I sold my Benelli Nova a couple years ago because it never really appealed to me, and one of the assistant principals at the school where I taught was looking for a shotgun. I'm more of a lever rifle and handgun person, so the shotgun kept taking the backseat. Well, there have been a spate of home invasions and daytime burglaries (kick in the door, home invasion style, but no one home) in my neighborhood (a "spate" as in quite a few in the past month and 16 in just the past 2 weeks within a mile of my apartment). So, I'm upgrading my HD handgun (from usually using my J-frame size 5-shot Taurus 85CH to deciding between my SIG P290, P250c, S&W 65LS, 625MG, and CZ 75B). I've also decided it is time for another home defense long-gun.
It is funny how a large perceived (and quite possibly real) increase in the likelihood of needing your home defense guns makes you reevaluate what you thought was sufficient not long before (though I was already thinking I wanted more power and/or capacity than my 85 for a while, I just hadn't actually made the change yet).
Because I have other priorities (I wanted a new revolver and Glock within the next couple months, and my car insurance is due now) I don't have a huge budget. Even if I postpone one of the other gun purchases, I'll want to keep the price low since this wasn't a purchase I had planned for at least another 6 months to a year.
So, my current list (more or less in current order of preference):
1st (tie): Mossberg/Maverick 88. 7+1 rounds of 12ga in a 20in barrel seems like a nice HD package, and it would be a dead ringer for the Mossberg 500 Persuader I should never have sold 15 years ago. Made in the USA!
1st (tie): Savage 320 Security Pump. I'd lose 2 rounds, but save $40, and get a clone of the terrific Winchester 1300 action. I've read conflicting things that it is made in Turkey, or it is made in China. For political reasons I'd prefer to avoid Turkish products (though not to the degree that I have an absolute ban against them), and like many, I prefer to avoid made in China when I can.
2nd: Savage 350 Security Pump. It is roughly the same price as the 320 ($10 less) but I'd get ghost ring sights at that price (with a bead like the 320 I'm considering it would be another $10 or so less) and a clone of the classic Ithaca 37. I don't like that I'd lose 3 rounds over the 20" Maverick/Mossberg and one over the 320 and 18.5" Mossberg, but a shotgun reloads individual shells pretty easily on the run so that won't be terrible with a bandoleer or an ammo carrier on the butt, and I would have a handgun on me (which will get me to the shotgun) so those 4+1 rounds won't be all I have. If it had at least 5 rounds in the mag (for a 6 round capacity) this would definitely be my choice. It has the same issues as above as for country of origin.
3rd: Mossberg 500. Yes, it is basically the same gun as the Maverick 88 for about $100 more, and as a home defense gun the greater selection of chokes available won't really matter, but why not consider the real thing. I'd look at both the 18.5" barrel (with 5+1 ammo capacity like the Savage 320) and the 20" with 7+ rounds and get myself and other Persuader (did I mention before that I never should have sold that gun over a decade ago). I'd go with the 20"/7 round mag if I can find one locally over the 18.5", but it would come down to current availability if I go with the Mossberg (I need the gun now with the current crime in my neighborhood).
4th: Winchester SPX. Nice 18" shotgun, again 5+1 capacity. I hear mostly good things about it. It is made in Turkey (see Savage 320 for my thoughts on that- not a plus, but not an outright end to consideration either).
5th: Instead of a shotgun, get a lever rifle in .45LC or .357mag. 8 rounds (plus one in the pipe) in a 16" barrel or 10 rounds (and one in the pipe) in a still compact 20" barrel with the Rossi (similar but possibly 1 different in other makes) would be nice. I love lever rifles and would probably get a lot more practice with it. I already have guns in these chamberings so I wouldn't be adding new chamberings to my collection. However, even out of a long gun, neither will have the power of a shotgun, both will have greater overpenatration issues (and I live in an apartment), and it blows my "inexpensive" requirement out the window
It is funny how a large perceived (and quite possibly real) increase in the likelihood of needing your home defense guns makes you reevaluate what you thought was sufficient not long before (though I was already thinking I wanted more power and/or capacity than my 85 for a while, I just hadn't actually made the change yet).
Because I have other priorities (I wanted a new revolver and Glock within the next couple months, and my car insurance is due now) I don't have a huge budget. Even if I postpone one of the other gun purchases, I'll want to keep the price low since this wasn't a purchase I had planned for at least another 6 months to a year.
So, my current list (more or less in current order of preference):
1st (tie): Mossberg/Maverick 88. 7+1 rounds of 12ga in a 20in barrel seems like a nice HD package, and it would be a dead ringer for the Mossberg 500 Persuader I should never have sold 15 years ago. Made in the USA!
1st (tie): Savage 320 Security Pump. I'd lose 2 rounds, but save $40, and get a clone of the terrific Winchester 1300 action. I've read conflicting things that it is made in Turkey, or it is made in China. For political reasons I'd prefer to avoid Turkish products (though not to the degree that I have an absolute ban against them), and like many, I prefer to avoid made in China when I can.
2nd: Savage 350 Security Pump. It is roughly the same price as the 320 ($10 less) but I'd get ghost ring sights at that price (with a bead like the 320 I'm considering it would be another $10 or so less) and a clone of the classic Ithaca 37. I don't like that I'd lose 3 rounds over the 20" Maverick/Mossberg and one over the 320 and 18.5" Mossberg, but a shotgun reloads individual shells pretty easily on the run so that won't be terrible with a bandoleer or an ammo carrier on the butt, and I would have a handgun on me (which will get me to the shotgun) so those 4+1 rounds won't be all I have. If it had at least 5 rounds in the mag (for a 6 round capacity) this would definitely be my choice. It has the same issues as above as for country of origin.
3rd: Mossberg 500. Yes, it is basically the same gun as the Maverick 88 for about $100 more, and as a home defense gun the greater selection of chokes available won't really matter, but why not consider the real thing. I'd look at both the 18.5" barrel (with 5+1 ammo capacity like the Savage 320) and the 20" with 7+ rounds and get myself and other Persuader (did I mention before that I never should have sold that gun over a decade ago). I'd go with the 20"/7 round mag if I can find one locally over the 18.5", but it would come down to current availability if I go with the Mossberg (I need the gun now with the current crime in my neighborhood).
4th: Winchester SPX. Nice 18" shotgun, again 5+1 capacity. I hear mostly good things about it. It is made in Turkey (see Savage 320 for my thoughts on that- not a plus, but not an outright end to consideration either).
5th: Instead of a shotgun, get a lever rifle in .45LC or .357mag. 8 rounds (plus one in the pipe) in a 16" barrel or 10 rounds (and one in the pipe) in a still compact 20" barrel with the Rossi (similar but possibly 1 different in other makes) would be nice. I love lever rifles and would probably get a lot more practice with it. I already have guns in these chamberings so I wouldn't be adding new chamberings to my collection. However, even out of a long gun, neither will have the power of a shotgun, both will have greater overpenatration issues (and I live in an apartment), and it blows my "inexpensive" requirement out the window
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