The impossible dream

[Storm40]

So. I'm completely ignorant of shotguns. In spite of this, i've taken it into my head that I should get one. Here are my criteria:

at or below ~$500 and good for:
home defense
sporting (skeet? trap? I dunno, but if i have a shotgun, i might try them)
waterfowl hunting (never been, but again, if i have a shotgun...)

I believe I want 12 gauge, as it seems to be the most widely available. I am not married to any particular type of shotgun, but I have looked at the Stoeger Uplander since I like the looks of a side-by-side. I think there's a mossberg "kit" that allows you to customize the shot gun to some degree but i'll be darned if my google-fu reveals it to me. I've also heard good things about the remington 870 but i think it's outside my range.

I'm not looking to buy for 30 to 60 days, but I figured it was time to start the serious research. Where better than here?

 

[pbharvey]

Buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 with a 28" barrel, ventilated rib, and choke tubes.
It will do any of the things you mentioned for less than $500.
You don't need anything super special to have fun breaking clay pigeons or shooting waterfowl and you don't need a special shotgun for home defense.

 

[Selene]

The uplander is not your gun. It doesn't do any of your 3 requirements well.

There is really no such thing as a shotgun that does everything well, just like there is no vehicle that does everything well.

870 (or 500) isn't a bad start. 28 in vent rib will be decent for clays games and ok for waterfowl. It will work for HD, but just use your px4 instead.

Look for a used 870 wingmaster. They are in your price range. If you spend a few hundred more you could get a decent new semi or a very decent used one.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jimbobborg]

For another $50, you can get a Stoeger 3000 from Bass Pro Shops. Semi-auto shotgun, inertia driven, can handle light target loads to 3" magnum shells. Much easier to shoot buckshot with a semi-auto versus a pump or SxS. You can get a tube extender for HD use, then take it off for hunting. They've been getting pretty favorable reviews amongst some of the 3-gun crowd.

 

[303_enfield]

You can get a Mossy 500 with two barrels (28-30 and 18.5) and ammo for under $500. Or two used 500's or 1.5 870's. Look around an you'll find what you think you need. Now, go to a range an try some out to see what you like.

 

[ground chuck]

Cheap route maverick 88 18.5 barrel, was on sale 2 weeks ago for 199 and they took all my expired coupons totaling $40. $169 after taxes, beat that.

 

[august1410]

Cheap route maverick 88 18.5 barrel, was on sale 2 weeks ago for 199 and they took all my expired coupons totaling $40. $169 after taxes, beat that.

1970 Remington 870 Wingmaster......$150 at a pawn shop here in NC.

 

[Boondock Saint]

FYI as you do your research: http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=66035

 

[Redcobra]

The uplander is not your gun. It doesn't do any of your 3 requirements well.

There is really no such thing as a shotgun that does everything well, just like there is no vehicle that does everything well.

870 (or 500) isn't a bad start. 28 in vent rib will be decent for clays games and ok for waterfowl. It will work for HD, but just use your px4 instead.

Look for a used 870 wingmaster. They are in your price range. If you spend a few hundred more you could get a decent new semi or a very decent used one.

Just my 2 cents.

+1
And, if you plan to use it a lot, stay away from Stoeger.( a lot means 2500 rounds per year or more. That's only 2 boxes a week average)

 

[F8L_Funnel]

"Skeet or Trap", you can use ANY shotgun for these activities. I've used pump, semi-auto and even a 20 ga. double barrel coach gun. All with successful results. What ever you buy, make sure you get trained on usage before your 1st time out. You should get some Snap-caps or other brand of training cartridges to become familiar with cycling the weapon. Practice for failures. know how to work through it! Most importantly, have safe fun!

 

[Storm40]

+1
And, if you plan to use it a lot, stay away from Stoeger.( a lot means 2500 rounds per year or more. That's only 2 boxes a week average)

Given how much I've gotten to shoot anything in the last year (which is approximately 0 times going shooting since last June), my guess is that we're probably talking 10 boxes per year, absolute max

 

[alucard0822]

For clay games you want 2 fast shots with at least a 28" barrel with interchangeable chokes and a target rib with a stock that comfortably places your eye in alignment with the rib. For defense you want a short barrel, fast and precise sights, as much capacity as you can get, a fast and reliable action, and a shorter fast handling stock. Both purposes are at the each end of design, a good 500/870 pump is the obvious answer, cheap, interchangeable barrels for both purposes, can add a tube extended, and reasonably reliable, only real downside is it's slower for multi-target clay games. A pump while affordable and versatile takes more skill to work for clays, pumping has to be instinctive, requires more practice, and leaves more opportunity for screwing up on a clays course than a O/U or semi. In defensive use ANY shotgun takes a lot of skill to overcome the low capacity, slow rate of fire and slow reload, a pump introduces more complicated operation, jam clearing, and avoiding short-stroking. You can learn to hit a clay, or dump a few rounds at a target fairly easy, but it will take regular practice, thousands of rounds and probably a class or expert coaching to become confidently proficient.

 

[smokey]

Wait for a sale at a box store, usually around august, and pickup a 28" 870 and a couple remchokes. That'll do you for clay games. Pickup either a can of your favorite spray paint, or a can of eezox. That'll do you for waterfowling with it. Order this...
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/49...xed-improved-cylinder-rifle-sights-parkerized
that'll do you for home defense and/or hunting with slugs.

 

[smokey]

Don't be afraid to look for a completely trashed 870 for cheap in your searches...
http://wilsoncombat.com/new/shotgun-remington-steal.asp#.VuYqVvFRm0h
when you get it back, the gun will be better than a lot of the new remingtons.

 

[DutchV]

Walmart has the Mossberg 500 with vent-rib barrel for under $300. Sometimes they also have a combo deal with a slug barrel for not a lot more. Worth asking if you might go deer hunting.

 

[rico903]

The Gun Shop in Essex has a fair number of used shot guns that would also serve your needs. A few 870s usually and often an 1100. They also have great prices on new models.

 

[STeveZ]

I'd suggest a 12 gauge semi-auto with a 28" choke tubed barrel. I recently bought a Weatherby SA-08 in this configuration and it would make a great all-arounder. A similar gun from Mossberg or Tri-Star would serve you well for a little less money.

You can't get a decent double for $500 and pumps deliver more felt recoil, slower follow up shots and in my experience seem more cumbersome for beginning shotgunners.

The folks at LOCH RAVEN SKEET & TRAP could help get you started.

 

[Alphabrew]

We have new in box Hawk Model 981 12 gauge snotties with two barrels, 18.5" riot barrel AND 28" vent rib barrel with screw in modified choke (Remchoke IIRC) for chootin' those far away boogers. For Chinese copies of the Remington 870, these are built nice. And the best part of it is the cash or check price on these is $239.95. That's one helluvva' good deal.

^Here's an option

 

[ezracer]

Trust me. You do not want to be walking around your house with a 28-30" barreled shotgun banging into walls and such!! Below is a link for a Mossberg
12 ga. for ~$380. It has a 28" barrel for hunting, sport, and a 18.5" barrel for home defense. This is a very nice pkg. for the money.

http://www.impactguns.com/mossberg-...me-defense-w2-barrels-51482-015813514828.aspx

BTW, I have a Mossberg Maverick 88 12ga. ( 18.5" barrel ) and I do rather well for my advanced years
with shooting clays.... fyi.

 

[Pinecone]

Just realize, that a lot of ranges will not allow the really short barrels to shoot skeet and trap.

But as several have said, an 870 or 500 with a 28" and an 18" barrel will cover just about everything. And be pretty cheap new, and quite cheap used.