Need some good advice......

G

Georgian

New member
Hey yall. I gonna try and get a shotgun this summer for plinking, HD, and various other odds and ends, maybe hunting, dunno yet, but I dont want one. I like the Winchester Defender and 870 HD shotguns alot, and my choice will probably be btw. those two. I only have one problem though. I have never shot a 12ga. before, but have handled an 870 Express (my brother has one). It was ok, I guess, but I really dont anything to compare it to. I have only fired a 20ga. and a .410. I feel comfortable with the 20, as I am comfortable with the recoil out of my H&R Topper Mod. 58. I also have around 175 rounds of 20ga. The thing is that I'm 6'2" and around 295, and think that everyone would look down on my for choosing a 20ga., even if I might shoot it better than a 12ga. I have recently noticed that some choice ppl are putting down the 20, but even more are defending it. I just dont know what to do. I have seen some articles on 12ga. recoil that has it registering at 40-50 foot pounds of recoil. I'm sure some on here will count me as a wimp :( , but thats ok. I would just like some honest, good advice as to what to choose. Thanks for all replies, God Bless!
 
I went with the 20

I bought a remington 12 ga and developed a flinch realy quickly,causing missed shots and missed deer. traded that gun for a 20ga and tightened my pattern alot and have since taken alot of deer with it. personely I feel shooting and practice should be fun and painless or you wont do much of it. who cares what the other guy thinks its your shoulder that will live with the decision. you could try to borrow a 12 and a 20 fire 25 or so rounds from each and let your shoulder tell you the answer.
 
12-gauge recoil

There are many big tough guys who don't like recoil...I am one of them. I am a Knoxx employee so you may want to check with others to confirm what I recommend, but I say pick your favorite between the Remington and Winchester, buy it in 12-gauge (more choices in ammo & options) and install a Knoxx CompStock on it. That will reduce the recoil to well below that of a 20-gauge and there you are.
 
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I have a Winchester 1300 Defender, and am very pleased with it. I am fond of Winchester pumps because thats all I grew up around, but both are great guns. I am also a large guy, but I feel smaller people take recoil better because they will give with the recoil a little more. Get the one you are more comfortable with. For home defense either will be fine. At 10 to 15 feet a .12 or a .20 is going to do some major damage with buckshot or birdshot. I have mine stuffed with #4 high brass, with slugs and 00 buckshot in the shell holder on the stock.
 
I am not quite as large, 6'2", 195, but shoot a Remington 870 Wingmaster, 12 ga. I really like the feel and the recoil is not bad. I usually shoot 200-300 rounds thru the summer to keep sharp for duck season and have no problems(unless I shoulder wrong). I also shot my daughters Win 1300, 20. ga. and yes it does kick less but am not as comfortable with the fit. If you can get the chance, try both 12's and 20's for feel and fit. Whether it's a Rem or Mossy or Win will be up to you, but fit will make a difference as much as gauge size. Also you might try a semi-auto since much of the recoil is taken up in the action.
 
good idea with the semi auto, it will take some recoil if that is a problem and ponying up the $ isn't.. Ive heard good things about the stoeger semi autos and they are pretty cheap.

Otherwise I do a ton with my 870 combo (slug and bird barrels) and I love it to death. I dont think you can go wrong with getting a pump gun from one of the big manufacturers, they are all tough as nails and will take a beating and shoot well..

From my experience most 20 gauges are noticably lighter then the 12s so they kick just as hard usually. I've heard more storys about hurt shoulders from 20 guages then from 12s. Shotgun recoil has never bothered me much though anyway with the exception of slugs, i despise shooting slugs at targets (don't feel recoil when shooting at deer though :D ).
 
IMO you shouldn't worry about what other people think..Get whichever gun you feel comfortable with..You're 6'2" and 295 lbs, I'm 5'4" and 130 lbs after a good meal..I grew up shooting 12's so the recoil is natural to me..I'd get both if I had a gf living with me but I don't so I'ma stick with what feels natural to me..The 870 HD is a good 12 gauge and the Mossberg/Maverick line is top of the line as well as Winchester..Since you already have a couple boxes of 20 gauge ammo then get a 20 gauge..If you wanna expand then get a 12 and if you like it more then you have the option of 2 preminum shottys..
 
I know you are set on a 20ga (I have one too) but seriously look at a 12ga and get the Knoxx CompStock. The other day I found a Mossberg *new* for 180 at a pawn shop. I'm sure you could find a good used Wingmaster for cheap, and the comp runs around $120.

The force is still there, but feels like more of a buffered push than a hard whack to the shoulder. I shot my friend's Mossy with the CopStock for about 3 hours, and felt fine.
 
Whoa! Hold the phone! You are shooting a H&R Topper single shot, correct? I bought one of those in 10ga when I was 14. They are about as light as they come and they will punish you compared to most pumps.

Most 12 gauges in a pump format are going to kick LESS with comparable ammo.

The 20 is underrated. My girlfriend bought a 870 Youth model and due to it's light weight it definately kicks harder than my Winchester 1300 or my Remington 1100, both in 12 gauge. I fell that will be your experience with the Ranger. It is, however, a great defense weapon. The 20 hits just as hard as the 12, it simply has a bit less shot/payload. It's just fine for what you want, but don't overlook the 12's because of recoil.
 
I have thought it over, and I really like the design and overall look of the Remington 870, and have also thought it over about the 12ga. I should be able to handle recoil fine, given my large stature. Anyway, I have Officially decided on a Remington 870 HD model with 18" barrel, with 5 round capacity. I figured I wouldnt need more than 5 rounds to do the job on anything. I got a few tricks I could do to get the buckshot out of that 18in barrel better too. Just get Single Ought or Double Ought buck, get some fishing line, and cut the shotgun shells open. Then take and cut a slit into the lead buckshot balls, and string the balls on the line and mash it to, just like you would with lead sinkers. After that, just coil the line, with buckshot on the string up inside the shotshell, and voila, you got buckshot that with have a pretty good pattern, given that the string holds. My granpa took a deer using that method, and when the deer was dressed, the string of buckshot was still 100% intact on the line, so it does work ;)
 
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