I didn't read a single response from this thread, all I read was your first post, and with that being said, here is my recommendation:


Get a Remington 870 Shotgun! There are cheaper, and more expensive shotguns around that you can buy, but if you want the best bang for your buck for a pump action shotgun, the Remington 870 wins HANDS DOWN.

There is a big debate between the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500, since they are both affordable and reliable pump action shotguns. I happen own both of them, and if crap hit the fan and I had to grab one shotgun (that includes my expensive shotties, like Benelli, etc), I'd grab the Remington 870 Police Model. It's just as reliable as the Mossberg 500 (which is known to be one of the most reliable shotguns on earth), but the Remington will cost you around $100 more, and for that $100 you get a shotgun made with better materials, feels better all around in terms of quality, and holds up better to abuse. The Mossberg 500 is a great shotgun and is basically the cheap AK-47 of the shotgun world, which is why it's so popular (cheap and super reliable), but the Remington 870 is just better all around in terms of quality. Just handling both in your hands, you'll notice how cheap the Mossberg 500 feels compared to the 870 Police model. Everything from the finish, to the feel of the pump, everything feels better on the 870.

One thing the Mossberg 500 has over the 870 is ergonomics. The Mossy 500 has great ergonomics, and when I say "ergonomics", I'm referring to where the safety is placed and how easy it is to use, as well as the pump release and how you can operate it without having to take your finger off the trigger... The Remington 870 has decent ergonomics, but not as good as the Mossy.


With these two shotguns, you're looking at spending anywhere from $250ish for the Mossberg 500, and around $350ish for the Remington 870... You can find really good deals on both and you can typically knock $50 off the price, making the 500 $200 (which is what I got my 500 for) and $300 for the 870. I got mine at Big5 of all places... They had a great deal going on and I bought both shotguns at once because they were so cheap ($200 and $300, so $500 for both, and you save money on registration when you buy more than one).


Everything I posted above is for someone looking for an inexpensive pump action shotgun that is reliable as hell and affordable as hell.


There are a ton of other shotguns out there, like the auto loaders (will shoot as fast as you can pull the trigger, no need to pump), but those will cost you some coin and wont be as reliable as a pump action.



One other shotgun I have to mention is the Semi-automatic Saiga 12. It's basically an AK-47 chambered in 12 gauge! It's built in the original AK-47 factory in Russia and is UBER reliable, just like it's AK-47 grandfather. Siaga makes a few varients of the AK-47 chambered in anything from .223, .308, and even 12 guage. They look almost exactly like an AK-47 and all of them are magazine fed. Yeah, you heard me... A shotgun that is fed by a detachable magazine, and is semi-automatic. They even make drum magazines that hold like 20 shells for this shotgun! Having a magazine fed shotgun is pretty much the best thing ever, but iif you live in CA you're pretty much f'ed, so go back to reading the first part of my post since you wont be able to get a real siaga.

Here's a pic of the Saiga 12 rifle/shotgun:



Notice how beefy the magazine is? That's because the magazine is full of 12 gauge shells, and will fire as fast as you can pull the trigger! One of my friends has a FULLY AUTOMATIC version of this gun. He loads it with a drum magazine, ***** and loads it, then holds down the trigger as all 20 rounds erupt from the muzzle in about 2 seconds! It's INSANE!

Can you imagine if the ****'s had this weapon in WWII? I don''t think our guys would have made it... I really don't.

 

Buy a Remington 870 Police Magnum and a Glock 19. Pretty much all the equipment you'll ever need for home defense.

 

+20000 on the shotgun... good for everything and ammo is still somewhat cheap.
Trap shooting / sporting clays are some of the most fun you can have with a gun.

 

Just to elaborate on the Glock 19... The Glock 19 is basically the same pistol as the Glock 17, only it has a shorter/more compact grip, and for some (those with larger hands) the G17 is a better pic. I like the Glock 19 a lot, but it's too small for me to shoot, especially if it were my primary pistol. Your primary pistol (or the only pistol you have) should not have any compramises, it should fit you perfectly and should be reliable and easy to use and strip down.

My primary pistol is a Glock 21, which is the full size Glock frame chambered in .45. I'd recommend .45 for your primary weapon because 9mm isn't exactly the best defense round, although it is a lot cheaper to buy. Some people are afraid of .45 because or recoil, but the recoil really isn't much worse than 9mm... 9mm has a lot more velocity which means it has a lot more "snap" when you shoot, whereas the .45 being a big slow round has more of a "boom" to it (once you fire the guns back to back, you'll know what I'm talking about)


Although Glock's are GREAT pistols, there are many other pistols out there that you should try before settling on one. My suggestion is going to the shooting range and renting a few of the guns that you're interested in. Shoot a good 50 rounds through each and figure out which feels the best for you... Which gun you're most accurate with, etc. I wouldn't recommend buying a gun without having first firing it. All guns are VERY different from each other and you should REALLY try out as many pistols in as many different calibers as you can. After you do, you should be ready to make a purchase.


The only gun I've ever bought without firing it first was my Keltec SU16B, luckily it turned out to be a great overall survival rifle and does exactly what I want it to do. Not bad for $450! (Now they cost like $700, haha!)

 

For those of you saying that shotgun rounds will go through walls and kill people across the street is not exactly true. There's a reason shotgun manufacturers make various types of shells. You can shoot a low velocity bird shot at someone and not have to worry about the walls behind you. Especially if you're a good shot and keep all the pellets on the victim. Birdshot will take down a person, if the first round doesn't, then the second or third will and you dont have to worry about killing your neighbors.


Almost all pistol rounds however will go through walls and can endanger your neighbors. Having a shotgun would be the best tool to clean your house of would-be thugs. Not only will they run when they see and hear the shotgun, but one pull of the trigger will send them on their way because a shotgun blast is LOUD.


The best thing to do is grab your pistol, get it ready to go, put it into your holster, and then grab your shotgun as your primary weapon. Once your shotty is no longer needed, grab your primary pistol and sling the shotgun over your back in case you need it later.


Why limit youtself to one gun in a defense sitation? WHo know's who is in danger... Could be your kids, wife, brother/sister, or hell, even your friend/neighbor!



I wish I could have been on one of the 9/11 flights with a pistol in my hand. I would have popped off every single terrorist bastard and explained later, If that means prison for life, so be it.

 

I've thought about getting a revolver, I guess the fiance and I would have to go shoot one to see if we both like it.

I really like the USP tac. but thats a little out of my price range. I've heard some pretty good things about a Sig. A guy I work with is a part time officer for Oakland that a sig is his secondary gun and he loves it.

Yea I know my fiance would like a small one and I think that kahr 9mm would be perfect for her. Of course I would still like to get a .40 or .45 for myself. That would be cool if we could meet up... do you have land or just at a shooting range? My friend works at Sports Authority there in Vacaville and could get me some discounts on ammo or what not so it shouldn't be to expensive...

 

Yea I've looked at both and I like the look of the Remington 870 a little more. I haven't held them before so if comfort is going to play a big role in how well they fit my hands and comfort level then I will look into the Mossberg. Now again, being a rookie at guns I've heard that you can put different size shells in shotguns? Is that true or should you just stick to one size?

 

Again, come the zombies or commies, I'm @ Brucelee's.

 

I've been looking as well.

Recently rented several handguns to find out what I like.
XD9
XD40 4"
SA 1911
P226
P229
EMP
Glock26

Still on my list to try are Glock19, Ruger SR9, and CZ SP-01.

I'm trying to find something used between $400-600, and hopefully relatively inexpensive ammo (9mm).

I also picked up an Uplula since my fingers were getting tore up from not being used to reloading.

 

Common shell lengths are 2-3/4" and 3" for 12 gauge. For home defense, when your longest shot distance is not likely to be more than 15-20 feet, I use 2-3/4" shells loaded with #4 shot. This load is commonly available, relatively cheap, and pretty effective in a center mass shot. It's typically used for large bird hunting.

 

Birdshot is for birds. Not enough penetration to hit the vitals on a human attacker. Use buckshot instead.

 

i recently saw this shot load that has a slug and 3 buckshots...

nice spread pattern on the buckshots and the slug... well.. center mass...

gotta remember where i saw it.