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Shotgun Options

MadRussian said:
Could you name some of those skeet ranges that don't allow barrels under 20"? I have yet to come across that rule.
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I've seen this rule all over the country.

bigblue said:
Or ranges that don't allow shot? That's absurd. Cmon stop talking out your ass. There are plenty of non fudd ranges in MA.
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I've also seen this rule all over th country.

BTW, anyone recommending a Saiga as someone's first shotgun is out of their mind. I also think the 590A1 is a bad choice as they tend to become safe queens. In your price range the Beretta 1301 with 24" VR or a Versamax are your best options.
 
vellnueve said:
I've seen this rule all over the country.



I've also seen this rule all over th country.

BTW, anyone recommending a Saiga as someone's first shotgun is out of their mind. I also think the 590A1 is a bad choice as they tend to become safe queens. In your price range the Beretta 1301 with 24" VR or a Versamax are your best options.
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An allegorical "All of the country" NJ, MD, NY, CA & CT don't matter. The point is that there are plenty of ranges in MA & NH where this is of no concern. Plenty.

I can't suggest a semi as a HD shotgun, I would want the reliability of a pump and I think you will see that as a common concern.

If you buy ANY weapon as a HD option and don't practice than you are a bigger idiot than the person relying on a single flare gun for HD.
 
OP, I recommend you pick up a clean but used Mossberg 500 as your first shotgun.

When I was looking for one I posted a WTB (want to buy) ad on this site (click here) and before long I picked up a gun that had maybe a couple of boxes of shells through it for all of $230. Mine has a 28" barrel that I can use for skeet and hunting. I can buy a brand new 18.5" barrel from Mossberg for under $100 to use for home defense. Barrels can be swapped out literally in under 20 seconds - it's that easy.

Do that and then practice with the gun and learn as much as you can from reading and from others. A year from now, decide if you want to upgrade to a semi-auto or another pump or whatever else you might decide. You won't lose much, if anything, selling the 500 in a year.

Just my two cents. I think this is the simplest and cheapest way to go.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
Any cheap pump with a short barrel. You'll probably never use it, so no need to spend big bucks. No semi. Jack.
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Wise words:)

From a relative newb... I have a savage 88 with a factory 18 1/4" barrel and a convertible ATI pistol grip. Bought used for $135, $70 for the barrel, traded the factory stock for the ATI.

With Aguila short shells it fits 12 rounds of combo 00buck/#4 shot.

Never had a failure, nothing ever broke. $200 and change in the gun, why spend more on a HD shotty?
 
SIG-owner said:
Semi auto and no more than $1k. Never heard of Saiga. Will check it out. Thx!
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I am thinking of picking up a Beretta 1301 Tactical for an HD shotgun at some point. Might fit your requirements exactly. I see them for $750-$850 regularly.
 
bigblue said:
An allegorical "All of the country" NJ, MD, NY, CA & CT don't matter. The point is that there are plenty of ranges in MA & NH where this is of no concern. Plenty.

I can't suggest a semi as a HD shotgun, I would want the reliability of a pump and I think you will see that as a common concern.

If you buy ANY weapon as a HD option and don't practice than you are a bigger idiot than the person relying on a single flare gun for HD.
Click to expand...

People short stroke pumps under stress all the time. A good semi will run 100%
 
Supermoto said:
People short stroke pumps under stress all the time. A good semi will run 100%
Click to expand...
A good semi costs more and you have to take the time to figure out which ammo runs well in it. I see semis run into issues all the time on the skeet field. Also, malfunctions are easier to diagnose and clear on a pump, imo.
 
MadRussian said:
Could you name some of those skeet ranges that don't allow barrels under 20"? I have yet to come across that rule.
Click to expand...

I'm in MD but PG trap and skeet and I believe Loch Raven. No pistol grips either. The reason most ranges don't allow shot is people going Full Retard and obliterating the target stands as well as ricochets off of posts .
 
kalash said:
A good semi costs more and you have to take the time to figure out which ammo runs well in it. I see semis run into issues all the time on the skeet field. Also, malfunctions are easier to diagnose and clear on a pump, imo.
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Bird shot is not a home defense load, so what happens there doesn't really matter, nor is shooting clays good practice got home defense.
 
It might be worth your time to check out shotgun news. The J&G sales group is always selling used shotguns (just have them ship to a ffl and pay for the transfer fees)

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
I don't think you could go wrong with any basic short barreled smoothbore pump or semi. Brand is a matter of choice and price. Buckshot will do the job from either. Pumps are nice but it's another motion to perform instead of just pulling the trigger. For myself I would go semi.

Greg
 
bigblue said:
An allegorical "All of the country" NJ, MD, NY, CA & CT don't matter. The point is that there are plenty of ranges in MA & NH where this is of no concern. Plenty.

I can't suggest a semi as a HD shotgun, I would want the reliability of a pump and I think you will see that as a common concern.

If you buy ANY weapon as a HD option and don't practice than you are a bigger idiot than the person relying on a single flare gun for HD.
Click to expand...

There are also ranges where it is a concern.

And I absolutely suggest a good semi as an HD gun. Cheap pumps like the 870s and 500s have amazingly poor QC.
 
Last edited:
A friend of mine just got a pre ban, 8 plus 1 round, Benelli, M1 Super 90 in great condition for $800.00 on gun broker. Obviously, he is very pleased with it.
 
Radtekk said:
Wise words:)

From a relative newb... I have a savage 88 with a factory 18 1/4" barrel and a convertible ATI pistol grip. Bought used for $135, $70 for the barrel, traded the factory stock for the ATI.

With Aguila short shells it fits 12 rounds of combo 00buck/#4 shot.

Never had a failure, nothing ever broke. $200 and change in the gun, why spend more on a HD shotty?
Click to expand...


Aguila "short shells" do not and are not suppose to function reliably in pumps or semi auto shotguns.
 
I'm very fond of my ~'83 Mossberg 500 ATP. Simple, durable, reliable. Although I'm sure the 870's are fine guns too, though I've heard the quality's gone down.
 
M60 said:
Aguila "short shells" do not and are not suppose to function reliably in pumps or semi auto shotguns.
Click to expand...

I'd argue that, a bit. The point of "tactical" (short) shells is to have more in the mag. Some guns handle them well, others not so much, just as some semi auto handguns eat one brand of food, but not others.

There's no real point to them, if they're just for non-magazine fed guns.
 
Remington 870 20 gauge youth model.
Compact , solid and easy to use...
Practice some "tactical" reloads.
 
You could also look at the Winchester SXP Defender. There are several different versions.
 
mac1911 said:
Remington 870 20 gauge youth model.
Compact , solid and easy to use...
Practice some "tactical" reloads.
Click to expand...

X3. Got an870 youth 20ga for my wife to use for trap. I love it for clay birds as it's easy to swing, but the short barrel and overall length makes it good for maneuvering in close quarters. Buck shot and slugs are easy to find.
 

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