Want buy home defense shotgun. Any advice apreciated. Specifically; is there a shotgun forum similar to this one?

Thanks G.O. but what I need is research material. I want to know all the types, whats good/bad,market prices etc...Thats how I got here and ended up with my LEGP. I started researching AR's on this site in Jan. Bought my rifle in July. I'll probably take a few months with the shotgun too. Think now it'll be Moss. 590. Best gun for the money I think.BP

I’ve found the Shotgun Forum at The Firing Line  [url]http://www.thefiringline.com/[/url]   to be very helpful.    They’re a good crowd; in fact they recommended AR-15.com to me.

Saw a 590 Entry Model on the weekend.  Speedfeed stock, fiber optic ghost ring sights, 14" barrel.  Absolutely delicious.  You might be able to find a nice used semiauto for the same money tho.

i got a winchester 1300 18inch barrel  7 in tube one in chamber. action is so smooth and fast

The Mossberg 590, Now thats a great shotgun. One thing that I love about Mossberg shotguns compared to Remingtons is that stupid tongue thing that Remingtons have sits in front of the tubelar magazine I always jam my thumb on it when I am reloading. Mossbergs dont have them that the one big reason I love them.


Six

Mossberg, Remington, Winchester, barf.

Get with a semi-auto. Go for a Benelli M1 Tactical with ghost ring sights. With the two shot extension, you'll be able to "purify" the thoughts of a home invader with 7 shots of buckshot, in under 3 seconds.

Seriously though, I think you'll find that a Benelli M1 will handle better than any pump gun, since you won't have to fiddle around with the action, and because it cycles smoothly.

themao [chainsawkill]

another benelli advantage is fast reloading, and fast easy ammo type changes.

Another vote for the 1300 Defender.  Love it so much I gave it a hug today.

Agree, that S90 will go thru 7 rounds faster
than a chainsaw thru a watermelon[smoke]

Wincester 1300 Defender - best bang for buck

Remington 870 Marine - everyone works on 870's

Mossberg 590  - lots of reliable firepower
                safety handy


Cream of the Crop- BENELLI M1 Super 90 tactical Ghost Ring sights
 
            or for the Best of Both worlds a

        Benelli M3 pump/auto convertible

 Try & get a pre-94'  Benelli if you have the $$$

As much as I love my pre-ban M1 Super 90, I still have to give the nod to the 870 for a primary defense weapon (or Mossy 500 - just a personal choice). The Benelli's are a lot more expensive, and you can't legally put a mag extension on a new one if it has a pistol grip. Not that that is a big deal, just that it has already been classified as a "bad gun" by the commie's that do the prosecuting. My 870 probably wouldn't fare much better under scrutiny after being used defensively, but if it had a plain stock it would be fairly PC.

[img]http://wsphotofews.excite.com/034/fv/kv/9u/YJ84635.jpg[/img]

You can buy two or three 870's for the price of one new M1 S90.
Now for a SHTF scattergun, I'll grab my Benelli and give the 870 to a close friend........theoretically of course.

I like my Mossberg 500. 18 inch barrel, Sure Fire tactical light, Choate pistol grip stock and OKO reflex sight.

I've been thinking about saving-up for the next few months, and buying a pump shotgun for myself for next summer.  So, I'm in the same boat.  I just haven't found what I want yet, but then again, all I've done is read about them and I've never even touched one.  What I think a home shotgun needs:

1. Steel receiver.  I've read about way too many people that had problems feeding after putting a sidesaddle on their Mossberg 590's.  Also, I talked to an instructor at the state police academy, and he said they stopped using Mossbergs because the officers were overtightening the side saddles.  I don't know anything about the 870 and the 1300, but do they have a stronger receiver?

2. The ability to easily top off the mag.  I know nothing about feeding a pump, but are their any that you can add rounds to without unscrewing the mag cap on the end?  After almost loosing my finger while feeding a rifle with a tube magazine (had either a hang-fire or a problem with the hammer), I don't like the idea of (only in a tactical situation, obviously) putting my hand near the end of the barrel on a loaded gun to add rounds.

3. A mag that holds lots of rounds.  I live out in the middle of nowhere, and from the bad experience of a few neighbors, I'm 20+ minutes away from police help.  I want as many rounds as I can get.

4. Parkerized finish.  I love the finish, that I've seen from afar, on the Mossberg 590, and I like the idea of having a tougher finish than just blueing.

5. Reliable feed short shells.  According to an officer I talked to last week, the local police have started carrying S&B 2.5" 00.  We cut one a round of their old Federal load to compare it.  The S&B had just as much shot.  The difference was that the S&B round had less wasted space in it.  So, it didn't look like there was a difference in the performace.  They carry it, because they can get another round in the tube, but the officer did say that several of their shotguns wouldn't feed the shorter rounds reliably.

6.  Bottom ejecting.  I've been hit in the head too many times at a local range with cases bouncing off walls.  I don't like the idea of larger spent shotgun shells bouncing off of walls and hitting me in the dark if I had to use it in self-defense.  If I get-up in the dark, I'm probably not going to be wearing safety glasses, and my glasses have several nicks in them from only a few trips to the range.  From what I remember when I was little, all of the pump shotguns were bottom ejecting.  Now, all of the ones I've seen pictures of appear to be side ejecting.  Heavy, hot 12 gauge brass bouncing off of a wall could seriously hurt your eye.

7. Short stock.  This would be nice for work indoors, and my wife has short arms.

I've seen a Norinco pump shotgun for $80-$95 at several shows.  The receiver on it is steel, and the dealer said all of the parts were interchangable with a Remington 870.  I know that's not true, because they were bottom ejecting.  I'm thinking that is my best choise so far, because I might be able to buy it by Christmas rather than waiting until next summer.

Dude...you don't load a shotgun like a Marlin .22 rifle..

QS

ZOOM:  I'll take a stab at your questions.

1. Of the available pump guns, Remington, and the two Chinese "clone guns" have steel receivers.  I'm not sure, but everything else seems to use aluminum receivers. I feel that steel receivers are best.  when mounting a side saddle, you can't tighten the screws too much.

2. All shotguns are easy and fast to top off.  They are loaded through the bottom of the receiver and this is quite safe.

3. Remington, Mossberg, and Winchester offer extended magazine guns.  A number of companies offer after market magazine extenders for Remington and Winchester.  How many rounds they can hold is a function of how long the barrel is.  An 18" barrel will hold a total of 7 rounds, a 20" will hold 8.

4. Remington offers a number of versions with a parkerized finish.  All others offer guns with the steel parts parkerized, with the aluminum receiver anodized a dull color.  Remington's Police guns come parkerized, and according to them, the parkerized finish is 60% more rust proof than blue.

5. Since the shell stops on a pump gun aren't, for the most part, length sencetive, most will feed short shells as well as longer.  Most new guns are chambered for 3" magnum shells, but they will work just as well with 2 3/4" which is what most people shoot.

6. Ithaca, Browning, and the Chinese copy of the Ithaca are botton feed/bottom eject.  The only potential problem with this, is that some police have had problems when resting the gun on a car hood, or barracade.  As long as you don't block the bottom of the receiver, you're Ok.

7.Short stock is no problem.  Several sources sell "Youth" short stocks, or you or a gunsmith can just cut the stock off yourself.

There are two Chinese guns for sale now.  One is a clone of the Ithaca, the other is a Remington copy.  Most people report the Remington copy to be better quality, and most parts will interchange with Remington's 870.  Both have steel receivers.

Benelli M1 S90 If cost is a factor, Benelli Nova

Fred

I was over on the other board and read a lot of things about police trade-ins. Way cheap prices for Remington 870's. I realize the guns would have been around the block but: Where do you find them, and are they worth buying? BP