Shotgun for home protection - need information
- Thread starter Gopher .45
- Start date
Gopher .45
New member
After taking advice, reading quite a bit, and looking at the reviews in Gun Tests, I happened to find a shop in a nearby town that had a Wilson Combat Scattergun Technologies Border Patrol model with Armor-tuff. Cool! I bought it. The coating actually raised the price by $100, but I figured it would be worth it. It had the ghost ring sight, tritium front, high capacity, a sling I didn't need, and it fit my wife as well. Things were good until I got it out in the sunlight after I got home. Under the front sight, but visible all along the junction of the sight and barrel was rust. There was some actually on the front end of the sight. There was rust on the mag tube where the sling mount contacted it. I was very disappointed. In the lights of the gun store, the rust was not readily apparent and I made the mistake of not going over every surface with a flashlight before buying the gun. I called the shop and will be returning the gun in the morning.
Okay, so the gun is MOSTLY armor-tuff coated, but not all of it and the sites aren't coated, but blued. As far as the mag tube, apparently the coating had come off in the assembly process, I don't know.
To buy a supposed "top quality" type of gun, to pay full market price, to have a gun treated with a rust preventor, and then to find out that a new gun comes with rust is really a bummer.
I think the Remington 870 is a great way to go from all that I have learned so far, only I am going to have to go about getting one in a different manner.
Oh, and while I really like the idea of a bayonet mount (mentioned above), the whole idea of a shotgun was to avoid getting that close if at all possible...although I still have not ruled one out yet!
Okay, so the gun is MOSTLY armor-tuff coated, but not all of it and the sites aren't coated, but blued. As far as the mag tube, apparently the coating had come off in the assembly process, I don't know.
To buy a supposed "top quality" type of gun, to pay full market price, to have a gun treated with a rust preventor, and then to find out that a new gun comes with rust is really a bummer.
I think the Remington 870 is a great way to go from all that I have learned so far, only I am going to have to go about getting one in a different manner.
Oh, and while I really like the idea of a bayonet mount (mentioned above), the whole idea of a shotgun was to avoid getting that close if at all possible...although I still have not ruled one out yet!
Something to keep in mind about pump shotguns is that they are like revolvers. They work fine until you have a problem [say a double feed in the pump or bullet slips out enough to stop the cylinder on a revolver] then all you can use them for is an impact weapon. With auto shotguns or auto pistols malfs are easy and quick to clear and you don't need tools. But when a pump or revolver has a problem it will take you minutes at least to clear the problem and you will need at least a simple tool or two.
Most people who shoot pumps don't try shooting them from behind cover or from supported positions [or they do so on the range behind simulated "cover" that doesn't interfer with the operation of the gun] so they don't run into this.
With a semi auto, shotgun or pistol, you need to be sure ejection port has enough room to kick out the empty or it can bounce back and jam the gun [autos are not perfect either].
Most people who shoot pumps don't try shooting them from behind cover or from supported positions [or they do so on the range behind simulated "cover" that doesn't interfer with the operation of the gun] so they don't run into this.
With a semi auto, shotgun or pistol, you need to be sure ejection port has enough room to kick out the empty or it can bounce back and jam the gun [autos are not perfect either].
Glamdring, so what am I supposed to get a malf with a pump?
Haven't yet, and I've shot them heavily since the 50s. And a lot of my heaviest shooting was pre Flextab,too.
OTOH, I recall trying to clear a jam in a clean, well maintained M-16 one a rainy dark night with people around me being killed....
Haven't yet, and I've shot them heavily since the 50s. And a lot of my heaviest shooting was pre Flextab,too.
OTOH, I recall trying to clear a jam in a clean, well maintained M-16 one a rainy dark night with people around me being killed....
Al Thompson
Staff Alumnus
Dave, I *think* his point is that when wheelguns or pumps tie up, they tie up pretty throughly. I tend to agree. I can recall several revolver malfs that needed different ammo or a gunsmith. Only pump (or shotgun for that matter) that I've witnessed not fire needed a trip to the factory to fix.
Thoughts?
Giz
Thoughts?
Giz
Yes the point I was trying to make, sorry if I wasn't clear, is that when a pump or revolver "jams" it is serious. While with an auto [with good mags] most common problems are quickly cleared.
The problems I have had with pump shotguns have come from supported shooting with slugs where the support or cover prevents one from working the pump in recoil but lets the action move enough to cause problem and also from reloading with cold numbed fingers and getting a double feed or getting a shell on the carrier with action closed [putting the shell into the mag tube almostfar enough to stay and then having it spring back].
I have not yet had a problem with a revolver but I suspect I will eventually when I start making heavy loads like the Federal castcores that I use now [the castcores are not CCW loads
]
The problems I have had with pump shotguns have come from supported shooting with slugs where the support or cover prevents one from working the pump in recoil but lets the action move enough to cause problem and also from reloading with cold numbed fingers and getting a double feed or getting a shell on the carrier with action closed [putting the shell into the mag tube almostfar enough to stay and then having it spring back].
I have not yet had a problem with a revolver but I suspect I will eventually when I start making heavy loads like the Federal castcores that I use now [the castcores are not CCW loads
]