Hey guys, need a shotgun recommendation.

[Quickdraw559]

Whether you love to, or hate to, I'm going to ask you guys to recommend me a shotgun.

I've done quite a bit of research, lurked in the private sales, jumped on the manufacturers websites, and I've ended up here, asking for the opinions, suggestions, and experiences of those here, on calguns.

I'm going to be looking for an all around shotgun. Home defense #1, hunting #2. I live in the Central Valley and won't be travelling much for hunting, so my basic hunts will be pheasant, quail, and various other small game. In the home defense aspect, I will either be going with bird or buckshot, so I think my usage of slugs will be fairly limited, but not non-existant. Originally, I was looking for a pump action due to it's reliability, which is paramount in my search, but, lately I've been reading about quite a few high quality semi-autos.

My first choices were a Remington 870, possibly with police internals, or a police model in general, or a Mossberg 500/590, which are all pump action. While I know that a pump can be nearly as quick as a semi auto in the right hands, I was thinking a semi-auto would be best until I reach the level of shooting capability I'm aiming for.

So, opinions/insight on the pump vs semi auto, "argument?"

And most importantly, info on the new pump/semi auto shotguns on the market? I've heard that many guns currently have much more, "polymer," than previous years, and I'm not knocking polymer (It's actually the most important factor in my current and previous job), but I think that metal and wood are how a gun should be. Any suggestions on some shotguns, both pump and semi auto, that are reliable, and affordable? I'd love to dump a grand on a shotgun, but I think $3-600 is about my cap. Again, reliablity is paramount, with it's applications being primarily home defense and hunting. I want something that will never jam, never fail to fire, and always be worth what I spent.
Pending I don't ride it hard and put it up wet, of course.

Thanks for the help, guys. All info will be passed around by myself at any given opportunity.

[mcmikeblues7]

I would get one of those Remington shotguns that come with multiple barrels off the rack.

I would try out some different barrel lengths for your hunting shotgun. Me personally, I wouldn't even consider anything less than 26" and I prefer a 28" barrel. For home defense, Shorter is nice but not absolutely neccasary.

[6789olds]

I got the mossberg 500 combo and I love it I would like to get a 930 spx. Tho

[bombadillo]

I'd go with an 870 wingmaster and buy a shorter barrel for your HD needs. That way you can get a nice shotgun that does well with hunting, but a short barrel and easy to swap out that will work for all your HD needs.



My 870 express with wingmaster furniture on it. Also an extended mag tube that goes out about an inch past the barrel. I can swap it for a 28" barrel too to make it more of a hunting setup if my berreta AL391 can't handle something

[Thefeeder]

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Try shooting differant gun if you can.

Read the following link

Practice on some clays when you can.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=425953

[MrOrange]

I'd recommend an auto, and here's why:

Unless you plan on doing a lot of drills and practical shooting, it's very easy under stress to short-stroke or just plain forget to work the action at all on a pump. People do it all the time on the range during matches, let alone at home with life on the line. No less an old fuddy-duddy than Col. Cooper himself noted that auto shotguns tend to be more reliable than pumps, given adequate maintenance, for that very reason.

For a sci-fi PAD scenario (Post Apocalyptic Doom) I'd rather have a pump, but for average HD and occasional hunting use I'd buy an auto myself if I was just starting out.

Seems like the various Turkish and Russian guns have come a long way in the last ten years or so, but I'd go with a Mossberg 930, for easy barrel interchange if nothing else. The cheapest plain-Jane version should do you fine. Although the racier versions would do you better on a 3-Gun course, I seriously doubt you'd need more than 5-6 rounds of 12 ga. to settle any home invasion problems.

[CK_32]

IMO doesnt look like you searched very hard all of these questions come up at least once a month..

But I'll go with it. Just get a 500 or 870 and be done.. Will suite all your needs and you don't need a semi if anything start with a pump and move to a semi if you must switch.

[aristeia]

Both the 870 and 500 are available in long/short barrel combos. Great place to start for your first shotgun.

I usually recommend a pump for home defense for the following reasons:
1. The sound, you might not want to actually shoot a gun inside your residence, the sound is a good deterrence
2. Ease of use, if you are not the only person in the house that might use the gun, some semi-autos are a bit trickier to rack. All pumps follow a basic operating procedure
3. Price! You can find a short/long pump combo for less than a special purpose semi

[aristeia]

FYI right now at Big 5 you can get a base Mossberg 500 combo (28"/18.5") for $300. Not a bad price for something that fits what you want to do with it.

....only if I didn't like how the 870s feel better

[bsg]

the deals are out there right now, and you can even come up with a good HD shotgun for less than $1,500.00 if ya hurry.

[Bartin]

the deals are out there right now, and you can even come up with a good HD shotgun for less than $1,500.00 if ya hurry.

hah, $1500? what?

[CK_32]

1. The sound, you might not want to actually shoot a gun inside your residence, the sound is a good deterrence

No.. That's like telling someone to stop their feet when they get out of bed to sound bigger than they are to scare someone out of the house.. It doesn't work.

Besides you feeling like a bad a** doing it and about 5 min from gettin your face bashed in because you just gave away any possible surprise advantage of them not knowing your arms they are now on alert and know where your coming from. Trust me if they broke in and your home they are ready to f**k your **** up.

[Ziggy91]

+1 for combo pack with HD and Trap/Skeet/whatever barrel. I should have bought that in the beginning so I could have more fun with trap, but really just wanted an HD shotgun.

[-hanko]

Both the 870 and 500 are available in long/short barrel combos. Great place to start for your first shotgun.

I usually recommend a pump for home defense for the following reasons:
1. The sound, you might not want to actually shoot a gun inside your residence, the sound is a good deterrence

Hard to believe I'm seeing that.

Take a course in self defense using a shotgun before posting.

I'm hidden in your house, watching you, and I have a gun...I'd imagine you'd be dedd before you could move the bolt forward into battery. In other words, you're promoting the use of an sd gun without a shell in the chamber.

Since this is calguns.net, either the Remington or Mossberg above are workable choices, but there are far better weapons around if cheap is not your first criteria.

hth

-hanko

[choprzrul]

I'd recommend an auto, and here's why:

Unless you plan on doing a lot of drills and practical shooting, it's very easy under stress to short-stroke or just plain forget to work the action at all on a pump. People do it all the time on the range during matches, let alone at home with life on the line. No less an old fuddy-duddy than Col. Cooper himself noted that auto shotguns tend to be more reliable than pumps, given adequate maintenance, for that very reason.

For a sci-fi PAD scenario (Post Apocalyptic Doom) I'd rather have a pump, but for average HD and occasional hunting use I'd buy an auto myself if I was just starting out.

Seems like the various Turkish and Russian guns have come a long way in the last ten years or so, but I'd go with a Mossberg 930, for easy barrel interchange if nothing else. The cheapest plain-Jane version should do you fine. Although the racier versions would do you better on a 3-Gun course, I seriously doubt you'd need more than 5-6 rounds of 12 ga. to settle any home invasion problems.

In 35 years of living in Nebraska and pheasant hunting and goose/duck hunting with an 870 and then an 835 Mossberg, I cannot remember a single instance of short stroking a pump.