Shotgun questions

[Zombie Zeke]

Great read chef, thanks for the link:thumbup:

Thanks Barrabas.

Like most things I think it boils down to personal preference...I love the 590 and in between posting I installed an oversized metal safety...so much for that being a daunting task. I think I need a re matte though

Here's a pic:

 

[barrabas74]

How much did that one run ya? I only own 1tac shotgun and I am looking for another one for my girl(she can handle the recoil).

 

[Zombie Zeke]

How much did that one run ya? I only own 1tac shotgun and I am looking for another one for my girl(she can handle the recoil).

I bough it about six years ago(320 bucks new after brady and tax), so I am out of the loop for how much these things run now a days. When I got it it had the ghost sights on it. I put the metal safety, speedfeed stock and scratches on it . Man I have used this gun for everything you can think of without a single hiccup between that and HKUSP everything is good.

 

[puukko]

Remington 870. Someone else said the Wingmaster. I agree. Better than the Express by far. Plenty of used ones on the market too. If you can find a used police gun, go for it. They will normally be the Police Magnum. Many will come with the magazine extension also. Word on the street is that the springs are sturdier and the receiver is heavier. Factory tech denied this in a conversation with me though. They are typically dirty, and show rack wear but are never shot out. I have one on my cleaning bench right now. It came with an older Surefire which I sent back to the factory for a rebuild. It is waiting to be reassembled right now. One thing is that the Police Magnum and the Wingmaster come with a metal trigger guard and I have been told the Express has a plastic one. Parts on these are interchangeable like the barrels, and you can change the stocks and foregrips too. With a modicum of cleaning they will last you forever. Speaking of which the 870's are easy to break down, clean, lube and reassemble. I paid $180 for one police gun and I believe $225 for the one with the Surefire. Good luck in your search!

 

[Any Cal.]

I have had a couple Mossy 500's, and like them just fine. Never had a problem w/ either of them. The fit and finish is nicer on the Remington, but I really like the way the Mossy works. You can usually expect to pay 25% more for the Remington. If you go back a ways, you will find that the 870's had problems at times as well. Either one would do just fine. For me personally, I would take a well used Mossy over a well used 870, but that could be personal perception of the products.

 

[FULMTALJKT]

How much did that one run ya? I only own 1tac shotgun and I am looking for another one for my girl(she can handle the recoil).

Check the remington web site I think I read somewhere that they were comming out with a self defense 870 20GA, 18 " barrel and a synthetic stock. I think the stock may even be 1" shorter. Why beat her to death and create bad habits. Or if you get her a 12 GA atleast fill it with some of the new low recoil tactical loads. You lose one pellet 8 instead of 9, but they do kick less and shoot tighter groups. Thats more hits at longer ranges and all of the pellets in the kill zone out to 25 yards. Thats what most of the police departments are going to out here on the west coast.
Kirby

 

[barrabas74]

Check the remington web site I think I read somewhere that they were comming out with a self defense 870 20GA, 18 " barrel and a synthetic stock. I think the stock may even be 1" shorter. Why beat her to death and create bad habits. Or if you get her a 12 GA atleast fill it with some of the new low recoil tactical loads. You lose one pellet 8 instead of 9, but they do kick less and shoot tighter groups. Thats more hits at longer ranges and all of the pellets in the kill zone out to 25 yards. Thats what most of the police departments are going to out here on the west coast.
Kirby

Beat her to death? She shoots almost as much as I do and owns more dang guns, has a Browning Citori in 12ga over under and multiple 20's. She just mentioned to me getting her a tac shotgun and said she was considering a 12. I will reconsider getting a 20 for her(she aint very big). I never developed bad habits shooting a 12, she is small but she's a tough lil girl.

 

[Codger_64]

Mass, energy, etc. A bolt action 12 guage rifled barrel shooting Remington Copper Solid sabboted slugs has 44 ft. lb. of recoil. It doesn't sound like much, but that is comparable to a .375 Holland & Holland. Of course, an autoloader diverts some of that to cycling the action. A person of small mass is usually affected more by heavy recoil, whether they admit it or not. I have that Ghost Sight Mossberg, and I love it. But not for slugs. There I go down to my .20 guage smoothbores, cylinder bore setting on the adjustable chokes.

 

[quietmike]

If you've not in rush to get a shotgun go to http://gunbroker.com/. They have everything at auction, kind of like e-bay for guns. I've bought several guns there and have gotten some GREAT deals.

 

[CitizenQ]

I bought a Mossberg 500 approximately 20 years ago and purchased a parkerized 870P a year ago. They are both great firearms. I dunno if the newer 500's are as solid as the oldies though...I would imagine that there's a lot more plastic on the newer Mossberg 500's. $.02

 

[runningboar]

A few years ago I made up a "Carry" shotgun. I bought a run of the mill budget singleshot shotgun, mine is a Stevens but others can be had made by H&R, NEF, Winchester and others, this type of gun can be picked up used for under 100 dollars, I paid 65 for mine. I then took it to a local gunsmith and had the barrel shortened to 18" the bead put back on, added a side ammo carrier and a sling. I would take pictures but as soon as my dad saw it a took it for his behind the door garden gun. The advantages are that it is short and very light, because of the weight I woud suggest a 20 gauge, 12 is brutal to shoot with heavy loads, the cost is very reasonable I think I have less than 150 in the whole project. If you are a little handy you can do the work yourself their are sites on line that will detail how. I know this is a single shot but with practice it can be loaded and fired fairly quickly, you can add rifle sites and improve the accuracy with slugs, I can keep them on a pie plate out to 30 yds with just the bead.

I have killed a lot of game with mine, it is dead simple and reliable, it has loads of knockdown with slugs, as someone else mentioned I prefer the Brenneke style slugs and have killed several feral hogs with them with good results. Switch to birdshot and it is an almost fail proof smallgame getter, and the best thing IMO is that it weighs almost nothing. Chris

 

[troutfisher13111]

Another thing you may or may not want to consider is Remington is made in the USA, Mossberg is made somewhere overseas.

 

[nifrand]

Bought a 870 super mag at a pawnshop for $175 with extra barrel.Killed 20 or so honkers and a slew of ducks with it.Has a 18' barrel of unknown choke on it for the house.
randy

 

[hikeeba]

I am considering buying a used 12 gauge pump (Rem. 870 ir Moss. 500) as a versatile gun that could be used for recreation...

Game-getting and defense I can see. What sort of recreation are you planning on doing?

I was introduced to shotgun sports last fall. I shot an 1100 and an 870. On my second outing, I was hitting doubles with the 870. WOW, I felt GREAT! I was hooked. I had planned on getting an 870 this spring, but after talking to a bunch of folks, I have decided to pursue an autoloader like the 11-87. Why? I want to do Sporting Clays. Everyone I've talked to says it's the most fun of the different shotgun sports. I know a good number of folks who shoot Sporting Clays regularly. The consensus is that I could participate in Sporting Clays with a pump, but I may not enjoy the sport as much. Sure, the autoloader will require more cleaning and upkeep than a pump, but that's fine. I don't plan on hunting, and as for defense, I'm sure it would work just fine.

 

[darthstrevel]

+1 for Remington 870 express, it has been my "user" shottie for 15 years. It was my go to gun for clays, pheasants, and ducks, and as a general apartment defense gun when loaded with 00 Buckshot. My dad snaked it for his general use cabin gun when i left for the Navy.

The 870 express is a workhorse...the wingmaster might be better sure, but the 870 isn't expensive, and you aren't afraid to take it everywhere. Right now, I have a winchester 1300 that I bought right before they closed the new haven plant...great gun love the winchoke system but it cost about $350 so it's a little more pricey.

Never owned a mossberg 500, but my dad uses one regularly for pheasants and it has never failed him. When he is not using his remington 1100.

 

[darthstrevel]

oh...and I don't like tang safeties...trigger guard ones just seem more natural to me since that is what I grew up on...is the mossberg a tang safety? That might be an issue if you ever need to deploy your gun rapidly, ie in a hunting situation. What ever kind you're used to I guess, just an issue worth considering.

 

[the possum]

Firing shot out of a rifled barrel will not damage the rifling. Concieveably, you could get some leading. But, it's not advisable since your shot will form a pattern with a big hole in the middle like a doughnut.

I have also seen a couple Mossbergs fail in the field. One was the plastic safety that was already mentioned; on another the bar connecting the forearm to the action broke in half. Both of these problems are due more to bad design in my eyes.

 

[Foilist]

Thanks for all of the info and suggestions. I suspected that shooting pellets through a rifled barrel could be problematic, I wasn't sure about slugs in a smooth bore.

I'm leaning towards the 870, and will start by checking out some pawn shops for a cheap deal. I'd like to get one with a 18 or 20 inch barrel already on it rather than having it spiraling into yet another project.

I really liked my old single shot Ithaca. It had about a 24 inch barrel and an exposed hammer. I think I paid $65 bucks for it in a pawn shop. It saw a lot of use against barnyard varmints, clays, and assorted other objects used as targets. My dad snagged it years ago when I moved away for school and never gave it back!

 

[muskrat man]

1. Don't get a mossberg, expect to pay around $200 or less for a used 870.

2.Slugs through a smooth bore is fine as long as they are not "saboted" slugs. Shot through a rifled barrel is not a good idea.

Hope this helps.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[muskrat man]

Thanks for all of the info and suggestions. I suspected that shooting pellets through a rifled barrel could be problematic, I wasn't sure about slugs in a smooth bore.

I'm leaning towards the 870, and will start by checking out some pawn shops for a cheap deal. I'd like to get one with a 18 or 20 inch barrel already on it rather than having it spiraling into yet another project.

I really liked my old single shot Ithaca. It had about a 24 inch barrel and an exposed hammer. I think I paid $65 bucks for it in a pawn shop. It saw a lot of use against barnyard varmints, clays, and assorted other objects used as targets. My dad snagged it years ago when I moved away for school and never gave it back!

You may want to either look for one with a smoothbore slug barrel on it, or they made a turkey model with a 21" vent rib barrel and screw in choke tubes which is sweet!