Gun Nut Tip of the Week: Shotgun Buying 101

I want a lever action like a Henry or Marlin

Great post op

Originally Posted by Reedo302

Why not a Mossberg? ...because Mossberg fucking made this:

I'd actually like to have one of those...Alotta junk would have to be ditched but it would make a great host gun. .30-30 can be loaded way down in one of those.

I believe the Benelli Super 90 is about the best 12 ga.on the planet. Ive owned 7 or 8 & used them with great success for 6 years while on a hardship tour in Kansazz. Only had ONE failure to cycle but it was a low brass #6 shot & was older than Gabby Hays.That said,I sold all of mine & my spares collection/investment and came back home to the 870. Ive read that in the last 53 years or so of production they have sent some 10,000,000 examples out the door. Sounds like lots of spares out in them their woods & that many sportsman,LEO,& soldiers must know something.Ive got Scattergun Technolgies/Wilson Combat ghost ring sights on mine.Thunder Ranch swears by these sights. The Mesa Tactical M4 style stock or a Rem.or Houge 13.5" LOP stock seems to be $$ well spent NMHO. The 870 is easy to work on or Id but in trouble,lol! Doug out

The 870 has always been a great shotgun, but it's gotten worse in recent years by Remington's poor quality control since Cerberus/Freedom Group took over. That said, the advantage to the 870 is that it's a shotgun, and tolerances are loose, much like an AK. As such, variances in production quality make little difference for general operation.
All of our tactical Wilson Combat shotguns have those sights. They're excellent for long range shots; particularly with slugs. I don't like it for rapid shots, and I would actually prefer a bead sight for close range work, but if you spend enough time with the Wilson sights, you can get a bit faster.

Hi guys. Looking to pick up my first gun. Big 5 has a mossberg 500 Silver w two barrels for 299 for BF. I was trying to look up what the silver was but couldnt find any concrete info on it, just forum threads saying "I think it has cheaper parts." anybody here know about the "silver" model? I like that it has 2 barrels so I can keep the short one on for home defense and the longer one for shooting clays. It's this or an 870 express.

Id go with the 870. I have an express tactical that I picked up for just under $400. Only problem is the finish seem pretty thin. If you are looking at cheaper shotguns check what shells can and can not be used with it I would only buy one that can shoot slugs bc you know that the barrel is decent.

Originally Posted by 325max

Hi guys. Looking to pick up my first gun. Big 5 has a mossberg 500 Silver w two barrels for 299 for BF. I was trying to look up what the silver was but couldnt find any concrete info on it, just forum threads saying "I think it has cheaper parts." anybody here know about the "silver" model? I like that it has 2 barrels so I can keep the short one on for home defense and the longer one for shooting clays. It's this or an 870 express.

I have no answer to your question on the difference between the silver and standard, other than your initial research seems to be spot on about using cheaper parts from Mexico. Take a look through the two pages above though, and you will see that the guys with experience in shotguns will generally choose the Remington 870 over the Mossberg 500.

Originally Posted by shwagon

Id go with the 870. I have an express tactical that I picked up for just under $400. Only problem is the finish seem pretty thin. If you are looking at cheaper shotguns check what shells can and can not be used with it I would only buy one that can shoot slugs bc you know that the barrel is decent.

After the advice from this thread, I picked up a Remington 870 Express Tactical and threw on the Blackhawk Spec Ops II pistol grip and stock. I had a Magpul MS3 sling that wasn't being used and put that on too.

Anyone have an opinion on a Remington 1100 TAC2?

I put an old Primary Arms micro on it. So far so good.

Make sure to blue Loctite the screw that holds that stock in place. The geniuses that installed the Knoxx stocks on the 870s in our squad cars didn't use blue Loctite, and the screws loosened up during a qualification and the stocks started jiggling and flopping around, and it really affected our accuracy. This happened to every shotgun we had on the firing line.

I'm 99% sure that I did, but I'll go through it anyway. Thanks for the reminder.

Hey guys,

Looking to pick up a few shotguns relatively soon, the woman wants

http://www.basspro.com/Mossberg-FLEX...0829053340685/

and I am looking at this

http://www.basspro.com/Benelli-12-Ga...duct/10217920/

Our main use of these would be for Clay / Skeet shooting. She is pretty set on what she wants (Mossberg 500), but i'm still undecided other than it has to be black and i'd rather pay a little more for something that is dependable. Price range is around 400.

My friend told me to check out Stoeger also, also made by Benelli.

Any suggestions?

If that's what she wants and she has a reason for wanting it, then that's what she should get. The question is this- Why does she want the Mossberg?
With that said, Benelli is a FAR superior gun to Mossberg. Better build quality, better reliability and durability, and better features and functions.
One thing that I would bring up is that women have a tendency to short-stroke pump shotguns, as do guys with a shorter length of pull. This is particularly an issue with people who are shorter, as women tend to be. If you look at the slide of Nova, you'll notice that the rear of it is extended back a long ways to the edge of the receiver. This is a big advantage to people with a shorter length of pull, as they can hold the slide closer in, and be able to cycle the slide easier. This reduces or eliminates short-stroking tendencies. The Nova was designed to fit a wider range of shooters.

Stoeger is a decent company. They're basically like stripped-down Benellis. The parts/build quality isn't on par with Benelli, but that's because it's the economy version of them. It's like a Honda vs Acura situation.

Originally Posted by Reedo302

If that's what she wants and she has a reason for wanting it, then that's what she should get. The question is this- Why does she want the Mossberg?
With that said, Benelli is a FAR superior gun to Mossberg. Better build quality, better reliability and durability, and better features and functions.
One thing that I would bring up is that women have a tendency to short-stroke pump shotguns, as do guys with a shorter length of pull. This is particularly an issue with people who are shorter, as women tend to be. If you look at the slide of Nova, you'll notice that the rear of it is extended back a long ways to the edge of the receiver. This is a big advantage to people with a shorter length of pull, as they can hold the slide closer in, and be able to cycle the slide easier. This reduces or eliminates short-stroking tendencies. The Nova was designed to fit a wider range of shooters.

Stoeger is a decent company. They're basically like stripped-down Benellis. The parts/build quality isn't on par with Benelli, but that's because it's the economy version of them. It's like a Honda vs Acura situation.

She has owned one in the past and wants to get the same model again (I know you've had issues with them in the past). I'll have her check out some other models at the shop and let her decide for herself.

Thanks for the info about the Nova and the short-stroking.

Picked up the Benelli Nova (top) for myself and the girl got a Remington 887 (bottom).

Just picked up two of these (one for our house and one for the parent's house). Remington 870 Express 18" 20ga. w/two round ext. First time using Buds, so curious to see how the process will be.



Follow-up question: Any recommendations on varying loads for a HD setup? e.g. #4 buck, #4 buck, slug, etc. Thanks!

Anyone have experience with a Remington 887? From what I've read, it's based on the 870...are the parts compatible?

It's not really based on the 870. Most parts are completely different, not the least of which is the bolt. Don't count on it being the same.

Originally Posted by Reedo302

It's not really based on the 870. Most parts are completely different, not the least of which is the bolt. Don't count on it being the same.

Thanks, went with the 870 supermag...turns out, some of the parts on it are not interchangeable with the 870 either oh well...only thing I want to do for now is add a tube extender...any recommendations?

Are these any good?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/390563005083...84.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151015140155...84.m1423.l2649

btw - I have a 26" barrel

TIA