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A buddy of mine is looking to purchase his first shotgun for home defense and possibly shooting clay pigeons. He really has no desire to hunt with it although he is not ruling that out one day. I suggested a Remington 870 Express, I own 2, one 12 and the other 20 gauge and they have served me well for the same uses he has suggested. I am curious, have I overlooked something else that I should tell him about? I don't know a lot about shotguns other than what I have. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Jason

I think the 870 is a good choice, another choice that would probably would be a little cheaper is a Mossberg 500. I think the 870 is a a step up from the Mossberg, but if he wants to save some money, the Mossbergs are not bad for the price.

mossberg maverick 88- academy has them for $189.

word of warning on the maverick. the action bar is pinned to the plastic grip itself and could very easily break. this happened to me, twice!
then again im a tinkerer and gave me an excuse to buy a new drill and a few other parts to turn it into a dual action bar mossberg 500 essentially (minus safety postion)

Remington 870
And he can easily change barrels for home defense, skeet, dove /geese whatever.
Used barrels are pretty cheap

870!

Police models and old wingmasters are solid steel guns. I prefer them and you can get good deals on used ones.

Another vote for the 870. Good solid reputation and lots of options.

I am happy to see that my suggestion was not off par with what seems to be the norm for everyone else. I will also suggest the Mossberg 500 if cost is an issue. Now let me pose another question 12 gauge or 20 gauge or does it really matter? I like both of mine I just don't know what to suggest for a 1st timer.

Nice looking gun. I looked around a bit and found that Cabela's has a combo that comes with the 18.5" and a 20" barrel for under $500.

Ok I am very jealous of you guys who can go to Cabela's. I live in Spring and we don't have a Cabela's anywhere close. Heck my father in law who lives in ABQ has been to Cabela's a dozen times and I have not. All I have is a Bass Pro Shop to go to in Katy.

12 if it's for him. It can do anything a 20 can do and if he gets a 20 it's going to be sitting next to a 12 in the future I can assure you. Especially a 12 for HD.

Possibly a 20 if his wife/kids are going to do a good portion of the shooting.

Heck I think I will sell him one of mine and get another one. I would really like a semi-auto instead of the pump. Although nothing says "You really should leave" at 2:43 in the morning than the sound of a pump shotgun coming from the dark in front of you. Very scary noise.

Hey guys. I havent been in here in a While, but I'm kinda in the same boat. Wanting a shot gun for my wife for HD. She's the really girly type tho and a 12 guage
would be too much I'm really leaning towards a 410. Academy has a mossberg 500 field 410 pump action for 239. Any Thoughts? Sorry not trying to thread jack/

rustycase wrote:Hey guys. I havent been in here in a While, but I'm kinda in the same boat. Wanting a shot gun for my wife for HD. She's the really girly type tho and a 12 guage
would be too much I'm really leaning towards a 410. Academy has a mossberg 500 field 410 pump action for 239. Any Thoughts? Sorry not trying to thread jack/

Is that her determination that 12 gauge is too much or yours? My grandmother has a 20 gauge shotgun that she loved, and shes all of 5 feet tall and maybe 100 lbs dripping wet. She may surprise you with what she's comfortable with, and if she can handle it, the 20 gauge will be a vast improvement over a .410 for defensive use in my opinion.

Actually she said it was too much she fired a 12 guage pistol grip, a 20 guage with regular stock and a 22. she liked the 20 over the 12, but i could tell she was still
uncomfortable with the recoil. she prefferd the 22 overall