general purpose survival shotgun

W

Will

Joined
Jan 4, 2003
Messages
659
What do you guys think the best configuration is for a survival shotgun? This is for extended hiking or canoe trips in the backcountry where the gun has to serve double duty for bear/cougar defence and putting small game (rabbits, squirrels, birds etc) on the table. Human defence is not an issue. I am thinking:

12 ga
pump
20-22 inch barrel with rifle sights
improved cylinder (so it take slugs, maybe a full choke as well for more distance?)
3 inch chamber (I hear 3.5 sometimes have feeding/ejecting problems with smaller shells)
full stock with pistol grip (not sure about the pistol grip, maybe normal stock is better for all round?)

My shotgunning experience so far consists of a single session of busting clays so I am by no means an expert on the subject.
 
You can't go wrong with a Rem 870 or a Mossberg 500/590. It just depends on preference. You could also go cheaper for a Maverick (Mossberg's value brand). I have experience with both, and both fit the bill of what you are talking about. I would try out both and buy the one that fits you best.
 
The Remy 870 is the industry standard. I've seen them go for years under abusive conditions like my nieghbor. He's an avid duck hunter, and the worse the weather the better the hunting he says. His 870 has seen over 20 seasons of being out on the Potomac river in all sorts of rain and snow, without much care. Mike is not known for his pains taking care of gear. His idea of firearm maintance is to wipe it down with a not too dirty rag from the back of his truck, give it a bit of WD-40, and toss it behind the seat. The shot gun looks like it may have been used as a boat paddle, there's hardly any blue left on the gun, but it still works just fine. He goes with me out to the range to shoot some skeet once ina while, and I've yet to see the 870 mess up.
 
Look for a package deal, a shotgun that comes with two barrels. Usually it comes with a short rifle sighted barrel,and one longer with interchangeable chokes.
 
The 870 definitely seems like the way to go in terms of value and availibilty of parts. There does however seem to be a shortage of short rifle-sighted, Rem-Choke barrels available for them. The 20" fully rifled barrel could be OK for bear defence, and just carry the longer 26" or 28" for food gathering. I assume the rifled barrel with sabots is a better choice for protection against bears than rifled slugs in a smooth bore, but they are a lot more expensive to practice with. I have read that rifled slugs are almost as good (or even as good) as sabots at close range on bears.
 
You should look at the Mossberg 500. You can get a sweet deal at Big 5 Sporting Goods. For around $250 you can get both 18in barrel and 22in barrel. I've used mine for about 7 years now shooting clays and it has NEVER quit on me.
 
Mossbergs and Remingtons are both nice.

i gravitate totwars Mossbergs, just becasue theywere my first pump shotgun, and i know them inside and out.

some folks like the top tang safety on the Mossberg too, i don't know if the Remingtins have those now - they didn't always.

Remingtons tend to be a bit smoother in operation IME, unless that has changed too LOL.


a Mossberg 590 with a bayonet lug can keep a person a degree cooler in bear country.

get a Vang Comp system on it and some ghost ring sights, and you can't do much better for the price IMHO.


if you want just a foraging shotgun, the single shot families are great, but they've gotten so expensive (for what you get) lately, you might as well just get a pump IMHO.

good luck.

vec
 
Survival means different things. A pump gun in the woods would only be my choice if personal defense were a primary concern, and you state it isn't. The single shot is a breeze to carry, quick to shoulder, and fast-handling. It's also pretty darn quick to reload once you practice a little. The simplicity makes it a great choice for 'field work', too. But carrying the weapon will always be the limiting factor when backpacking/camping. For that purpose I 'built' a single shot 20 gauge. It's an 18" barreled action from a 20ga youth model, but with an adult synthetic stock off a .45-70 that has sling studs and a recoil pad. All in all I've got around $150 into a new setup, that's light to carry and easy to shoulder.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=695247&highlight=shotgun
 
It woudn't largly be "used" for defence, but likely carried for it. I expect to use it for small game hunting and general fun on weekends, stationary targets and clay. For now I want a new toy, but I want it to be something I can also use in the bush. I am pretty much 100% setteled on pump action, about 90% on the 870. What I can't figure out is the other stuff (stock type, chamber, barrel length, sights etc.) so I was wondering what those who hunt and use shotguns thought. Manuverability and light weight are important.
 
I'm pretty happy with my Saiga 12 ga. now that I've got it broken in. That was one thing I wasn't expecting. It failed to properly load round from the magazine up until I polished up the loading mechanism. It's a beast now! It just goes to show that a good gun is only as good as the user that understands and maintains that gun.
 
I'd just hunt around gun and pawn shops for a used 12ga 870 then, one without a mag tube extension and preferably parkerized. Then maybe replace the mag tube spring, and be good to go. Don't attach anything to it, it'll just make it heavier and throw off the balance. Plus there are too many nervous park rangers out there who think everyone is out to cook meth.
 
As I call it, the Remington 870 is the AK 47 of the shotgun world. I personally like the Benelli shotguns.

However the 870 is cheap and reliable, a buddy of mine left his in the back of his truck, needless to say it was rusted, and the action was rusted shut, we took a hammer to it, got it open, put a round in it, and fired it, the round got stuck, but the shotgun functioned after being rusted shut. Nothing a little hammering would fix again. I do not recommend this, it was some time ago, and we were dumb and in high school, and played with guns fairly frequently.
 
TWBryan said:
Look for a package deal, a shotgun that comes with two barrels. Usually it comes with a short rifle sighted barrel,and one longer with interchangeable chokes.
Click to expand...

+1 on this. I'd go with the 870. You won't regret it. My $0.02...:)
 
The 870 is a proven shotgun. Had one in my family for a long time, and it has never failed. Not from any stories I've heard of it either.

Great shotgun :thumbup:
 
The 870 gets my vote too. I have two, one I bought 32 years ago and one inherited from my father. I don't know how old this one is, but I would guess that it might be about 50 years old, more or less.
 
spookypistolero said:
survival means different things. A pump gun in the woods would only be my choice if personal defense were a primary concern, and you state it isn't. The single shot is a breeze to carry, quick to shoulder, and fast-handling. It's also pretty darn quick to reload once you practice a little. The simplicity makes it a great choice for 'field work', too. But carrying the weapon will always be the limiting factor when backpacking/camping. For that purpose i 'built' a single shot 20 gauge. It's an 18" barreled action from a 20ga youth model, but with an adult synthetic stock off a .45-70 that has sling studs and a recoil pad. All in all i've got around $150 into a new setup, that's light to carry and easy to shoulder.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=695247&highlight=shotgun
Click to expand...

+1

:)
 
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