Used shotgun questions - Tactical options - A couple of questions...

[mosttoyswins]

Hi gang,

I am going to our local gun show on Dec. 4th and I am planning on looking for a shotgun.

I would like to buy one that I can use for home defense and possibly hunting.

Questions...

1. MOST IMPORTANT, What are the key things you look for when looking at a used shotgun to make sure it is in good condition? I know how to check used pistols, but not shotguns, and I don't mind buying used if I stumble across a good deal.

2. I want a shotgun I can add tactical options to (foregrip, folding stock, accessory rail, etc) but still possibly use for bird hunting. Is this possible?

3. Is it cheaper to buy a shotgun already put together with the options I want or to do it myself?

4. Are the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 the best options?

Thanks in advance for the knowledge!

 

[L-2]

Your questions seem fair and honest. I'll start by recommending you go back through THR, among other websites, and read a lot of these threads. But really, if yo see something you like and can afford it, just buy it. If you don't, I you may regret it, unless you take your money and buy a new one. Now in an attempt to answer your questions in order:

1. Try to know as much as possible about the make & model for which you'll be shopping. You won't get it just by reading my answers here, but even then, you'll be dealing with a used gun and can only speculate about its history. With that in mind, even a brand new gun can have a problem, but they usually have warranties. A used gun generally won't have a warranty and will have an unknown degree of use or damage, if any.

Pick up the gun. Determine it's unloaded; cycle the action; look into the ejection port; look at where the forearm slides on the mag tube; visually check for excessive wear or damage. On the Mossberg 500, take your finger and trace it around the ejection port, especially at the top. You're feeling for loose metal separating away from the receiver from 10's of thousands of rounds flexing the receiver. This is the only location where I've seen a receiver totally worn out on the Mossberg.

It might help if you, at least, did the same to a brand new one first just so you have an experience in which to compare. Nobody ever completely takes apart a used gun at a gun show to determine 100% functionality anyway. There's always going to be some risk. How's the finish and wear? Acceptable or not? How's the seller; trustworthy or not?

2. Yes. Depending what accessories you want, decide upon the 870 vs. the 500. For example, how important to you is having-a-magazine-extension?

3. It depends. I suggest checking out the following two websites to get ideas on prices: http://www.vangcomp.com AND http://www.wilsoncombat.com
This will give you some idea of the costs involved. Now compare this to buying a Remington 870P Max for ~$775 and you'll still want to put more money into it.

4. It depends, and it looks as if you've done some studying already. This is personal desire and preference, but a person can buy either one and have it perform to your specifications of having a personally modified HD gun and a hunting gun.

I hope this helps. I suspect, most readers won't even try to answer your questions as the questions are broad and open, while you'll be dealing with one or two specific used guns only you'll be seeing and of unknown history.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Choosing/buying a good used shotgun is more a matter of experience with the particular make/model than anything else IMO. It takes hands-on time to really learn a gun and I can't really offer much of a shortcut there. Buying used firearms can be a gamble and especially so if you aren't familiar with the make/model you are shopping for.

The first thing I look for (after making sure the gun is clear) is whether or not there have been any 'home gunsmithing' projects attempted on the specimen in hand. If screw heads and pins are buggered up, it's an automatic no-go for me. I don't need to buy someone else's mistakes.

I also check to see as much as possible if all the parts are original to the gun. Barrels, stocks etc are easily swapped on most pumpguns. For example, I passed up buying a nice looking older magnum receiver 870 Wingmaster a couple of weeks ago because it had had its barrel swapped for a 2 3/4" chamber barrel and it was not priced to allow for that. I don't need to buy someone else's unfinished projects.

I don't worry much about honest wear on the finish of a gun. It is pretty easy to tell surface wear from abuse and neglect. I generally assume that what a used gun looks like on the outside is going to be better than how it looks on the inside. If in doubt I will ask to field strip a gun to check the internals. But I don't need to buy someone else's junk.

That's it in a nutshell. I have been buying and selling used guns and converting new ones into used ones for more than 30 years now. A person is looking to substitute knowlege and experience for spending more money in shopping for a used gun as I see it. Make sure you have enough knowledge and experience to be a smart shopper, or else you are likely better off spending the money to buy new.

Question 2: Buy a shotgun, any shotgun. Make sure it fits you properly and then _learn to shoot it_. Convert YOURSELF into a capable shooter before you spend a penny on something kewel to bolt onto that gun. The best accessories you can spend money on as a new shotgun shooter are ammo for practice, training and trigger time. As resident shotgun sensei Dave McC puts it, BA/UU/R- buy ammo, use up, repeat.

How your shotgun looks don't mean diddly squat if YOU can't hit with it. Learn to be deadly with it in plain jane form and you will be much better equipped to choose genuinely useful accessories wisely, later on. Remember what I said about swapping knowledge and experience for money? It applies here too. Save the money you would spend on geegaws and jimcracks and spend it on developing skill. That is an accessory that is transferable from gun to gun with no tools at all.

Question 3: Generally it's cheaper to DIY. And IMO it's better too. That way you get exactly what you want and aren't forced to spend more money on stuff you don't need, or on someone's inflated ego which is supported by attaching their name to a gun.

Question 4: I am biased in favor of the 870. I think it would give you a lot more leeway buying used than any other make/model. And there are more spare barrels and useful accessories out there for 870s than for any other make or model of pumpgun. That's because there are more 870s out there than any other make/model. Still, I have seen used 870s with genuine problems, so even the 870 is not a 100% guaranteed trouble free option.

I personally would steer mostly clear of used Mossberg 500s for a variety of reasons, I would jump on a good used Mossberg 590 in a heartbeat though.

Don't overlook the Winchester 1300/FNH Police Pump in your shopping. I have a new FNH Police Pump on order and will be writing an evaluation of it here after it arrives. I already have a pair of Winchesters and find them perfectly useful guns. I handled a new Police Pump at a dealers a while back and was impressed by the features it offered and its price, and so I decided to get one and see how it does.

Good luck in your shopping, and Stay Safe,

lpl/nc

 

[Kingcreek]

I'm gonna suggest you consider a new 870 combo with 2 barrels. I saw some 870s (2.75-3.5") this weekend for $309 and I've seen used guns at shows priced as high as new. you can accessorize and modify all you want later. I think 500 combos were $50 less than the 870s.
If you know what you want and you know what to look for, buying used can be a great deal. If you go to a gun show with the idea that you're gonna come home with a shotgun, you probably will. but you might not save much.

 

[justsurvivingincalifornia]

check out the following sites
www.mossberg.com
www.remington.com
www.winchester.com
They are the big 3 when it come to both tactical and hunting pump-action shotgun in north america.
Also consider what type of hunting you want to do and the type of barrel that best for that?

Another thing to consider is it not always best to switch back and forth from defencive to hunting shotgun set ups because of wear, tear and damage to the parts that are constantly switch. That would depend on how radical your HD set up is of course. Folding stock, lighted forends, ghost ring sights, and pistol grip forends etc......

On used shotguns unless you really know your stuff buy new.
Consider you local discount stores Wal-mart or Big 5 sporting goods. This would depend on which part of the country you live in. They will mostly undercut the prices of your local FFL dealers. They will only carry "Hunting type" guns but it may be a good start point for you.

on the mossberg 500a and mossberg 590 models with long magazine tube you will not find many hunting barrels for them. I have only found one barrel for the long mag. mossberg 500a 7+1 mag (28inch )
these two versions where made for HD only

winchester and remington you can fit all the barrels they make to eather version.
The long magazine tube winchester has a barrel adapter for use of shot mag. barrels.
remington has only one magazine tube lenght and that can be extend.

 

[Rob62]

Lots of good advise already mentioned.

Something else to keep in mind in case you find a newer model 870 Express at a can't resist price.

These newer model guns have "dimples" inside the front of the magazine tube that do not allow one to attach a magazine extension without the removal of the dimples. This may be a concern as you mentioned that you might trick it out later.

Also at some point after the dimples were put in the mag tube Remington decided to make the trigger group housing out of Polymer instead of aluminum. Many people, myself included like the aluminum much better than the plastic. If you remove the dimples then there is a problem with attaching the barrel that came with the gun back on it as the barrel band will not have a magazine cap detent.

Older model Express', Wingmasters and Police model 870's do not have this problem. Nor do they have plastic for the trigger group housing/trigger guard.

Regards,
Rob