Crexrun

What!?! NO, my opinion is the only one!

Just kidding, I almost bought an 870 when I bought my Mossberg. I was under the impression that some military uses Mossbergs, I heard they tested higher in mud/muck tests than any other shotguns, and that was one of the deciding factors, but then again, I may be a few beers short of a six pack!

In any case, I look at it this way--if either were a bad choice, there would be no discussion on the merits of either. It comes down to feel, price, and function. Good call either way, and by far the most fearsome HD weapon that I know of, well, short of the government surplus Flamethrower I'm hoping Santa brings for Christmas this year! hard to conceal, but OH so effective! (Sorry about the wallpaper honey!) Crexrun

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Walther P22, Velocitors, on my side. Ruger P95, Speer Gold Dot 124 +Ps, bedside. Mossberg 500, full of steel shot behind the door. And a Princeton Tec Genesis 3 watt led and a Gerber Ridge knife! Don't steal MY Coors Light!

bh153dc

have a stupid question for all you Shotgun pros, I'm still a novice and trying to learn. The 18 1/2" bbl requirement is a federal law right?

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"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman"
Thomas Paine " The Crisis "

Crexrun

Yup, last I heard. In case you were wondering, that's pretty short. :) Perfect for HD though, loaded with some small shot for the first few maybe,like 6s, followed by some 2 shot or larger if you want..

Mine is my Hunting gun, 28" barrel, modified choke, (pretty tight for HD, but more range than something like an Improved cylinder or open choke) and it's loaded (in order they would be fired) 1- #6, 2-#4s, and 2-3" magnum T shot. it holds 6 with one in the barrel, and I keep ammo close. You could go with a lighter load for strictly in the house stuff, like all 6s, they have a LOT of energy at 30 yards or less, and the pattern at say, 20 yards with an open choke is impressive. They're not a "cone of death" that will cover 6 feet at 10 yards, but they'll give you, say, 18" at 20 yards with 6's. definitely effective. I live in the country, so that's why my shot sizes go up, Ts' will go through a car door at closer ranges. I like shotguns. :) Crexrun

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Walther P22, Velocitors, on my side. Ruger P95, Speer Gold Dot 124 +Ps, bedside. Mossberg 500, full of steel shot behind the door. And a Princeton Tec Genesis 3 watt led and a Gerber Ridge knife! Don't steal MY Coors Light!

raysheen

Federal law yes, but the limit is 18" from the bolt face (closed) to the tip of the bbl...most manufactures are going with 18.5" to give some extra room..."just in case" Remington 870 HD models used to come with 18s until last year or early this year when they started switching to 18.5"
You can, of course, go as short as you want if you pay an extra $200. 14" is a pretty popular SBS length...the old $50 per inch tax

bh153dc

raysheen, is that the $200 ATF stamp that I hear people talking about? Is that information on the ATF's web page? I would love to get my bbl below 15" on my Mossy. What does SBS stand for? Sorry for all the questions, gotta be a sponge, trying to get my learn on.

__________________
"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman"
Thomas Paine " The Crisis "

tabraha

Well I ordered up the Surefire forearm with the MN10 assembly on it. Almost, picked up a Gladius too but at that point I already had a Luminox watch in the cart too and decided I better stop the spending spree there!

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Tad A.

sgtD

You are not short of a 6 pack. I read the same stuff but couldn't locate anything on the web. When I was in, my unit only had 5 shotguns, and they were all Mossbergs. I grew up w/ them because my Dad had one as I stated earlier, so I've always been a fan. I also prefer the top mounted safety, because I hunt birds with o/u and sxs shotguns with the same safety position, so I don't have to worry over a different manual of arms. Full Disclosure, my HD shotgun is a Winchester 1200 Defender with the 7 round tube and 20" barrel, tube is loaded w/o one in the chamber and I leave the safety off all of the time.

I have the Winchester simpy because i got it real cheap, it works well and is already set up for its intended purpose. As far as a self defense load for home protection, I use #4 2 3/4 game loads. Very sufficient at HD distances and less recoil and likelyhood of over penetration.

Congrats on the purchase; nice gun and should serve you well.

as far as the Marines go, they use all of them.


The following is from the marine Corps website:

12 Gauge Shotgun


Primary function: Manually operated (pump), repeating shotgun.
Length: 41.75 inches (106.05 centimeters)
Weight: 8 pounds (3.63 kilograms)
Bore diameter: 12 gauge
Maximum effective range: 50 yards (45.7 meters) with "00" buckshot load
Unit Replacement Cost: $600

Features: The 12 gauge shotgun is a manually operated (pump), repeating shotgun, with a seven-round tubular magazine, a modified choke barrel, ghost ring sights, and is equipped with a bayonet attachment, sling swivels and a standard length military stock with phenolic plastic buttplate. (Some models have wooden and/or folding stocks.) This special purpose individual weapon is used for guard duty, prisoner supervision, local security, riot control, and any situation which requires the use of armed personnel with inherent limited range and ammunition penetration.

Background: Various models of shotgun have been in service use since 1901. The current inventory consists of four different 12 gauge shotgun models: Remington 870, Winchester 1200, Mossberg 500, and Mossberg 590. (Weight and length of the weapon depend on the manufacturer.)

http://www.hqmc.usmc.mil/factfile.ns...0?OpenDocument

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When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts & minds will follow. Semper Fi.

whamonkey

Hi...newbie here but I was thinking that since the 870 is so affordable, why not get another for hunting?I bought my 870 synthetic for $300 after the $30 rebate. 18 inch, 7 shot mag. I added a sling and she is perfect for me.

I kind of think that all hunting shotties should have wooden stocks. (In other words, bird hunting with anything that is specialized for HD would look kind of odd. Just MHO) Plus, why go through all the hassle of storing/swapping barrels? Sounds like a drag to me.

Cool 870 BTW, I prefer the stndard stock vs. the pistol grip, but the OD looks sweet.

Crexrun

thanks for the info SgtD, good to hear I'm not off my rocker! I'll stick with my Mossbergs, I sure like them, for their purpose.

Monkey, as far as switching barrels, it's really a simple process, and if you only hunt for 2 weeks a year with it, then it would be better to just have a barrel sitting around versus another gun. I'll just use mine as is, I don't think I'll ever put a shorter barrel on it, but I live out in the country, and I handle the gun well. But in town, or for just SD, yeah, i'd go with a shorter one, not sold on pistol grip shotguns though... seems to be an odd angle to me anyway. I'll stick with a stock, makes a nice bat as well if necessary! Crexrun

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Walther P22, Velocitors, on my side. Ruger P95, Speer Gold Dot 124 +Ps, bedside. Mossberg 500, full of steel shot behind the door. And a Princeton Tec Genesis 3 watt led and a Gerber Ridge knife! Don't steal MY Coors Light!

sgtD

True, so true! I work part time as a guide and dog handler on a hunting preserve, during the season. Last year we had a continental pheasant shoot and a bunch of LEO SWAT types came. They brought all types of tactical gear and shotguns with slug barrels and rifle sights and such. Of course we didn't say anything until after they left, but all of us guides had some good laughs at their expense later.

I would advise getting a spare barrel and solid stock (not necessarily wood) for hunting, or better yet, buy another gun strictly for hunting.

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When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts & minds will follow. Semper Fi.