Shotgun Advice

This a good price?

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976660313.htm

Not bad, but not great either. I don't ever by guns on gunsamerica due to the pain with finding a local FFL dealer, paying them, paying typical high shipping costs, etc. Much easier and cheaper to buy at a local sporting goods store or gun show. I prefer the latter since you can easily shop for prices among the competing dealers.

Thanks for all the responses.

I like what I see in the Remington 870, but if I don't go with that particulat make and model, from the information presented thus far, how does the following sound in a shotgun:

28" barrel length
adjustable choke
12 guage
pump action
ability to use various round lengths

What are some other options as far as makes and models that meet the above criteria?

Look at Mossberg 500 series,maybe a 535?

http://www.mossberg.com/model535.htm


or Winchester 1300 series

http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodin...d=041&cat=012C

You may want a semi auto,Winchester makes fine ones.The 1100 series.A short article about semi autos

http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodin...tail.asp?ID=72

That should give you some choices.

Then go buy the 870.There is a reason people think of it as THE first choice.

I may pick up an 1100 Winchester too,for the softer recoil aspect,may be wife cant handle the 870 comfortably.I want Mrs to be able to back me up,or handle a situation of life and death on her own if Im not there.

BooBoo

I still use my old Winchester Model 12, 12 ga. I have been using it for close to 50 years and it's still in good condition. If you can find one reasonably they are good old guns.

Those are good features. Mossberg also makes some good, reasonably priced shotguns.

Try this site.

Should answer any questions you could ever have.I spent hours just on one gun researching them.

http://shootersforum.com/

BooBoo

For an inexpensive field gun I don't think you can go wrong with the old reliable Remington 870. You can get the barrel in whatever length is comfortable for you and it should come with several interchangeable screw-in choke tubes.

I don't care for it as much for defensive applications but that isn't at issue here.

You can get the 870 with synthetic stock and matte finish for dirt cheap or you can get a wingmaster with high gloss finish and nice wood and spend some coin. They sold a light contour model at once time that had a somewhat lighter barrel. I had a chance to do a little shooting with one of these once and I thought it really handled nice.

I've got a Remington 11-87 that has just been a workhorse for me for years and years. I bough it new back when I was 17 or 18 I think. It is a black synthetic model called the 1187SPS. Came with a 26inch barrel. I ended up buying a longer barrel for goose and bird hunting and two deer barrels. One fully rifled with a scope mount and the other with rifle sights and a rifles choke tube. Truly a do everything gun. Killed deer, turkey, rabbits, squirrels, ducks, geese, pheasant, quail, woodcock, crows, coyotes, starlings, doves just about everything.

I always wanted to have some nice over and under and side by side shotguns. I am an occasional guest at one older gentleman's home and he has some extremely nice shotguns. A bunch of really expensive European ones like merkel and purdy that cost more than my house, vehicles and homestead combined. He hunts with a couple of them but most of them you have to wear white cotton gloves to handle. I sorta feel out of place when I go hunting with those guys and I show up with my old 11-87 or my Bennelli and I'm wearing carhardts and an old ratty M-65 woodland pattern field jacket and they're all using fancy European double guns and English hunting duds from who knows where.

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Respect The Cactus!

Shotguns are not rifles, and the burn characteristics of the powders are different.

After somewhere around 22 inches, it really doesn't matter too much what length of barrel you are shooting from a kinetic-energy-on-target viewpoint. Therefore, shoot what you like....with the length of most pump or autoloader actions, I would think about 26" for a birdgun - which is equal in balance point to about a 28" double.

Since this is going to be your only shotgun, make it a twelve. More versatility, especially with a 3" chamber. Let's you hunt everything from mice to moose, at the proper distance with the right load.

I normally hunt with a Browning BPS, and I own the Winchester pump. But I also have a 870.

For pure bang-for-the-buck, it's the 870, hands down.

Don't discount the 16 ga, especially if you use if mostly for hunting. My family's favorite for generations, this had fallen out of popularity (and production) for a number of years. There's quite the revival of 16's though at then moment. I'm pretty sure there's a couple of 16 ga 870's available.

It's very versatile and a little easier to handle than the 12 in general.

Ammo is usually a bit pricier/hard to find, so probably better not for high-volume target shooting.

I went through this a few years ago. I ended up buying a Mossberg 500 slugster combo. I love it and use it to deer hunt also. The rifled barrell is pretty accurate to 100 yards and since I hunt on limited acreage I like the reduced range.
At the end of deer season, the shotgun barrel goes back on.

Pretty nice setup.

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Brad Bachelor
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"Loving an old bachelor is always a no-win situation, and you come to terms with that early on, or you go away.”
-- Jean Harris

Thanks again!

If I am going to need the screw-in chokes, etc., would it be better to buy a new set-up with everything or buy the gun used then get whatever else I need. It seems sometimes "piece-mealing" things end up costing a person more, but don't know if that's the case here.

My local access to gun shops is somewhat limited, probably more pawn shops than actual gun shops.

The 870 Express is shipped with one (1) modified choke tube. This will work for probably 75% of your hunting and around the farm needs. If you hunt close flushing birds such as quail, or you deer hunt with buckshot, you may want an IC choke tube. If you like to do a good bit of squirrel hunting, a full choke may be what you need - although today's full chokes are for steel (I find the turkey chokes deliver what I want for lead).

You should be able to find the gun at most any WallyWorld, or big box retailer that sells firearms.

For an all purpose shotgun I'd look for a pump action. Regarding a new gun, I'd look at either a Mossberg 500 series or a Remington 870 (kinda Ford or Chevy deal). Look for combo deals and when they throw in extra chokes and such.

About 10 years ago, I was in your position and picked up a Mossberg 835 combo for about $250. It included a 28" vent rib barrel, a 24" slug barrel with rifle sights and 3 chokes. She'll handle anything from goose to grouse and onto deer.

For a used gun, find out where the local coppers trade in the shotguns they use. You may find a good deal. Before you buy used, be very educated on how the guns are constructed, to avoid buying someone elses abused junk.

Share the Love,

Diamondtim

I love my 870 Wingmaster DU Special Edition.

Either the 870 or Mossy 500 will make a serviceable shotgun for any use. Swap barrels/chokes as needed. The aftermarket supplies essentially everything you could ever imagine and either will outlive you.

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I see Fate rushing towards its conclusion faster every day...Me

12g is the only one you need consider