12 ga or 20 ga ?

[JAMMIN]

Was looking at the FS website and they have a nice Remington 870 12 ga 7
shot it says they are available in 20 ga. The 870 is a self deffense shot gun so I assume that 20 ga is ok for deffense of your home. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Cross-X]

12 ga. is the way to go, but get the 20 if your spouse, s.o., or mature teenager is too weak in upper body strength to handle the mighty 12 in a defensive scenario.

 

[KMaurer]

A 12 is just going to send more pellets down range than a 20. Either one will do the job. Don't let anybody scare you off the 12 in terms of recoil. I've had 4'6" 11 year olds do just fine with one the first time out of the gate. If somebody's pumped with adrenaline, as they will be in a defensive situation, I seriously doubt they'd be able to distinguish between the recoil of a .22 short and a 12 gauge.

Ken

 

[Thor67]

12 gauge is the way to go! Much more versatile. You can load it down to a 2.75" shell, or go to a 3". You'll probably have more load choices too.

And strictly speaking as a home defense gun, Ken is right, more pellets down range is a good thing. Recoil is not too bad either. Just set your weight properly.

 

[EddieCoyle]

My son began shooting my 12 gauges when he was 11. The 12 is the way to go.

 

[TY43215]

It all depends on how much you will be shooting and what you will be shooting. Recent LE studies that have been brought to my attention (still waiting to see the actual report) say too many 12GA slugs have caused detached Retinas in LE trainers.

20 ga is a lot easier on the body and with the right choice of loads can do exactly the same job. I have seen what a 20 ga can do in a USPSA three gun match and it works just fine.

 

[News Shooter]

I'm not disagreeing with anyone here

12 Ga is great. I believe the issue with the 20 Ga isn't the recoil or what it can do (It can do anything a 12 can) but rather the weight. It is amazing how much one extra pound or so of gun and shells can wear on you over the course of several hours of clay shooting or birding. That's the reason for me anyway

 

[Scrivener]

Was looking at the FS website and they have a nice Remington 870 12 ga 7 shot it says they are available in 20 ga. The 870 is a self deffense [sic] shot gun so I assume that 20 ga is ok for deffense [sic] of your home. Any thoughts on that?

Besides learning to spell "defense" correctly? YES: Get the 12 gauge.

There is a much wider array of ammo available for it, including the "tactical" buck shot loads specifically for HD. Moreover, a 12 gauge will have a better resale value if you have to liquidate.

 

[Admin]

Do they make those 870's in 10 ga.?

 

[JAMMIN]

Hopefully when I get to be a big boy and have 3,000 posts I will learn to spell corekqtly. Thanks for the advice though. Looks like I might be leaning towards the 20.

 

[depicts]

Derek, I have an 870 that takes a 3 1/2 inch magnum shell. It feels a lot like a 10 ga. Myself, I'd rather have a 20.