HD Shotgun

[Mexican_Hippie]

Learn how to handle a shotgun properly and it doesn't hurt.

x2

And make sure the stock fits you. If you're smaller you may want to try a stock made for a youth model. If your stock fits YOU properly then it's not going beat you up. I know there's all this taticool knowledge out there, but many of us that come from hunting backgrounds remember getting your first shotgun fit for you as a kind of right of passage. It can make a big difference in how fast you get on your bead/sights too.

 

[ROGER4314]

I gotta gripe here...........I did most of my experimentation with rifles, pistols and shotguns before the Internet. That meant I actually bought the products, took them out to try them and used or trashed the accessories. Now, you can read about things on the 'Net and become an expert without ever handling or using the products. That's just wrong!

That being said, I have a whole box of extended magazines, stocks, pistol grips and other products for the Remington 870 and 1100 shotguns which were tried and discarded. I'm going to re-rig an 870 with a pistol grip probably this weekend but it will have a standard magazine. I found the extended tubes to be unreliable. If you fire them enough, they will hang up and there's not a drill to overcome a mag hangup. You simply take it apart. There is a whole damned box of various magazine brands out in the barn which failed my test of reliability. They all came with long springs. I would rather have 5 rounds that will feed instead of 8 rounds that won't feed.

So...here it is...........

Pistol grips..............They beat the crap out of my right hand! I shot boxes of rounds through pistol grip 870's and found the only thing I could stand was low brass birdshot.

Best shotguns................. Remington 870 or 1100. Mossbergs are good but I bought mostly Remingtons and don't have as much trigger time on Mossbergs. I like the Remington disassembly and that the trigger group drops out as an assembly. The pins that hold the Remington trigger group are secured by spring detent. Just punch them out and trigger group comes out. The old Wingmasters had a beautiful finish and were smooth as glass in function. The Remington "Express" shotguns came out with a matte finish. I looked at shotguns yesterday and I guess they are all matte finish now. Avoid shotguns with assembly pins that are press fit into the receiver. After removing them a few times, they get loose!

Worst Shotguns...........S&W LE riot gun. It's chock full of tiny springs that will leap into orbit. I couldn't get rid of that shotgun quickly enough! The Springfield pump of years past had a bad habit of firing when the slide was slammed forward. I had two of them and they both did that! I had a Remington 11-48 semi auto 12 using the short recoil system that fired with the bolt unlocked! That caused some really unpleasant injuries to my face and hands. It was a used gun that I just bought and it was very dirty.....that's all on me. I should have cleaned it. After a complete cleaning, I used that gun for years bird hunting in Kansas without another problem.

The best stocks................... Top of the heap is the synthetic Remington made replacement set. Good looking, fits right, cost effective and works great.

Best folders......Top fold only. Side folders get in the way of the 870 slide when folded. With a top fold, the shotgun is fully functional while folded.

Magazines....standard. If you DO find a good extended one, never run the magazine tube unsupported as it is too easy to bend or dislodge the tube and it will fail to feed. There is a bracket available that clamps the magazine to the barrel. It's a winner and usually has a sling swivel attached. The bracket is about $8.

Barrels........I bought a pile of 870 and 1100 barrels from Cabelas. They are cost effective and work 100%. I started buying the screw in choke barrels and have a box of choke tubes. Cabelas now carries a variable choke like the old poly choke. It screws in the barrel like a choke tube. That may be my next effort. The poly choke is $79 and worth a try.

Favorite build............ Remington 1100 with slug barrel and rifle sights, Rem synthetic stock. The barrel has a screw in rifled tube and I may experiment with that a bit. That shotgun is mayhem in a small package!

Dream Shotguns.................Always wanted a Beretta Silver Snipe over/under. Can't think of a reason to have one, so I don't. Browning long recoil semiauto (squared off receiver). Gads, I still want one!

OK.....there's 40 years and thousands of Dollars screwing with shotguns.

Flash

 

[TheDan]

Now, you can read about things on the 'Net and become an expert without ever handling or using the products. That's just wrong!

lol... I don't know about "expert", but you can certainly have an informed opinion from reading other people experiences. I leave the word expert to the folks who have done it and done it for a long time.

You do know we used to have these things called libraries, right? The internets made getting info faster and easier, but there have been other methods of distributing information for thousands of years. I really think it's not studied enough and taken for granted how we humans communicate and share knowledge. Opposable thumbs and big brains wouldn't matter much without the exchange of ideas.

 

[M. Sage]

Now I'm wondering about the cause of those magazine jams on your shotguns, Roger. You didn't use these on the later shotguns with the dimples in the magazine, did you? For what it's worth, my 870 is an older Wingmaster without dimples.

I can think of one drill that would let you keep fighting with a jammed magazine, but only for a little while and only if you have ammo handy (like on a side saddle). Combat loading.

x2

And make sure the stock fits you. If you're smaller you may want to try a stock made for a youth model. If your stock fits YOU properly then it's not going beat you up. I know there's all this taticool knowledge out there, but many of us that come from hunting backgrounds remember getting your first shotgun fit for you as a kind of right of passage. It can make a big difference in how fast you get on your bead/sights too.

I'm going to say that for a home defense shotgun, I'd go with a youth stock. Compared to rifles, shotgun stocks run a bit longer length of pull. For home defense, you're going to want something a bit more compact, and in my opinion, something you can shoot in a more squared up stance. Shorter youth stocks help for both of those.

 

[clonies]

Never said a shotgun won't work, Just there are much better options for HD.

Shotgun jams are difficult due to the tube feed and the little gate there. Take two full sized dummy rounds and short stroke one and find out for yourself.

Where do you practice? It's hard to find a shooting range that lets you shoot at a target that's not clays. Also how enjoyable is that training compared to carbine with the recoil of the shotty?

A Kel-Tec Sub 2000 can be found for around $320.00. Add a glock 32 round mag and it brings it up to $350.00. Affordablilty is there.

I'll stick with my AR15 though :-) I've always ended up selling the shotguns I buy.

I mostly agree with matefrio. Except when it comes to the Kel-Tec part. I don't trust any kel-tec weapon due to personal fears of their quality control and manufacturing process.

And whoever suggested that handgun rounds passing through walls is a herring. That's why you use hollow points. I keep my G19 loaded with Gold Dot 124 gr. HP's. Otherwise it would over penetrate. So again. Choose your ammunition wisely and you will have no issues.

I keep my AR-15 handy because it's set up to go and I can reload it quicker than a shotgun if need be. I'm not saying you can't use a shotgun for HD. Just that it may be a poor choice depending on your situation. Thus we can all argue what's best and what's not, but really we don't have a clue of each other's lives.

TL;DR version: This conversation isn't really going anywhere. Pick a weapon, practice with it, get comfortable, use it.

 

[TheDan]

I mostly agree with matefrio. Except when it comes to the Kel-Tec part. I don't trust any kel-tec weapon due to personal fears of their quality control and manufacturing process.

And whoever suggested that handgun rounds passing through walls is a herring. That's why you use hollow points. I keep my G19 loaded with Gold Dot 124 gr. HP's. Otherwise it would over penetrate. So again. Choose your ammunition wisely and you will have no issues.

More research is required...

 

[smtimelevi]

Thats my go to HD weapon. It's a mossberg 500A. Even With all the upgrades it's still a sub $500 gun. If I had the money for an AR I would still use this for HD. Id much rather have this at my disposal than an AR. In the dark half asleep 5 3" 00 buck shells and 6 1 1/4 oz slugs on the side saddle should fix what ales anyone that breaks in my place. Yes I can put those slugs into the tube pretty fast from the side saddle. At least as fast as anyone pulling a mag from a vel-cro mag pouch for their AR. If a pellet goes through my wall and into the neighbors they can sue the intruder. NOT THAT IT WOULD HURT but lengthy training is not required for a shotgun at ranges of 20' and under.