I have been looking around at rifles and recently starting looking at shotguns for home defense and/or CQB. Wondering if anyone has any suggestion on what shotguns would fill the bill for both home defense and/or CQB? Thanks in advance.
Depending on your budget… but MOST rich to poor go:
Remington 870
18.5" barrel with rifle sights, no bead sight.
no mag extension or a plus 1
Wilderness Single Point sling or Spector
6 round side saddle
Hogue short stock
done…fini…ja…
Jorgy
My setup after doing 4 over time.
Remington 870 w/ 18.5" Rifle Sighted" Barrel (Most prefer "Ghost Ring Sights, but I am so much more precise, and as quick with Rifle Sights)
Remington/ Speedfeed “Youth Stock” (shorter length of pull and easier to operate gun for most)
4 Shell Side Saddle
1-2 shot extension. (Some think 2 makes the gun too front heavy…I don’t)
Vang High Visibility Stainless Steel follower
Vang oversized safety.
Blue Force Gear Single Point Sling, H&K hook attachment at the front of the stock area where it mates with the receiver.
I SHOULD have a Surefire lighted forend on it, but $250 isn’t in the budget right now. I believe any weapon used for home defnse which would probably be reached for at night, should have a light.
Loaded with Federal 00 Tactical Buck Shot. There atre many opinions on this size of load, but it’s what I am using.
Tack
What makes the Remington 870 better than other shotguns? I would like to have some criteria to use when I look at other shotguns.
Thanks for sharing your setup with me. At least now I have a starting point to work form when I research my shotgun setup.
Well I believe the 870 is a superior plateform due to a few “extras” over the standard pump action shotguns (in the price range):
You get twin action bars (vs 1, which helps guide the pump together and reduce/eliminate the chance of the single bar binding/bending), a reciever that milled out of a single sollid billet of steel, and a thicker barrel over what is given to other shotguns (such as the Mossy). If you get a Wingmaster you get a steel trigger guard and a smoother action. I really don’t see the big issue of the trigger guard… but steel is better. The action WILL get smother in an Express the more you use it… but its smoother then most others to begin with.
The only downfall i see in the 870, but its more of an opinion, is the placement of the safety. A safety such as the Mossy’s would be better/faster… but thats a personal thing… which I’ve gotten over and all my pumps are 870’s.
Not to mention the HUGE aftermarket for the 870… over a 9 million owners can’t be wrong.
I don’t care of the slight forward balance of the +2 extension… thats not really the reason… its not supposed to be a trap gun! LOL.
The reason I and many others, don’t recommend the +2 over the +1 extension is because you weaken it (MUCH easier to break), and how many shots do you really need? I’d rather know that I’ve got my 4 or 5 +1 rather then a 6+1 that might leave me with simply 1 because the end broke off, dumped all my shells on the ground, and now I’ve only got my chambered round.
IF you do go with a +2 extension though… go with the Wilson Combat +2 and take off the sling mount. DON’T use it. It will only stress the extension even more. Thats why I recommended the single point sling.
If you go with the Houge overmolded short stock you get to do a 6 shell side saddle vs. a 4 shell saddle. Not to mention it is really really comfy and helps to give you a GREAT grip. If you have to walk/run, while slung the shotgun will bounce a bit… the overmolding helps to coushin hits on your knee should it hit, and not hurt as much.
Just a few things I’ve noticed… buts its your money and up to you.
Jorgy
The Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590 are both fine weapons. I prefer the Mossberg because of the safety location since I’m a lefty and it’s more user friendly to offside transitions. The mossberg is lighter, the Remington is “beefier” I prefer the lighter weight. All Mossbergs are chambered for 3" if it matters, I prefer 2 3/4" so it’s lost on me, but some like them. Remington makes 2 3/4" and 3" guns rather than just standardizing to one size.
Both come with dual action bars, both have a huge aftermarket accessory list. I prefer to keep mine simple, a bead sight, a hard mounted 5 shell side saddle on the butt and a light source. I also add a sling as needed.
My current favorite a a 14" 590 kit I put on a 500 receiver. 5+1, excellent balance, light enough to carry for long periods, but heavy enough to not pound the snot out of you during extended shooting. YMMV it’s just my $.02
I also have had the Mossy 590 with 20" Barrel, Mag Extension, Ghost Ring Sights and Sure Fire Forend. I probably put 500 rounds of 80% Practice Loads (#8 Shot), 15% 00 Buck, and 10% Slugs.
It performed very well, but the plastic safety started giving me some difficulties in engaging near the end before selling it. Other than that, It was a pretty good gun.
Tack
I replace all of my safeties with metal ones if they don’t come with them. It seems to be a hit or miss item with Mossberg, even with the models cataloged as having a metal safety. They are cheap($10-$12) insurance. I have manged to crack every plastic safety button I haven’t replaced immediately within about 500 rounds. I have that same 20" model as well, it’s a nice shooter, but the shorter barrels are quicker on follow up for me and I haven’t noticed any diminishing accuracy out to 40 yards.
Just a thought. Personally I’d go with a 14" barrel and pay the for the stamp. My 18" 870 is just to clumsy I stick to Ar’s at this point until I put a 14" barrel on my scattergun.
NightFighter,
Make it easy for yourself man.
Get an 870 w/ an 18" barrel from the factory and a light.
DONE
THEN… when you decide what you need… go ahead and do so.
A “tacticool” shotgun is one that you use tactically… therefore there’s no such thing… its just a tool… therefore there are no “tactical hammers”
This should have been the first thing I wrote, but I just told you the way “I” like my shotgun for the function that “I” use it for.
Jorgy
- Remington 870 Police Magnum or Wingmaster, new or used.
- 18" (or shorter) with bead sight, preferably Tritium
- Short stock (Remington youth size works for me)
- +1 or 2 extension
- 00 Buck, currently using Federal Tactical 8 shot (LE133-00)
- TRAINING!
Good luck!
That FN pump shotgun with the AR extendable stock and the C-More site is pretty nice
Thanks for the hyperlink to the forum. I looked at the FN Police Shotgun and from what the website said it sounds like a good shotgun. I will have to look into it more and see what others have to say about it. Do you know if there are as many after market vendors for this shotgun as for the Remington?
Stay away from the C-More. The one I had was very difficult to zero - no tactile clicks, just kind of a slight wiggle then locked down with the set screw. One I had it zeroed (close enough), it refused to keep the zero for more than 20 rounds of .223, I imagine 12ga would beat it up in nothing flat.
On the FN pistol grip shotgun, the slide release is really hard to reach, at least with my thumbs, and the action is pointlessly gritty. I’d stick with either a 590 or 870.
That collapsible AR stock is just about the least comfortable piece of furniture you could possibly install on a shotgun, IMO. I tried it once and immediately went back to my standard buttstocks.
However, the FN shotgun itself is not a bad choice. Basically a clone of the Winchester 1300. I’d still take an 870 or 590, though. I’ve been abusing 870’s for a couple of decades and have yet to break one.
For home defense I prefer a short SGN over a short AR primarily due to the effect of muzzle blast on unprotected ears indoors. Make no mistake, a shotgun is loud, but it’s different. If it was just me, it’d be the Rem 870 12ga. For the wife’s sake, it’s her Mossberg 500 20ga with stock shortened to ‘youth length’, 4 rd. side saddle & a large silver bead on the muzzle end. Chose Mossberg 20ga over Rem 20ga as I’ve found some issues with the Rem 870 in 20ga not being quite as reliable as the Rem 12ga.
I have an 18" 1976 vintage 870P, with a factory +2 that is currently off of the gun. It had a bead on the barrel which has been covered with a 24/7 tritium front sight.
There is a difference between the Wingmaster/Police/Marine Magnum 870’s and the cheaper guns. Search here, the AR15, or the 10-8 forums for the details. If you must get a magazine extension, the factory version is hard to beat.
Some buyers seem to find good deals on used police guns; carried a lot but shot very little.
I have had the use of 870P’s for duty guns for many years. They all ran very well. My favorite was a 14" which was excellent for moving in and out of vehicles, and in the narrow hallways of a residence.
John
PS I also put on a shorter stock vs. having the original cut down.
Finally got the SF Forend. Now I think I’m GTG!
Tack
The Vang safety is fater than the Mossy. I’ve had both. The large button automatically lets you release the safety from the firing grip. The Mossy requires that you put your thumb on top of the receiver to activate it.
IF you get a Vang 2 shot extension, i can pretty much guarantee that it won’t ever break. It’s as solid as “Sears” used to be.
The 4 shot side saddle is more than enough IMHO, and keeps the weight down. It’s the one recommended by experts like Rob Haught, along with the single point sling, SureFire forend, and reduced LOP stock…