Buying my first shotgun

[TROYSD]

When you all say shooting skeet, do you mean trap or skeet. many people shoot trap with a pump, but very few shoot skeet . i see some at sporting clays , but i think thats because thats what people own.

[Kodachrome]

Try shooting clays from the hip like I did years ago with my first shotgun a Mossberg 590.
Can be done but this was informal at the desert so no gestapo.
Have pumps and tacticals, and autos. All have a different purpose and feel.
Find something that suits you.
Good Luck

[Sturnovik]

870 or 590. I love my 870, parts are easy to find and some pretty good options. I kept mine stock, but then again it had a speedfeed stock since it was a LEO trade in. Just need to get the armorer dvd sometime to learn the in depth take down.

[Mossy Man]

if you want versatility, don't get a 590. Get a 6 shot 500. You won't notice the difference between the heavier barrel on the 590A1, and you don't need the metal trigger guard. The 3 extra shells are an advantage, but if you are wanting a more well-rounded weapon, 5 is enough.

Plus, although a pump gun might not be ideal for skeet/trap, should you decide to attempt the sport with your existing shotgun, you will be very limited on options on the 590.

There are virtually no aftermarket barrels that fit the 590 (it has a different method of securing the barrel to the mag tube than the 500) but if you decide to get a 6-shot 500, you can still pretty much put whatever kind of barrel you want on it.

If you get the 590, you'll be forced to buy a separate 500 5-shot mag tube in order to fit most of the longer multi-purpose barrels.

I got a regular 590 Special Purpose, and I hate how it would be cheaper for me to buy a separate shotgun than to get a new barrel AND 500 mag tube for the off-chance my work buddies want to go clay shooting.

Trust me on this, if you like the mossberg layout do yourself a favor and get a regular 500 instead.

[BigFatGuy]

When you all say shooting skeet, do you mean trap or skeet.

Skeet.

[blazeaglory]

Yeah i'm not planning on using it for skeet....mainly just for home defense/owning a shotgun purposes.

Do you guys think $529 is too much for a Mossy 590A1 considering i'm in LA?

Dude. For home defense, Maverick 88. $219 from turners.

So far it has NEVER let me down and racks like a champ time and time again. Its for home defense and basic shooting at the canyon so I threw a pachmayr pistol grip on it and a heat shield for the hell of it. cost me around $300 out the door for tax and DROS AND the pistol grip and shield. I got the gun itself for $209 a while ago but $219 is still a good deal.

Buy an 88 and save the difference for ammo and tacticool "goodies". If thats your thing of course

[DennisCA]

Ok, I'll jump into this fray;
Personally if this is your first shotgun, I would go with the mossberg 500.
I have two (1-12ga & 1-20ga) and love them both.
It is less expensive, you can all ways graduate to something else.
(In case you get bored with shotgun shooting)
Just a suggestion....do what you think is best-good luck and good shooting!

[DennisCA]

Ok, I'll jump into this fray;
Personally if this is your first shotgun, I would go with the mossberg 500.
I have two (1-12ga & 1-20ga) and love them both.
It is less expensive, you can all ways graduate to something else.
(In case you get bored with shotgun shooting)
Just a suggestion....do what you think is best-good luck and good shooting!

[compulsivegunbuyer]

Originally Posted by Unforgiven
If there is a shotgun worse than the 870, I don't know what it is. Pump shotguns in general are not very useful. Not good for trap,skeet, sporting clays or hunting. Gost rings are only useful for shooting slugs. Save your money buy a decent semi-auto ( Bereeta 390, Browning, Benelli or FN). Have a nice day.

I've bagged plenty of birds with an 870 Wingmaster. I have a Browning Citori O/U with 2 sets of barrels, 20g and 28g. I've bagged countless squirrels and quail with that, and it's only 2 shots. I grab the O/U over an auto every time.

[Utha Schleigle]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=515732

$300 0 mossy 9 shot

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=514732

last gub for sale - lotza of extras $500.00 870 cheap with all the goodies

Try to resist the seirrens song.

go used - then shoot t awhile until you get where you want to go and get next

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j337/psacardgeek/12172011/DSC09812.jpg

870 $250 - 20ga but utza a deal

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=517276

http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j337/psacardgeek/12172011/DSC09783.jpg

$500 semi auto 12ga berrita - can you hear the mermaids lovely song, in case you wanted to fool around the semi auto.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=517276

yes there was a 12ga 870 for 250 - but it did not last long.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=518429

small but cute - $350

$320 with ammo

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=515686

1 ITHACA MODEL 37 20BBL 8 SHOT PARKERIZED SHOTGUN $400.00

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=518098

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=499781 $320

some good deals depending on what tickles your fancey = looks throught these and see if you don't pull the trigger. HE HE HE HEEEEE

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=496469 mossy 9 shot $260 - oh and try and sleep

[Hamilton]

I've been shooting an 870 for forty years. I was a very active hunter years ago and have taken it up again, but also enjoying skeet shooting as well.

Despite the fact there are fewer pump shotguns shooting skeet, I still prefer the pump. I've shot several Mossberg pumps and they're nice shotguns as well.

My latest is a 870 Wingmaster 12 that I bought from another Cal Gunner. The 870 Express shoots the longer 3.5 inch shells but isn't exactly the same gun, it was offered as a less expensive version of the 870. The only problem I've ever encountered with an 870 was with this latest. It had never been shot and I neglected to clean it before shooting trap. After ten boxes of shells there was a dark residue on the receiver. J.D McGuire (adppi) mentioned a fix - clean the barrel with fine steel wool wrapped around a dowel mounted in an electric drill. That worked great and I'm still using it to keep the bore bright.

If you're inclined toward an 870, get one, they are great shotguns. Unless your primary use is home defense, or you're shooting sabots or slugs, don't worry about sights, you're not going to be aiming through sights at birds or clays. Your eye stays on the bird or clay and you get used to moving the gun to the bird or target you want to shoot. Generally for hunting or clays you'll have a 26 to 30 inch barrel; shorter barrels and extended magazines are preferred for home defense or tactical.

You'll often hear that more 870's have been sold than any other model of shotgun, by far - to date over 10,000,000. Be sure to clean a new gun before you use it to remove that coating Remington adds before the gun is shipped.