I like wood and plastic furniture on a shotgun, but it depends on the shotgun and what I'm planning on using it for. If it's a valuable antique, (and I mean TRULY valuable not just old), then I prefer wood. If it's something like a non family heirloom, Remington model 11 or any other mass produced older shotgun that I picked up for less than $200.00 bucks, then I'm not opposed to putting plastic stocks on it if wood ones are cost prohibitive or unavailable. If the checkering on the plastic stock cut into my skin or bothered me, then I'd just wrap some tape or camo gun wrap around the checkering. I could also always just sand the sharp edges of the checkering down too if I didn't want to use tape or some kind of gun wrap. With a few exceptions (I like shiny handguns the bright finish of which aren't practical), I'm a "whatever works" kind of guy.
A small, picatinny rail mounted pressure switch light mounted to the shotgun could sure come in handy in dark situations. But it's not a total necessity, because I know where my family is at night in my house, and I know if I hear something knocking around outside late at night, I know that it isn't a family member, so I don't actually need a light to identify the "good guys" and not shoot them.
A mounted light could come in handy just to be able to hit a bad guy in the dark, plus to hold off on turning the light on until you were right up on them and then the light unexpectedly blinding them would come in handy too. I don't have a light on mine currently, but I wouldn't mind getting a LED one. The weight of a small unobtrusive one wouldn't bother me at all. The only concern I have about a light (or laser) on a gun is the bad guy can trace back to where you are. But that is offset by the fact that I wouldn't just keep the light on the whole time, but would carefully stalk to the area of noise and only then turn it on the bad guys hopefully blinding them temporarily for maximum advantage.
I wear glasses for my 60 yr old eyes and I like scopes on my rifles because it has gotten harder to focus on the skinny front sight blade while also having a bit less focused rear sight ring picture. Which is the sight picture on my M1a (same as the M14 I used in the Marines). But with a shotgun, I don't have to focus on a rear sight, I just have to keep a focus on one thing, the gold bead of my front sight sitting on top of the barrel in such a way as it appears it is sitting right on top of my receiver. My eyes are good enough for that, so I don't see a need for a scope on a shotgun since I'm not doing precision long range shooting with a scatter gun. My view on shooting is:
rifle for longer distances, shotgun for shorter distances, handgun for closest distances.
I think an extended magazine tube is a good idea on a shotgun. The extra weight isn't that much and my thinking is,..... the best way to reload in a dangerous situation......is to not have to.
In a bugout situation where I had to carry on my back, shoulder and waist, anything I took with me, I'd sling a shotgun over my shoulder, tie a neckerchief around my neck or forehead, carry a rifle and maybe a holstered handgun plus my K-bar knife and maybe, but not necessarily a hatchet on my belt too. (I might not carry a handgun because that's three different types of ammo to carry instead of just two for my rifle and shotgun, plus if they got past my rifle and shotgun, I'd probably be dead anyway). A compact "leatherman" tool in my pocket. My back pack would contain a small roll of fishing line and a few different size hooks, one extra shirt and trousers, two extra pairs of socks, toothbrush, two extra underwear, a sewing kit, a light, thinwall sleeping bag and foam mat both rolled up and carried under my backpack, a roll of parachute cord, a small LED flashlight with a few extra batteries, cigarette lighter, extra pair of sneakers, dried not wet....food and as much water as I could carry....if I was going where finding water was going to possibly be a problem. If finding water wasn't going to be a problem (here in Fl it wouldn't be much of a problem), then I'd carry one canteen on my belt, some purification tablets, and put more food and ammo in my backpack instead of water. I do believe in keeping it simple (KISS), with just what is necessary in a on foot survival situation, but I have no aversion to handy lights on a shotgun, or plastic stocks.
Ultimately, I'm fine with whatever someone else wants to do with their gun. It may not be what I would do, but dang it, it's their gun. And I don't know everything, and find that I sometimes change my mind about things once I've actually used them. The main thing to me, is that at least someone IS a gun enthusiast and is doing SOMETHING with their gun (and thereby learning more about guns), in this society where the liberals in the schools and government are trying to brainwash the young people into disliking any kind of guns.
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