Shotgun for Home Defense. Pump vs. Auto - your opinion.

[Fred Fuller]

srduy,

Welcome to THR!

The S&W 916 is long out of production, any spare barrels will have to be located via the used market. How good the chances are of finding one, I don't know.

A lot will depend on the length of your gun's magazine tube. If yours has the standard sporting length magazine tube, you should be OK, but if it has the riot gun 8-shot magazine tube, I doubt you can find a sporting length barrel that will fit.

One of the larger dealers on the net is http://www.barrelexchange.com/ , you can check with them. I see some listings at http://www.corsonsbarrels.com/s&wbarrels.htm that might help too.

Good luck,

lpl/nc

 

[distra]

After watching a high end Bennilli semi auto jam after 6 rds today in our tactical match, I'm sticking with a pump. It's reliable and simple to operate.

 

[MrBill120]

...what about a Stoeger Coach Gun for home defense??? Seems like a simple alternative....especially for the Mrs...crack the barrel and you know its safe.

 

[doc2rn]

My 500A Mossberg

The last thing a burglar wants to hear is a 12g. pump cycling a round into the chamber.

 

[Fast Frank]

Why does everybody keep saying that?

Pump guns don't sound any different than autos.

Click on the pic and watch...

 

[Clyde Nocar]

NEMOAZ: What are the "fact" about Mossy 500 that have been debunked?

 

[Fast Frank]

What are the "fact" about Mossy 500 that have been debunked?

I had to go back to page two to figure out what you are talking about.

Have you read the rest of the thread?

The "facts" that were referred to were the 7 1/2 shot, the passing through walls,and the fear caused by the "Racking sound".

I'm pretty sure that there aren't any arguments about the Mossberg.

 

[elmerfudd]

Well, I'm gonna go against the grain and suggest a Saiga 12 gauge. It comes with a 5 round detachable mag, or you can get a 10 round mag as well. Works extremely well. You can get it "tacticool" for very little extra money.

Personally I think the Saiga12 is about the most awesome close range weapon available to civilians. 10 shots of 12g buckshot as fast as you can pull the trigger, stick mags for fast reloads and 20 round drums are available now too. My guess is it's only a matter of time before they ban the thing. My biggest concern with using a Saiga would be the legal repercussions afterwards. I'd hate to be the defendant when they display a tricked out Saiga with a folding stock and forward pistol grip to the jury. Even stock it looks pretty damn intimidating with that big 10 round mag sticking out. Still, if you're looking for pure firepower I think it's got just about everything else beat.

 

[Stretchman]

Pump guns don't sound any different than autos.

Specially not from the business end.

C1 on a shotty is a no no for remington. No sear safety. Meaning the weapon gets a jolt, it can fire. Bad idea if you drop it in the hallway.

Mossbergs may have a sear safety, I don't know. Ask a mossy person.

 

[Fast Frank]

It's not kept in condition one.

It sits with the mag full and the chamber empty.

But the point behind that post was that it sounds the same as a pump gun when it's cycled.

 

[Dgindlesperger]

Pump it up baby.......45 is first line thought

 

[pinstripe]

Winchester 120 12Ga.

Winchester protects my cave. Bought a Winchester 120 from a gun show a couple of years back. They had it marked for $150, which was a fair price for the gun. I looked in my billfold and only had $80 left after some other purchases. He says "what the heck," and I ended up with a like new Winchester 120 for $80. I have shot at least 200 rds. through the gun and it is right on spot.

 

[farscott]

To echo the words of others with more experience than me: I use pumps for HD because all of my sporting shotguns, with one exception for an O/U, are pumps. So I shoot trap with a pump, shoot some skeet with a pump, and hunt with several pumps. That consistency gives me lots of "muscle memory" and experience with shooting under the stresses of competition and hunting. I believe the best thing one can do is pick a platform, learn to use it, and stick with it. Lots of people on this forum call that "BA/UU/R". I just call it practice.

If I had chosen an auto platform, I believe that I would be fine with it. However, I like the low costs of pump guns as I can buy four good pumps for less than the cost of one good auto.

 

[ouchman7]

YO MEGAWATT , after reading down the posts ,i noticed you have the visualization going on about split second shot generation.you know you are wright.(in what you posted about 15 or 20 posts before this one). you dont need anyone to tell you your wright.it the natural progression of a shotgun enthusiast / owner is to feel the time it takes to get off a shot.especially if you own one /two /three...for specifically self-defense.even a pure collector has self-defense visualizaton.a semi (properly maintained)is definetly gonna afford you precious seconds/second. i keep mine brand spankin new.after my initial pump choices ,i ,for the exact reason you mention in your post about 18 posts above this one ,bought a remington 1100 tact 2. you know ,the odgreen one. now they come in all black as of 2007.its never been shot.my pumps go to the range.that remi /semi stays home clean and new for just that GOD forbidden occasion. they do take more intracite cleaning and maintenance.but thats if you use it every other weekend.you keep another one for hunting and ranging.GOD forbid you have a problem ,you have your "rapid fire" buddy.i mean thats what we are talkin about ,wright? the only thing i would do different is to check out the benelli m2 or m3 or for that matter ,if you got the $cratch,a benelli m4 combat mega shotgun.im now trying to put the money together for a m4 without my wife finding out till i get it home. they are practically maintenance free. now im rambling on and on. but you are on the wright track with the second saving home invasion offensive. maybe ill sell my never shot, rem tact 2 1100 ,factory extension .combat .od green,full pistol grip stock,with a whole pack of stainless 1100 piston rings to boot. if your or anyone is interested.i figure its brand new but it depreciated a couple of hundred bucks in a year.paid $755.00 for her. ill be checkin in now more often.who knows maybe someone knows a good deal when they read it. got pictures of my minty 1100. but i digress . dont know if its wrong to put a cell ph.# up. hope not 5163826876. never had any luck with sellin stuff anyway.guess im not really hoping to sell her anyway. my username would get me to the phone.

 

[ouchman7]

yo megawatt , your exactly wright for trying to buy time in a GOD forsaken situation like a home invasion. just the phrase got me thinkin of puttin a few drops of rem oil in /on my brand new ,never shot,11 month old, remi semi 1100 tact 2 ,factory extension,od green,rapid fire ,12 gauge.yes ,it takes a little more cleanin and stuff.if you keep it brand ,never shot new ,then it dont require crap. see my pumps are for rangein and huntin.even they aint shot thatmuch.but the remi semi is virgin.so if the **** hits the fan or a stupid bad guy picks my house,there will be no pumpin interuptions.every second is devoted to my right index finger.with the factory extended magazine and all,8 shots if GOD is with me ,should be enough.reloading you cant do too much about. i guess you can put a snare drum on your rig but you know,$$$$$$$$. im kinda glad i have it. brand new = maximum reliability. so your on the wright track, lookin to save intermediate pumpin time and all. hell ,ive been thinkin of quenchin my thirst for alittle variety and maybe sellin her so i can go back to the gun shop. i kinda miss the place.anyway ,time saved is survival. and if anyones lookin for a never shot ,remi semi,tact 2 edition,the whole works ,extra stainless o rings thrown in and all. just not sellin her with her case. figure i paid almost $800.00 less than a year,well no ,its about a year now. its safe to say she depreciated a bit. say $150.00 maybe $200.00. she has never been shot ,so that depreciation is just for drivin her off the lot. anyway megawatt ,stay fast and sorry for ramblin on so much. haven't been here for a while . too busy. nice to be back saturating all this great info again. and i hope it ok to put a number on post. so if anybody lookin for brand new for discount ,and i haven't changed my mind , inquire my username at 5163826876, later

 

[ouchman7]

sorry for the double post people . i thought i erased the first one of the 2 by accident.

 

[ouchman7]

yo elmer fudd , are you forgeting the m4? if someone offred you a saiga 12 or a benelli m4 combat ,would you really take the saiga ? i mean free ,not to buy,just give you a cost free choice. i'd take the benelli and run before they changed their mind. m4 #1

 

[ouchman7]

yo mega watt ,i hear ya.you need a trigger pull in the middle of your trigger pulls not a pump in the middle of your trigger pulls.have i more semi than i need right now ?yes.for info on a 1 yr new,remi semi,1100,tact2,fact extension7or8,i forget now.never shot,od green,yes never shot,climate controlled storage for only 13months and held once.18"b,and once again,NEVER SHOT.case not incl.$250.00off orig $800.00 purchase pr.5163826876 ouchman .wish i could have bought her with a deal such as this! first time i ever thought of making room in my humidor ,hope i dont change my mind. megawatt alphazulu anyone? keeping her would work for me also. later gentelmen

 

[DHart]

Training and practice are critically important, regardless of the platform. The "experience" part of that will teach you what you can truly rely on, too!

My shotgun experience started with a Stoeger Coachgun 12 ga. and Uplander 12 ga. SxS which I learned to use for Cowboy Competition shooting. "Two-fer-sure." Nice little guns. Reliable. Deadly. Then soon came an awesome Mossberg 500A 18.5" "Persuader". Stone reliable. Six shots. Controls in the perfect place - right where your control fingers are! Shotgun perfection, really, in my view.

Then I discovered semi-auto shottys and the rate at which they can so effortlessly fire! I became ENCHANTED with the thought of emptying the gun of it's contents in less than a second; the ability to empty the gun of it's contents before the first empty hull even hit the ground! "WHAT FIREPOWER!!!!", I thought. So I bought an 1100 Competition, and it was nice. Followed up with a Winchester SX2 Competition and an FN Self Loading Police (also an SX2 design). Great guns when they worked right! But over time, I found that the self-loaders jammed occasionally, especially when pointed downward and during colder weather. This in spite of my very rigorous cleaning and using full power ammo. Very sadly, I became DISENCHANTED with the semi-autos for defense use. Sold the Winchester and the FN self loaders. I still have the 1100 Competition.

I shoot my Mossberg 500A Persuader nearly every day, even if just a few shells. Rain or shine, clean or dirty, hot or cold, horizontal or vertical. Never fails. Ever. It's my "mole-getter", don't ya know? ;-) And while short shucking in a defense scenario is always a possibility, I've come to realize that if I just do my part in racking that sucker with vigor, it will function with remarkable reliability - and rapidly.

The Mossberg 500A Persuader IS my "go-to" shotgun these days and most likely will be for years to come. Always at bedside at night. (Along with a couple of able pistols - usually a COlt 1911 and Glock 23). THe Mossberg is kept fully loaded, C1. All it takes is a flick of the thumb on the tang mounted safety to bring it to action and a slight shift of my second finger knuckle to release the action for racking. Mossberg controls are positioned in the most ergonomic positions possible. Another great Mossberg advantage is that the lifter is out of the way when the slide is closed - you can pop another shell in the tube without any obstruction of any kind - no lifter in the way! Gotta love Mossberg's design! And they are stone reliable.

No doubt the 870 is a really superb shotgun! I would be proud to have one in my armory. But the Mossberg is clearly the superior design when it comes to placement of controls and topping off the magazine during use. And as for reliability, I'm sure that the 870 and the Mossberg are in a dead heat with each other. No, I wouldn't mind at all relying on an 870 for defense, but my highest regard goes to Mossberg... for the details. The US military got it right when they choose the 590 for their scatter gun purposes.

Lastly, my little Stoeger Coachgun still has a heck of a lot of appeal... "two-fer-sure", as some might say. Only thing I'm not so crazy about with it is that it's only TWO! Awesome little defensive shooty, however. Great for close quarters like in the RV. As for my 1100 Competition, I do love the gun, but still, the nod goes to my Mossberg 500A Persuader when the chips are down. I'm thinking about going to the pistol grip option that came with the Mossberg when I first bought it... makes for a really compact, but fully featured 12 gauge "Persuader".

I think when it comes to confidence in a very potent defense weapon... there is nothing that can touch a 12 gauge pump stoked with 00 Buck! (I agree with some others here, birdshot is for the birds... buckshot is for defense! Penetration is KING, and you NEED that in a defense scenario.)