Shotgun NEEDED! Recomendations please

[RayPDA]

What are you shooting? Stoeger makes some nice guns for the price range. Their O/U are made in Brazil and their semi autos are made in Turkey at the same factory they make Benellis.

Slight correction if I may:

Benellis are made in Italy at the Urbino facility; Stoeger's line of semis are made in Turkey and patterned after the Inertia system of Benelli.

[freonr22]

Ithaca model 37/end

[xxINKxx]

All the mossberg 500/590s are amazing guns. They can be had cheap, and you can mod them to your needs/wants without spending alot. Parts are everywhere since they are probably the top selling shotgun available.

[Beelzy]

A sawed-off double barreled shotgun with dual triggers......oh wait, this is Kalifornia.

[Josh Smith]

Seriously?

Semi-auto. At least for me, pumps are slow and in a stressful situation, you don't want to be short-stroking a trombone action.

I'm going to throw in a strange suggestion: Get a Browning Auto-5. Why? It's recoil operated, and if you get an arm wounded, you're not necessarily out of action if you need to clear the shotgun: Just jam the barrel into the floor.

Let's face it: Not many people sleep with their sidearms strapped on, and if you need a firearm you're going to grab the closest one and go go go! Whatever it is, it has to work.

This means simple, reliable, and loaded. It also means the thing has to work if you only have one hand available. For example, the 1911 can be loaded with one hand by jamming the recoil spring plug on the edge of a surface and pushing. This operates the slide.

Your long arm should be capable of the same.

Just my opinions, but they're educated opinions.

Regards,

Josh

[crosseyedshooter]

So...what's wrong with your 870?

[jrivera408]

Thanks for all the input.

My 870 had failures to eject, failures to extract, and the occasional jam since the day I bought it (2-3yrs ago). I never shot more than one or two rounds consecutively due to only needing it to shoot clays once in a while. After a few hubdred rounds it stopped having jam and extraxtion issues. It still has issues with ejection and that's a big cause for concern.
I am in the process of buying another shotgun for trap/skeet but I wanted to turn my 870 into more of a home defence/tactical type weapon.
I was expecting to use it for that application and take it though some training courses. However it would be foolish to do so with a firearm that has issues. It's my fault for not resolving this problem earlier but a quick internet search will show you this is a common problem and typically a pain in the a**. Again thanks all.

Joe

[jrivera408]

Thanks for the offer. I'll try it and see what happens. Like I stated earlier, after a few hundred rounds or so it has not had a shell jam in the chamber. However it still has ejection issues. By this I mean it ejects spent shells maaaaaybe 1-2 inches from the receiver if at all. I'd say its about 70% successful. Plan b is to call Remington next week and go from there. In the meanwhile I will be making a new purchase.

[Atekhed]

Check out the link below. Aippi knows his stuff when it comes to the 870. Might even shoot him an email and see if he can help you.

http://www.aiptactical.com/Page_2.html

[NapalmCheese]

Seems like a new part or some oil will fax that?

[dyson]

What rounds are you shooting? The mossberg 930 sometimes fails to eject low powered birdshot.

[CWDraco]

The only reason to spend more then $350 on a shotgun is if its your only weapon. If you have other firearms and this weapon is going to be for HD just buy a Maverick.

If you are going to use this on a weekly basis, Hunting, target shooting, sport shooting then go for a higher end gun. The same would be true if you think the SHTF/EOTWAWKI is around the corner and this shotgun will be your go-to weapon. If this is the case, get a 590 and beef it up as needed for your taste.

[Dinosaur Jr]

Another vote for the Mossberg 590A1. Solid, high capacity 12g that works flawlessly. Stay away from pistol grips for HD.

[andrew1990]

For home defense a 12 gauge shotgun is the best option. The rounds are for the most part VERY devastating and pack much more stopping power than any pistol or rifle by far. I recommend a semi auto shotgun like a mossberg 930 or a saiga 12.

[bruss01]

I've got a mossberg 590 and it has always performed reliably for me.

I echo the sentiment that you've likely got a rough chamber or a burr in the chamber, and that chamber finishing may solve your issue. Also, you may have an issue with your extractor. If a little something got stuck under it, or the spring is broken, that could cause you issues.

My first recommendation is to get a second 870 but as someone else recommended, get the police version of it... and if possible, get one from a few years back because word on the street is that they were a bit higher quality back then. You can live with some handling and neglect of a police trade-in, if the action is solid and all the parts work together smoothly.

Recommendation number two is get a Mossberg 590. Mine's been rock solid. The Winchester 1300 is a good name too. I've got an Ithaca 37 (used for years especially in the prison system) but it's a cheap chinese clone, instead of an actual Ithaca. It's an ok gun, but my opinion is that the action seems more complicated and the parts and accessories are harder to find. There are better choices.

Semi-autos for defense... you'll find mixed opinions on this. Are you good with assembly, tinkering, and good about cleaning your guns? Do you always shoot high quality ammo? I've got a Rem 11-87 and it's a fighting gun... however... it doesn't cycle with cheap walmart bird shot. Feed it 00 buck and you've got a performer on your hands. My wife has a CZ 720 semi-auto. Nice gun, a real champ for upland game. But it needs a lot of maintenance, apparently, and doesn't like to run reliably when dirty. It's not a "fighting gun". Some of the high-end semi-autos are good fighting guns, so I hear... they're also SPENDY.

Everything in life is a trade-off. Just find the balance that works for you. Good luck with your search!