Shotgun help

[Texas guy]

Hey Spydie buddies, anybody want to help guide me with purchasing a new shotgun? I want a shotgun that would do well for home defense, but that I could also take to the range for trap and skeet shooting. What barrel length would you suggest? I did ALOT of research before I settled on the Glock 23 for my handgun, but now I want to back it up with a 12ga and the options are dizzying! My Glock cycles flawlessly, but I have heard that pump shotguns will be much more relable than auto loading shotguns.

To start me off with a good knowledge base, help me out with some specifics:
1) Recommended gauge? (I personally lean towards 12ga, but also like 20ga)
2) What barrel length? (short enough for home defense, long enough for trap shooting)
3) Auto or Pump? (don't know too much, but I lean towards pump)
4) Wood or Synthetic stock? (visually, I like wood stocks)
5) Brand? (I want a good piece to last for years, but need to be VERY cost concerned)

Any help is appreciated, and pictures would be great!

[Native Justice]

Without question, look at the Remington 870. If your small framed look at the 20 gauge in a 28" barrel. Mine is 30 years old and I've never had a failure. Easy to maintain and easy to operate. :D

[J Smith]

I just got a 12 ga Remington 870 HD.It came with a 18 in barrel,synthedic stock and 8 round tube.I picked up a 28 in vent rib barrel for it over on glock talk at a good price.IMO the only way to go between hunting and home defence is with 2 barrels.
This makes for a nice home defence-hunting set up.The only thing I might like better on it is a 20 in rifled barrel instead of the 18 in smooth bore.
I looked at a Benelli Nova but did not like the fact that the stock can not be swapped out.
Some will say to get a Mossburg 500 but the 12 ga I had kicked like a mule.I am a big guy and recoil does not bother me too much but the 500 had me hurting after 5 rounds.

[Zac]

beretta 390 (its an auto) is a nice trap shooter for about 400 bucks with little recoil (gas). i really have never seen a good skeet/trap shooter to double as home defense given barrel size is ideally longer for skeep and especially trap. i prefer a relatively long barrel myself. on the krieghoff i shoot a 32 inch barrel on a K80 for trap (helluva gun). this for home defense would not be ideal where as a pump mossberg 12 shooter would be ideal for defense, but useless for recreation.

[zenheretic]

1. 12 gauge, only because it is so common you can choose from a grand multitude of shells. 20 would work fine though.

2. If you buy a pump, the barrel change is very easy so not that big a factor. Usually, people go for the min allowed length for HomeD, being 181/2 inch. If there can be only one barrel, 20-22 inch is probably a good compromise. I went trap shooting (or skeet, whichever is the harder to predict one with a 18 inch semi auto shotgun once. I did about as well as any beginner. :D

3. If you take care of your gear go ahead and get a semi auto. Easier to shoot well (less recoil) which is nice benefit if a person of smaller stature has to shoot it (like most females). I've only owned pumps, but I don't think there is anything wrong with auto shotguns if it is just guarding the home with occasional trap outings.

4. Synthetic will last longer than you without ever warping. Wood can look better depending on the grade purchased.

5. Remington 870 is the Glock of pump shotguns. It benefits from tons on the market, several grades available, most gunsmiths have experience working on them, and tons of aftermarket parts/additions available. I've only owned Mossberg shotguns which are arguably just as good. The location of the safety is loved by some and hated by others on the Mossberg. I like the safety as it is ambidextrous and easily visually checked with out rolling the shotgun over in your hands. Most however prefer the location of the Remington safety in the traditional trigger guard location.

[Dr. Snubnose]

Good advice from Zen!!!....Another vote for the 870 Remington...Doc :D

[a deadly fart]

Also a important question is do you live in an urban enviorment? houses connected or seperated? appartment?

[Manix Guy 2]

Remington is not a bad choice , home use go with a Rem choke deer barrel , use IC tube . Switch out barrel to 28 or 30 inch for range use and you have two complete shotguns in one . Personaly I have had several Remingtons very dependable . As pumps go I still prefer my Model 12 Winchester for field use and have been very happy with the Benelli Nova slug for deer .

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Dear Friend,

1) Recommended gauge? (I personally lean towards 12ga, but also like 20ga)

12 gauge - just try finding a box of Tungsten or steel upland loads for any other gauge in a small Mom and Pop convenience store in Podunk...


2) What barrel length? (short enough for home defense, long enough for trap shooting)

No one barrel length does all things well, however, if you are into skeet as practice for upland hunting I tend to lean towards a 21" barrel - interchangable chokes are non-negotiable. :D


3) Auto or Pump? (don't know too much, but I lean towards pump)

If you want the thing to go "bang" every time, buy a pump.


4) Wood or Synthetic stock? (visually, I like wood stocks)

Synthetic is ugly. Put synthetic on your rifle - buy wood for your shotgun. :D


5) Brand? (I want a good piece to last for years, but need to be VERY cost concerned)

Remington 870, hands-down, though you might want to have a look at the Benelli Nova as well (this is the ONLY synthetic shotgun I endorse)...

Please - do NOT buy a Mossberg - they are marginally functional, but rattletraps prone to breakage in my experience (10 years at a large firearms retailer).

--------
Hannibal

[snuffaluff]

I've owned the following for over 10yrs.

Remington 1100 field model 12ga. The problem with this gun is that you can't change the choke, but for an all around gun, it's great. Wood stock and I believe it's a 26in barrel.

Mossburg Pump 12ga. This is my duck hunting gun. Syn. stock so I don't have to worry about water damage. I have literally dunked this gun underwater and it still shoots fine.

My brother owns a benelli Nova pump, and that thing is the best shooting pump I've ever shot. Benelli makes some of the finest shotguns on the market and can be expensive, but the Nova is around 350-400 dollars depending on where you buy.

What kind of price range are you looking at?
You want home defense and something to shoot skeet/trap with, then in my opinion you'll need a gun that can switch barrels and ofcourse buy an extra barrel. I'd say nothing shorter than 26 for shooting skeet/trap and the 18.5 for home defense.
Is your wife/girlfriend going to shoot this?
I don't know why people rag on autos, I've shot the same remmy since I was 11 and I've never had a problem with it. The 870 is a fine gun as mentioned above. Barreta makes a nice shotgun as well.
I think it is more of a personal opinion than anything else, and I'd pick up and sholder every gun in the store before I purchased one for the first time. Make sure the gun is comfortable while you hold it in the firing position. Does the stock feel like the right length? Do the sights pop out at you when you look down the barrel? Make sure you talk to someone that knows what they are talking about too, no Wal-mart or some store like that. Cabela's, Bass Pro, or an actual Gun store would be best.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[hornshwangler]

Remington 870, hands-down, though you might want to have a look at the Benelli Nova as well (this is the ONLY synthetic shotgun I endorse)...
Hannibal

I have a Benelli Nova pump with an 18" barrel and mag extension. I bought this over a comparible Remington 870 because of price. The Nova is really easy to takedown and the quality, IMHO, can't be beat for the price. Great shotgun and highly endorsed for home defense.

Dan

[Simple Man]

I'll cast another vote for the Rem 870 12ga., it can't be beat, especially for the money.

[Zac]

870 is probably the most recognizable shotgun out their...very dependable and very well priced. I doubt you could go wrong with them.

[Outlaw]

For the home... the Rem. 870

[deeker]

I'd say the Remington as well. Hard to go wrong with that one.

However - - the one Mossberg pump that I handled had such an intimidating sound of a shell being chambered that it could be heard throughout a quiet house and strike fear into an intruder. The thing was LOUD - just loading, and you could hear every spring and part clicking over the other. Reliability I am unsure of, but it sounded cool.

[snuffaluff]

You know, the sound of a shotgun being "racked" is the world's most scariest... and that's no lie!

I know everyone is saying the Rem. 870, but check out the Mossberg and the Benelli Nova. You will be impressed by the Nova, it's a much better gun than the Rem. IMHO

[J Smith]

For the home... the Rem. 870

Thats the same one I have

[Jimd]

I have a Winchester 1300 Defender that's given me excellent service over the years. Very reliable, and the bolt cycles very quickly (pump action). It holds eight rounds, synthetic hardware. 18-inch barrel.

I'd go 12-guage for stopping power and availability of ammo.

Synthetic is good.

Pump action, without a doubt. Pumps are far more reliable than autos because they'll cycle any round as long as it's the right length. Autos often won't cycle the tactical/reduced recoil loads. Even when filthy, a pump will still function, whereas an auto can gum up.

My department uses the 870, and they're good guns, though over the years I've seen some of them break on the range, too. Any weapon can break/malfunction, none are fail-proof. But generally, most major brands of pump shotguns are pretty good.

[d.g.g]

I'd go with a 12 ga. Remingon 1100 or 11-87 with 30" or 28" barrel and Rem-choked. You can shoot trap with a 26" barrel, it is the choke not the barrel length that determine the pattern; full, modified, skeet, etc. There are some great buys on used 1100's around. They made a competition trap model with great wood and nice rail. Check around. Slapping a round into an 1100 has that same 'racking" sound as an 870 when you release the bolt.

Also, many skeet shooters will use their 12 ga guns with 20 ga insert tubes in 20 ga competition.

Remington made a great over-under called a 3200.

For home defense you have to remember that a shotgun doesn't spray the room or hallway like depicted in the movies. The shot goes out like a slug until air friction takes over some distance out and then the shot opens up. If you test this on paper you will find that the shot stays together quite a ways then opens (depending on the choke). The pattern is not triangular after leaving the barrel but more like a trombone horn shape flaring at the end. Where it flares depends on the choke.

[savitar]

Shotguns I've owned or been issued:
Remington 1100 Gas operation can short stroke if not held firmly.
Remington 870 Well made. Always works.
S&W 3000 My first police shotgun, no longer made, 870 clone
Franchi SPAS12 Perps get scared just looking at it. Way too complex.
Mossberg 500 Typical Sears quality. Wouldn't bet my life on it.

No one talked about my favourite.
Ithaca Model 37
I think it's a great gun.
It was introduced in the 1937, and is still being made today.

If the Rem 870 is the Glock of shotguns, the Ithaca M37 is the Colt 1911.
(both are a Browning design)

First one I saw was when I was getting ready for SE Asia.
There was always one in the squad car when I worked LE.

It feeds and ejects from the bottom.
You can shoot it both right and left "handed", which I have done, depending what kind of baracade there is.
In a combat situation, you don't get to choose your cover.
Also, some people shoot better left handed or have a dominant left eye.
Another is that there's no chance of any gas from a ruptured primer or unburned powder getting in your face.

I've seen them so beat up and abused, the receiver was dented, but they still work.

Because it's popular with LE, there's a ton of them available used, very inexpensively. (more money to spend for accessories)

BTW:

I had a drunk guy try to kick my door in one night.
Just the sound of the pump racking on the other side made him leave.
Everybody knows that sound....

Cheers