At the beginning of the Great Gun Sales Surge, I found myself at my LGS looking at a brand new Bushmaster AR-15. No offense to the brand’s fans (much) but my SCAR-16 is to a Bushmaster what Mai Barnea is to that woman who bags the rotisserie chickens at the supermarket. So I turned my attention to the long gun rack which, at the time, held long guns. Benelli M4. I thought, well, I already have a tactical shotgun (two if you include my Stoeger Coach Gun). But it’s always nice to have a “proper” ballistic back-up waiting in the second safe room. Done. I don’t think I’m alone in this. Even as manufacturers ramp-up production to refill the empty AR product pipeline, gun owners are looking at shotguns with new/old respect. And while I don’t fancy surrendering any gun to anyone anytime for any reason, ever, I reckon shotguns are Americans’ CHD (Cold Dead Hands) firearm. They are the guns that gun grabbers will never grab. Unless they do. I mean, the M4 is a semi-automatic firearm with a pistol grip. See how that works?

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50 COMMENTS

    • Absolutely!

      Many moons ago I picked up my 20″ 590 at a pawn shop for not much over three bills. After a sidesaddle and a Hogue stock/forend it’s my “ok, let’s quit screwing around” gun.

      It’s been said a million times but I’ll reiterate that the flexibility in ammo is without peer. Mine’s loaded with eight 2 3/4 00’s in the tube and six Brenneke 1 1/4 oz. Short Mag slugs on the side if I need to punch through damn near anything.

      Those Brenneke’s are no joke. I tried them on the flat side of a big boulder and they blew some very respectably sized chunks off of it. Not scientific by any stretch but short of but if I can blast 3 to 4 pound chunks off a boulder I’m pretty happy. They’re actually marketed as a check-point round to shut down a vehicle.

      http://www.brennekeusa.com/cms/special_forces_short_magnum.html

      They also have a 1 3/8 oz. maximum barrier penetration slug that can supposedly blow through Level IIA body armor.

      http://www.brennekeusa.com/cms/fileadmin/BrennekeUSA/Law_enforcement/user_upload/Dokumente/Brenneke_Maximum_Barrier_Penetration_Slug_Information.pdf

      • I took a nice buck this year with one of those short mags. Judging from what it did in his boiler room before it left through his chest, I’d hate to see what it’d do on a human target.

    • i agree strongly. cheap, reliable, and rugged. Also very flexible to change between a home defense gun and hunting shotgun.

      • There’s a million side-saddles for the Mossy 500. Can someone recommend one they’ve personally had good experience with, so I don’t waste money on something that turns out to be crap?

        • Its hard to go wrong with Mesa Tactical. Metal and solid. There’s a downside… you pay for that quality.

          I have used TacStar in the past to save a few sawbucks, and they functioned acceptably. But the plastic wears fast with extensive use, and rapidly gets to the point where it simply doesn’t retain the shells reliably… so you’ll probably end up with something like Mesa Tactical down the road anyway.

  2. At least I got my M4 back in August and have it “upgraded” already before all this stuff hit ..

  3. Never underestimate a good shotgun for in house defense they are great and can stop a bad guy with one hit there good.

  4. Mossberg 930SPX: classic stock version with Mesa Tactical side saddle, Nordic Components extension/railed barrel clamp.

    Doesn’t get any better for under a grand (2012 price).

      • Seriously?! Price in August of last year was $579.00

        Well… is was the best semi-auto for under a grand.

        Unreal.

        • Im so glad I got my 930 combo (with 2 barrels!) last year for $480!
          believe it or not I wasn’t tooget a cheap pump as a backup. I like the Mossbergs because I’m lefty and they have a tang safety

        • Im so glad I got my 930 combo (with 2 barrels!) last year for $480!
          believe it or not I want to get a cheap pump as a backup. I like the Mossbergs because I’m lefty and they have a tang safety

  5. Second Safe room, I’m lucky if I can find a shopping bag for my “other” gun,lol, Randy

    • You have a safe room INSIDE a safe room? I’m having trouble breathing just thinking about that…

  6. Do you really think the alarmists won’t quickly assail weapons capable of loosing 9 to 12 thirty caliber projectiles with every pull of the trigger?

    • Unfortunately, five round integral tube capacity for shotguns is a line item in Feinstein’s proposal.

  7. I have a Mossberg 500, that started as a pistol grip.

    I really want a Benelli M4, but I can’t find anyone to buy it for me.

  9. Your basic Remington 870 Wingmaster, 20 inch smoothbore. Hell, I don’t even clean that thing completely, just spray half a bottle of that stuff down the barrel. Probably I should get a new spring, though. Here, have some rust in your wound.

  11. Stop the drama and dont talk about shotguns. Next thing you know there wont be any left within a week either.

  12. Yep, when my well-conceived plan to buy my first AR after the election went tango, I bought my first shotgun instead. 870 duck gun, now wearing an OD synthetic stock, XS-sighted 18″ barrel, sling mount, extended mag and even a bayonet mount. And I can still swap the duck barrel for skeet and such. So it may not be an AR, but it’s still modular.

  13. Mossberg 500 in 20 and a Stevens M350 in 12 (a Scary Black Shotgun). The Stevens is my “bump in the night” gun.

  14. I wonder if my customized MKA1919 counts as an “assault weapon”, even though it only has 10 round “clips”. Oh, I mean magazines.

    • Yes it would. The law as currently written would ban detachable magazine shotguns of any kind and ban more than 5 rounds.

  15. So RF when is the new ammo out? I went to the website and the kaviar & super target are not there? Art thou an ammo tease?

  16. Maverick/Mossberg 8 shot pump, still around 239.00 with buttstock or pistol grip included.

    No justification for a 930SPX as the price balloons over 1K.

  17. I own several scary black rifles including a pre ban colt and several RRA and Sigsauer 516’s. Ive never owned a tactical shotgun but after reading the benelli m2 tactical review on this sight I picked one up yesterday. I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. It does have the evil pistol grip as well. I got that model just to spite all the gungrabbers.

  18. I quite like the Weatherby semi-auto 20-gauges I picked up for the fall hunting season. My SA-459 tactical turkey gun comes with both a Pic rail and a ghost-ring/fiber-optic sight setup, and shoots straight. I can also highly recommend the aftermarket Carlson’s choke tubes, as they fit perfectly and pattern well with the ammo I prefer.

    A bit of sleuthing has brought my 459 a nice magazine extension, a single-point sling setup in addition to the classic over-the-shoulder 2-point sling, and now I’m looking at options for additional ready ammo including velcro-attach shell carrier strips.

    The cost savings comes from it being an ATA (Turkish) sourced design with the signature heavy and light gas valve rings for the action. I’ve found that even with the light valve installed, it requires use of the heavier-loaded 2.75″ shells to function reliably. I’m expecting that as the springs relax a bit, it will become a reliable shooter with light loads (e.g. 3/4oz birdshot “target” shells). If not, well, I can always order a spare recoil spring and trim one coil at a time until it functions with the low-power shells.

  19. They [statists] just want to take away any EFFECTIVE fire[arms].

    In the end you will be left with a single shot air-gun with low joules and knives with no tips that are also not sharp.

  20. I dunno…have you SEEN the woman that bags my groceries? …no that not clever subtext, she’s literally a hottie.

    Anywho, I’ve always been a fan of the Mossberg 500.

    Which is why identical guns in 20 & 12ga.

  21. I’ve always said that if you only own 1 gun it should be a shotgun. Nothing is more versatile. My go to gun is a pump gun. Very little to go wrong with it. And because of my hillbilly heritage I’ve got a couple of the H&R single shots. The single pipe is probably the most murphy proof design ever.

    Of course, we aren’t yet restricted to just one gun. But think of the epic rush on shotguns if some of the more draconian gun laws being proposed pass. If you don’t already have one you better get on it.

    • The epic rush on shot guns has started, at least here in TX. It took me ten days to locate a Mossberg 500 for my sister in law. Cabellas, Wal Mart, Academy, the PX even the pawn shops were out of them. I was lucky to find one in a mom and pop gun shop 35 miles from home. Luckily I had bought a case of 00 buck before the nonsense started.

  23. Went in to ProForce in Brea, CA to buy AR. Bought a 10 / 22 takedown instead. Returned to pick up the Ruger, bought a 930 SPX. Returned to pick up the SPX and bought a half dozen Pmags…

  24. Robert,

    My thoughts exactly.

    By the way, has anyone checked out the new Brenekke magnum crush slugs? They’re making 3,800 ft.=lbs. of energy.

  25. I doubt I’m going to fork over the massive money for an M4 Super 90, but maybe a used M1 Super 90. Want a semi-auto shotgun? Get a Benelli, they’re the only ones that work.

    I also need to pick up another Remington 870, probably a Police Magnum or an old Wingmaster.

    • you want a real semi auto that works try an old Auto 5 hump back, barrel recoils at you shakes you to death but it works check out bonnie and clydes whip it

  27. To be smart, we should probably stock up on shotgun ammo now to stay ahead of the game right?? Or buy another shotgun while they are cheap and available.

    • No. No more runs on guns. Gun control and confiscation will not pass. We have the Supreme Court on our side. Hysteria helps no one.

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