Stevens 320 HD shotgun/ or rifle?

[OhioCatter]

I am on the hunt for a HD shotgun but my budget is very limited since I am picking up my G19 this weekend. I seen Stevens has the 320 and it looks pretty decent and the price makes it look even better (199.99) at Wally World. Does anyone own one and how do you like it? If not what are your thoughts on it? Does Stevens make a good gun? I also ran across (forgive me if I am wrong) an ATI, it has bells and whistles ( 6 position stock, quad rails up front) but the price gets me, it's 199.99 as well. Seems like you get a lot for such a little price, the only thing I don't like is it says made in China on the box.

Would I be better served by picking up a rifle, say like a Marlin 336 in 30-30? Of course this is a just in case SHTF gun which I doubt it will ever come to. For in the house the SD shotgun gets the vote for me but if I need it outside the house I think the 336 gets the vote. What are your thoughts on which would be a better choice? I know no one can make the decision for me but i'm just looking for some input to help me decide. I don't want to waste money on a bad decision and regret it later. Money is hard to come by and I need to spend it wisely. Thanks for any thoughts.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[OldVet]

Stevens used to many fine general purpose shotguns. I don't know anything abou their current products. I'd take it ovver the Cinese product.

[DJC7]

I'm not sure what they're going for now, but a few years ago I bought an Escort Aimguard 12 gauge because I was looking for an inexpensive HD shotgun. I got it new for $250 and have really been impressed with it. I guess it's a Turkey based company imported by Legacy. I'm not sure what they're running now, but I have really enjoyed it. I had one small issue with the cap on the end of the magazine tube staying screwed on while shooting, but I just had to put some temporary Loctite on it and haven't had a problem since. If you're looking to deck your shotgun out with accessories I'd caution you against it, though. I haven't really found much for aftermarket parts. Fortunately, I'm not really concerned about buying a bunch of extra stuff for it so it's not a huge concern for me.

[popo22]

I think the shotgun is substantially more versatile than the 30-30 but both are good weapons. I guess if I were trying to decide it would depend on the distances I envision using the gun for. For strictly HD I don't think you can do much better than a 12 ga. and if you are going to extend the distance to within 100 yards you can simply load slugs. If you plan on using it for greater distances on a regular basis then I go with the 30-30 out to about 250 yards effectively. Nothing wrong with the Stevens 320 in my book.