[crazyasian1]

Originally Posted by theAlgorithmist

Mossberg 500

Good god, how much does that thing weigh loaded?!?

[JackMac]

Mossberg 500 without hesitation or reservation.

[glockguns]

590A1, six shot, rifle sights w/Hogue 12 LOP Stock

[Batesmotel]

Remington 870 followed closely by a Mossberg 500.

No recoil pad. You don't always need to shoot. But-stroking can be very effective.

[Uncle T-bone]

Originally Posted by aippi

Get an 18.5" barrel for it. That's all you need. I give three bits of advice for anyone building a fighting shotgun. 1. Keep it basic 2. Keep it basic 3. Keep it basic

Exactly what I did with my old Wingmaster. Spent the extra money on ammo, rather than the tacticoool crapola.

[Saberman]

Mossberg 930 SPX

[PVolk]

Benelli M1. Because I can't afford an M4.

[Mad Ryan]

This is sorta my canned answer to this question...

Really, with shotguns, it comes down to proven performers. Designs and contenders come and go but some models have real staying power and there's a reason for that. They work, and they work well.

In Autos, if you're wanting bullet proof reliability, there's really only one way to go and that's Benelli. If you don't want to spend the money then don't go auto. I've seen people own 1100/1187's that worked OK but I've also seen and shot with guys that couldn't get them to work worth a damn and had to dump lots of money into them and at the end of the day they could have just bought a garden variety M2 with rifle sights and had a better gun. That's not to say that other guns aren't nice, or that other manufacturers don't produce nice guns but when you see people who are knowledgeable and are concerned with having bulletproof reliability in an auto, most likely they've got a Benelli.

In Pump guns it's really about the 870 or the Mossberg 500/590 series. Sure there are others but those two have the lions share of the market for a reason. Of those two I can go either way between the 870 and the 590A1 although I'm not a huge fan of the base 500's. It comes down to ergonomics and what you plan to do with it. If you like a pistolgrip stock go 870. If you like the standard rifle style stock either will work well.

Either of those two pump guns will last the rest of your natural life with basic upkeep and either should fire well with anything you put through it. Both come with a huge variety of sights, stocks, tacticool goodies, etc.

A note on Benelli price:

I bought my Benelli new from Sportsmans Warehouse for $875 on clearance. It had the (highly undesirable lol) rifle sights so it was marked down because all the mall-ninja kids want ghost rings. I further was able to capitalize on the mail in rebate which Benelli offers once a year. I believe it was $200 but it may have only been $150 on the M2. I also got 5% off because I'm a vet and Sportsmans Warehouse is cool that way.

So you can see that for around $700 I got a brand new Benelli M2 with an 18in barrel and rifle sights. Obviously that's not a deal everyone gets, but it's not crazy either.

All I did was the Daves Extension and an Urbino stock and it's fully good to go.

[Bren]

Favorite: For outdoors, Remington 870 with 20" rifle sight barrel and magazine extended to barrel length. For indoors, the same thing, but with a 18" bead sight barrel.

No ninja gear, nothing that uses batteries, or requires a picatinny rail or has a shock absorber, etc.

[nostalgiaguy]

Love my 870s , but just added a old H&K super 90 to the family and love it.

[badge315]

Remington 870...

[Gravitas]

remington 870 express 7 round synthetic. stock

[triggerjerk]

Benelli M4.



I would love a new Vepr12 also.

[G23c]

Originally Posted by triggerjerk

Benelli M4.

M4, sweeet.

[AC45ACP]

M4 or 930

[Rooster Rugburn]

Quick question: how many of you actually carried your "favorite combat shotgun" into combat?

And, how many of you carried a different shotgun into combat, so you actually have a frame of reference for which is the best, thus your favorite?

[Veedubklown]

I'll admit, combat, I know nothing about. I've shot IDPA DMG with a mossberg 500 in 20ga, and it was SWEET. Light, short, recoil wasn't a problem. Even with 3" buckshot, highbrass slugs, you could still work the action quick and keep it on target.



Sling was terrible though. Never again, too heavy to actually use. Now, when she took that...

Browning A5. Because I couldn't afford a 930

[Al Czervik]

Wilson Border Patrol 870.


Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine

[chr_edw]

For now a 590a1



Simple but tough.

[deputy tom]

I don't have a combat shotgun. I do like a 12 ga. 870 or 500 for a house gun however. Getting older I'm going to attempt to adapt to a 20 ga. The last time I tried one it kicked worse than the 12 ga, at least the percieved recoil seemed more to me. YMMV. tom.

[Mad Ryan]

We had mostly 870's and Benelli M1S90's in our armory.

[Chiefret]

I carried an 870 during the first Gulf War. I didn’t care much for it. The parked finish rusted fairly quickly without daily maintenance, (That really wasn’t a problem until we were on the move).The stock cracked at the wrist. And for some reason the shell latch would not release the rounds manually. I had to rack the slide to unload it, (I know that’s what it says to do in the manual). I’m more comfortable removing the rounds manually than racking the slide. That may have been a problem with that particular shotgun I’m not sure.

I’ve owned and used a Mossberg 500 for HD since 1985. Never had a problem with it. I just wish it had ghost ring instead of rifle sights.

[michael_b]

I have a 590 Special Purpose w: ghost ring sights, 8 shot.

Heavy, but love it. Sights are great, action is smooth, and a bayonet lug just to annoy libs.

[HKLovingIT]

Originally Posted by Rooster Rugburn

Quick question: how many of you actually carried your "favorite combat shotgun" into combat?

And, how many of you carried a different shotgun into combat, so you actually have a frame of reference for which is the best, thus your favorite?

I have not.

I can only go by what others with real experiences have reported as being a reliable shotgun under such circumstances and that influenced my selection of the 590A1 as being reliable enough for any home defense scenario I could conceivably or realistically find myself in.

[triggerjerk]

I haven't carried a shotgun into combat but haven't the armed services officially adopted the M4 and 590A1?

I have taken a combat shotgun course and I quickly appreciated a shotgun that was semiauto, had ghost rings and had low recoil . . .