New shotgun

[DougJ]

Bought a new shotgun today...

I've been trolling around the local Big 5 lately, lots of sales going on, discount coupons floating around, etc. I have a Mossberg combo that I bought there before my last deployment, it was primarily a house gun for the wife so I got the 20 gauge version. It's a great little shotgun but my wife isn't very comfortable with it. My daughter loves the thing though so I'm probably going to give it to her. I decided another defense shotgun, this time a 12 gauge, would be appropriate. I thought about another combo, and had a look at the 8 shot Mossberg, the Charles Daly Tactical and the Remington Security 7 rounder.



The 8 shot Mossberg just felt a bit clumsy in comparison to the others. The extra barrel length is an issue for me and the length of pull seemed longer. As reliable as Mossbergs are, (our little 20 gauge is a great gun) the actions aren't the smoothest. I do like the location of the Mossberg safety and action release far better than the others.



The Charles Daly was dirt cheap, on sale at $229 and it actually felt pretty nice. It is very light and the action looks very 870'ish. The action feels nicer than the Mossberg, more like the Remington. The Daly action is almost a copy of the Remington it seems. It holds 6 rounds. Of course Charles Daly went under in January and I was concerned about support for it. It's made in Turkey and I just figured even though it was cheap, or because of it, I didn't feel it was worth the risk. I did a little research and didn't find anything that would change my mind.



The Remington fit great, 18" barrel, 7 rounds, very solid gun. The safety and action release are positioned the same as the Daly, but have a much better feel. I walked in today to buy the Remington and there was another guy at the counter, turns out he was buying the same gun! It is on sale for $349.99 and I had one of the 10% of the sale price coupons. As a matter of fact I had printed two and I gave the other guy one so he could take of 10% too. I think I made his day. We filled out our paperwork side by side. With the discount it was $368 out the door, good price for this gun I think.

I'll put a light on it and it'll be a primary for the house, should work well.

[jonni]

you should have taken a look at the hawk982

[SubieRX]

I'm still waiting on my mossberg 930 (it will be my first gun ever), and already I want to buy another shotgun! My next shotgun will most likely be a pump for HD. Thanks for short review!

[ChrisO]

You made a good choice. Everyones seems to like the hawk 982's and all these chinese copies but I'll stick to remmies. I have a remington 870 HD same as the picture you provided. I added a hogue 12 LOP stock,forend,and mesa tactical sidesaddle. It's PERFECT. Good weight,Shoulders fast,and handles VERY well and the lady feels VERY comfortable with it especially now with the shorter stock! Good choice! I'll post some pics of mine later in the config it is.

[khw9mm]

I think you made a great choice. I too was in a similar position as you except I was thinking about a Mossy 500/590, Benelli Nova and a Remington 870. Prior to going to Big 5, I thought I was gonna get either the Benelli or the Mossy for sure but after holding the 870 I realized how much better it is compared to the other ones. The action release is much better on the Mossberg but the quality of the 870 far exceeds the others. Enjoy it!! I'm adding a collapsable tactical stock and a heat shield to it and I'm good to go!

[aippi]

You did well. That is the model 25077 that I recommend every time the question comes up. I even talk about it on my web site and recommend it to those who want the best weapon they can get for HD and don't have the money for one of my custom builds. Now break it in will alot of trigger time, learn how to load it and shoot it. Rack it hard like you gotta pair and it will smooth out just fine.

[eccvets]

you should have gotten a mossberg 590, 2 more rounds+barrel guard, looks cooler and works better.

[ChrisO]

Some people are not hooked on how cool a gun looks but also it's functionality. A heat shield brings nothing to the table when getting a practical HD gun.While both mossberg and remington have good track records I vastly prefer the remingtonn 870's. Not a knock on mossberg users but when I used a mossberg a couple years ago it felt like a cheap toy compared to my ithica's and remingtons. I find that on HD shotguns KISS is the way to go and capacity is not a huge concern training is! A guy that knows how to use a regular old remington 870 with a 3 round cap and 18 inch barrel will out gun a guy with a mossberg with 8 shots a heat shield pistol grip light and laser and no training any day. My 870 HD holds 7 rounds and if you need more than that in a HD situation well if you survive you probably need to move. Also you replace what you shoot. Shoot 2 load 2 shoot 4 load 4.

Like I said my gun is simple... shorter LOP stock standard bead on a pedistal sight with a side saddle. Right now my side saddle has 4 00 buck rounds and 2 pheasant load rounds. The shotgun is loaded to max in the tube with the chamber open and a shell next to it to pop in and close the action so it gives me a 7 round cap. I know how my gun groups with 00 buck and I practice with birdshot loading from the side saddle and from the pocket. If I hear a bump in the night I'm always wearing basketball shorts. I grab my 870 with 7 rounds in the gun 6 on the side saddle and throw a couple spare shells in my pocket JUST IN CASE. Just my opinion on things take it for what it's worth. While I prefer remingtons to mossbers any shotgun be it double barrel pump or auto is nothing to laugh at with proper training and practice.

[duckman1]

You made the best choice.

[psycho_klown66]

Went through the same thing... love my 870.

I broke mine in like this (thanks JD):

http://www.aiptactical.com/Breaking_In_the_870.html

[resident-shooter]

I was looking around for an HD shotgun too. I am no expert in guns, shotguns in particular so I consulted with my father who has decades of experience in hunting and he steered me towards pump-action shotguns instead of semi-auto's due to their simplicity, reliability, ease of maintenance and use. I am picking up my Mossberg 590 in about a week (stupid DROS). 9 round capacity is what won the last round of comparison. I am waiting to receive sidesaddle for 6 rounds and I might add a little light to it.

[bsg]

congratulations on your new 870.

-Brady-

[DougJ]

Thanks for the comments guys. All good stuff. Last time I shot an 870 was at least 20 years ago, so I'm looking forward to breaking this one in. This gun will suit my needs well and should last longer than I do.

I've never heard of the Hawk 982 till now. Even if Big 5 had them I most definitely would not have bought a Chinese reproduction though.

This will be a home defense gun, probably the only mods it will see are the installation of a light and perhaps a sidesaddle ammo carrier. Although if I can't get it done with 7 rounds of 12 gauge things are not going well... I live in the foothills and have some room around me so it's possible I could need more than what it carries in the tube.

I was out in the Sierra NF today with the wife and daughter. We put some rounds through my Kimber Pro Carry, S&W 686, featureless AR, the wife's S&W 642, my daughters Sig Mosquito and the Mossberg. My daughter just frigging loves that thing and she's pretty good with it. I set up a little tactical exercise and a moving target for her and she did OK with that too. Next time we're going to take some clay pigeons, a thrower and the field barrel out so she can try that. She's definitely laid claim to the Mossy though so I'm glad I bought the Remington.

[aippi]

Warning: All bad guys. Stay away from ChrisO's house. He not only has the right weapon to deal with your evil A double S, but he has prepard himself to deploy it effectively. Any attempt to do evil on his property will end with you being very unhappy....

To many guys go and buy a maxed out Tactical shotgun, shoot a few rounds and put the thing in the closet or safe. They then feel secure and protected. They have failed to do what ChrisO has done and learn to use the weapon. They failed to plan what they are going to do "IF". I am like ChrisO and I train, train and train more. I think, "what will I do if" and then I plan for the intervention of Mr Murphy.

There is a trend of guys getting tactical training for the weapons they have dedicated for HD and SHTF. These training sessions are worth every cent you pay because beyond the knowledge your receive is somthing just as important, " the mind set to be prepared"

So, bad guys, there are a lot of guys out there like ChrisO and me. Keep doing the dirt your doing and you are going to meet somone like us one night and it is goin to be the worst night of your life, or what was left of it.

[caoboy]

you should have gotten a mossberg 590, 2 more rounds+barrel guard, looks cooler and works better.

Do you know what a heat shield is used for?

Better yet, do you have the bayonet that goes on the front of the gun?

Are you prepared to stab somebody with your shotgun?

If not, then you don't need the heat shield.