I’m considering buying a shotgun for personal protection. I’ve looked at the Winchester and the Remington and can’t see any real difference, except that the Winchester seems a little better built. This gun would be for defense only, I have no interest in hunting.
I’m also thinking about the option of a heavier pistol (than my .22), but I can rent those at a local range and try them out.
Entering into the equation is the fact that I plan to retire to a motorhome and kick it all around the USA till I get too old.
All opinions are appreciated.
Peace,
mangeorge
BTW; what 12ga shells would be most appropriate?
The old saw is that Remington is the top of the line. I know that their Police Magnum is a quality piece with better parts and fitting than their civillian and hunting arms. But I still like Mossberg’s operating system much better.
When it comes to choosing between the Win (which I am unfamiliar with) and Rem, I’d handle both and pick the one that feels the best.
Depending on your build, you might want a shorter stock like Hogue offers. I would also reccomend a quality recoil pad like Limbsaver or Hogue. Putting a steel or lead weight in the stock also cuts down on recoil alot.
As to ammunition at typical house/apartment ranges, bird shot, even No.8 or 7.5 should be extremely effective hitting more as a solid mass than as a spread of shot while minimizing over-penetration. No.4 buckshot (27 pellets) would be good in more rural areas (not in a mobile home park with close neighbors for instance). Stick to Max or Low-Recoil loads for shootability (less recoil).
In considering vehicle travel across the US, keeping the the shotgun and ammo seperate with at least one under lock and key would be wise from a legal standpoint.
I would also reccomend getting some earplug and muffs (wear both) and shooting glasses and shooting the heck out of it to get used to it’s operation and to insure relieability. I would do any stock shortening / recoil pad changing / weight adding prior to this shooting.
Due to my thick chest and short arms, a shorter length of pull does wonders for me with recoil reduction. http://www.hogueinc.com/getgrip/ sells a good pad / short stock combo. I like cut down wood stocks better because they mount smoother, but there is nothing wrong with the Hogue. If you have long arms, a short stock probably won’t be necessary. Limbsaver recoil pads are even better than Hogue pads ( http://limbsaver.com/ ) and they will fit the Hogue short stock (12" LOP).
If you decide to add weight, BBs inside the bolt hole of a wood stock or a plastic baggie of BBs wrapped in electrical tape inside the hollow synthetic stocks are a good way to go.
I put a few thousand rounds through a 590A1 Mossberg. Hundreds of jackrabbits fell to it. It wore the cut-down wood stock of an ancient Mossberg Model 600. Great gun.
I’m kind of partial to Mossburg (the 500 series pumpgun) personally, but I don’t think any of the standard choices will let you down. If the gun is strictly for protection, go for ghost-ring style sights and pull the magazine plug.
For handguns, I’d recommend either the Sig-Sauer line of pistols (the P220 or the P229 in .45ACP or .40S&W respectively) or the HK USP, again in the same calibers. I’m sure somebody will try to steer you toward the Beretta or the Glock, those being the most promenent among law enforcement, but while decent pipshooters I think the Sig and HK are more robust and easier to handle. (I’m not a wheelgun advocate, but if you go that way you don’t need anything larger than a .357 Magnum, and indeed, that’s about the best standard chambering in a revolver.)
Either way, as Unregistered Bull suggests, it is legal in all states–even those where the particular weapon might be restricted–to transport as long as the firearms are unloaded and secured out of the driver’s reach. However, if you plan to zip through Canada or Mexico, you cannot bring longarms with you without prior approval, and handguns are right out.
Since you are going to be carrying these for defense, make sure you study up on the relevent transport and defensive shooting laws (whatever you think of them, the NRA has a good guide on their website which outlines the basics of firearms laws by state) and at least get safety, if not basic defensive shooting, training.
Stranger
Since this is IMHO and not GQ, I’ll state that I always prefered Remington over Winchester. (I love my 1100) I don’t have a really good reason other than I liked the feel of the Remingtons better. The action seemed smoother but that was a purely subjective opinion.
As for shot, as others have said, somewhere between a 6 and 8 would be best. They have low penetration and are dirt cheap. Practicing won’t break your bank.
Actually, while #8 is a good indoor, close range round I think #3 and #4 are better general purpose defensive rounds. You’ll get more range with #1 or 0 but you probably don’t need that in a self-defense situation. The great thing about a pumpgun, though, is that it is easy to change ammo if you have to. 'Course, it’s much better yet not to have to use it at all.
Stranger
I went through this same process a couple of years back. After handling a remington and winchester, I decided I liked the feel of the Remington better.
I have almost no experience with shotguns. I thought about getting one for the collection, and I thought about the Remington 870 and the comparable Winchester. As others have said, Remington has a reputation for being ‘better’. But Winchester is no slouch! I decided that if I got one, I’d probably go for the Winchester because the one I was looking at came with a 20" barrel and a 28" hunting barrel.
As for Mossberg, I’ve never seen a pretty one. But I understand they’re very robust and functional. If I were to have a shotgun in a harsh environment (I dunno, on a boat or something) I think, out of the three, I’d choose a stainless Mossberg with synthetic furniture.
Short answer would be: Mossberg Defender 12ga. For home defense, hands down. The Remington 1100 and 870 are good solid guns and highly upgradable. Buckshot for self defense, just be mindful of what is beyond your target.
I have a Winchester 12 guage, and I love it. The action is really smooth and it’s very easy to use. A friend of mine bought a Bernelli that was $100 more, and I still like the Winchester better.
Thanks, guys. Now I gotta go look at the Mossberg. 
For home defense:
I had a Winchester Defender in 12 G. and I sold it to buy a Mossberg Cruiser in 20 G… With the 12 G. you are deaf and blind after the first shot but with the 20 G. followup shots are easier. The “standard, macho thing” is to suggest a 12 G. with 00 Buck for home defense but logically I think that this is completely wrong. I use #7 1/2 in my Mossy and I think it’s better suited for home defense (think about the distances involved and penetration).
Whatever you buy, train with it!!
Unclviny
All your 12 gauge pumps are going to be loud and kick like hell. It’s the nature of the beast.
FWIW, Mossberg 590 is the model used by the USMC, while the Remington 870 is the model used by the US Army.
Either of those would be fine- I might even buy a used one to save a few bucks, myself. Shotguns aren’t as high wear as rifles, and the barrels don’t wear out nearly so fast.
… belonging to us!
Actually, I thought about a 20ga for the very reasons you mention, but the store I was at (Big 5) didn’t stock it in the models I was interested in. It would have more appeal for me if I could legally own it with the pistol grip and the 14" barrel. I really don’t want a 12ga with a pistol grip.
I need to give this 12ga vs 20ga thing more thought. How is the 20ga for effect?
Maybe I’ll throw myself on the mercy of my local, real, gun dealer.
I guess I’ve never taken notice of how aggressive the recoil is on a 12 gauge. I’ve been shooting shotgun since I was 9 or 10 and I never found 2-3/4" shells (#4 or smaller shot) to be all that punishing. 3" and 3-1/2" Magnums can be a bit much but aren’t typically necessary. But hey, that’s me, and like I said, I’ve grown up with that. YMMV.
I don’t recommend the pistol grip sans butt or folding stock (though I do like a fixed-stock pistol grip for tactical purposes.) Even a 20 gauge isn’t terribly controllable with a pistol grip and there’s no way you can properly aim the thing outside of a Michael Mann film. Then there’s the whole political/image issue with “ugly guns” if you actually have to use it. Personally, I’d recommend that you stick with a plain wood or synthetic fixed grip stock, standard magazine, and no sidesaddle ammo carriers or the like. You aren’t going to need more than five shots in a personal defense situation anyway.
Another longarm you might consider is the Marlin Camp Carbine in .45 ACP. I don’t know if they still make it, but it was a little carbine that used 1911 magazines and was an effective short range deer gun. Or you can keep an eye out for a surplus M1 Carbine; the .30 Carbine isn’t my favorite round but there’s probably still a lot of surplus ammo around. Neither is as effective as a shotgun, of course, but they don’t make as much noise or generate as much recoil as even a 20 gauge, either.
Stranger
Note that 18" is the minimum legal barrel length for a shotgun.
Just a FWIW, but a genuine surplus M1 will be very expensive. And they don’t make a the Marlin anymore.
Another course of action for a simple to use firearm is the revolver. I got my folks a DAO (double action only) Ruger SP-101 (5 shot .357) for their RV travels. They keep .38s in it. They’re usually around $350.