Are pistol grip shotguns really that terrible?

K

Kvon2

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From my research (Google) there seem to be very few people that actually like pistol grip shotguns. I am talking no stock just the pistol grip.

I understand not wanting to shoot heavier loads out of it but I am looking at some combo kits that come with an interchangeable stock and pistol grip. I think the options are pretty cool and versatile but there seem to be a lot of folks out there against it.

Any experiences good or bad?
 
I bought one way back before the interweb.........three shots later, a full regular stock went on.

Your wrist will thank you and your ortho surgeon will be mad at you ;)
 
The orthopedist is an interesting point, I have broken my right thumb twice so that may not be great
 
I was using basic birdshot; I won't even pretend to imagine what a hot load of buckshot will do to your wrist - and I don't want to
 
I can't speak for a PGO shotgun but I can speak for the Remington LEO top-folding stock. The folding stock is not really much (if any) longer than a PGO version and you can shoot it in the same manner if you choose. I have. Looks Hollyweird cool I suppose but not very effective. I don't mind the stock being folded for storage or transport but for actual shooting, I will extend it every time. Bottom line, for shooting PGO shotguns leave a lot to be desired and you are FAR better off with a buttstock version.
 
I have tried PGOs and they pretty much suck for most uses. The only place I find them of any use is in very tight quarters for up close increased fire power over a pistol. They don't hurt my wrist but accuracy is abysmal past ten yards. They are also slower to operate than a full stock model.
 
Old Bill, I just do not see your reasoning.

You have a 8 shot corn shucker, OK it will throw a lot of lead, but after those 8 shots you are still facing a 16 shot 9mm and the BG has a extra magazine!
 
QUOTE: "...The only place I find them of any use is in very tight quarters for up close increased fire power..."

Which is why they make for such good quail guns.
 
Just for fun a fellow tried one at the shotgun steel matches once.
And I do meant once.
He came in last place and some of his body parts hurt, too, along with his feelings.
If you want a short and handy shotgun, there's other useful ways, within legal limits, of course.
 
The PGO shotgun seems to have a pretty small niche they fill, one that I haven't seen a need to spend money on to fill personally. From the few that I have played with I have to say changing it to a bird's head grip makes it much more pleasant to shoot.

With a bit of Googlefoo you can see that a true factory PGO and the correct bird's head grip can take it into a non-nfa item with a very short barrel if what you are looking for.
 
I have a 20 gauge 18" pistol grip shotgun. I fire a few rounds every year at the range. It sleeps very close to me in bed and I consider it to be the best possible home defense weapon.
 
I bought the mossberg maverick back in the late 90's at Walmart for $188.88. It was cheap and cool looking. The PG on it really sucks. After a few years hogue made a grip to fit it. Very soft on the hand and with the finger grooves it was definitely alot better than the original. The only time I've had my wrist hurt is from holding the gun too low, down around the hips with your grip hand basically at your pocket. If I push the gun forward a little more and get my wrist infront of my body and not even with it then the recoil isn't bad. From watching my friends shoot it with 3 inch mag shells, I've seen it come out of their front hand.
This gun has,a cylinder bore and I keep it loaded with low brass game loads. IMHO it's made for very close quarters when a person may not be comfortable in his ability with a pistol. There are many reasons it's not a great gun for self defense but it is the first thing I grab if I think someone is already in my home. If they are in the yard I would prefer a buttstock and buckshot.
 
I have a 20 gauge 18" pistol grip shotgun.
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Are you meaning a pistol-grip only, or the regular stock that has an AR-style of grip?

I imagine in NJ, with their draconian handgun laws, a shotgun is much more practical and available.
 
No, they (PGO) absolutely aren't that bad, even with buckshot. Any grown man without a physical limitation should be able to handle one easily in terms of recoil. We have our own range here and we do have 1 12 gauge PGO shotgun on the place, really just for the novelty of it. Fooling around with it, I've shot 4-5 boxes of buckshot (20-25 rounds) at a time with zero issues. With birdshot, even shooting at full arms-length (just for the hell of it, of course) isn't a problem. None of this is 'macho', it's simply what most could do. BTW, practice and you can definitely shoot one pretty accurately...especially at the short ranges it was meant for.

That said, I much prefer a tradionally stocked gun. A PGO gun could, potentially, fill a narrow niche for some people. But versatile they are not.
 
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pgo

There are two major problems with Pgos that outweigh the coolness.
One - as a self defense gun--- at short range. They have to be aimed... and they are not easy to aim effectively.
Two - in conjunction with the first point, like any shotgun, the pattern is small enough indoors that one can easily miss the target.
Pete
 
I used to be a guy that hated the idea of a pistol grip shotgun. I preferred the look of traditional stock styles and I figured anyone who owned one was a mall ninja, armchair commando, grocery store operator. well when it came time to buy my first shotgun I was shopping around town and the only good deal I could find was a second hand mossberg 535 with, you guessed it, a pistol grip and a telescoping stock to boot. well it was camo dipped which made it appealing as a turkey gun, it could take 3.5 inch shells and since I wasn't very good with bead sights at the time, the fiber optic leaf sights on it seemed like a good idea.

now I love that shotgun to death. it's the perfect turkey rifle and I've got a turkey every spring for the last 3 years with it. it points very naturally, and is ergonomically great for me. I would love to try it out for trap shooting but first I need to get a replacement for the XXfull choke, it's awesome for nailing turkeys at 25+ yards, not so great for trying to hit clay pigeons.
 
Old Bill, I just do not see your reasoning.

You have a 8 shot corn shucker, OK it will throw a lot of lead, but after those 8 shots you are still facing a 16 shot 9mm and the BG has a extra magazine!
Click to expand...

I am thinking that a couple of 12GA slugs at close range are going to be a much more effective show stopper than just about any pistol on the market. I don't want to be in a long gun fight, one that ends quickly in my favor is much better.
 
They have their place. I usually shoot mine from the hip. For close range, it works. For longer distances, it has a green laser and that helps a great deal. Even with 12 ga slugs, it is not difficult to control. I do have a birdshead pistol grip instead of a traditional pistol grip. That helps control the recoil big time.
 
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