ambi HD shotgun

[psychophd]

Hey all,

I've finally come to my sense and am moving away from adapting right hand stuff to make things work, and am looking for ambi friendly weapons. I picked up a HK P30 which is much easier to use for me, and now am looking at swapping out my Nova 12-ga for something easier to use.

I was looking at mossbergs primarily. The 590 and 930 seem promising, but am concerned with the number of people who seem to have problems with the 930. Any recs?

Thanks!

[Sheepdog1968]

Ithaca 37 eject from the bottom. Can't imagine it gets more friendly than that.

[MossbergMan]

Okay, I'm left handed and I do not own a single left handed anything. Safeties are usually the only issuee with shotguns, however most are "reversible". I changed my Benelli, Remington (new trigger group), FNH SLP. I like the fact I can see my ejection port without moving the gun or my head. Also ejection port (emergency/empty) loading is a breeze
But to answer your question: Mossbergs are across the board the most left hand friendly out of the box. You could get a left handed Remington, if you so desired.
I own and shoot a majority of the common manufactures of shotguns and I find the Mossbergs good to go (GTG). My current favorite is the 930SPX. It has put my Benelli S-90A1 in the back of the safe.
PM me if you'd like more info about safety swapping.

[-hanko]

Ithaca 37 eject from the bottom. Can't imagine it gets more friendly than that.

Ithaca or BPS...either far smoother than anything Mossberg makes.

-hanko

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

Speaking as a trainer (and a left handed shooter), an 870 with a left hand safety mod is GTG for the left hand shooter. You can see the ejection port, making combat loading much easier than it is for right handers. Ejected rounds are of no consequence. Don't buy the left hand safety conversion, get the entire trigger guard assembly (available directly from Remington as long as you have the part number). That is the configuration that my "social purposes" shotgun is in.

I have no experience with the 930, but the 590 is also a good choice, albeit a less versatile one, as the 870.

[speeddreamz]

a mossberg would be best for ambi-use. Safety is in the center high up and makes sense. Both the benelli and the remington have safeties that are way too out of the way for me.

As grumpy said if you are a lefty that might work out well.

[psychophd]

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to keep it ambi to my wife can use the same weapons without any issues (I probably didn't make that clear). I don't see her using the shotgun too much, but I'd like her to be able to wield it if necessary. She can use my P30 without a problem, and between that and the shotgun are probably the primary weapons for her to be comfortable with in a pinch.

I'll look into the Ithaca - don't know much about them. thanks for the recs... to open another can of worms, pump vs. auto for HD? I keep on hearing that auto loaders are so good I don't have to worry about jamming, but I see issues in this forum on 930? Is it better to stick with a pump, or am I being too worried?

[MossbergMan]

Note: The Ithacas and their clones are prone to "timing issues". You may get years of service from one and on the other hand, as one of my police academy cadets found out, it didn't hold up. Timing issues and failures are some of the reasons the Ithaca 37s fell from grace with law enforcement many years ago.
There are good reasons that Remington 870s and Mossbergs have been the choice of LE for as long as I can remember.
If the gun is for you and your wife, unless you're approximately the same body size, the gun that fits you may not fit your wife properly. Stock length (length of pull) is extremely important to confortable SG shooting. A short stock for you is better than a long stock for either you or your wife.

[cindynles]

I don't know where you are getting your info about Ithaca's, but they didn't fall from grace because of "timing issues". The fell from grace because of cost and the business issues of the company (bankruptcy). The Ithaca Gun Company (old one in King Ferry, NY) was a one trick pony with the model 37.

The manufacturing process of the M37 is very expensive due to the design of the receiver and the interpreted threads on the barrel. Ithaca couldn't compete against Remington (and still can't on cost) and went under. No company = no support = no more PD orders. FYI: LASD still uses the Ithaca 37.

I've been shooting Ithaca 37's for 30 years and have owned more than a dozen over that time (I currently own 3 including a new one from OH). I have only witnessed a "timing" issue (double feed out of the mag) on 1 gun (very well used 16 ga). The cause was related to poor maintenance. Once all the gunk was cleaned out from under the shell stop so that it could move freely, the gun worked fine. This is something that can happen to any gun.

OP,every Ithaca 37 I have ever shot has been just as reliable as any 500, 590, or 870 out there today (more reliable than current manufacture 870's). An Ithaca 37 is a good choice for a lefty if you are concerned about having your face next to the ejection port of a 590 or 870.

But, M37s are not a good choice if you plan on adding anything or modifying the gun. The aftermarket support is non-existent and you will most likely have to order (or have your FFL order one for your) your gun if you want a new one. You don't see new ones in the rack very often.

Ithaca 37s are to pump shotguns what 1911's are to handguns. They are an aficionado's gun (just finding sling mounts can be difficult), but the rewards are worth it to some. The action on an M37 is the smoothest of any pump ever made (thanks to the J.M. Browining design). I can run my 37M&P as fast as a semi-auto because of the action and the lack of a disconnector.

All that being said, an Ithaca 37 is a great HD shotgun, but you need to know what you are getting yourself into. I personally keep a M37 next to my bed (and I shoot it in matches at least once a month).


If you want a no non-sense, ready to go out of the box, 100% reliable HD shotgun, I would really recommend you take a look at an AI&P upgraded 870 (they can even install the left hand trigger assembly for you). You will be paying a bit more ($550 instead of $350 at Big 5) but you won't have any problems with the gun and it will last you a lifetime.

http://www.aiptactical.com/Basic_I.php

[Mesa Tactical]

LA Sheriff's Office has something like 3,000 or 4,000 retired Ithacas and no one I speak to can tell me what they are going to do with them.

[cindynles]

LA Sheriff's Office has something like 3,000 or 4,000 retired Ithacas and no one I speak to can tell me what they are going to do with them.

According to RonSolo most are SBS' and will not make it to the market. See post 16:

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=589247&highlight=dsps

[psychophd]

An ithaca does sound interesting, but with its aftermarket limitations, and my even more limited abilities, I'm leaning towards the Mossy 590. The 930 still looks great but I'm worried about reliability. We'll see....

[jyo]

Personally, I am right handed with a strong left eye and a very weak right eye---this has resulted in virtually no problems with handguns or rifles---I also have an HK P30S and the P2000 models, both in 9mm.
As for shotguns---I went with right hand 870s with no issues---I never use the safety as the shotgun is always loaded in the magazine tube, but the chamber is empty until needed---only ONCE in my life have I had to jack one into the chamber and that had the desired effect---the bad guys heard the sound, and decided they really had business somewhere else---no shots fired! The "safety" at that point is my trigger finger not in contact with the trigger. After the problem went away, only then was the safety applied and the chamber unloaded---works for me!