First Home Defense Shotty

[Parks 788]

So, been looking for an 870 or Mossy 500 for a bit of time and they have been scarce. I work in McAlester and my driver told me to check out HL Sporting Good. It's a really nice store and a good selection of shotguns. It's sort of like a mini BPS/Cabelas.

Anyways, picked up this 870 for $379 and super happy with it's feel and weight. Will probably get out and shoot it next weekend. I'll use it as a home defense and general use around our new property in Bristow. Sort of a wonky buttstock but got it over the traditional stock as the pistol may be easier for my wife to handle the gun and it has an adjustable LOP.

 

[dennishoddy]

Not a fan of pump guns for HD, but that shotgun should do everything you want it do do.

 

[Parks 788]

Not a fan of pump guns for HD, but that shotgun should do everything you want it do do.

YEah. Understandable. It was my wife's birthday yesterday and it wouldn't have been right to come home with the $1200 Benelli M2 or $1800 Benelli M4 on the same day. THey had both there too and it was hard to not get the M2. I will end up getting a semiauto down the line though.

 

[AKguy1985]

Nice find. My personal bedside companion is a Mossberg 590 with the bayonet lug and heat shield. I have a meprolight front bead on it for night time activities. I need a flashlight on it.

 

[ProBusiness]

Not a fan of pump guns for HD, but that shotgun should do everything you want it do do.

i thought current theme was pump because more dependable than semi. you police and military have carried 870 and mossy pumps for years.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

i thought current theme was pump because more dependable than semi. you police and military have carried 870 and mossy pumps for years.

Many departments were transitioning to patrol rifles 25 years ago. Shotguns are now mostly for specialty tasks. The dept I worked for gave up shotguns for patrol carry in the 80s in favor of ARs.

 

[oksportsman]

That 870 pump is a great home defense gun. I have pump guns for home defense at primary and vacation house.

 

[dennishoddy]

i thought current theme was pump because more dependable than semi. you police and military have carried 870 and mossy pumps for years.

Get a quality semiauto and they run flawlessly. Lots of stories out there of pump guns getting short stroked in the heat of battle leaving a stove pipe or fail to load.
I've always been a proponent of a semi for SD because if one arm is taken out during the gunfight, the semi can be transferred to the other arm to stay in the fight. I used to hunt with a guy running an 870 with one arm. He could run that pump but it was cumbersome and took time.
My point is to buy a quality shotgun, not some turkish import. I've been involved in years of competition shotgun shooting. You don't see quality semi's fail on the course often and they shoot thousands upon thousands of rounds.

 

[HiredHand]

Unless you’re being attacked by zombies, one or two well places shots with a shotgun is pretty much gonna end the fight.

 

[diggler1833]

^ Having had to occasionally (1-2x/week) carry either a Benelli M4 or Mossberg 590A1 in Iraq, I will attest that the Benelli never gave any of us issues. Actually, now that I think of it, one of my sections had a loaded one on standby 24/7.

I liked the Mossberg too...enough that I bought one as a civilian. The biggest benefit to the pump was that it ran non-lethal shells without hiccup...something a semi-auto can't do.

Never was in a firefight with a shotgun (thankfully), but either one inspired confidence.

Modern pump shotguns need either a smoothing over, or about 2K cycles of the action to get comfortably smooth. Never short stroked one, but can see it happening to an unfamiliar user with a rough action.

My 870 Wingmasters are so smooth the weight of the gun will work the action bars almost like a pro if the internal hammer is down. Since I store my shotguns that way I have to be careful how I hold them when I pull it out of the safe...same with my old Model 12s.