[sig226]

Tom Costell is a member of Free Republic.

[sig226]

ping

[ottbmare]

Is there anything wrong with using a .410 as a small farmyard varmint gun? I’m thinking possums, etc.

[bmwcyle]

CCI Blazer 45 Auto Shotshells, 10 rds

I use this for small problems.

[caver]

Good article for those in the market for their first shotgun.

[wolfcreek]

I like the *Just in case* series from Mossberg.

[Marauder]

My favorite shotgun is my Remington 870; bought it used for $95 on 9-11-2001 and a gunsmith told me the barrel was slightly bent at 18”. He cut it off, then I added a magazine extension so that it holds 6 rounds.

A cop friend of mine asked me about the legality of that many rounds capacity (Texas Fish and Wildlife law mandates a plug to limit its total load to 3 rounds) and I reminded him that it’s not a game gun. I had another species of critter in mind when I bought it.

[P8riot]

I’ve got several, but my favorite is my old 12GA Ithaca 37 Featherlight that my father bought for me as a HS graduation present in 1974.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

FTA: “Mossberg doesn’t make a pretty gun, but they have legendary reliability, and the click-clack of the pump is often more than enough itself to drive the average intruder away.”

I have read and heard this many times, i.e., the sound from racking (sp?) a pump shotgun will drive an intruder away.

Anybody know if there’s any data or collection of anecdotal evidence to support this notion?

Thanks much and Semper Fi,

[Joe Brower]

FR Shotgunners, front and center! (Don't look at me -- my only shotgun has rifle sights; kinda lets you know where I come from... $;-)

I agree 100% with Shooter 2.5's comments about racking the scattergun to scare away intruders -- that's TV-tactics. In real life, being trained by TV will get you dead.

For the FreeRepublic "banglist", please click HERE .

[navygal]

Thanks for the ping, I am still learning more about various types of guns. I do prefer the Mossberg, I have also used in a home defense (years back). I prefer the warning(click clack) it gives to the offender.

[Pistolshot]

Good article. My scatterguns start with an original Win 97 Trench Broom and end with a nice Browning in 28 for dove/quail. Since I don't do much wing shooting anymore, the 28 works when the call comes for field work. My emphasis is on defensive shotguns.

The Marines issue the M590A1, which is all-steel, rather than the commercial 590 with the polymer trigger package. The M590A1 has a remarkable reliability record. Mossberg sold the Marine issue on an production overrun a few years back, and I didn't get one ordered in time. I'm not much for the recent Mossbergs, I have fixed too many of them, BUT the older Moss are excellent shotguns at reasonable prices.

The Remington 870 is probably the most sold shotgun in either defensive or field configurations. I have a had a couple of these and the reliability is awesome.

[mbynack]

This page has a video of Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch discussing the home defense shotgun. It's pretty interesting. If you get a chance you might want to watch the other two videos, too. The one on clearing a malfunctioning weapon is very informative.

Thunder Ranch Free Video

[kAcknor]

My "Tactical Bird Gun" ;)

I'm not a big clays shooter, but the looks I get when I do is part of the fun (yes, I can hit with it).

[Blood of Tyrants]

If you read gun magazines it’s hard to find a reviewer who has too many bad things to say about any type of gun. That’s because the manufacturers give them the guns to review for free, and they’d like to remain in their good graces.

Ain't that the truth!

[OKSooner]

Mossberg doesn’t make a pretty gun, but they have legendary reliability, and the click-clack of the pump is often more than enough itself to drive the average intruder away.

Lost me right there.

There ain't gonna be no "click-clack" at my house.

Frankly, anyone perpetuating such a stupid tactic is giving bad advice.

[Hugin]

If you only own one shotgun you can't go wrong with a good pump. Buy a Remington, Winchester, or my pick, a Mossberg 500. You can pick up a new one at Big 5 for a little over 200 with an 18.5” cylinder barrel, and a 28” mod choke bbl that will work for most bird shooting. After market additions include slug and adjustable choke bbls, various pistol or folding stocks etc. First, you have an excellent home defense gun. Bear in mind, a shotgun is best used to stop someone from coming through a door or window, not the best against someone already in your home as it can be akward in close spaces.

For bird shooting, clay or real, you will be at a slight disadavantage compared to a semi-auto, over-under, or side by side dbl. That's not a big deal unless you are shooting clays competitively. I have taken my Mossy clay shooting and had a blast. Yeah, some gun snobs look down their nose at a pump, but then some look down their nose at a semi-auto too. Once you get used to racking the gun between shots (in sporting clays you have two shots at two clays that are in the air at the same time) you can get pretty fast. And once you get that skill, using a dbl or auto just makes you better. In the field, real birds will be just as dead either way.

[Cruz]

ping for later

[P8riot]

Here's a really good article on Shotgun Home Defense Ammunition.

[TC Rider]

Mmmmm, shotguns!

My first, a Stevens .410/.22 over and under. I took a fair number of squirrels and rabbits with mine as a youth.

My second, my Uncle George gave me his Remington Model 11, a humpback of Browning engineering.

My safe currently has all the family shotguns including my Dad's 870 model in 12 gauge and my little sister's 20 gauge.

The first shotgun I bought for myself and my current favorite for attacking steel plates, when it's not standing by for home defense use, is a Remington 1100 Combat Master with a Speedfeed stock and a Surefire on the front.

[Niteranger68]

As usual, a post full of great information. The first question I ask myself when considering a shotgun is “does Knoxx make a SpecOps stock for it?” Seriously, I'm not a recoil junkie and the SpecOps stock is a pain relief on the front end.

http://www.knoxx.com/index2.html