and the rattle trap POS Mossberg --
Yeah, a friend said this about the one he bought.... then I showed him how to remove the magazine plug.
One of my Mossbergs is closing in on 30 years old. Never the slightest problesm except that some bluing has rubbed off in certain places.
I like em all, except maybe the Chinese stuff. They all work. The rest is just a matter of preference. My preference is for Mossberg, due to the location of the safety and other controls and the lighter weight. I use a Remington at work sometimes. It works too. Winchester, Benelli, Browning/Winchester, Ithaca, old Smiths, whatever. They are all quite well. Operators often fail but the gun rarely doesn.
Just buy whatever feels best in your hands. I think the best advice is
1. Buy a shotgun
2. CLEAN it (yes, BEFORE shooting it).
3. Buy mucho ammo (get the #8 shot dove loads for practice).
4. Shoot it a bunch.
5. Steadfastly resist the idea of putting stupid crrrap on it (heatshields, bayonets, ridiculous stocks or pistol grip only stocks, rails, and other miscellaneous mallninjery).
6. Repeat (often).
Note: Buying is OPTIONAL on subsequent iterations.