reliable General Purpose 12 ga?

[Wolfwood]

im looking for a general purpose shotgun.
kindof a jack of all master of none. not looking for an expensive tactical weapon, or a sophisticatic trap or hunting shotgun, but somethign i could get rid of pest with, or take on an informal hunt or target shoot, and jsut generally be handy.
no frills decent enough with slugs or shot. pump would be nice. nothing fancy...
any ideas?

 

[zembonez]

Mossberg Model 500. Good. cheap. reliable, and highly customizable.


O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. - Firearms, Shotguns, Rifles, Accessories, and Precision Machining

 

[onac255]

Mav 88 even cheaper than the 500 and basically the same

 

[Mate]

Rem 870 has been the standard for years. Mossberg makes a good one too, but I own the remmy, so I'm going to recommend what I've used.

 

[boycan]

I just bought a Mossberg 535 Turkey/Foul combo, $450 you get a 28" barrel with Fiber optic sites, a 22" rifled turkey barrel with a red dot scope and xx choke that will shoot rifled slugs and both barrels will shoot 3.5 mags. It is all Mossy oak break-up camo too. I like it and plan to take it deer/turkey hunting in Michigan in November.

 

[Buckles]

Remington 870

 

[M. Sage]

Pretty simple: Mossberg 500, Maverick 88 (which is a 500 with safety relocated to a better location) or Remington 870. Any of these three shotguns will do just about anything you could ever want them to, from being competent trap guns, faithful hunting guns to tactical shotguns, all with the swap of a choke (or barrel to go from trap to tactical) and maybe a few accessories if you want.

 

[goodfellas]

Mossberg 500. I love mine use it for trap and home defense.

 

[dbgun]

Another vote for the Remington 870. I only hunt with mine, but wouldn't hesitate to use it for HD.

 

[Stumpy]

You cant go wrong with a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500. I own a Mossberg 500, but ive shot an 870 many times. they're both very cheap, reliable, customizeable, and popular. they probably cost around $250 each. about the only difference is where the safety and action bar lock is located. its really just a matter of opinion.

 

[dee]

Only pump I've evr shot is a 870 but I hear good things about 500/88 just get what feels good. By the way my dad just bought a Benelli pump for somewhere around 400 have not shot it yet but it feels and points real good.

 

[country_boy]

the 870,500 like the others said. That being said. I really like my Winchester 1300 I havent had any kind of problems with it.

 

[texet]

You can't go wrong with either the Mossberg 500 or Remington 870. I bought the 500 due to the safety location and shell elevator.

 

[M. Sage]

I'll add that if you can find one, an Ithaca Model 37 is an excellent general purpose shotgun, even though most of them don't come with removable chokes so you might wind up with a barrel collection... That said, the M.37's bottom eject is a very interesting feature that makes it a great gun for left-handed shooters. The older models lack a trigger disconnect, so if you hold the trigger down and rack shells through it, you can shoot it as fast as if not faster than a semi-auto. Just watch for hang fires! Most of them have a four round magazine for a five round total capacity.

My first gun was a 20 gauge 37 with a full choke. It was older than me and pretty worn out, but it was a good shooter.

 

[thorkyl]

Remington 870
Mossy 500
Mossy 535
Charles Daly ( CharlesDaly.com - Field Pump Shotguns )

I am partial to the Ithaca 37's as that is what I grew up on.

For a NIB look at the first four, I have not seen or used one of the "New" 37's yet

 

[juwaba98]

I've owned a Rem 870, Winchester 1300 and currently own a Maverick 88. I recommend any of the three that I personally have experience with. I also would expect the Mossberg 500 to be a great gun as well since my Mav 88 is basically the same/cheaper version.

 

[Big country]

All the guns listed here are good choices. I have an 870 for my multi purpose shotgun and have no complaints. I have shot the Mossburg 500, 88 (mavrick) they are good also. The only winchester I have seen with a problem with was a family members gun that was barely touching the primer on the shells. I think the fireingpin was broken. But that is the only time I have ever seen or heard of problems with winchester shotguns. I know sevral people that have them and love them. So personal preference is the name of this game. Good luck.

 

[WhiteLightning]

Benelli Nova ....... GREAT shooter!!!! I got one at the pawn shop for about $200 and it was almost new.

 

[cajuntec]

Can't go wrong with any of the above noted shotguns. I'll also add my favorite - if you can afford a few more bucks - Browning BPS.
All the best,
Glenn

 

[Wolfwood]

hmmm thanks for the tips guys.
i really like the way the 20 ga moss 500 handles. ill probably get one of those in 12 ga.