Thoughts on 20 ga SA HD shotgun

[matttahoe53]

If we are reviving an old thread I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I thinks it's a great idea and I hope mossberg produces a 20ga shockwave. Does anyone know if the stock will work on a 500 receiver? I assume they are they are the same as the 590, maybe different material? They may have made a factory pistol grip 20ga you could convert, but you would have to cut a barrel as I doubt mossberg makes a short barrel for a 20ga.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I may be gifting the 870 to my daughter & FSIL (wedding present) and going with a 20ga SA like the 1100. I like to build functional stuff so that it will fit my needs & work as expected.

 

[DeanMk]

Apologies if this was already brought up, but if not.....Mossberg SA-20 Tactical Shotgun

 

[Mark W.]

20ga 18" barrel 12" pull stock either a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 for Pump and Remington 1100 for Semi Would be my recommendations.

As to Semi's being picky about ammo. This confuses me since every 20 gauge 2 3/4" shell is pretty much exactly like the next when it comes to shape granted there is a small variation in the weight but any modern semi is going to handle anything you put in it. The Rem 1100 has been around since 1963 THATS A VERY LONG TIME.

I had a Beretta AL-1 Semi auto that you could put anything that would fit in the chamber and it would fire faster then I could pull the trigger. Never a hiccup.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I wonder if the "picky about shells" thing ... comes from 3 inch guns running 2 3/4 shells?
Would the action on a 3 inch gun favor 3 inch shells and not 2 3/4 ones?
Andy

 

[DeanMk]

It comes from the fact that some lower powered loads aren't strong enough to work the action.
...also, I've heard more than a few complaints about Winchester shells in particular, because of their aluminum case (doesn't always extract).



Dean

 

[Joe13]

Went trap shooting with 2 guys.

We all bought 2-3/4 trap/quail shot 100 round packs, all three different brands.

Mine was the only one that cycled in the simi-auto 12ga.

The only difference was the "Dram" and it was a difference of 1/8th.

Some simi's may run anything you toss at them but there is a much bigger possibility a simi won't function when needed then a pump.

 

[Caveman Jim]

20ga 18" barrel 12" pull stock either a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 for Pump and Remington 1100 for Semi Would be my recommendations.

As to Semi's being picky about ammo. This confuses me since every 20 gauge 2 3/4" shell is pretty much exactly like the next when it comes to shape granted there is a small variation in the weight but any modern semi is going to handle anything you put in it. The Rem 1100 has been around since 1963 THATS A VERY LONG TIME.

I had a Beretta AL-1 Semi auto that you could put anything that would fit in the chamber and it would fire faster then I could pull the trigger. Never a hiccup.

The 1100 is what I'll be in search of this summer. Thanks for helping me nail down my choice for my next project.

 

[Mark W.]

I own 5 shotguns and the next one I buy will be a Remington 1100 12ga which I plan on setting up as a combat gun 30" rem choke barrel, 12rd mag, Synthetic stock, rifle type sights. I got Home Defense, truck Gun, Antique, Field gun for hunting and O/U all covered just need a full on combat nasty.

Think 12 rds of #4 buckshot before reload Thats a lot of lead down range in a very short period of time

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

If we are reviving an old thread I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I thinks it's a great idea and I hope mossberg produces a 20ga shockwave. Does anyone know if the stock will work on a 500 receiver? I assume they are they are the same as the 590, maybe different material? They may have made a factory pistol grip 20ga you could convert, but you would have to cut a barrel as I doubt mossberg makes a short barrel for a 20ga.

Or make one yourself 500 Tactical - 6 Shot | O.F. Mossberg & Sons

 

[DeanMk]

Went trap shooting with 2 guys.

We all bought 2-3/4 trap/quail shot 100 round packs, all three different brands.

Mine was the only one that cycled in the simi-auto 12ga.

The only difference was the "Dram" and it was a difference of 1/8th.

Some simi's may run anything you toss at them but there is a much bigger possibility a simi won't function when needed then a pump.

On that note, my dad picked an 1100 lightweight in 20 ga. with modified choke, back in '78 or '79.
A few years ago, I took that gun and my little single out to a range and ran about 2 or 3 boxes of Federal #8 Rabbit and Squirrel loads through it.
Not one hiccup.
Lightest load that gun has ever seen.
Can't speak for purpose made target loads or handloaded low-low power range loads, though.
FWIW, I hated that gun when I was 15. Seemed so long and cumbersome.
Now, it shoots like a dream.
Times changes things, I guess.


Dean

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Great point - takes some research but totally worth it if the shop hasn't done their research.

My absolute favorite is a J.C. Higgins 12ga with adjustable choke (clay gun but could be used at home, little bit long unless cut down though). Happens to be that during 1952-1953 these guns were made by high standard and have the jeweled bolt and everything.

Was just a bit rough when I bought it for $100 and then took some fine sandpaper to the rough spot and it works like a race gun now - smooth as silk and reliable as it gets IMO.

I wouldn't trade it for a $600 Beretta honestly.

If you want a pump gun I would look for a derelict Model 37 Ithaca in the pawn shop or at a gun show. These would go for $150 or less. The action loads and ejects from the bottom, so it works for either left or right handers. Five round capacity. They are generally butter smooth and will slam fire if you hold the trigger down. Many LEO organizations used to use them in patrol cars. These generally had 18" barrels. If you could find one of those it would be sweet. Of course, for HD, cosmetics would not be an issue. Neither would doing surgery to shorten a barrel. The one drawback is this model is very light in weight, so recoil can be pretty heavy.

 

[Tony617]

What ever shotgun you chose be sure a weapons light can be mounted to it and maybe put a buttstock side saddle as well for 5 or 6 extra rounds. I like the buttstock side saddle myself although I put a TacStar 6 round side saddle on the receiver first and left it there for a few years. I took it off since I had to remove the side saddle to clean the internals of my shotguns. I still have the receiver mounted side saddle on my first shotgun which was a 5+1 shot Maverick 88.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I recently picked up a used 20ga 1100 LT it has a slip on recoil buttpad, with a 20" barrel, it has the threaded choke barrel unlike my other short barrels. It shoots trap buttery smooth with #8 birdshot. We were putting in extra shells and shooting spray n pray style, just to see how it cycled. It did great! An instant favorite with my teenage kids.

There isn't a nickel's worth of difference between my Mossberg 500's in 12ga and 20ga for trap shooting.

Magnum loads with buckshot both have more recoil but the 12 Gauge has a little more. I haven't shot any buckshot out of the 1100, but it is noticeably softer with the birdshot.

The 3 gun guys say you should have extra O rings on hand. When semi autos stop cycling it's usually the O ring getting a little rough. For HD, just put in a fresh O ring every now and again when you clean it, and you should be gtg.