buying my first gun, want a shotgun combo, whats the best choice?

E

essonlaker

Inactive
I'm looking for my first gun. I've always had fun going target shooting with friends and family and got my firearms license last year and went deer hunting in November with my Dad and Brother. I was using a gun show find of dads from years gone past, an old Savage 340 30-30, brother was carrying Dad's old Lee Enfield, and dad his trusty Remington 7400 in 30-06 Springfield. so that's just insight on my intro into the firearms world. anyways,

I'm looking to purchase a shotgun combo for my first, sort of a do-all so I can try my hand at nearly any type of hunting or shooting I like. figure a good 12ga is a good start to any collection, and my Dads old Wingmaster is a sweetheart so I know I would love any decent 12ga

went to two local outdoor stores today and said "if you were to sell a young man a 12ga combo what would you sell him?":

first store grabbed a Remington 870 Super Mag combo. (which I had already looked up online and figured it was what I had my heart set on) it feels comfortable for me and figure its hard to go wrong with an 870.

second store threw a bit of a curveball, handed me a Mossberg (cant remember which model exactly) didn't like it as well on my shoulder as the 870, as we talked and I was able to find out there price was better for the 870 he spoke about Mossberg's quality getting better since my dad was last in the market for guns (about 20 years) and he handed me a Mossberg 930, gun felt at least as comfortable to me as the 870 did. and seems like a great bang for the buck with the receiver all drilled and tapped for a scope mount and being an autoloader for the about the same dollar as an 870.


so any of your experiences/ recommendations for a newer 870 (especially the super mag combo) and for the Mossberg 930 would be appreciated. let me know what you think is the better purchase for a do-all shotgun.
 
Forget the super mag. Unless you have a REAL need to shoot 3 1/2" shells, you are just wasting money and carrying around extra weight. By real need, there are only 2 types of game that can justify 3 1/2" shells (and even those two can be hunted very well with 3" shells). Those are turkey and goose.

A normal sized pump will serve you better.

The 870 has been a classic since long before you were born. That being said, I do not like the new express models. Too many horror stories of them rusting. The 870 Wingmaster on the other hand is a thing of beauty. As to the Mossberg, it is also a fine shotgun. Far less expensive than the Remington, it will also serve you well.

See if you can handle several different shotguns. Even better if you had a way to try several out at the range.
 
You're setting your self up for a world of who's better. In the word of pump shotguns the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 are a 50/50 tie across the board. Both dependable guns that get the job done.

The Mossberg 930 also had a good reputation.

In the long run what you need to ask yourself is do you want a crossbolt or tang safety, Aluminum or Steel Receiver, and auto or pump.

All 3 guns are great an will serve you well. I'm not sure about the supermag combo first hand but if you plan on hunting geese and turkey guys will lean toward 3 1/2 inch magnum shells but 3 inch will also do just fine and not hurt as much.

I have the Mossberg 500 and swear by it. The price was right when I was a teenager and 15 years later it's still right.

For scopes you can get them both with mounts but remember if you take the barrel off you're back to square one so one with a cantilever barrel is better for permanent scope mounting.

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those are all good points,

I will see if the stores have the regular express, remingtons MSRP on the regular express and the supermag is so close I just figured having the ability to shoot 3.5" was worth it, but weight is a good point, (turkey up here get pretty damn big though hahaha kidding, I know I can shoot a damn big turkey with a 3 inch)

I wish I had a range to use and guns to fire, or at least a buddy with one of the guns im looking at who would let me fire it, but I don't....

good to know the guns are near on par for quality, I think I will run iron sights for now, unfortunately the cantilever's from Remington can only be had for a barrel without the rear rifle sight. if in the future I only want to run slugs (say if I got into turkey hunting big and bought a turkey gun). I can mount a scope then on any of these guns. if I don't buy the 870 I will be going for the 930 over a 500 likely, I really like the bang for the buck on that 930 package and really like the tang safety.

I will be using this for deer initially, around home is a shotgun, bow and muzzleloader only area, and up north at our cottage the woods is so dense a rifled barrel shotgun is all you'll ever need, and a well aimed slug's impact keeps the deer from going too far into the bush and makes the hard work part of hunting less so. and Dad has multiple good, old, rifles I could use and I love the savage 30-30 I carried this year, so a shotgun is the best first gun for myself for sure. I have an old buddy from highschool that hunts goose, i'll pick his brain some.
 
My first shotgun was a Mossberg 500. Still have it and it still does what I need it to. If you can afford it, though, I'd take a good look at the 930. They've got a reputation as a good value among semi-autos (my dad's has worked well for him) You will also feel a little less of the recoil, which is particularly nice with slugs and 3" shells.
 
up here in Canada the 930's go for near the same price as the 870, which is why I'm interested in it, didn't like the feel of the Mossberg pump myself, action didn't feel as well built as an 870, but that's just personal preference. the 930 comes to my eye and shoulder beautifully, plus I liked tang safety over the 870's crossbolt. thanks for sharing your dads good experience with the 930. less recoil sure is nice. the con for me is the fact that a pump is more rugged overall, but the 930 looks like a good bang for the buck for guns in general. keep the auto squeaky clean and Im sure it would be fine though?
 
Was the Mossberg 500 you handled wooden stock or plastic? Sometimes the stock can be the difference.

I have a 500 from the 90's in 12 gauge and it doesn't feel bad. It ha a wood stock and recoil pad.

Where as I also have a 500 that's only a few years old in 20 gauge youth model with plastic stock and the forend is pinned and feels cheap compared to the other.

You might also try the Mossberg 591 if they have one on the shelf. That's the more robust 500 that the military uses.

But as said your choices are all good.
 
I suppose one might say a pump is more "rugged" than a semi-auto, just because there are fewer moving parts to cause problems, but with modern systems, most semi-autos can run for a very long time between very basic cleaning. I bought a used Winchester SX3 a while back. It uses a gas system (so the does the mossberg). I broke it down for cleaning and it looked like the previous owner had done nothing to keep it clean. Nonetheless, it had always worked for him. I cleaned it up a little and it's been good for me.

As for reliability (for stuff like home defense), I've found that I'm more likely to "short shuck" a pump action and not cycle it properly than a good semi-auto is to have a failure.
 
I think you would be happy with either the Mossberg or Remington. With that said, I recommend the Remington 870 combo.

Years ago I had a significant problem with a Mossberg 500 and that has left a sour taste in my mouth since then. Admittedly all gun models have a problem now and then. The 870 is no exception, it's just that in the multi thousands of rounds I have had through various 870's over the years there have been no directly weapon attributable ones that I can remember.

I say if you are already famiar with the 870's handling characteristics, go for it. But what do I know. I like "plastic" guns too (Glock's)
 
most of the guns I handled were synthetic, one of the 870's were wood, but not real fancy wood (the wood on most entry level guns looks cheap in my opinion) my preference is if you cant afford a nice hardwood, go synthetic. the Mossberg pump (cant remember the exact model and didn't write it down) was full camo synthetic, which certainly had the look factor. I don't mind synthetics myself for look at all. I see what you mean about the feel, but the durability factor of the synthetic never looking like crap is a plus in my preference.

I will certainly check out other Mossberg models because of affordability but I really like the 930 in synthetic's bang for the buck. and the modern semi's being less fussy about being clean is another point for the 930 for me (and I plan to take good care of my purchase, take care of a decent gun and it'll take care of you but being able to use the gun a few times without cleaning is nice) and that's a good point that human error is more likely then a semi auto failure.


another thing about the Mossberg's: I don't know if I like an aluminum receiver for a 12ga that'll mostly fire slugs, but I like the nose heavy weight of the 930 with the slug barrel on... too many particulars with these damn things, and all being a good choice according to you fellas makes it harder.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the aluminum receiver. A lot of mossbergs have been around a long time without showing any signs of wearing down. Shotgun pressures, even with slugs, are a lot lower than most deer rifles.

Many other companies also sell shotguns made with aluminum alloys to reduce gun weight. It does change the balance of the guns a bit though. Some people prefer one gun or the other for that reason.
 
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the balance and weight is certainly another one of those preference things. and I really like the 930's heavy on the muzzle feel from the aluminum receiver. but the 870 is slightly lighter, albeit by a non significant amount for a bigger young lad like myself.

as far as being familiar with handling an 870, I've only shot a few shells for fun through a very old wingmaster, so I wouldn't call myself real familiar. but that old wingmaster sure does shoot beautiful. I wouldn't be asking this question if that 930 didn't impress me in both value and how it felt on my shoulder, im worried about "you get what you pay for" with a Mossberg gun but lots of folks seem to have decent results out of them. it is very true that you may have a problem with any gun, and I understand that.

that's a good point too. when I thought of the strength of the aluminum receiver I thought of recoil, but the pressures are certainly a more important concern, which is lower in a shotgun.
 
What is the term "combo" as it is being used in this thread?

With respect to shotguns, I thought we were referring to the hunting barrel/riot barrel packages that are often available in the market. Yet I am reading only references to hunting barrel/implements.

OP, are we answering the mail? What did you intend with the term "combo"?
 
I am the OP, I have received some great info here and am glad I joined.

a shotgun combo package is a gun with 2 or more barrels.
I am intending on buying a combo much like that Mossberg link posted (or that exact package in fact). with a rifled deer slug barrel with rifle sights, and a standard field barrel.

the preferences being discussed were between the characteristics of one gun to another, as well as ones experiences with reliability with the guns I am deciding between. will be using just for deer initially but at my young age I want the versatility of a combo so I can try my hand at other things as well.
 
Cool beans. I don't have any experience with a slug/deer barrel variant, but I do have a Mossberg 500a combo (riot/modified bird barrels) that is one of my truck guns.

For the application you are trying to fill, a Mossberg would be an excellent choice.
 
all guns mentioned being an excellent choice seems to be the general consensus, its going to come down to personal preference and what im comfortable spending my hard earned cash on.

up here in Canada at the small outfitter my brothers dealing with for his crossbow (they seem like a great bunch of guys, and don't tend to upsell as one of them handed me a Mossberg instinctually) the 930 rings in at $20 cheaper then an 870 express, both 3" chamber, deer/field barrel combos. that's a fantastic value for an autoloader in my opinion. plus they have a 10 year warranty. versus 2 year on the Rem.

and by looking online the 870 express combo seems only available in synthetic with a cantilever, rifle sight guns seem stuck with that cheap awful wood that the express has, if that proves to be fact by calling around then I will probably be a 930 owner. but I cant help but worry about a "you get what you pay for" with a Mossberg. despite the numerous good reviews, like I say, if the 930 didn't impress me I wouldn't be having this discussion and would be pricing out 870's everywhere.

will be phoning and getting a price from the Bass pro shops about 3 hours from home. I have to act soon as guns are going up 8% in Canada, or at least Ontario soon.
 
If you have problems with a mossberg just call them and they solve it. I bought a 2 year old used mossberg 500 and it was missing a few stock pieces to adjust it down to the shortest length of pull. I called Mossberg and gave them the serial number and even though the shotgun was used they sent me the parts for free and not even to worry about it being used and they would extend the original warranty on to me.

I'm sure they would be just as good to you.
 
At the end of the day, we are talking about pump-action shotguns, a 100 year-old design. If they haven't mastered that, God help us all.

The admonition "you get what you pay for" should always be adhered to, but that post above on Mossberg customer service should alay any fears.
 
well that kind of customer service is certainly a plus. if I go Mossy I want the 930 autoloader for sure because of all the value there. at the end of the day, were talking about a 12ga. even autoloaders should be figured out by now.
 
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