Why do people prefer pump actions over semi-auto?

5 rounds in 2 seconds is impressive for a pump. even 6-7 if you are a machine.

but i want to restate, i am an ametuer/novice shooter, and i was able to get off 7 rounds in 2 seconds in my video and that was the very first time i tried something like that.

If i were to continue to practice and improve, i know i could get more rounds off, maybe 8-9 in 2 seconds, and they would be on target.
 
But as previously stated... the gun will only fire as fast is it can "self cycle" which can only be so fast... The pump gun does not suffer that limitation;)
Brent
 
7 rounds in 2 seconds

Greyson97, that's great, but were you aiming at anything? If you were aiming, were you hitting?

If so, fine, otherwise the ability to shoot faster than you can acquire target isn't necessarily doing you any good, and could cause you some liability issues.
 
yeah, i already destroyed the 2 clays in the first 2 shots, and i was just shooting 7 rounds rapid fire for fun. so 5 shots went nowhere
 
But as previously stated... the gun will only fire as fast is it can "self cycle" which can only be so fast... The pump gun does not suffer that limitation
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I found recoil to assist in pumping quite nicely, using my forward hand as an inertia-driven action, if you will :p

However I suck far too much with a shotgun at this point to time it. I discovered this recoil-pumping by accident, and at the cost of some finger-meat (hurts like a bastard)
 
I found recoil to assist in pumping quite nicely, using my forward hand as an inertia-driven action, if you will
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As my left arm healed, I got back behind the sights as soon as I could. I was barely able to hold up the gun and unable to actually cycle without righting the gun and deliberately doing it as I couldn't even grasp the fore stock yet. I found that with high brass, slugs or buck, the action was fully open after every shot...:o Was more than 2 more months before I was back to cycling a shouldered gun. Having to regain the ability to hold a gun on target while so diminished in capacity has made me a more accurate speed shooter than I was before my accident and I am still far from 100% on that arm.

BTW, Greyson, When you try a formal clay shoot you will only be permitted to load as many rounds as upcoming dust doves.

When you first start speed firing, your limitation will be the conscious operation of the trigger by index finger... After a while, you won't even realize it has become second nature like blinking... the deliberate high speed cycling will be deliberate and will signal the brain to release the trigger and re-apply...
I find great joy in loading 6 rounds starting from 15 yards making fast forward march while shooting the target as fast as I can and seeing how far away I still am when gun is empty. The further away, the better you are cycling.
Back to the topic... this is exactly why I like the pump over an auto... I can do this several hundred times in each of several sessions, putting the thing away dirty but loaded for HD duty and have 100% confidence it will operate as it would sparkling clean. Same as a single but with several more rounds...
Brent
 
Most people don't need a thousand dollar semiautomatic shotgun for what they're doing.

Some people just prefer the classy action/look of a pump shotgun.

While others just have more faith in the reliability of a pump shotgun.

It's mainly preference based on application.
 
For me it is reliability. I had a benelli super 90 and it was not reliable enough for me, especially when dirty. Sold it.

I can afford whatever I want, but a 12 gauge auto is on the long list of guns I don't want.

I have found a small battery that I am satisfied with in terms of reliability. A pump shotgun happens to be in there somewhere.
 
Howaido,

Just curious...what was the Benelli doing?

Usually all it needs is lube on the bolt rails.

Only curious...

...not trying to cause a fuss...

I love my 870 (disclaimer for 870 lovers) :D
 
Reliability?

So, do those of you that prefer pumps over autos because of reliability issues also prefer revolvers over pistols?

In bird hunting situations, a jam would be a pain in the rear. But, I don't think that doves or ducks are dangerous to life or limb. In a defensive situation the stakes are much higher. A malfunction in a firearm could be fatal.

A handgun is probably going to be the only weapon available, espically outside the home. If semi's are inherently unreliable then you pump fans should carry wheelguns. Revolvers have fewer malfunctions then semi-auto pistols do.
 
that's funny...i was wondering the same thing. i'll bet some of the pump fans trust semi auto pistols...just seems a little inconsistent.

in my experience with auto pistols and auto shotguns, i have had fewer jams in shotguns than pistols. perhaps other people's experiences are different and therefore is the reason for their preferences.
 
So, do those of you that prefer pumps over autos because of reliability issues also prefer revolvers over pistols?
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Personally, I feel autoloader shotguns and pistols are far and away 2 separate monsters.
Everyone realizes a pistol may not feed HP ammo like round nose but these concerns get addressed. With shot guns you have a flat faced round that is the hardest to feed right off the bat... Then you have so many variables such as pay load, powder charge that vary so much farther than pistol ammo will. we then have issues with plastic hulls that can suffer slight deformation such as dents, kinks, bulges and the like while the action cycles... Yes it occurs in a pump too but not with a single mechanical action that is "PASS or FAIL" feed or jam. Then we have the metal base of a wide variety of length and material.
Brent
 
re:hogdogs

If a fellow is out shooting doves with his auto shotgun and it jams he will porbably get frustrated. If a guy is walking through a park and a thug jumps him and his auto pistol jams, he is dead. Auto pistols do malfunction, maybe not as often as self-loading shotguns, but the consequences are higher. I find that someone that is paranoid with autos malfunctioning might be a bit hypocritical if he doesn't CCW a revolver.
 
I see your point... But I think the only hand gun I ever had a mechanical failure with was a revolver with wore out "indexer"...
I don't knock an auto shot gun for HD... I just haven't ever developed a faith in them and rather lost faith with a like new winchester that jammed ALL THE DERN TIME! I don't think it fired 3 in a row often. Granted it was an older make and the new stuff is likely great. My favorite semi pistol stovepiped on range loads routinely but never failed with the old winchester silver tips. I had 100% faith in that pistol.
Brent
 
"So, do those of you that prefer pumps over autos because of reliability issues also prefer revolvers over pistols? "

So now we're comparing pump shotguns to revolvers? They are two different mechanisms. Maybe the comparison would be closer to being valid if there was a pump pistol. :)

Heck, is there an autoloading shotgun that uses Mr. Browning's tilting barrel lock-up? Again, two different designs and usually two different feeding mechanisms.

All y'all are trying too hard and making a biiiig stretch with that kind of comparison.

John
 
Sort of a tangent...

... but if one wants to compare anecdotal reliability, I've had more problems with revolvers than I have had with my semi-autos (not counting one particular 1911 with FTF and FTRB issues that I got rid of after my gunsmith couldn't resolve its problems).

Older revolver had timing issues that required repair - got to where trigger pull got heavy or completely locked up on one round in six. Newer revolver shed a plastic insert sight while shooting magnum loads. Newer revolver extractor somehow failed to catch rim of .357 brass and left one empty stuck in cylinder, then the extractor couldn't re-seat and I had to pry the brass out with a multi-tool...

The only reason I prefer a revolver in the woods is that it can be loaded heavier than a semi-auto in similar caliber.
 
So, where are we now?

I guess the conclusion is: any firearm of any sort can be a POS depending on a lot of things. All designs have good models and bad...and all models have individual specimens that are good and bad...

So, the bottom line is: pick something and practice a lot...not only to improve your own ability, but also to see if you got a good one or a bad one from the lot.
 
Pumps popular?

Yep they're popular alright, and I can give you several reasons. One they have an "old timey" feel about them. Lots of shooters are drawn to the guns of old, whether they are actually "old" or not.

So the '97 still has a following, as do the Model 31's and Ithica 37's and of course the Model 12 (I have the 20 and love it.) The Rem 870 just may have killed more things that move on wings during this past century than any other shotgun.

Also the pumps (especially old ones) are a bit lighter and sometimes they are slimmer too. So they feel good, and swing easily.

Lastly the pump is a bit safer to handle. I'd rather hunt with a guy who is shooting a pump that an auto. He has to pump after each shot and generally understands where the next shell is; either in the magazine or in the breech.

How fast do you need that second shot anyway? I've known pump shooters who can shoot that thing like an M-60.

The very best pump? Well, my fav is all of them, but I kind of lean to the model 37.
 
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