What constitutes a “good” shotgun?

Don't overthink or overpay. Go to a pawn shop and buy a 870 or 500. 30" barrel too long? Hacksaw it down to 18" or whatever legal length you want.
I'm not a fan of pistol grips on shotguns but understand that others want it to look as tactical as they can.
DO NOT put a pistol grip on a 500. It makes it very awkward to engage/disengage the safety.
 
PatMcD said:
Don't overthink or overpay. Go to a pawn shop and buy a 870 or 500. 30" barrel too long? Hacksaw it down to 18" or whatever legal length you want.
I'm not a fan of pistol grips on shotguns but understand that others want it to look as tactical as they can.
DO NOT put a pistol grip on a 500. It makes it very awkward to engage/disengage the safety.
Click to expand...
Funny, I have a 500 with a Hogue pistol grip and forend and it's pretty easy to manipulate the safety. Never tried one of those birds head things though. I wish my benellis had the tang safety
 
like a lot of people, i use an 870. the gun was 30 years old when i got it, a police turn in and i've owned it for 30 years. pretty tired looking but functions. 18" bbl and no fancy do-dads...no pistol grips, night sights, no red dot optics, no laser, no magpul replacement stocks or rail system. just a bead on the muzzle end and i splurged on a cheap 6 shell cloth carrier saddle for the rear stock. i paid $145 in 1990.

my criteria was 1. pump 2. had to be cheap 3. function. why cheap? cause after you need to use it to defend yourself, it's going to be confiscated, tossed around, and you'll probably never see it again, or if you do, it will be in a very long time. why tie up a ton of dough for a single purpose shotgun needlessly? tacticool is cool, but do you need to spend that money...only you can answer what you need, not what you really want.
 
PatMcD said:
A top-tang safety? You can get your thump up there while still keeping a shooting grip on it?
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Yeah top tang. I dont know, maybe I have a weird grip/stance combo. I keep it high and slightly rearward, somewhere slightly above elbow height, kind of tucked under my shoulder. I can move and hit clays (stationary targets) pretty accurately this way. It just so happens the safety is easy too. Actually its not much different than my snubby revolver stance except for my non dominant hand on the fore grip of the shotgun.

I could see if I let it hang down at waist level it might not be comfy
 
Keep it simple no need for rails or pistol grip stick to the basics. Pump 12Ga or even a 410 18.5in barrel cylinder choke. You don't need fancy sights, lazers or flash lights. You have lights in your house don't you? For home defence you are just going to point and shoot. There will be no time to sight in a target. Basics Basics Basics
 
ReluctantDecoy said:
I was looking into 590 vs 870 recently, thinking about my own purchase of one of those. Apparently, 870 is over a pound heavier with both at 18.5". That might make the 590 feel snappier in the kick. Just a guess though.
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I'm gonna have to Pepsi challenge that. I'd swear on a six-pack of Pabst Good Word Bibles that the 590 is heavier. Maybe I just don't notice it in my 870.
 
Dennis in MA said:
I'm gonna have to Pepsi challenge that. I'd swear on a six-pack of Pabst Good Word Bibles that the 590 is heavier. Maybe I just don't notice it in my 870.
Click to expand...

I've never had the opportunity to hold both at the same time, but spec sheets often put the 870 higher in weight for the same barrel length. That said, it does highly depends on which version of each. I think when I was looking at them in stats, I was comparing two 18.5" with synthetic, non-pistol grip stocks. I'd bet an old trench 590 would end up being a little heavier than the one I used as a baseline.
 
870 Express combo. Comes with 21" rifled slug barrel, 26" vent rib barrel that'll accept chokes, and I got a Mossberg-branded 18" home defense barrel for it. Best of all worlds. Fairly inexpensive, and will go BANG when you pull the trigger damned near every time.
 
Have an old 870 former police issue that I sent to Vang Comp after I sent them my 1187P. They both have had the ghost rear sights and their front illuminated sight plus the bore worked on. Gave a few classes and took classes with them. The 1187P is designed to take high brass so slugs and OO buck is all I use in it. They both shoot tight groups with OO buck as advertised at 25 yards at less than 18” and deadly at 80 yards with 1 oz slugs. As to hunting turkeys I use a plain Jane 870 Express and it works for me. Lower picture is before I sent it to Vang Comp.

1625176427195.jpeg
1625176531919.jpeg
 
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PatMcD said:
Don't overthink or overpay. Go to a pawn shop and buy a 870 or 500
Click to expand...
This is really great advice. My first home defense gun was a Mossy 500 that I bought used for $150 almost 30 years ago. I still have it.
But the point is, even with today's stupid prices, for real short money, you get a very effective home defense gun.
You can argue about the effectiveness of pistol calibers all day, but no one questions the effectiveness of a 12 ga shooting 00 Buck at close range
CRSIII said:
Everything in the video is abject fail.
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Especially the two dick heads that stood there and filmed it. She could have been seriously hurt.
 
DarthRevan said:
If you’re living near boars then you need to reconsider your life to that point.

Semi, pump, any gun can jam. Don’t buy shit guns and keep them clean. Tough right?
Click to expand...
Clean?!?! @drgrant I think we have a candidate for a vacation here!! Blasphemy!!
Everyone knows the proper way to do it is shoot till it’s dirty, then buy a new one!!
 
maritz01 said:
Have an old 870 former police issue that I sent to Vang Comp after I sent them my 1187P. They both have had the ghost rear sights and their front illuminated sight plus the bore worked on. Gave a few classes and took classes with them. The 1187P is designed to take high brass so slugs and OO buck is all I use in it. They both shoot tight groups with OO buck as advertised at 25 yards at less than 18” and deadly at 80 yards with 1 oz slugs. As to hunting turkeys I use a plain Jane 870 Express and it works for me. Lower picture is before I sent it to Vang Comp.

View attachment 497904
View attachment 497905
Click to expand...

^OP, do this.^



Mine is also an 870 express thats been worked by Vang Comp. Gun shreds and doesnt beat you up bad with federal flite control 00.

Mine has a magpul sga stock
Aridus industries T1 rear sight mount
Aimpoint T1
Surefire forend
All the vang fixins

20200705_115610.jpg

If you dont want to send it to them, try to find an older (pre 90s) wingmaster, they are built better than the newer crap when everything became MIM.

Oh, also pistol grips are dumb, so are heat shields, lasers, and most of the other cheap crap people hang on shotguns.
 
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FiremanBob said:
Don't buy a shotgun made in China; some of the Turkish ones are junk too (Tristar); or one with the brand-name Stoeger (awful quality control). The new Remington 870s rust terribly, I would not buy one made in the last ten years. I prefer the Mossberg 590 over the 500 because of the metal trigger housing.

A quality pump gun is like a Toyota. A Benelli or Beretta semi-auto is like a Mercedes AMG. They both get you where you want to go.
Click to expand...
Rustington’s have been around for 30 plus years...maybe longer.
 
AllaSnackbah said:
^OP, do this.^



Mine is also an 870 express thats been worked by Vang Comp. Gun shreds and doesnt beat you up bad with federal flite control 00.

Mine has a magpul sga stock
Aridus industries T1 rear sight mount
Aimpoint T1
Surefire forend
All the vang fixins

View attachment 498008

If you dont want to send it to them, try to find an older (pre 90s) wingmaster, they are built better than the newer crap when everything became MIM.

Oh, also pistol grips are dumb, so are heat shields, lasers, and most of the other cheap crap people hang on shotguns.
Click to expand...
Do you get any flash from that porting at night?
 

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