Which shotgun would you pick for home defense?

Which shotgun would you pick for home defense?

  • Mossberg 590A1

    Votes: 30 50.8%

  • Remington 870 Express Tactical

    Votes: 26 44.1%

  • Winchester Ultimate Defender

    Votes: 3 5.1%
  • Total voters
    59
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Personally I prefer a handgun with a weapon mounted light for home defense because I have a young child I may have to be holding so I would only have one hand free to operate a weapon.
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Same idea for me. I have shotguns but those are for fun and only secondarily for more of a natural disaster/riot situation. (live in hurricane country).

EDIT: if the OP is down for a shotgun however and has already narrowed it down to those pumps, the OP should try both, even to racking the slide and using the safety (assuming can't rent or borrow and shoot). They are very similar but just different enough thaty people usually have a preference.

Myself I like the position of the mossberg safety and pump slide release (whatever thats called). However I have relatively small hands (mitigated by bad breath and overall lack of hygiene) so the release is easier for me to get to behind the trigger guard vs. in front of it. Inversely I find the Remington action a little more smooth and easier to clean thoroughly. I may be wrong but I get the impression of less moving parts in a Remington, which is good.

Can't go wrong with either design.
 
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Model12Win M590A1.

The military uses it for a reason.
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That reason was lowest bid, not because it was superior to the 870.
Remington did not even bid on the last RFP.


It is mil-spec for one thing.
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Uh......so is the 870, the 1200 and a number of other shotguns in the military.
I'm not sure you know what "mil spec" really means.;)



It also beat the Remington 870 in endurance tests.
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Please post the source of this test.



More than enough of a reason for me to choose it over the overrated R870.
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Flawed reasoning cannot overcome the fact that the 870 is a superior firearm.;)
 
I like the safety on the mossberg. Visible to me when I have the arm shouldered.
I don't use a shotgun for home defense now and it is unlikely I will use a pump in the future.
I shot trap quite a bit a summer or two. Every once in a while we would switch things up a bit and try some 5 stand or other variation. I saw a lot of short chucks and such on follow up from people who used shotguns a lot at lower speeds.
 
Hey

I wish I could afford a good ol Triple for home D

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I didn't vote. This topic is so over-discussed. Do a search and you can spend days reading opinions on this topic.

I'll spare you the effort. These are all interchangeable and easily fixable or heck even disposable at the point they break. You aren't going to wear one out in your lifetime of shooting. Pick one you like best, don't add to much garbage to it, and just learn to shoot it.

For example, I have 870s from the 1960s that still work fine. Those are older than me, and they likely will last longer than me with regular use. From time to time, you read about or hear of a small part breaking, or spring needing replaced... but it's all very trivial.
 
The best shotgun for home defense is the one you have, and that your home defenders feel most comfortable using. If you live alone and/or nobody else is able/willing to defend the home, then it's about what is most comfortable to you. Otherwise, it's a good idea to find a weapon that all the home defenders are comfortable with using.

Never Ever EVER use anything smaller than #4 Buck for home defense, and preferably use #1 buck or larger. a .410 with 00 buck penetrates just as well as a 12 gauge with 00 buck, only with fewer(about half) projectiles.

I personally use a customized .410 saiga shotgun. Everyone feels comfortable using it, it is accurate, and very reliable.

Go to a gun range and rent various weapons until you find what is comfortable to you and your home defenders, then make sure you get one that is reliable.
 
I voted the Mossberg 590A1 as the HD shotgun I would buy. Because that is the one I ordered last week. Should be at the FFL Tuesday.

I chose it over the Rem 870 because of the loading gate, heavy barrel, top mounted safety, double extractors, and all metal parts, no plastic.
 
I voted 590A1 because I made that decision a long time ago. Controls work better for me as a leftie than the 870.

WJR
 
The best shotgun for home defense is the one you have, and that your home defenders feel most comfortable using. If you live alone and/or nobody else is able/willing to defend the home, then it's about what is most comfortable to you. Otherwise, it's a good idea to find a weapon that all the home defenders are comfortable with using.
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This, but you asked what of the three each of us would pick for home defense, and I assume that means if it were dedicated to home defense, only, and there weren't other firearms in the home suited for HD. You also said nothing about gauge.

I would pick the 870 tactical of the three, and I have a similar 870 Express, but one with the old style magazine extension and an 18.5" smooth bore barrel. For a dedicated HD weapon, I think the single unit extended magazine is best, as a shell can hang up on the lip where the magazine extension and the magazine mate. Also, I believe the tactical comes with that useless breacher choke, which you can throw away for HD. Still, it allows you to use screw in chokes, which of course aren't needed in a dedicated HD weapon.
 
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