Looking to buy first shotgun

[Justbo1901]

I'm looking to buy my first shotgun any suggestion. It will be mainly for home defense

[TripleDigitRide]

I prefer the Remington 870 with 18" barrel. The Mossberg series is worth looking at as well.

[Krull]

Supernova has a good price and will more than do the job also as well as the ones mentioned above.

[Links2k]

I have the Mossberg SPX...7+1 capacity.

Good looking dog Krull.

[Guest 10mm4me]

Benelli Nova Tactical w/steady grip/ghost ring rear,fiber optic front sight.I use to be an 870 guy till I got a Nova.Nothing wrong with a good 870 if you find one for a good price, but the Nova is the better gun.I suggest Guns & Leather in Greenbrier.They have a very extensive selection of new/used Novas for very good prices

[56FordGuy]

Look at the Mossberg Maverick line. I believe they're the bargain line, and share a few parts with the Mossberg 500.

The Mossberg 500, Remington 870, Winchester 1300, are all good guns and are all well known, and generally easy to find used.

[Smith]

I just got a H&R Pardner Pump, which is a clone of the 870, for under $200 from Dicks. It is every bit as good as the 870 (minus finish). BTW Remington, H&R, Hawk are all owned by the same parent company.

[Mark@Sea]

Low cost but good quality recommendations

Pardner Pump - all metal 870 clone. Works well as is, 20 minutes with emery cloth and a good grease will make it slick as you could like.

Maverick 88. If plastic stocks don't bother you, nothing wrong with this one. Mossberg finally put the safety on the trigger guard, which was my big hangup with the 500 (safety on the back of the receiver)

Pawnshops. Cosmetically challenged but mechanically sound shotguns abound, are inexpensive, and can be made suitable for home defense.

For not terribly much more, you can get an IAC version of the 870 that comes with a riot barrel and good peep sights (contact the Gun Depot for more info on these, they are on this forum). Pretty decent guns.

Realistically, while purpose-built riot guns are nice looking, if you need 8 rounds of 12 gauge, something is terribly, terribly wrong. Looking at online sites that collect self-defense stories, shotguns usually resolve the situation with 1 or 2 rounds if fired at all. My preferred HD shotguns hold 5 or 6. Frankly, very little needs to be done that cannot still be done with a good coach gun, as long as you've had practice.

[frankmako]

remington 870 with 18 inch barrel. look for a used one to save money.

[Guest GunTroll]

All of those mentioned are winners. Just don't go out and get a semi auto. H D gun should be as close to 100% reliable as possible and pumps trump autos in the reliability department. Pumps aren't finicky with the ammo you feed it either. Autos are. Dirty pumps work. Autos don't.

Yeah I guess you can say I don't like autos very much. get an 870 or 500. Can't go wrong with either.

[Guest jackdm3]

My cousin has a cheap Mossberg camper. I have a Winchester 1300 black defender, which I love. It's slick and solid. Here's the difference. I leave it with seven up the tube and nothing in the pipe. When I hold it for the first round, I hold it in front of me with the left side of the receiver facing the ceiling, press the slide release and rack it. Then I'm ready to lift it and aim. With my cousin's, this process immediately kicks the round to the ground. He tells me the gun has to be held upright when feeding the first round and all others. I don't know if the fact that he's missing the hinged plate has anything to do with it, but you should make sure your purchased gun has no quirks on feeding. You might be hanging upsidedown when you have to shoot it.

[Almond27]

My vote goes to Remington 870 also one reason I like them so much is they are super easy to disassemble.

[Guest c.a.s.]

Pretty much any major pump-action shotgun should do just fine.

If you're willing to spend a nice sum of cash, you could get a reliable semi-auto.

[Justbo1901]

thanks everyone I'll be keeping my eyes open for a good deal on a quality used shotgun I believe

[MCSCOTT]

Definately Remington 870 or if you want to save a few dollars go with the Mossberg 500. The main difference between the two for me would be whether or not I would want to upgrade here and there with different accessories. There's tons of things out there for either one of these, but the 870 has much more options than the 500. Just my .02

[gunrunner32]

I keep a Stoeger Coach Supreme 12 gauge on my side of the bed, my wife rocks my Mossberg 500 Tactical cruiser with front and rear pistol grips. She handles it well despite the fact shes only 5'1". Can't go wrong with a mossy or rem pump action.

[bigwakes]

I always suggest 870 for first shotgun. You can even get a 25 or 26 inch and use it for sporting too.

[SKINDOG]

An 870 would be the best for home defense in its price range. It will be much better than the benelli nova or supernova because its more mobile and has a shorter action.

[dats82]

I have an 870 turkey model. I use it for sport and home defense. When I can afford one or two over/unders, the 870 will get some HD upgrades. I have had both a 500 and a few 870s, and I can say that they were both reliable. However, the 870 feels more solid and more dependable in my hands. Whether it truly is or not, I do not know, but I do know you need to have no doubts in whatever gun you use for protection. I have no interest in getting rid of any of my 870s, but I also have no desire to ever get another 500.

[JAB]

My HD shotgun is a Mossberg Maverick Security 88. As someone mentioned, earlier, these are Mossberg's 'value line' and my understanding is that they are pretty much identical to the Mossberg 500 except for the way the pump/forearm attaches and the location of the safety. It seems that it is difficult or impossible to change out the forearm as is but apparently you can swap out the assembly for that from a 500 and change it easily. I've no desire to change the forearm/pump for a different style so that doesn't matter, to me.

The real difference between the Mossberg and Maverick lines is that the Mavericks are assembled in the USA but have some parts that are made in Mexico whereas the Mossbergs are, apparently, made entirely in the USA. There are two Security 88 models available - one with an 18 inch barrel (not sure what the mag capacity is on that one) and one with comes with a 20 inch barrel and a seven round mag tube. The 20 inch barrel version is the one I have.

If I were going to be firing hundreds of rounds a year out of a defensive shotgun or if it were going to see really hard use I am not sure the Maverick would be my first choice. For a shotgun that will only see 100 rounds or so a year, just to stay in practice, and that will spend most of its time tucked away with the hopes that it doesn't have to be used (but ready if it does), the Maverick is a fine shotgun that I don't expect to wear out until long after I am gone.

[wjh2657]

I have both Maverick 88 and Mossberg 500 HD shotguns. Don't go crazy on an HD shotgun. The slicker (few gimmicks) the better. Get the 18 1/2" barrel and either a Hi Viz or Trigicon night bead, Otherwise leave it as is.

The Maverick 88 is in back bedroom (computer room) and the Mossberg 500A is on a "Back Up" bed rack in the Master bedroom. Both are slick, no "Tacticool" stuff on them.

[Ramjo]

I just bought a Mossberg 500 cruiser/persuader and i am very satisfied.

[Guest scott6261]

I just bought an 870 express 18" 7 round and love it. i did however decided to order a tactical stock for it, i have short T-rex arms so it will fit me a little better with the adjustable stock.

good luck !!

[Mad_Squirrell]

the maverick and the pardner pump can both be had for under $200 . Academy had the pardner not to long ago for $169

[Chief07]

Just picked up a Stoeger Condor Outback.

20" barrels over and under in 12ga.

Has rifle sights. Sweet.

Good all around gun for home defence, deer(shoots slugs)

and skeet. Also comes in 20 ga.

Just a suggestion.