Buying A Shotgun

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have owned all 3 the 870 was a great gun but I sold it to get my first semi auto. The wasn't a bad gun either. I like my benelli for waterfowl since it has a plastic stock and forearm. For those of you saying that are saying that the benelli is high priced I looked at them the other day and you can get a brand new nova for just over $400 unless you want the cammo or the super nova.

$30 cheaper at Bass Pro regular price (not on sale) and I can get a Mossberg with 2 barrels that will kill a deer just as dead... as if you bought a slug barrel for the Nova.

Nova is $420 and Mossberg combo is $389.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

I will hopefully be buying my first shotgun soon. I havent ever done any duck or turkey hunting yet but I plan on using the gun for both. I was looking at a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 at first but I think I am going to go with Benelli Nova. Was wondering if anyone has any experience with it or what you guys think would be a good shotgun.

Congats on your new bow i'm sure you will love the sport.


I noticed that you didn't express the reason you were wanting a shotgun ?
That might be helpful in people giving their opinions.
No sense in getting one that doesn't meet ALL your needs.

 

[91redneckranger]

I have the 870 Magnum Express for turkey hunting, flawless functionality. There tactical versions are freakin awesome.

I use mine for deer hunting...I swear by it...my buddy has an 1100 semi auto....nothing but problems....my 870 tactical is flawless

 

[Will]

I had an 870 and then a 500 on embassy duty. The 870 had an 18" barrel and a folding stock and was wood. The 500 had a 14" barrel and a solid stock and was plastic. They were both good guns--about the same mechanically. Equivalent retail, I think. I really liked the little 14" barrel, though. Nice to have something you could keep in your shoulder going over the top while entering a room.

I personally have a 590--which is a trench gun version of the 500. It has a bayonet lug and a heat shield so you can blast 9 rounds (which it can load) and then grab it and stab a bunch of people with an M9 bayonet, which it accepts. My defense gun, though, is a Remington 11-87 Premier I bought in 1991 and have since fitted with an 18" cylinder bore police barrel with iron sights--parkerized so it doesn't match the receiver. It's a wonderful autoloader. There may not be the classic schunk-schunk when you jack it, but there is a nasty szchink when you let the hold go home. It doesn't punch your shoulder--and we had to shoot hundreds of #4 Buck rounds per day in training with the pump guns so I know something about bruises. The 11-87 has a big push, but no punch. You can pop off 5 rounds as quick as thinking about it. It never jams. I have several barrels--a 28" anti aircraft barrel and a rifled deer barrel among them.

I have messed with an H&R recently and I would steer away from that $200 abortion if that temptation is preying on your mind. Using that for anything would be like an eye surgeon using a pipe wrench. It's a piece of crap. But it is cheap. If it's all you can afford, it's better than nothing.