1st Time Buyer Shotgun Advice

[outrun]

Use: Contigency Home Defence and doubles as a Weekend Skeet/Trap Sporter

Questions?

I like the Synthetic Black Stock, or should I get a Wooden Stock?

Reason, I never see sport clay shooters with Synthetic

Models Intersted in:

Remington 870 Express

Any other recommendations? One Walmart guy was super helpful though I am still confused on the Syn. vs Wood stock and weather the 870 is a good skeet gun?

 

[ruking77]

Mossberg would also rate real high. It has tremendous bang for the buck.

 

[k1xv]

One advantage of a synthetic stock is that it will not warp in temperature or humidity extremes, stand up better to weather, and it may be lighter.

However, if it makes the shotgun lighter, the perceived recoil may be more, all other things being equal.

The weight of a gun is a tradeoff. If you are lugging a gun around all weekend to make a couple of shots while hunting, a lighter gun is preferable.

However, if you are going to shoot a gun a few dozen times in a range type environment, lower perceived recoil may be preferable.

 

[drive it forever]

Some people prefer the wood stocks because of looks, balance, long term value and tradition. Get what YOU like best. Tiger woods would still score under par using my golf clubs and I would still score around 95 if I used his. I own a few .22's and I like plinking with my lighter synthetic stock el cheapo remington viper over my laminated winchester. Go to a place where you can hold the rifles for a few minutes to compare the different types of gun stocks.

 

[Rob Taggs]

Used all kinds in the military. Go with the synthetic stock. Weather, humidity etc... play **** on wood stocks. As for all the makes out there, go with a name brand Remington, Mossberg etc... If you have access to different makes/models do a chambering test. Go to a safe area outside and load up the shotgun, then cycle the rounds through the shotgun in different positions - sideways, upside down, and in the normal upright shooting position. You will be amazed how some makes cycle perfectly in any position and some will dump the rounds out on the ground or will feed jam. Mossberg is good but, it will dump rounds sometimes and also feed jam. This happens in the the sideways and upside down positions constantly with Mossbergs I have used. If I had to pick one for all out reliability, it would be the Remington 870 12 guage pump shotgun. When refering to the wierd shooting positions I only say this because you never know what odd position you might be in if someone breaks into your home and say you get knocked to the floor etc... you just never know what position you will end up in shooting back at the bad guy.

 

[tom slick]

it's hard to beat the 870. it is really the old standby for shotguns in that price range. it is a good multipurpose shotgun and should serve the purposes you want it for well. get whatever stock you like.
I have a winchester ranger 1300 12 ga. it very cheaply made but reliable, a couple of different gunsmiths have agreed with my observation. it doesn't even compare to my model 12 in construction though.
a nice thing about a pump is on the shooting range you only load and shoot one or two shells at a time and you pick up your spent shells. with a semi-auto it takes a little more fiddling to load them and they eject automatically, usually right at the shooter next to you. with the pump action you have control over all of the guns actions.

 

[Al]

I see zero application frankly in home defense except in a genera insurrection.

 

[Alan]

Sometimes just the sound of a shotgun pumping can scare off an intruder.

I sure as heck wouldn't want to be in the dark in someones house and hear a shotgun get pumped.

 

[carrera79]

Ante up and get a Benelli. It is the most reliable, good shooting auto-loader you can buy. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

[wwillson]

I trap shoot very frequently. My trap gun is a Remington 870 with synthetic stocks. I really like the 870 because it just shoots and shoots without any troubles and I do see people struggle with some of the more complicated autoloaders. You'll never have to worry about scratching the finish on the synthetic or worry about getting the finish wet. You definately won't have the coolest shotgun on the line, but I can outshoot 95% of the folks in my club with my 20 year old ugly 870. Remeber, until you compete at a very high level, it's not the shotgun, it's the shooter....

Wayne

[ February 26, 2005, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: wwillson ]

 

[wwillson]

quote:

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Originally posted by outrun:
Use: Contigency Home Defence

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Forget about using a shotgun in home defense that's what handguns are for. However, think long and hard before having a loaded handgun in your house.

Wayne

 

[Rob Taggs]

A handgun is only a weapon of convenience. Most individuals don't shoot handgun gun well in these situations no matter how good that they brag that they can. The handgun is the hardest firearm to master. Most police officers are not that good with them, which is scarey. I have qualified both in the military and law enforcement on a variety of weapons. Everytime I went to qualify I saw the same thing happen. About a third qualify the first time around, the rest are given 2 or 3 more chances to qualify. This is with large municipal and small police departments that I have been on the range with. So if the average cop is this bad with a weapon just think how bad the average home owner is? You have to have been in the situation to talk. Believe me, if you come up against a bad guy in your home or your in combat a long gun will serve you far better than pumping round after round of 9mm into a goblin compared to one well aimed blast from a shotgun with OO Buck Shot. Those who have done it know, Those that have not, talk.

 

[andrews]

Spot on Rob!!! Couldn't be more correct.

 

[shortyb]

Since you will (hopefully) use it more as a sporting weapon, my vote goes to an autoloader. I have a Benelli M1 that is an absolutely fabulous piece. If cost is a factor, try a Remington 1100. Keep the barrel reasonable in length and it will easily suit the home defense mode. Stock? I like the synthetic but there is nothing wrong with wood if cared for. It makes little difference in the function.

Things to consider when using a "long" gun for defense in a home:

Absolutely first and foremost, keep it safe. Small children/folks unfamiliar with firearms? Lock it up. You will have to decide it's mode of readiness. Loaded? Well this is preferable but then again consider where it will be stored. And if you lock it up, make sure you can access it easily.......in the dark.......half asleep. Try it sometime to see how comfortable you are with it.

How is your home arranged? Lots of corners/tight places? Need to consider how to manuver around those areas with the added barrel length. Best advise for this is to establish a "safe" room in the house. Get there, behind some cover (bed, dresser etc.) get your cordless/cell phone and stay put until help arrives. If the intruder enters this room, announce your intentions to kill him/her and carry it out if he/she decides to continue the confrontation.

Consider the ammo. Birdshot or some other light load may just p!ss the person off and they can continue an attack. Especially if that person is mentally derranged, high on drugs, or intoxicated. Use a suitable buckshot. This is one reason I prefer a shotgun to a handgun for home defense. I know how in the "heat of battle" it may be difficult to shoot accurately if you're not accustomed to it or don't train often. With a shotgun, pointing and shooting in the general direction usually yields positive results.

[ February 26, 2005, 01:34 PM: Message edited by: shortyb ]

 

[labman]

Back in the late 60's I once called the Detroit Police. I hadn't even made it 911, just suspicious noise outside. It took a while, but finally a squad car pulled up and 4 officers got out, each with a shot gun. Those were not easy times for big city policemen. The incident ended calmly, but they were ready for a problem.

 

[427Z06]

quote:

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Originally posted by Al:
I see zero application frankly in home defense except in a genera insurrection.

---

A good friend and colleague dispatched a machete wielding illegal alien burglar from his house a couple of years ago.

The initial language barriers were instantly removed by the universally understood sound of a cycling pump shotgun.

To bad the liberal media doesn't report how many times this takes place.

 

[MarkC]

My choice of weapon for home defense is my custom made jo, made of purpleheart wood.
But seriously, I agree a shotgun is more effective for most people. Handguns are not espically easy to master, especially in a tense situation. there are some people who can just naturally shoot a handgun accurately. My dad is like that. But many others...well.
There was a shootout back home several years ago in a parking lot over a woman. One guy had a 9mm, the other a .40 cal. They killed each other eventually, but only many shots were fired. I think one guy actually had to reload.
I think the Remington is a good choice. Like others have said, be careful where you keep it.

 

[1sttruck]

An 870 is kind of a no brainer. I've seen the 3in models on sale for as low as $200, which isn't much higher than an extra Remington barrel, and although it has a decent reputation for reliability some older barrels seemed to be a problem. The 3 1/2 in would be recommended for hunting. A shotgun is hard to beat for defense. I've let people pop away with their typical 9mm at a target, some people are really good but most are really bad, and they're always amazed at what happens when you engage with either 3in #4 or 00 buckshot. As I recall a 12 ga with slugs or a 30.06 with Nosler Partitions is considered a minimum bear gun by Fish & Game in Alaska.

Shotguns aren't foolproof though, as some people haven't tempered TV with reality. At practical shoots we would sometimes have a shotgun station, usually an 870 with birdshot engaging a bowling pin at 8 yds, and some people would miss all shots, thinking that you don't need to sight your target :^)

 

[outrun]

Thanks I have done some more homework based on the responses.

My dilemna with Synthetic is that it makes me feel tooo tactical, like I am so SWAT operator *lol*

I did some looking online and was surprised to see some trap guns going for 5,000 -30,000$$$ never knew they were this serious.

To answer another post, you are saying basically that Pumps are not intentioned for Clay shooting ... it is the domain for semi-autos only?

A) Remington Semi-Auto Shotgun 1100 Classic Trap 12/30

$694.38

I found that on Wal-mart online ... it says Trap, so it a good choice?

Bennelli M1 I will have to look into more

On Close Quarter Defence, I concur a shotgun is hard to beat.

I feel 100% more confident and comfortable with a shotgun over a Pistol.

As noted unless your quite gifted effectively wielding a Pistol entails tremendous skill ... esp is a high stakes do or die situation.

 

[Slick 55]

A Remingon 1100 Classic Trap would serve you quite well. They are still one of the best auto's ever made.