12 or 20 shotgun for fun

[stepper]

What do you recommend and why?

I'm very new to shotguns. Dr.Baker was kind enough to let me shoot his Mossy 12 guage. I think I want to get one to possibly shoot skeet. It would also be nice to also use for home defense.

What is recoil between the 2 like? I think I'd go ahead and get the 12, but I've never shot a 20, so it might be easier to shoot??

[Mack45]

Get the 12. The 20 has less recoil but not that much less. There is a better selection of ammo for the 12.

[DrBaker]

12ga

2 reasons: 590 and 870

[stepper]

I saw a $179 shotgun at H&H today. I think it was called the Legacy? Does that sound right?

I ought to just get the Mossy or the Remington. I know they are good guns, and they aren't real expensive.

[stepper]

Get the 12. The 20 has less recoil but not that much less. There is a better selection of ammo for the 12.

Good point on the ammo, didn't know that.

[dogbear]

For home defense get the 12.If you want to hunt with it and are going to do alot of walking like for quail get the 20.You don't think 3/4s of a pound makes much difference until you have carried it for 4 or 5 hours.A friend of mine carries a 12 gauge, by the end of the day i am still dropping birds and he has started missing because of fatigue.He benches 350 so it's not like he's a pansy.

[blake711]

I prefer 20 gauge for hunting or skeet shooting.. If you are on target you will hit the target simple as that wether its a 20 or a 12. Like dogbear said a 20 is lighter and it dose have less kick. As for teh 590 and 870 they are both made in a variety of 20 gauge options. So thats not an issue. Academy sells the remington 870 for 218.00 every day. On sale you can catch them for 197 I think it is. They have them on sale regularly. I had a mossy when I was a teenager. I never was impressed with it compared to the remingtons I had. I also wouldn't waste my money on a the low end Mossberg maveric.

Lastly as far as ammo selections the only issues you will see is in personal defense ammo. 12 gauge will have the deffinate advantage in that area. Personally I would suggest you get a 20 gauge 28 or 26 in barrel for hunting/skeet and you can buy buckshot for it. Then as money permits pick up a Home defense modle 12 gauge. Until then a 20 gauge with buckshot can still make a nice hole.

[AresV]

If you want something for HD/skeet/hunting/fun, I'd also suggest a 12 ga. 870. Easy to swap barrels and stocks in under a couple minutes. For a long time my skeet 870 was my HD 870 with just a few minutes to change the setup. I picked up another 870 later on for cheap ($130), so now I've got one just for skeet and one for HD.

Hell, I like 870's so much I bought a 20 ga. for the wife that's identical to my skeet/hunting 870 (except for the 20 ga. part). I'm actually contemplating getting a 4th one for duck and goose hunting (3-1/2" Magnum, all the current ones are 3" only) and building another HD gun out of my current hunting/skeet gun :D

[DrBaker]

As for teh 590 and 870 they are both made in a variety of 20 gauge options. So thats not an issue.

I've never seen a 590 in 20ga.

[blake711]

I've never seen a 590 in 20ga.
They have 500s in 20 ga in a home defense model Mossberg link (http://www.mossberg.com/pcatalog/Specpurp.htm) the only diffrence between a 500 and a 590 is the magazine tube to my knowledge.

[c10bonanza]

What do you recommend and why?

I'm very new to shotguns. Dr.Baker was kind enough to let me shoot his Mossy 12 guage. I think I want to get one to possibly shoot skeet. It would also be nice to also use for home defense.

What is recoil between the 2 like? I think I'd go ahead and get the 12, but I've never shot a 20, so it might be easier to shoot??


Easy answer: get both.

Seriously though, both can accomplish a wide variety of tasks. I have a Winchester 1300 12g and a Browning auto 20g. I love 'em both. You can find new shotguns for good prices, but also check out consignment/used ones. Sometimes smoking deals can be found. It's hard to wear out a shotgun.

[stepper]

Is the $200 Remington a cheap gun, or is it better to spend more for the extra stuff?

[dogbear]

The 870 express at academy for 200-218 is a really good value for the money.For that price do buy both 12 and 20.For dove,quail and skeet the 20 is perfect.For pheasant and geese I prefer a 12,although I have brought down alot of geese with a 20 gauge.Wayne Pearson on ultimate outdoors shoots pheasants with a 410 or sometimes a 28 gauge.They are both smaller than a 20 but the shells are expensive.As for your original question,I don't think you can buy a better new $200.00 shotgun than the 870 express.I have 4.If you want to spend more money get a browning bps,the safety is on top,and good for right or left handed people.

[JxxxOxxxE]

I dont have a 20, but do have a 12, Mossberg 500A, and I must say that I love it..Like everyone else said, it kinda just depends on what you want to do with it...

[blake711]

Is the $200 Remington a cheap gun, or is it better to spend more for the extra stuff?
This is an excellent gun that normally sells around 250 at walmart and most places. Academy only sells certain items and buys a truckloade hence the great price. I picked one up back in January of this year. Its got atleast 500 rounds through it never a hickup. There really isn't a lot of diffrence in 870s as far as qaulity the wingmaster is the highend its blued has a nice stock and its finished out a bit nicer but thats it. They are flawless imo and I would recommend them to anyone. I have shot Remmingtons sicne I was a boy and never had any issues. My father uses 1187 20ga lightweights talk about a sweet semi auto. Anyway good luck. Like was said I would get an 870 express 20ga for play and an 870 express synthetic 18" for home defense all the parts are easliy had as this gun has been around a long long time.

[bratch]

The Express has a couple plastic parts that are metal in the Wingmaster. I have a Express set up for my HD right now with a SF forend. Nothing wrong with the express at allhave heard people getting 500,000 shells through them before prooblems begin.

Right now I'm jonsin for a semi 12 for HD. With a 7 round tube thats 63 .35 caliber pellets for quick use with only the pull of a trigger. Thats a lot of holes.

[stepper]

I saw a Benelli at Sportsman World today. It was $319. It looked very nice too. I didn't handle it or ask about because the guy behind the counter was helping somebody else.

They were looking at the Remington 870 express. The tag said $249.

[stepper]

Is it better to get the pump or the semi-automatic?

[CAR-AR-M16]

If you want a shotgun just for fun, consider going the Class III route and get an AOW (Any Other Weapon). They have the same paperwork requirements as a MG or Silencer (fingerprints, photos, CLEO sign-off, etc..), but the transfer tax is only $5. Any Class III dealer should be able to find one for you based on a Mossberg or Remington action. The only restriction is an AOW can not have (or ever did have) a buttstock. They are a lot of fun and the recoil is not bad at all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/CAR-AR-M16/870AOW.jpg

[aabokla]

Is it better to get the pump or the semi-automatic?
Stepper, it all depends on what you’re looking to do with it and what feels good to you. I haven't gotten too much into skeet but I'm an avid trap newbie.

The gas operated semi guns will dramatically reduce your recoil since they divert some of the gas to recock the gun. With that being said, a shotgun fit to your body seems to kick less as well.

I've also seen some great shooters who own multiple expensive shotguns, who when they want to dust some clays grab their pump.

Unfortunately, IMHO, if you get a shotgun that excels in one particular design focus, it isn't going to necessarily excel in all areas. My trap shotgun makes hitting the birds easier because of it's length and weight, but on the field for hunting and it's going to get heavy, and for home defense a 32 inch barrel might prove to be a little too unwieldy.

Also on shotgun pricing, after a poin you start spending big bucks not for a better firearm per se, but for better "prettier" wood and more ornate engraving. Their are people out there that are placing orders for $65,000 shotguns.

Have you shot much skeet, trap, or sporting clays? A site that I enjoy reading is shotgunworld.com

Good luck on your search. and if your new to the shotgun sports welcome aboard!

[blake711]

As was stated above Semi Autos will recoil less as they use the gas to reload a fresh cartridge. If I had money to blow I would get a Semiauto Remington 1187 as they are great guns. But honestly you can use a pump as fast as a auto after a bit of pratice.

[bobbio]

Get the 12ga, since it's your 1st, and IMHO- don't even BOTHER with a pump gun. I use an Beretta 686 30" for dove hunting, but like autos for HD use and most everything else. Shooting trap/skeet/S.C./ZZ birds is a matter of financial resources- getting a fitted shotgun-tricked out adj. stock-yada,yada,yada. I believe that what fits is the very single most important feature of a shotgun- not the action type. That said- I bought a win 1400 a few years ago and took it dove hunting at Hackberry Flat- shot almost as smooth as I do with my "regular" beretta; I've wore the blueing off the underside of the beretta and figure that it's seen 5-6k S.C./skeet rounds and 2-3k duck/goose loads. AND I shot the winchester 1400 almost as good- fit means everything. If you get a pump, I think- don't know, that the 870 remy;500 mossy; and 1300 Winchester can be found used for $150 or less.Just get the one that fits- usually an auto fits the same as the pump from the same MFG.