To all the folks that believe 12 ga is somewhat more effective… It’s really not.
Sorry guys time to catch up on modern ammo.
Many tests have been run and 20 and even 28 ga are as effective as 12 with less theatrics and punch to the shooter. Assuming you can shoot. If you’re a poor shot all bets are off.
Unless you’re trying to shoot down geese at 50+ yards (in which case you need all the payload and distance you can get with crappy steel shot), 20, 28 and even the lowly 410 will be very effective at hunting game at field shotgun ranges.
I expect everyone to do so unless they choose not to. I’m not here to change anyone’s mind. Just offering what little knowledge I have on a subject. But the material proving my statement is everywhere, one only has to look.
Nope they don’t. My buddy has killed more turkeys than just about all the hunters I know together… with a 20 ga IM fixed choke 60 year old gun.
Yet, every “expert” will tell you that you need a modern gas operated semi-auto 12 ga 3” Magnum with a $60 special turkey choke.
Marketing is an amazing thing, but my buddy is out hunting while the experts are watching hunting TV shows and the commercials. No one told him his shotgun is not suitable for turkeys
As in most hunting. I was hunting coyotes on my own property a while back. That day I took out a heavy barreled Remington 700 chambered in .223 loaded with 45gr JHP.
While laying in deep cover I spotted a big fat doe about 125 yards away and it was deer season and I had a bunch of doe landowner tags, and I was armed with just about the worst possible ammo I could use on deer.
BUT, I also knew that this was a .25 MOA gun and I had extreme confidence in this setup. I put the crosshairs right behind the doe’s ear and pressed the trigger. She never knew what hit her.
I’m not saying that every shooter should go out in the field with a small gauge gun. Just that the equipment and gauge is not really the limitation unless you get to extreme ranges or uses like the geese I was talking about in which case I’d rather have a 10ga .
I’m a shotgun newbie but as a person who has no problem relying on the lowly 9mm and occasionally the even weaker .380 to protect myself and my family I have no problem and even prefer using lower power alternatives if they are proven to be effective.
The one thing that kept directing me back to 12 gauge over the other options was the lack of availability of well proven, high quality, tight patterning self defense options in the other gauges.
With the 12 gauge I could fairly easily find very highly regarded, low recoiling options like the Federal Flight Control 00 buckshot and Federal Truball low recoil slugs. I find them both to be very controllable out of my shotgun and based on testing I trust them to do what they need to even if I am forced to extend the range out to the limit of what I am comfortable using a shotgun for.
And BTW I have nothing against the 12ga! Actually from a value perspective 12ga shells are about 75% of the cost of comparable 28ga and less than half of .410 nowadays. And you can easily get them in every shot size and power level even at Walmart! Hell there’s 100 shells of 7 1/2 shot 12ga AA shells in my Jeep right now
So I get why the 12ga is the standard by which all other options are judged. I just love variety and challenge
I personally have 2 Mossbergs, a 500 5+1 & 590S Tactical 13+1 with 1 3/4 shells. The 590S also can shoot 2 3/4 & 3" shells as well as slugs. I dont have to change any barrels or chokes!! I also have a Kel-Tek KSG that shoots 14+1 3", and it also shoots mini shells and 2 3/4 shell’s and 3".
I wouldn’t mind possibly getting a Remington…but, I’ve also seen alot of reviews, hence why I bought Mossbergs. Bennelli, just out of my peice range…CZ, seems solid as well.
FWIW, I’d look for one with a walnut stock.
Besides the esthetic value of a finely figured piece of wood, it makes a decent club when you’re out of ammo in a HD scenario.
Yes. For defensive use, the 12 gauge is the place to be unless you are physically incapable of using it successfully in which case, I would say…get an AR in 5.56 as you probably should have to begin with
Personally, with the exception of my first shotgun, all serve specific purposes. A shotgun set up for hd requires changes every time you want to use it for hunting, clays, etc. My first shotgun, a Remington 870 Express Super mag, has an hd barrel and a 26" 3.5" mag barrel. All others are specifically hunting shotguns asside from the one or two shorter barrel models. If you only want or can afford one shotgun, and have multiple needs, make sure the model you get can be fitted for all purposes. The 870 fits that bill. With a barrel change, that’s less expensive than another shotgun, it can be utilized for hunting or shortened for hd.
I would really like to have another shotgun, just for range/fun but my spine doesn’t enjoy them anymore. I did shoot one with mini shells w/o stock that wasn’t as taxing on me last year. I could use that for the occasional rattlesnake I encounter on the BLM
I agree with Trelem1 Reliability and quality I have Benelli M1 super 90 i have had several years 22 in barrel choke included have fired several rounds all mixed loads and shot size as i load a few for myself,if you like the one you have thats the one to have i have had several shotguns over the years some not so very good others not very good or reliable.
I find shooting my 12 gauge Beretta A300 Patrol semi auto, with low recoil ammo and using the push pull technique, to be surprisingly light on my shoulder. The Beretta 1301 is supposedly even lighter recoiling though it costs a fair amount more.
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