first shotgun - what to buy?

OlDutch

OlDutch

Joined
Jun 21, 2012
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265
I recently got my hunting and gun licence. I want to buy a 12 ga. pump action for duck hunting. I am left handed but I have been told by a few other lefties its easier to just buy a right handed gun. I have been doing a bit of research and see a lot of recommendations for an 870 wingmaster. I have also seen the browning bps suggested for lefties since it has the bottom eject. my only issues with the bps is they seem a bit harder to strip (im a mechanic so im not too concerned with that really) and the ease of checking the chamber when clearing the gun. (I havent handled a bps in person so im not even sure that's a valid concern)

the other considerations I have in mind is availabilty of different barrels, mods etc.

what would you guys suggest?
 
I decent gunsmith can change the right handed gun's safety to left handed. I had an 870 built right handed left safety , that way you can get extra barrels. they make 1 barrel for a left handed 870 28in w/remchoke
top gun is a lefty 870 3rd down right 870 with left saftey
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Remington 887 nitromag! Can't go wrong with that for a hunting shotgun. It has basically a water proof coating that looks great and can take 3 shell sizes.
 
I would go with a mossberg 500 or the Rem. 870, both are excellent shotguns and I do not get into a debate about them, but you really can not go wrong with either. I think the safety on the mossberg would be more beneficial to you, but as others said you can easily have the 870 switched over.
 
I think the BPS would defineatly be a good choice is your left handed shooter or 870 for that matter. I'm right handed and don't think I could shoot very well with left. Used to have an 870 but sold it long ago cuase needed $. Have two mossberg's now a 500 and 930. Got the 930 semi-auto for $380.00 brand new and it came with and extra 18" barrel besides the 28"!!! God I'm still so happy with that deal.Put 300 rounds of every type of ammo there is and all fed perfect except some cheapo $.20 round buckshot that didn't eject a few times out of the 18" barrel. For the price unbelieveable value. absolutely love it. And the only thing I don't like about the 500 is the forearm kinda wobbles. But would take it over the 870 cause I feel the actions smoother,like the tang safety,and for the same price as 870 you can get the combo barrel deal for 500 so you can also have the 18" barrel for self defense. Are you on a budget and that's why you want the pump or just prefer it? Cause it I had $600 or so to spend would look for a Franchi Affinty or Beretta a300 semi-auto. For pump would say mossberg espeiacally if your on a budget.
 
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Go with the mossberg 500 or 535 pretty sure all mossbergs have a thumb saftey and thats critical if your a lefty shooting a righthanded gun which is what i do FYI the 535 takes up to a 3 1/2 shell which is nice
 
870 OR Mossy 500/590. I'm a lefty and frequently shoot a RH 870 express with no trouble. The Mossies have an ambi tang safety and some folks like the placement of the slide release better on the Mossies. Lots of couch commandos hate the 500/590 because of the aluminum reciever but it all comes down to personal preference. I personally prefer the 870 but either one will serve you well. My recommendation is that you shoot BOTH an 870 and a 500 or 590 before you make a purchase decision. Reasons to avoid the BPS and 887: 887 had problems in the early models with the front sight loosening (supposedly fixed by Rem) and lacks a solid base of aftermarket parts. The BPS is not a very common shotgun in my neck of the woods and I would be concerned with ease of finding affordable replacement parts locally. One last thing.... You don't need 3.5 inch chamber unless you hunt geese or comparable game... 3.5 inch shells are NOT fun to shoot, are expensive, and in a HD/SD/competition scenario you deal with a noticeable increase in recoil AND lose mag capacity due to the longer length of the shells. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.
 
Fellow lefty here. I considered the "switching sides on the safety" idea, but ultimately didn't. It just seemed like an accident waiting to happen. Yes of course, no one should rely on a safety to be safe etc. but you can bet that someday someone is going to think it's on when it is not and bad things will happen. YMMV.

I know you want a pump, but a double barrel with a tang safety might be a good alternative. Personally I use H&R single shots for most all my hunting these days. If you go pump, bottom ejection is nice. I have a semi-auto .22 and I predict you will be distracted by the ejecting shells, at least a little.
 
Another vote for the 870 or 500 if you are on a budget.
The 870 platform is very versatile and you can get a 18" barrel for a HD scatter gun or go rifled slug barrel too.

I have an old Police Dept 870 Magnum trade-in that has a receiver built like a tank and handles just fine. With a 26" barrel I can shoot skeet or go hunting if desired.
 
Are you right or left eyed? that makes more of a difference with wing shooting than with sights. Either way, the Mos500 and the Rem870 have long and deserved reputations, great catalogs of aftermarket parts. Shoot them both, and see what you like. All things being equal, maybe you can find a deal on one or the other. But at the end of the day, you won't go too far wrong with either.
 
I like bottom ejecting shotties for lefties in general, but if you really want a good shotgun for what you want to do, you need to think about:

What kind of duck shooting are you planning on doing? Sky blasting over water or close over decoys in a field? In Georgian Bay, I see. Will you shoot from a punt or small boat?
 
Remington 870 or a mossberg 500…. cheap, reliable & incredibly versatile and there is a huge aftermarket parts base for these guns so you can really tailor them to the user. I've had my 870 for 11 or 12 years now and have shot thousands and thousands of rounds through it and it has never failed me when I squeezed the trigger.
 
The 870 is an obvious choice, for many reasons listed above. But honestly, the only way I'd buy an 870 these days is if I could find an older one in good condition. I'm not impressed with Remington's current manufacturing standards at all.

The Browning BPS can be found for a similar price and in my experience they are built to a higher quality standard than the current 870s, with an action that is just as time-tested. You might pay a little more for a BPS over a new 870, but it's worth it, imo.
 
Smithhammer said:
The 870 is an obvious choice, for many reasons listed above. But honestly, the only way I'd buy an 870 these days is if I could find an older one in good condition. I'm not impressed with Remington's current manufacturing standards at all.

The Browning BPS can be found for a similar price and in my experience they are built to a higher quality standard than the current 870s, with an action that is just as time-tested. You might pay a little more for a BPS over a new 870, but it's worth it, imo.
Click to expand...

I agree. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've shot 870s for about 30 years. The older ones are made nicer than the new ones that's for sure. I've got one from the 70s, great shooting gun. A firing pin snapped in half on it one year, easy fix.
Fact is you shoot them enough they'll all brake eventually. The Mossburgs are easier to work on, they just never felt as smooth to me.

BUT, The BPS field grade I owned was the smoothest shooting pump shotgun I ever shot. The blue was perfect, looked like the wingmasters from the 70s, and this was just a field grade.

I was young and sold it because I couldn't get passed the feed/eject from the same hole. I've regretted it ever since.

For a lefty you can't go wrong with a BPS, and in my opinion, they are made better than the 870s from the last 20 years.
Try one see what you think.

To add, Not a clue about duck hunting, it's been a while for me. The last time I shot at ducks you could still use lead. I'm guessing you can get a BPS in 3 1/2 tho.
 
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If you have a local gunshop, check them out. A small shop near me always has a changing stock of used guns and deals can be had if you aren't in a real hurry.
 
I too was going to suggest the Mossberg 500. I sold them years ago and they were a reliable gun without a high price.
 
I prefer automatic shotguns for duck. Such as my beloved benelli or a Remington 1187. But if it has to be a pump I would go with either the Benelli nova or the browning.
 
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