What do you think or recomend.
BLOAT!
BUY LOTS OF AMMO TODAY!
They seem to be pretty bad assed shotguns. I know a guy who has one and it's pretty sweet.... as sweet as a shotgun can be anyway lol.
It is one of the best and cheapest pump shotguns.
I've got one. It is an outstanding firearm.
Buy it.
Good topic. I like shotguns.
I owned one several years ago. I liked it a lot - it was a very nice shotgun. A couple of things, though.
1. I would install a heat shield on the barrel. I found it was very easy to accidentally touch the barrel, which gets very hot when shooting, when I turned the gun over to reload it. The shield fixed that - I think I paid 20 bucks for mine.
2. My 1300 had a pistol grip, which looks nice and makes the gun more compact. However, it really punished my wrist, especially when firing heavy loads (such as 3" OO buckshot). I sprained my wrist with it one day when shooting it - it was a scorching Florida summer afternoon, and my hands got really sweaty and compromised my grip on the gun. I would buy the full stock version if I were to get another one.
3. Considering the gun will be used for home defense, you may want to invest in a set of sights for it (Winchester may offer this as an option now, but I don't know. My Defender had a bead like a regular sporting shotgun). My current shotgun (a Mossberg) has a ghost ring sight on it. Despite what people who don't know what they're talking about say, good aim does matter with a shotgun for home defense. The shot simply doesn't spread that much over the very short ranges you'll find in a typical home defense setting, even with a short barrel and a cylinder bore.
In regards to loads, a magazine I read several years ago did some tests. They found that the 00 buck was way too much for indoor use - it'll penetrate sheet rock walls and hollow interior doors and have plenty of velocity left to kill someone behind them. They recommended #4 buckshot - the penetration is much less, and anything you hit with that load is going down and staying there.
Got one, it's a simple yet effective weapon. I highly recommend the Winchester 1300, black looks bad.
Whatever you get, practice with the sucker. And, if you're serious about preparing for a riot type situation (Can you say, "New Orleans"? I thought you could) then drill yourself on loading it while keeping it pointed at the target.
Wanna spend money you don't have on stuff you don't need? Take a look. The boss lady has a left handed Remington all dolled up and I have another left-handed one with extended mag tube and a trigger job that just won't quit and it's a nice gun to have with you when the compost gets close to the air conditioner.
Ya'll seen this one??
For home defense I would recommend an M1 carbine with a couple of 30 round magazines. If someone wants to torch your car you can take him down from your porch without damaging the paint. They're antiques so you can buy them without paperwork and the wife and kids can handle them. (Just my opinion,others may differ)
I own the 12 gauge defender and I outfitted both my sisters with 20 gauge defenders which will still do the trick. Price is right and Winchester is dependable. No problems here.
Wouldn't the magazine be over 19" long? What's the point of having a magazine longer than the barrel?
ditto to all the above posts.
The defender model is a good shotgun.
I've got one on back order. If you can find a new or slightly used one in a gun shop you better snap it up.
I gotta get me one of them.
I've got one. Keep it under the bed. Pistol grip is the way to go because it's easier to handle in an emergency.
CFC_VRWC mentioned a heat shield. Good idea. Cabella's catalogue has a full tactical workup for it. Heat shield, sling, sights, shell holder, etc. I tricked mine out with the whole package and it is one bad-assed looking shotgun.
Also have a Mossberg 500A. It's a 5 shot that comes with a heat shield. However, no comparison when it comes to fit and finish. Winchester wins, hands down.
I have had 870's forever. Buy one with a long barrel and Rem-Choke (so you can change to different chokes for hunting), and get a second short barrel 18.5" or longer and attach an extended magazine for repelling boarders. This gives you options that you don't have with the Defender.
If you want a shotgun just for defense work the Defender is okay. I still think the 870 gives you a lot more options.
I have a couple of 1300 Defenders and a Rem 870 with a variety of Rem-chokes. All of them are good hardware. The 870 resides in the safe; the 1300s are kept more handy. With modern ammo at shotgun ranges, the 18.5" barrel is suitable for a wide variety of applications and ammo.