All-purpose Shotgun Suggestions?

Thanks again for all of the advice. I appreciate it. And, sorry one more for any confusion.

I am awaiting an orientation at a local private gun club, so hopefully I will be able to narrow down my choice after that.
 
If you have a $300 or a $20.000 shotgun or any gun and you can hit what you aim at whats the big deal. I buy what I like and can afford and still can shoot as good as the next guy. But the edge will be to the guy with the most money but so what I JUST enjoy shooting:D
 
I am awaiting an orientation at a local private gun club, so hopefully I will be able to narrow down my choice after that.
Click to expand...

This is a good start. Try out as many as you can (if possible) and after a bit, you will notice not only which guns "feel" the best in your hands, "mount" the best, but also which shotguns have the most desireable feature-set given your needs. Again, for HD, the Mossberg 590A1 is my preference without a doubt. But, this does not mean its necessarily the "best" out there. Its just the best that I have come across, within a particular budget, in terms of meeting my particular need(s) (primarily HD, along with a bit of skeet/trap shooting, static target practice and the like).

The reason I mentioned a 12ga. pump is because, regardless of brand, it is a fairly straight-forward weapon in terms of its use, is quite forgiving and is certainly powerful enough and versatile enough (given the various 12 ga. loads available) for almost any use. Now, autoloaders are also an option. But, they can be a bit more finicky when it comes to ammo selection. In addition, the mechanism(s) they use can prove a bit daunting and/or frustrating to a newcomer (but, not to a huge degree perhaps).

Regardless of what you eventually end up with, once you enter the world of shotguns, Im sure you will find that one shotgun may not be nearly enough! ;)

Keep us posted and enjoy the search....
 
Last edited:
The term "all-purpose" is specific, but "affordable" is a subjective term that means different things to different folks. For me, when I'm talking about guns, my idea of "affordable" is a couple of hundred bucks. That doesn't mean I couldn't pay $20,000 for a shotgun, it just means that I wouldn't; not while in my part of the South, I can still buy decent, habitable rental houses or small tree farms, or tracts of cutover timber for that kind of money.

Here's my idea of an affordable all purpose shotgun: I just bought a classic John Browning- designed Remington Model 11, in very good to excellent condition for $200. Depending on the ammo I shoot, it should be good for anything from upland birds to geese. I could probably use it for deer hunting with slugs. It was manufactured in 1938, and it's a little heavy by todays standards, and it kicks like a heavyweight, but for HD it will fire 5 rounds about as quickly as I can point it and pull the trigger. Of course,I can plug it for hunting. It's a very well made gun, with checkered stock and hunting roll mark, and I could probably sell it tomorrow morning for as much or more than I paid for it. It will probably last another 71 years, and as time goes by, I'll bet that it'll be worth a lot more than $200.
 
All purpose means to me it can do many things but few well. I like the 870 with a 20" barrel w/chokes. Rifle sights can be over looked or looked past when going for birds. I used my 870 with IC choke for upland birds and it worked pretty darn good. Just change your choke for what you need.
 
Thanks again for all of the advice. I appreciate it. And, sorry one more for any confusion.
Click to expand...
No need to apologize, some of us are just rascals and anytime a what should I get....? question comes up fur flies and what the heck, its on the inter tube, nobody can spit on each other or throw their drink or roll around in the dirt.

But a valid question was raised and it really helps to be a little more specific. Some people just do skeet, I shoot turkey and practice HD drills, others are rabbit hunters and others are goose busters, no two of us have the same shotgun but any shotgun we have can be used with varying degree's of success at the other guys sport. You mentioned a club and that is your source for information. Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, a mixture?

See what the old timers are using and ask them why. Gun guys like to talk about their guns, might even have a few shotguns scattered around among the club members that they no longer use and might be willing to let go for less than blood money to get a newbie started.
 
All purpose choice you say... probably a 12 guage with a combo barrel for shot and slug, and this will suffice for hunting needs. At least this way you don't have to switch back N-forth and shell out for the extra barrels. And as far as Home defense goes...just let someone get in front of it just once for the wrong purpose..and you will see how effective any shotgun will be.

Remember that 'New' doesn't constitute better, and something under $400 bucs doesn't mean incapable. ;)
 
You'll get a lot of opinions on this one: my preference for an all purpose shotgun is one that has a 21" vent rib barrel. That way it can be used to hunt and is still short enough to be a truck gun or home defense gun. YMMV
 
Consider a browning BPS?

There are many things I like about mine. It's a solid and well built pump gun that over the years has been used to take almost anything that can be taken with a shotgun pheasants, ducks, geese, turkey, deer, and wild boar. It's also a truly ambidextrous gun which lefties like me love but certainly fits "all purpose" pretty well. Browning makes a variety of barrels that interchange from rifled slug barrels to shorts for home defense.

I have had mine since 83 and have down right abused it at times and it's never given me so much as a hiccup. The barrels themselves can get a bit pricey but I've used the stock 26inch on mine to to take everything listed above. You can pick up the gun istelf new for under $500. You can also find them used for $400 or less.
 
Consider a browning BPS?
Click to expand...
+1

For a good all around shotgun I got the BPS 12 Ga. Upland Special.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=011B&cat_id=012&type_id=216

The short 22" bbl makes it handy/quick enough for HD, it has interchangeable choke tubes for hunting all sorts of things and groups Forster "rifled" slugs really well for bear defense.

The fact that I'm a southpaw steared me toward this gun but the safety is in a more natural location for any shooter than the 870's or Nova's. The thumb naturally clicks it off as the gun is brought up. To save some dough the Mossberg 500's et. al. have the same safety location and will work juuuust fine. They, IMO, aren't as "classy" as the BPS but there isn't a thing wrong with them. I'd just go for a model that has interchangeable choke tubes and it'll work fine for HD and trap/bird hunting.
 
General all purpose is pretty open. I'll tell what I would get. I would look at a Remington 1187 as they come with a 3" chamber or an 1100 super mag if you feel you need 3 1/2.

I have a Beretta 390 (12 years now). I have many thousand rounds through it. 4 weeks ago I was shooting dove in south AL and this week geese, upland and ducks in Saskatchewan. Of course I shot 2 3/4 for upland and 3's for waterfowl. It has a 26" barrel with a Highflyer modified choke that stays in it all the time whether shooting trap, sporting clays or birds. To me it is a gp gun. They are pricey these days, hence the vote for a Remington. The point is shell versatility and semi auto.

A 3 1/2 1100 would give you more punch for coyotes, turkeys and geese. A pump gun shooting 3 1/2's will hurt. I went through 12 boxes of 3's and was glad that I had a semi to eat some of the recoil.

If bad guys come knocking - I have buckshot ready...

I'd focus on your purpose, if trap and home protection then pump is fine. If you think you may end up shooting a lot, get a semi. After thousands of rounds the only parts I've replaced are the recoil spring and mag tube spring. Did it 2 weeks ago as a precaution.
 
They are pricey these days, hence the vote for a Remington. The point is shell versatility and semi auto.
Click to expand...

Not really. Academy is selling the 3901 synthetic gun (same as 390, but made in USA) for $579.00. About the same as a Remington synthetic 11-87.

I think the 390 / 3901 is a far better gun than the 11-87. Not everybody does.

I actually traded my Remington 11-87 Premier in on a Beretta AL390.
 
In that case, with regard to the American 390. Go for it! Check around the web though. There has been some discussion regarding the US 390 on another forum. If they are as solid as the Italian - by all means that is the one to get.
 
Go to your local Big 5 sporting goods and buy the Mossberg 500 Field/Security combo.

If you don't like the fit/action of the Mossberg 500, go for a Remington 870 and buy barrels suited for your purpose(s).

There's also other combos for those two models (i.e. deer/field, field/turkey, etc. etc.)

For an all purpose shotgun that's affordable, you're really looking at those two brands.

If you're looking at used, consider semiautomatics made by Remington or Mossberg, and occasionally berettas.
 
Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 are two excellent pump shotguns that have excellent reputations. Barrels are easily swapped, very versatile guns from both makers. Recently I handled a new shotgun from stoeger called the Outback, its an over under boxlock in twelve or twenty gauge. With twenty inch barrels it is very compact. I think a shotgun like this would fill the role of "all purpose shotgun well.
 
"Go to your local Big 5 sporting goods and buy the Mossberg 500 Field/Security combo."

second that! if ya don't have a big 5 then almost any gun shop or sporting goods shop should have them for under 300 bux. ya get 2 barrels then ya got all your bases covered. great guns !
"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top