New to Guns, Need help.
Ok so i'm new to guns and I need some help. I would like to get a 12 gauge shotgun for hunting with two barrels one for slug/deer and one for turkey, but i'd also like it to be a good defense type shotgun. Basically i'd like to get a universal shotgun that can do almost all of that. Would rather it be more geared towards hunting. Cause to be any shotgun is a good shotgun for defense. Also what are good companies to buy i know mossberg remington and winchester are the usuall good ones but what others are good shotguns or guns in general? Thanks for any help.
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patriotmarf,
Hello and welcome to the forums here on Gunbroker.
I will tell you right off the bat, the Remington 870 has been trusted by many militaries, and Police departments globally for the last 3 decades. Yes you read hi-tech names like Benelli, but when it comes to the throw down, Remington stands on top in actual numbers issued.
It also happens to be that the 870 is appealing to the sportsman as well. I do have an 870 Express with a 21" VR turkey barrel, and a 20" smooth bore slu barrel with rifle sights. The 21" VR barrel has the interchangable choke system too. They both are chambered for the 3" 12 gauge shotgun shell.
Best
EDIT 1
Neal and He Dog,
I don't like recoil either, and I have switched from wood to synthetic stocks as they seem to absorb more recoil, and in conjunction with that R3 recoil pad, which is made by SVL, it has cut the felt recoil about in half. So I get reliability of having no O-rings to worry about and lesser recoil.0 -
+1 for the 870. For the person who wants one shotgun and for that shotgun to do it all you really can't do better than the 870. As tsr1965 says there are lots of configurations available and the gun is very reliable. For specialized situations there are better solutions but for an all around go to one gun solution you can't beat the 870. 0 -
Yes, the 870 is a great shotgun, but some of us don't care for the beating we take when we fire a lot of rounds. My preference is the Remington semi-autos, which offer less recoil & faster follow-up shots. But, it's a matter of personal preference.
For home defense, a shotgun would be my last choice. Too big for close quarters work, too easy for a perp to wrestle it away from you, & too difficult to keep under lock-and-key but handy enough for immediate retrieval. My thought is, the best home defense gun is the handgun you carry when you go out at night.
Be sure that your gun safe is big enough for this & any future purchases; keeping an unsecured gun is irresponsible.
Neal0 -
I am with Neal, the 870 is a fine pump, but I too don't like recoil. I like the semi autos, though I am looking hard at the Rem 887.
I also concur that a handgun (my preference is a revolver) is a better choice around the house.0 -
For close range self defensive shooting with my 870, I have developed the following technique that reduces felt recoil to almost nothing.
I tuck the stock under my right bicep against my side, and hold it tight to my side. Using point of aim, I can rack off 7 rounds as fast as I can pull the slide and squeeze the trigger. If you maintain a good grip with your arm and your racking hand, you can maintain very good control of the weapon. It takes practice to be able to use this technique, but once mastered, it is very effective AT CLOSE RANGE.
I should also mention that I have a 20 in. barrel, and a magazine extension. I also installed a Limbsaver buttpad, so that when using the gun in a normal shooting posture, it greatly reduces felt recoil against the shoulder.
It's a technique that works for me, but your circumstances may dictate other methods.
Good Luck0 -
another vote for the 870 looking real hard at the 887 looks like it would be a good foul weather gun 0 -
patriotmarf, I was recently in the same place as you (well, buying an all-purpose shotgun, not being new to guns). After a lot of online research, I bought the Mossberg 500. It gets high marks from a lot of defense experts, because of the tang safety and shell lifter design.
And the price was certainly right. So far I have two barrels and two stocks (one recoil-reducing, folding), and I have been very pleased with the gun.0 -
Hi all, I am new here but definitly not new to turkey and deer hunting. Any shotgun will save your ass in the event of some jerko attempting to do harm to you or your family, but as far as turkey hunting get the 3 1/2 ulti-mag, Ive killed them [ one ] at 41 yrds with a 500 mossberg, 870 , and 1187 have taken them down without an issue until one day that he flapped and ran, I searched for 3 frcn hrs to find that bird then went right to Dicks and got the 3 1/2 ulti-mag[ with scope] 60 yrds ,,,, blow a can off a branch . Just my opinion, if you can afford it get it! 0 -
I agree with Mr. 3030. If you KNOW you are going to be taking your shotgun into armed combat, then you'd want a shotgun specifically designed for that purpose. But pretty much ANY shotgun (including a lowly side-by-side) ought to be enough to take care of a home intruder. Your skill with the gun and the tactics you use are *FAR* more important than what gun action type you've got.
I think the limiting factor in your question is the need for turkey shooting, since that's the most specialized application. While its certainly possible to hunt turkey successfully with almost any shotgun, I think there is a meaningful range advantage to be had with a gun designed or set up specifically for turkey hunting.
So what you probably need is a gun set up for turkey shooting, and then from that point, you could also adopt it pretty easily for deer or defense.
There are multiple companies that make good shotguns. The question becomes how much do you want to spend and what features do you want? Other than Mossberg and Remington, you could check out Benelli and Beretta as fairly reputable and popular manufacturers.
In terms of recoil, obviously nobody likes recoil, but to draw a meaningful distinction, its one thing if you are going to do a round of 100 sporting clays, and quite another if your gun is going to be used primarily for hunting or defense.
If you are busting clays all afternoon, then sure, the recoil adds up by the end of the day. If that's what you intend to do, its reasonable to put recoil management near the top of your gun criteria.
Realistically, how many shells are you going to fire when hunting? Maybe two or at most three for a deer? How many for turkey, again, maybe two or three, maybe a bit more *IF* you have a generous bag limit AND you are a poor shot?
How many shells are you going to fire in a defensive situation? One? Maybe two? At most five or six?
While turkey loads, slugs or buckshot can be punishing, it shouldn't matter much if your life is on the line, or you're only firing a few rounds hunting. A simple recoil pad can work wonders, and frankly if you've got recoil problems with only a few fired rounds maybe you should rethink the suitability of a 12 gauge shotgun.
In terms of pump vs semi, the pump has three big advantages over the semi-auto. The gun itself is cheaper (usually significantly so), In general more reliable with any ammo type, and (usually) easier to maintain.
The semi really only has two advantages. The big one is less recoil. How important this is depends on how many rounds you intend to shoot and your personal recoil sensitivity.
The next advantage (at least in theory) is faster followup shots. I say "in theory" because cycling the action during the recoil cycle, a truly skilled pump gunner can get off directed shots nearly as fast as a semiautomatic.0 -
I think beantownshootah is on the money.
As for pump shotguns, I would additionally throw in the Browning BPS for consideration. The 870 is out in front with police departments because of low cost and good reliability, and the military likes the Mossberg for its reliability, which includes an almost straight-in feed angle. The BPS is not too much more expensive, but is also an extemely positive functioner with truly mighty ejection power (it will throw a loaded round farther than most shotguns will throw their empties).0
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