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Wifey has informed me that one our neighbors and a customer at the store is interested in purchasing a shotgun for the home, and wants to speak to me about it. I'm not a shotgun guy. I did pick one up a year or so ago cause it was cool and about 50 years old and in great shape. I little single shot, break action 20 gauge. I hated it and promptly sold it to a gentleman member that had one as a kid. :D What I consider appropriate for home defense would be a short barrel, 16"-18" 20 gauge pump, for someone that might be new to shotguns. What is currently available that fits the bill as a nice budget minded,,,ooo, do I dare?..."Shotty" ? The gentleman is a vet and, apparently, decided after his service that he wasn't into guns and doesn't have any now. So he's not a total noob to guns.
 
Budget?

I hate giving noobs recommendations for guns, I did it for a friend recently and I flat out told him I didn't recommend he buy anything unless he was going to practice with it at the range because I was more worried they would have an ND than defend themselves.

Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 for relatively cheap, pump actions. There are cheaper, those are just the the two most popular.brands in America and can be bought anywhere that budget shotguns are sold.

If Semi-auto shotguns are preferred, they both have offerings in those too.
 
I hate giving noobs recommendations for guns, I did it for a friend recently and I flat out told him I didn't recommend he buy anything unless he was going to practice with it at the range because I was more worried they would have an ND than defend themselves.

Guy's a VET, not the animal doctor kind. ;)

That's the kind info I was looking for too, thanks.
 
Simi auto has less recoil
20ga will have slightly less recoil then 12ga
18" is minimum legal without a stamp

Mossbergs are generally cheaper then Remingtons but go on sale more regularly it's seems.
 
Budget?

I hate giving noobs recommendations for guns, I did it for a friend recently and I flat out told him I didn't recommend he buy anything unless he was going to practice with it at the range because I was more worried they would have an ND than defend themselves.

Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 for relatively cheap, pump actions. There are cheaper, those are just the the two most popular.brands in America and can be bought anywhere that budget shotguns are sold.

If Semi-auto shotguns are preferred, they both have offerings in those too.

I looked at both of those, briefly, and they don't look much like home defense guns?
 
Send em to a pit with a couple boxes of bird shot to get practice and see what kind of spread it gets at their assumed distances.

Pumps can be short stroked with adrenaline and not much practice.
 
20" 870 police trade in (maybe 1981 made).

Perfect HD shotty for me with the mag extension.

E6DBC10B-88BA-46E7-8A02-BE655E67F281.jpeg
 
Just a quick look......Might be hard to find one? Seeing as their talking of defunding all the police departments in the big cities. A LOT of people will be buying!
 
I'd recommend the Remington 870 "Youth 20ga. Usually a 20" barrel and easily used for men and women... Currently they are getting hard to find... Use #4 shot, does a great job and pattern, little collateral damage...:D:eek:
Remington 870 youth.jpeg
 
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If he wants one for home the Mossy 500 is probably they most common low end one around. There are of course better made ones but, most who fall into what you describe will go decades and not use more than a few boxes of shells. Few "plink" with one of these so they seldom see wear. If money is an object he could try some pawn shops and such first. Normally not hard to find used that saw little real use.
When anyone asks me this now days I also try to steer them towards a PCC. My last "home shotgun"( Win. 1300) has been a safe queen for a LONG time. The PCC has several advantages. Ease of use for the female member of the family, VERY nice for home use, cheap to practice with and many will actually enjoy playing with them. Few enjoy the house shotguns. So if he really wants one nice pump will be easy to find and use.
 
I looked at both of those, briefly, and they don't look much like home defense guns?

They are just model styles, within those styles they still offer shorter barrel configurations with higher capacity for HD and longer barrel choked configurations for clays/waterfowl.

Personally, I prefer semi-auto actions, as said by previous comments, for one thing the recoil is lessened, secondly, it's less for the operator to deal with beyond pulling the trigger. That being said, the first shotgun I ever bought was a remington 870 pump action with a 20 inch barrel and a 7 round magazine tube or 7+1 if you look at it that way.

If you go to just about any gun store, they will have in their selection a pumo or semi auto shotgun with a shorter barrel and higher capacity magazine tube with barrel in 12ga or 20ga. I'd say 12ga is the most common, but if the intention is for the woman to use it also, and she isn't proficient, 20ga would be better. If they both are proficient, 12ga wins.

I don't mean to discredit your friend, but being a veteran has little to do with gun handling proficiency unless their job had to do with combat or weapons handling regularly, hence why I don't like to assume veterans know anything substantial about guns unless they use them in their job regularly.
 
Just a quick look......Might be hard to find one? Seeing as their talking of defunding all the police departments in the big cities. A LOT of people will be buying!
Took a quick look up here north of you and see several. Not nearly as many as normal. Like many guns these do seem to be big sellers. Places like Big 5, BiMart and such seem to always have one on the weekly adds. Even if they did not have one with the short tube the big names seem to have after market barrels for them that are simple to swap in. Or can of course just cut one down to what he wants. The Mossy used to be seen all the time with two barrels already.
 
If he wants one for home the Mossy 500 is probably they most common low end one around. There are of course better made ones but, most who fall into what you describe will go decades and not use more than a few boxes of shells. Few "plink" with one of these so they seldom see wear. If money is an object he could try some pawn shops and such first. Normally not hard to find used that saw little real use.
When anyone asks me this now days I also try to steer them towards a PCC. My last "home shotgun"( Win. 1300) has been a safe queen for a LONG time. The PCC has several advantages. Ease of use for the female member of the family, VERY nice for home use, cheap to practice with and many will actually enjoy playing with them. Few enjoy the house shotguns. So if he really wants one nice pump will be easy to find and use.

I haven't even talked to the guy yet. And being dumber than dumb when it come to what's out there....I just need a couple of model suggestions for when I do talk to the guy. MY preferred home defense gun is a semi-auto handgun. He thinks he's wanting a shotgun. I plan on laying out some guns for him to look at and fondle for possible consideration.

I don't mean to discredit your friend, but being a veteran has little to do with gun handling proficiency unless their job had to do with combat or weapons handling regularly, hence why I don't like to assume veterans know anything substantial about guns unless they use them in their job regularly.

After his service he said he's had enough of guns. I wasn't implying he was a proficient marksman or anything like that. Just that he's not new to firearms.
 
I haven't even talked to the guy yet. And being dumber than dumb when it come to what's out there....I just need a couple of model suggestions for when I do talk to the guy. MY preferred home defense gun is a semi-auto handgun. He thinks he's wanting a shotgun. I plan on laying out some guns for him to look at and fondle for possible consideration.



After his service he said he's had enough of guns. I wasn't implying he was a proficient marksman or anything like that. Just that he's not new to firearms.
If you can offer him the use of some that is the hands down way to let him see what he wants. I did this with my Father long ago when he got a job he needed to carry for. He had not shot in decades, only had an old .25 that was his Fathers and a .357 with an 8inch tube. Neither what he needed of course.
If he stays with shotgun for home any pump should be fine. Mossy is just the most common one you seem to see. Like Ruger's they have been around so damn long made in such large numbers that there is a hell of an after market for them. If he wants to add on or change anything there is plenty to choose from.
 
Wifey has informed me that one our neighbors and a customer at the store is interested in purchasing a shotgun for the home, and wants to speak to me about it. I'm not a shotgun guy. I did pick one up a year or so ago cause it was cool and about 50 years old and in great shape. I little single shot, break action 20 gauge. I hated it and promptly sold it to a gentleman member that had one as a kid. :D What I consider appropriate for home defense would be a short barrel, 16"-18" 20 gauge pump, for someone that might be new to shotguns. What is currently available that fits the bill as a nice budget minded,,,ooo, do I dare?..."Shotty" ? The gentleman is a vet and, apparently, decided after his service that he wasn't into guns and doesn't have any now. So he's not a total noob to guns.

I'm not sure a shotgun is recommended for a home defense "first", they really should get some training and also consider a semi-automatic of some sort first.
 
I have a 18" Mossberg 590-A1 with some extras that has held down the fort here for a very long time. No one will argue the lethality of a shotgun, but there is the issue of collateral damage indoors.

Make sure he puts a quality white light on there. Mine sports a TLR-1 attached to a Magpul handgaurd.
 

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