Which Shotgun?

[Mike L]

I plan on getting a 12-gauge for home protection. I have been looking at the Mossberg 500 Tactcal, the Remington 870 Tactical or Riot, and the Winchester 1300 Defender. I have seen the 870 Tactical for $375 on sale at Turner's and have seen the 1300 Defender for $299 on sale right now at Big 5.

http://www.turners.com/engage/displayad2.php?H=1&m1=March&m2=March&d1=16&d2=22&img=ads/03-16-06/rem870tact.gif

http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=512&type_id=104&cat=012C

I have seen them used in the $200 to $250 range. Any suggestions? I assume all of them can shoot the 3" shells? Thanks.

-Mike

[sargenv]

Um, not always. Sometimes they are only the 2 3/4" model. I know there were some used Police shotguns on the market a few years ago that were only the 2 3/4" model. It would be prudent to make sure before you bought them. They will usually tell you that info in the ads but not always. My preference of which to get is actually the Remington 870. I have 2 870's and a Mossberg 500. I sometimes have extraction issues with the Mossberg and have never had a fail to extract from the Remingtons.

Vince

[socalsteve]

both are good guns - remington has the best reputation but personally, I don't like where the safty is located. I find the Winchester and Mossberg are easier to find/use.

[Mike L]

I should also specify that I want to stay in the "under $400" side of things. I am looking for one i can just take from the box and put in the gun cabinet or under the bed and not have to do much to it.

Thanks,
Mike

[delloro]

hard to go wrong with the mossy combo. hunt and defend. get a cruiser grip later. on sale now at big5 for $240.

mossy has the US military contract. good enough for me.

I have a winchester and I like it very much, it has taken much abuse with little cleaning, but they are the red-headed stepchild for accessories. want accessories, get an 870 or a mossberg.

[xj4play]

Ive got the defender, its has a somewhat assissted pump. Not many accessories except a spec ops stock are avaliable. Theres tons or stuff for the 870. More then welcome to shoot mine, especially if you shoot at boats in the desert. I havent shot the 870 much but i hread they will last forever. Ive had my defender for about 8 years now and never had a problem.

[thmpr]

What about the Binelli M1?

[Nick5811]

I bought a mossy 500 cuz I liked the safety and the slide release location alot better on the standard stock.

Then I added the collapsable stock with pistol grip, and now I can't even reach the slide release and safety without changing my grip. *DOH!*

If I had instead bought the 870 (which I didn't because of the safety and slide lever location) and added a pistol grip w/ coll. stock, then I would be all set!

I know most PD's have the 870, and I've heard the military has the Mossy contract, but when I was in the military (not that long ago) we had rem.
870's in the beginning, and then Benelli M1014's after that.

I've never seen a mossberg in the Marine Corps...But I love mine just the same. The new extractor design grasps the shell casing in two places, so any 'fails to extract' are the older single extractor design.

[jmlivingston]

What about the H&K FP6 series? I've seen them advertised in CDNN's flyers raning from $369-$399. The latest catalog has 4 models in this range, the upper end already has pistol-grip stocks and picatinny rails. These are 5+1 capacity, take the 3" shells, with 20" barrel's. Granted these are a bit on the higher end of what Gotboost562 was looking for. These caught my eye when I was flipping the pages the other day.

John

[taloft]

Personally, I think the Winchester beats the others for safety positioning. Just go to any store and look at all three. Handle them and you will see what I mean. That being said, any of the three are just fine for what you want to do. There's any number of pros and cons for each. The remy's have a twin rail pump, the mossy's often come parked etc. Sit and think about what you can afford, what options you would like, and what you want to do with it.

The Mossberg combo is a bargain if you would like to pull skeet once in a while. If you want to pull skeet a couple of times a month, get a seperate SG for that. Whatever you choose, make sure you have a good recoil pad on the gun, otherwise you won't practice with it. I think that fit, comfort, and operability are more important than what manufacture you buy. Also, everyone seems to think that a 12 gauge is the way to go. This is not always the case. If you have a small stature, or a bad shoulder, a 20 gauge is perfectly fine.

[kenc9]

Which Shotgun

I may be the only one but I don't use a safety 95 % of the time, don't trust them and I normally don't chamber anything untill I am ready to fire.
My next door neighbor is a CHP and I asked them about what they use and how he likes them. Considering how many LEO's have shotguns, the parts made and generally the 870 you can't go wrong with.

I bought mine at Big5 last year for 239.00, it was the Home Defense shotgun.
It shoots 2 3/4 and 3" Mags. I brought it to the range with 00 and slug 3" mags, WOW what a cheap badddd gun. It hit the pie plate with slug everytime which surprised me because I thought the slugs would really drop from point of aim quite a bit.

I am happy with the 870 for the money spent!

-ken

[Mike L]

Personally, I think the Winchester beats the others for safety positioning. Just go to any store and look at all three. Handle them and you will see what I mean. That being said, any of the three are just fine for what you want to do. There's any number of pros and cons for each. The remy's have a twin rail pump, the mossy's often come parked etc. Sit and think about what you can afford, what options you would like, and what you want to do with it.

The Mossberg combo is a bargain if you would like to pull skeet once in a while. If you want to pull skeet a couple of times a month, get a seperate SG for that. Whatever you choose, make sure you have a good recoil pad on the gun, otherwise you won't practice with it. I think that fit, comfort, and operability are more important than what manufacture you buy. Also, everyone seems to think that a 12 gauge is the way to go. This is not always the case. If you have a small stature, or a bad shoulder, a 20 gauge is perfectly fine.

I don't have a small stature. I'm 6'3" and 250#. My wife on the other hand is another story. Biut I want her to be able to use it as well. Thanks.

-Mike