GR sights will run you another 30 dollars, plus about 15 dollars to have the front installed by a gunsmith.
 
So you would have to cut 2 inches off the barrel and figure out how to put the rotary bolt in....

then you would have a shotgun nearly as good as the Winnie 1300. :D

Hs/LD
 
Wow, opinions ranged all over the place, which I guess is about as much as anyone could reasonably expect. Let's try this from another angle: What cons have people experienced from these shotguns?

Also what are the big five?
 
870 jammed and failed to extract. Had a kicker of a Type III jam (failure to extract then the next shell in the mag fed INTO the empty shell LOL :)) which, if in a HD situation, I'd be throwing it like a spear. Too much jams for me in one class so I said no more...


Big 5 would be "benelli, benelli, benelli, benelli, benelli" j/k :D
 
Geech, the Big Four are the Mossberg 500 series, the Winchester 1300, the Ithaca 37 and the ubiquitous Remington 870.

All are US made, have been around for decades, will last longer than most shotgunners, and cost less than a week's pay for Joe Shotgunner. All are available in short barreled, "Serious" versions as well as longer barreled recreational shotguns.

These comprise the bulk of the pump gun market, have accessories available, and will likely be around well into this new century.

There's other pumps of worth out there, like the Benelli Nova and the Browning BPS, but they're not made in the US, have been around a long time, or as cost effective as the Big Four. Best choice for most new shotgunners is one of the Big Four.

Darrin, while there are gadget stocks on the market, the best way to reduce recoil is to learn and use good form. A good fit helps also, so does a decent pad. The Archives here and on TFL have tons of input on this.
 
Darrin, that looks like Cheatham Co. WMA.
Click to expand...
Yep! It's free and only 20 min from my friends house.

Dave, I know, but I want to spend some more time with the factory hardware before changing anything. I've only been able to take it out once since I got it. :( I did your recommend, "buy a box of shell and shoot them up," now I'm just waiting so I can do the, "repeat" part. ;)
 
Oops, S'cuse me! That should have been directed to Combat Wombat....

You're on the right path, Darrin, good shooting to you...
 
Nightwatch:

Has that pic been flipped or mirrored, or is that a "Full Lefty" shotgun?

[I'm a righty, so I never looked much at the "Lefty" weapons. Next older brother, though....well, you could tie his right arm behind his back, and he wouldn't miss it for at least a couple of weeks......... :D ]
 
I'll take it at face value that the flag is displayed properly [star field to the left, from the 'most viewed' perspective] and that is a "Full Lefty" shotgun. I couldn't read the logo on the shirt, so I was con-fuse-ed.
 
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