Savage 320

[Confederate]

I'm thinking of getting a shotgun and like the Savage 320 I saw at Dicks Sporting for $250.

It's not a gun I'm going to hunt with and I'm really more into handguns. It's just that shotguns command a certain respect. I'd most likely use it for self defense only and only shoot it to make sure it worked.

Would I be better off with a 12-guage or a 20-guage? I'm also considering cost and size of ammo as well as effectiveness. What's your take?

 

[entropy]

If all you're going to shoot it is to make sure it worked, stick with your pistol. Despite 'internet wisdom' to the opposite, a shotgun is more a professional's HD gun. (Or more correctly, you have to have a lot of training to use one effectively.) I'm sure lemaymiami will be by soon to explain it better than I can. I have many, many shells fired at Trap, Skeet & Sporting Clays, as well as upland bird, waterfowl, and small game hunting with shotguns, mostly with pumps, so I choose one for HD. But just test firing it isn't going to cut it for HD.

 

[Confederate]

I've fired shotguns in the past and can handle them and rifles in self defense, being a big advocate of Ayoob's advice to stay ensconced when possible and let the bad guy come to you. In most cases I'd be very comfortable with a handgun. I'm just wondering if a shotgun might add an element to my. . .well being. It would be a bit nostalgic of the 70s, kind of like the smell of flashcubes and film mixed with the faint scent of pine around the holidays!

It would just be nice to have a shotgun and a few boxes of shells around.

I like the pistol grip on the Savage as well as the rifle sights. I wonder, though, about its durability at that or price.

 

[GRIZ22]

I have a 320 w/pistol grip and ghost ring sights in 12 ga I recently bought on sale at Dick's for $199. I've only put about 200 rds through it with no issues. It has a very good recoil pad and I shot over 100 slugs and high velocity loads in one sitting. Would have shot more but that's all the ammo I brought. I haven't tried it a longer distances but a 25 yds it shoots a 2" group with plain lead slugs. You really don't need more accuracy than this with a SD shotgun.

Ammo costs are about the same between 12 and 20. I think your might find 12 a little cheaper because it's more popular IMO. I don't hunt and my sole purpose for shotguns are for SD. I practice using game loads. There is no difference in recoil it you're shooting an ounce of #6s or an ounce of 00 buck at 1300 fps. You don't need to shoot 00 buck to maintain proficiency but you need to train with the recoil. BTW I just bought some 12s and 20s on sale. Either was about $5.50 a box. Makes shooting a shotgun cost about the same as 9mm.

When practicing I use gallon plastic jugs or 2 liter soda bottles for targets set up on the backstop. They can take a lot of hits and are easy to clean up.

 

[PapaG]

$169 at Big R last week. Got one in 20. Uses Winchoke threaded tubes. Shot one round of trap,discovered it is "flat" and after that put the bead on the bird and it ground them up. Will pattern with Turkey loads and present to wife for Turkey season. A little shorter than average and not a youth gun.
Wish it was made somewhere other than China.

 

[stoky]

I think it's a fine choice for home defense and a heck of a deal. I'd go with 12ga. Get some practice and take a class or two if you can.

 

[entropy]

Mea Culpa. What I got from your post was you really weren't familiar with them. If you are, then yeah, by all means get one. The 320's are OK, but I bet if you looked a little harder, (LGS's) you could find a used 870 or 500 for that amount. Both are better guns.
I still believe you should shoot it more than just familiarization, unless you have a lot of trigger time with a Win 1300. I agree with stoky, practice and a class goes a long way.

 

[1911 guy]

I have one. The earlier ones were hit or miss on quality, the later and current ones seem to have the bugs worked out. I like mine for what it is, a cheap but reliable HD and slug gun. With the synthetic stock, it kicks like a government mule. Slugs are downright brutal. 00 buck is tolerable.

When i got mine, a local shop had a deal to buy a case of 00 buck and they gave you the shotgun. Well worth the amount of markup on the shotshells. But I would NOT recommend this as an upland gun or anything at all that requires a lot of shooting at one time. Even birdshot got hard to deal with after a few hundred rounds.

Due to past reliability problems and you can't ensure how long it's been in a warehouse, I'd take it out several times and put a substantial amount of ammo through it to make sure you got a good one. Mine has run fine, though.

 

[Armed 24/7]

I bought mine on sale at Academy. The heat shield and front fiber optic fell off the first range trip, the heat shield is just for looks to me. Functionality is good. It's not as smooth as a 870 or Mossberg but it works fine. Just shoot it to make sure it works and it's fine for HD.

 

[PabloJ]

$169 at Big R last week. Got one in 20. Uses Winchoke threaded tubes. Shot one round of trap,discovered it is "flat" and after that put the bead on the bird and it ground them up. Will pattern with Turkey loads and present to wife for Turkey season. A little shorter than average and not a youth gun.
Wish it was made somewhere other than China.

That is quite a deal for new shotgun and one that is just going to serve as "door prop" aka HD shotgun. No reason to spend more money for something like that. Winchoke is same as Browning standard INV and probably std Mossberg 500 too which is good because spare choke tubes are inexpensive to buy.

 

[rromeo]

I've fired shotguns in the past and can handle them and rifles in self defense, being a big advocate of Ayoob's advice to stay ensconced when possible and let the bad guy come to you. In most cases I'd be very comfortable with a handgun. I'm just wondering if a shotgun might add an element to my. . .well being. It would be a bit nostalgic of the 70s, kind of like the smell of flashcubes and film mixed with the faint scent of pine around the holidays!

It would just be nice to have a shotgun and a few boxes of shells around.

I like the pistol grip on the Savage as well as the rifle sights. I wonder, though, about its durability at that or price.

I have that particular model. My wife got it as an anniversary gift a few years ago. I probably wouldn't have bought it myself, but it's not bad. I've probably got 1000 rounds through it now, mostly the Federal target loads from Wal-Mart, but also 100 or so of buckshot and probably 20 slugs. It's worked great so far, and it sits by my bed.
I do like the sights, easy to use. The slide button is awkward to use with the pistol grip, I'm used to Mossberg 500s.

 

[Confederate]

Yeah, me, too. I should have gotten one of those Marine models with the nickel coating.

I, too, like the sights. If the gun is durable, works well and has good sights, the grip would be the only downside.

Thanks for the feedback.