round pump or square pump?

G

Grandpatime

Moderator
the field models etc on mossbergs have a square block style forend and the hd/tactical or old style ones have a round pump.Is one better than the other?
 
A lot of it is matter of personal preference. In the old days, the majority of pump guns came with the classic annular ringed circular (corn cob) action slide handles. They were cheap to produce and worked just fine. Target shooters found a shaped action slide handle performed better for them. Because of the shape, they gave the shooter a reference point that enabled him to get the same grip each time he mounted the gun, not so easy with a corn cob. And, consistency is one key to better scores.Typically the target handles used more wood to cover the gap between the magazine and the barrel. Some even continued under the action. This provided more grip possibilities since some shooters like to work the handle -- depending where you put your hand, fore-to-aft, the swinging characteristics of the gun change. Also the additional wood provided some protection for the gun and shooter -- you were less likely to get a cuff button tangled up with the larger target handles. Hunters, too, wanted the advantages of the target handles. So, they were offered in target and hunting models.

Of course, the fancier action slide handles cost more than a Plain Jane Corn Cob. In modern times, the corn cob handle became the hallmark of the entry level, bottom dollar gun. Since most tactical shotguns started out as low bid police/mil gun with a corn cob, it become pretty standard for tactical guns to have the round handles. Or, a tactical specific handle based on the corn cob design.
 
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