Recommend an O/U for about $600/700

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omnibus1967

New member
mainly for HD and fun plinking. would prefer a shorter barrel say 20-24" if possible. i'm a lefty if that matters. needs to be take down for storage.

12 or 20 gauge. no heavy use....maybe 200 shells a year.

thanks................Bill
 
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You might consider a SxS coach gun to get the short barrels. I haven't seen any O/Us in the configuration that you are looking for. Mark
 
While an o/u isn't ideal for HD, I don't see why it can't pull double duty for clays and that. You don't want to take it into combat but if your plan is to hole up in a room and wait for the police it is pretty good.

You may want to go with 26". A guy had a nice 20 gauge Winchester 101 with a 26" barrel at the skeet range the other day.

I don't know about $600 to $700, but you might be able to find one in pretty decent condition for not a lot more than that.
 
Everybody should buy what they want ...

a. Coach guns are going to have short barrels ...but most of them are junk ...in terms of both barrels shooting to the same point, craftmanship, durability etc...and they usually have fixed chokes. A lot of shotguns built or intended for home defense...have no changeable screw in chokes - they're most often fixed with open cyclinder chokes. Stoeger and others make some coach guns - but I wouldn't give a dime for any of them.

b. Traditionally - general purpose bird guns - are going to have 26" or 28" barrels whether they're O/U's or pump guns - and today the trend for many of us is to 30" barrels. In general an O/U with 28" barrels - because the receiver on an O/U is shorter than a semi-auto or pump will be the same overall length as a semi-auto or pump gun with 26" barrels ... So to find an O/U with anything shorter than 26" is next to impossible - unless somebody has cut them down.

O/U's are more expensive to mfg -- to do it right - than pump and semi-auto shotguns...so the market of O/U's under $1,000 is largely full of junk / with the better and stronger guns in the O/U market selling new for $ 2,000 - $ 3,000. You'll find some used guns ( Browning or Beretta - maybe ...) or you'll have to search the used gunstores for a Ruger or maybe an SKB ...and they'll probably be ok, if you can find one .....new, in that price range - you'll only find guns made in Turkey or China probably - with all kinds of issues ( TriStar, Stoeger, Huglu, Mossberg, Baikal, etc ) ...but you might get lucky and get a good one. But I can't with a clean conscience recommend any of the low end guns. If I had to tell you one to look at it would be the TriStar - Cabelas is importing them ...and I think they still have a 5 yr warranty on them ...so at least you'd have that to fall back on. But in that price range - the quality of the steel, etc is just not there....

My opinion about defense vs fighting guns ....is any shotgun can be used for "Defense" ...so if I had to I'd go with a pump gun or a semi-auto in a 26", 28" or even a 30" barrel. It would also give you a gun you could "plink" with or whatever ...especially if it had screw in chokes ...guns like a Browning BPS Hunter model - sell new for around $ 525 or so ....good long term guns. They aren't meant to be a "Fighting gun" like a Benelli M-4 ..../ that's a different animal ....

In my case - I have a lot of shotguns / but my handguns are my primary defensive weapon ..( mine is a 1911 in .45acp --and I practice with it weekly ..) .../ I don't want a shotgun as a primary defensive weapon -especially with only 2 shells in it. I'd want a pump or semi-auto ( with the plug out of it ) with 5 shells in it...if I had to use it for Defense.

But like I said --- everyone should buy what they want /what they can afford.
 
Sorry, nothing in that price range that is dependable enough for me to recommend and still be able to sleep at night. If you have a $700 budget you will be miles ahead to buy 2 decent pumps. Or buy one $350 pump and $350 worth of ammo. They break down just as small for storage
 
...mainly for HD and fun plinking...needs to be take down for storage....maybe 200 shells a year.
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Do you really want to try a reassemble and load a shotgun while the bad guys are coming down the hall? If you are using for hd and occasional fun shooting - save yourself some money and just get a mossberg 88 or 500. Like stated above - there are some o/u's that are being sold as hd weapons - and there are some cheap o/u's that can be had for the price level you seek - but I would have neither of them. If you are really hung up on wanting a double of some kind - then, also as suggested, there are a bunch of 'coach' guns being sold these days. 200 rounds... heck - I usually shoot 400 to 600 a week.
 
Let me see if I can actually answer your question (just to be different). I've seen some used ithicas and a few rough winchester 101's in that price range but to get barrels that short you'll probably have to have them cut back. You could get that done and have chole tubes installed but it's gonna add another $300 at least to your cost I would think.
200 rds a year, you're not looking to buy a tank. Mossberg has a "tactical" O/U that I find humorous but that might fit your needs.
 
Let's not forget, cutting a double in more complicated than a stick gun. Double guns typically have a pair of full length ribs that cover the space between the barrels. They don't fill the space, they just cover it, there's a void between the barrels. At the factory muzzle, they install filler pieces between barrels as they solder the ribs. If the barrels are cut, the void between the ribs is exposed. Also, the end fitting is often what keeps the gun regulated (both barrels aimed at the same spot). Cutting down a double gun may result in a wild shooter -- the ribs alone may not keep the gun regulated.
 
I wonder where it's made?
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I couldn't find out with a quick search. What does it say about a gun if the brand doesn't tell you where it is made. Whan Mossberg annonced the Silver Reserve they didn't hide the fact that it was made in Turkey.

Edit after seeing oregunner's post about Khan: That would have been by guess, if I were to guess. Khan makes the Silver Reserve.
 
First, either flavor of doublegun with 26" barrels will have a shorter OAL than an 18" barreled pump with the same LOP. 28" barreled double, shorter than a 20" barreled pumpgun.

Second, most defensive arms are best kept ready to go. If there's children to consider, try attaching a couple shells to the stock with masking tape and leaving it otherwise unloaded.

Finally, a twicepipe shotgun is an incredibly effective defensive tool IN TRAINED, KNOWING hands.

Catch my drift?
 
Try the Lanber from CDNN on closeout - will fit your budget c- never saw a factory 20" O/U and only 1 24" - why? because the swing dynamics completely suck

Flying things versus HD often negate themselves when using one gun with one barrel length
 
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