What's your favorite shotgun?

[Darkhorse]

Which make and model of shotgun is your favorite, from personal experience?

My main focus is home defense, rather than hunting or trap/skeet.

Why is it your favorite (smooth action, reliability, accuracy, ease of use, etc.)?

 

[JohnDB]

I'm much more of an water than anything else...

And I shoot trap and skeet to keep in practice.

Ducks, pheasant, turkey, doves, geese, and even deer.

So...I just like the one that brings me dinner.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Which make and model of shotgun is your favorite, from personal experience?

My main focus is home defense, rather than hunting or trap/skeet.

Why is it your favorite (smooth action, reliability, accuracy, ease of use, etc.)?

This was the only type of "shotgun" I was ever serious about getting for home and personal defense. Didn't buy one, but maybe some day....

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Mossberg 590

 

[Sapphire Skies]

Which make and model of shotgun is your favorite, from personal experience?

My main focus is home defense, rather than hunting or trap/skeet.

Why is it your favorite (smooth action, reliability, accuracy, ease of use, etc.)?

Remington 870 wingmaster
It's heavy enough that it doesn't kick too hard and smooth enough that you can fire add fast as a semi auto

 

[St_Worm2]

I agree with @Sapphire Skies I own a 20 gauge Remington as well (its an older model), by my 12 gauge, Remington 870 is my favorite. Skeet and Trap.

--David

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Which make and model of shotgun is your favorite, from personal experience?

My main focus is home defense, rather than hunting or trap/skeet.

Why is it your favorite (smooth action, reliability, accuracy, ease of use, etc.)?

I am not much on shotguns. But if you are using any weapon for home defense the priority should be reliability, lethality, and ease of use. It doesn't matter how ugly or uncomfortable it is as long as you and the wife can effectively use it at 3AM when someone just smashed trough the window.

 

[eleos1954]

This was the only type of "shotgun" I was ever serious about getting for home and personal defense. Didn't buy one, but maybe some day....

I have two of these and love them ... easy to pack around and like the options of the different loads. Also had a laser put on one of them .... as at night I don't have my contacts in soooo... the red dot ... yeah I can target that ok.

 

[Word and Spirit]

I could never shoot an animal unless it was rabid; I'd rather eat beans and rice. However, I love my Berreta 92 15 round, 9mm, Italian made for target practice, and defense. So smooth and accurate I can hit a bullseye at 250 ft.

 

[disciple Clint]

Which make and model of shotgun is your favorite, from personal experience?

My main focus is home defense, rather than hunting or trap/skeet.

Why is it your favorite (smooth action, reliability, accuracy, ease of use, etc.)?

Rem 870.

 

[Darkhorse]

Rem 870.

What do you like about it?

 

[disciple Clint]

What do you like about it?

It is an old friend, it jumps right into my hands, it never fails to function, it always gets the attention it deserves, it has a very calming effect in stressful situations.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Me, Ithica model 37 or Browning BPS. Great guns regardless of configuration with a short barrel or a long sporting barrel.

Buddy has a Judge; I think it would be great as a home defense gun with coarse shot. Fun to shoot with slugs too. LOL.

 

[Darkhorse]

Mossberg 590

Why do you like it?

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Why do you like it?

Well, first of all, my personal experience is from a military perspective and I am very familiar with the Mossberg 500/590 and 930 series, the Remington 870, and the Benallie M3/4. While the semi autos are fun in a range/competition environment, they can be finicky about ammo and need a lot of care to keep them happy, well, that and I just can’t drop $1800 on a sweet M4 shotgun. A pump shotgun doesn’t care what you feed it (if it is normal sized, some of the “mini” shot shells may not feed) and you get the nerve-racking psychological sound of the shot gun being racked, that alone can diffuse some situations. I chose the 590 over the 500 because of the thicker barrel and more rugged construction.

Now about my 590. It is not the standard full sized 590 with the 20+ inch barrel. It is a Title II/Class 3 NFA short barrel shot gun. When the short barrel Mossberg Shockwave came out it looked pretty cool. It is for all purposes a sawed off shotgun but is classified by the ATF as “Any Other Weapon” because it was designed to specifically avoid what would make it a sawed off shotgun. The only problem is that they are somewhat inaccurate and shooting anything other than light game or target loads of birdshot hurt. And if you change anything on the Shockwave, you have broken the law by creating an illegal short barrel shotgun. So I started the paperwork with my intentions before any modifications and with $200 and 10 months later, I received my tax stamp and permission to proceed. I replaced the front rip with a standard grip with no strap, the plastic trigger guard with a regular metal one from another 590 and put a full sized stock on it as well as having the front ball sight replaced with a proper “rifle” sight and a rear ghost ring sight. Now I have a very handy 14 inch barrel 5+1 shotgun that holds as much as a standard Mossberg 500 pump but is almost 5 inches shorter.

 

[Thomas Dunn]

Rock Island M5.
12 Gauge, 3 inch chambers, nickle parkerized finish, clone of the old and excellent High Standard Flite King, stock holds two extra rounds. Smoothest out of the box action I have ever seen. Smoother than my old 870 even, and trust me, thats smooth! A year ago these sold for about $200. Current madness has pushed them to about $300

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Rock Island M5.
12 Gauge, 3 inch chambers, nickle parkerized finish, clone of the old and excellent High Standard Flite King, stock holds two extra rounds. Smoothest out of the box action I have ever seen. Smoother than my old 870 even, and trust me, thats smooth! A year ago these sold for about $200. Current madness has pushed them to about $300

Rock Island M5.
12 Gauge, 3 inch chambers, nickle parkerized finish, clone of the old and excellent High Standard Flite King, stock holds two extra rounds. Smoothest out of the box action I have ever seen. Smoother than my old 870 even, and trust me, thats smooth! A year ago these sold for about $200. Current madness has pushed them to about $300

About 600 in Canada.

 

[ChavaK]

While it is't designed for home defense, it can certainly handle that capacity. I have a Mossberg 930 JM Pro that I love. I got it for three gun but use it for everything. I prefer it over a pump because it has much less recoil and is more comfortable to shoot. I upgraded a couple of parts and it eats any ammo and never jams. I also have a 590 but don't like it. Don't like pumping it, and the recoil is uncomfortable.

 

[SJP51]

Lots of good choice in home defense shotguns. Many listed above.
My suggestions:
- Stay away from autoloaders. They are less reliable than pumps or doubles.
- Keep the barrel on the short side (18" is good) for manuverability.
- Keep it non-tactical. In court, appearances matter.
- Go with whichever make/model feels good to you.
- Learn how to use it.

My personal fav is the Rem 870, but mostly because I've had it for 50+ years and it's like it just molded into my hand.

 

[ChavaK]

Just bought one of these. I hate the stock and am going to replace it, but other than that it's fun to shoot.