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Nam Le

Need recommendation for a hunting shotgun

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I've been searching around for recommendation and most of the time, the answer is another question: "what type of hunting are you looking for? deer, waterfowl or turkey,...".

But since NJ is a shotgun-country, I'm shopping for a shotgun that does not stick to a specific type of hunting.

I've never hunt before and will most likely to start with small game, squirrel, rabbit, etc... as that seems to me like the simplest thing to start.

So, here are the criteria I can come up with (and pls feel free to correct them):

- No camo - I don't want more trouble when buying another barrel
- No turkey - I don't like their meat at all and will never turkey hunting in my life
- Extra barrel/choke must be readily available to buy, and won't cost me an arm & a leg
- Good weather resistant. I heard many negative review about Rem 870 barrel finish.
- Packaged barrel/choke is good for small game

So in short, I am looking for a most customizable & good finishing shotgun.

Please help.

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If you can find one, an older (pre 2006)  Remington 870 Express pump.  They are tanks and will last forever.  The newer 870's are okay but not the legendary quality before they got bought up by a penny pinching conglomerate.

If you can't find an older 870, then a Mossberg 500 will get all you need to get done, done.

Both are reliable, but the Remmy is probably a little more customizable than the Mossy.

 

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14 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

If you can find one, an older (pre 2006)  Remington 870 Express pump.  They are tanks and will last forever.  The newer 870's are okay but not the legendary quality before they got bought up by a penny pinching conglomerate.

If you can't find an older 870, then a Mossberg 500 will get all you need to get done, done.

Both are reliable, but the Remmy is probably a little more customizable than the Mossy.

 

I'm not into buying a used gun especially for this quality-related concern because they are likely to be overpriced, like a 100-year old stamp. I got into the situation once while finding a pre-remlin (JM) Marlin 1894.

Regarding customization, I am not looking to convert my hunting shotgun to become a tactical/defense shotgun, so not much customization is needed. Perhaps just another barrel, a couple other chokes, and a fitted picatinny rail will serve the purpose.

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4 minutes ago, Nam Le said:

I got into the situation once while finding a pre-remlin (JM) Marlin 1894.

JM stamped 1894's in 38/357 are going for insane prices because of collectors and cowboy shooting.  That, and remlin totally ruined the post JM reputation of Marlin, and Marlin has an extremely loyal and enthusiastic following.  You won't run into that problem with an 870 Express. 

You can expect an older 870 to go for $275 to $350 depending on condition.  While an 870 Express will not skyrocket in price like JM guns do, it will hold it's value better than any shotgun out there.  I can sell my 870 for the same as I paid in 1991.  Back then, the cost was roughly $550 in 2020 dollars.  It's not a cheap gun.

With that said, you already have it in your head not to go used.  In that case, just get a Mossberg 500.  That will meet all of your requirements.

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Mossberg 500 all the way, I've been killing clays, deer, hogs, birds and rabbits with the same one for 25 years now. I have a nice over under for fair weather hunting but I still rely on my good old 500 for all the bad weather days. Its beat up, a little rusty and I've carried it so much the checkering is worn off the pistol grip but it still shoots straight if i do my part 

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My 1st shotgun was a Remington 87 express bought new at Rays in 1987 — since then I just never was able to get used to the mossberg controls

If you have no preference where the slide lock and saftey are then either remmy or mossberg will suit your needs

Even if you wanted to, finding a used shotgun right now would be difficult — probably difficult finding a new, cheap shotgun too

good luck

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Mossberg 500 as well - if you can get the Field/Deer combo you're even better off - comes with a field barrel for buckshot/birdshot, and a rifled barrel for slugs.  

However, pump shotguns are near impossible to find right now - heck even semi autos... 

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Good morning

Yes, 870 Wingmasters are nice.  I've had one; but I don't own one currently.  My preferred hunting pump shotgun is a Browning BPS (I'm a lefty, and the tang safety is convenient); tho I also have a Remington 870 Express lefty, a Mossberg 500 (also tang safety), Savage 67E (also tang safety), and a Winchester 12.  I've had/shot others.   My thoughts on these and other shotguns:

Remington 870 - Steel receiver means its a heavier gun....good for absorbing recoil; bad for carrying all day in the woods.  Wingmasters are smoother and better built/finished than Express guns; but either shoot well.  There have been manufacturing issues recently (last 4-5 years or so) and Remington is in financial trouble.  They will likely survive, but right now I wouldn't buy a new 870; actually I wouldn't buy a new Remington anything.  I wouldn't hesitate buying a used one -- there are millions out there; parts will not be an issue.

Mossberg 500 - Aluminum receiver means its a lighter gun....reverse what I said about the Rem 870.  Even though its an aluminum receiver, unless you do something foolish like run it over, it will outlast you, me, and your children.  They are built a bit loose; they tend to be a bit rougher acting than, say, an 870, but its more what you're used to.  Most have a slight rattle-usually from the magazine plug that reduces capacity to three rounds.  Millions of them out there; parts will never be an issue.

Maverick 88 - Mossberg's cheaper shotgun.  VERY similar to the 500 - many/most parts (including barrels) interchange.  Main difference is safety is on the trigger guard, not the tang, and the forearm attaches differently to the action bars.  Good inexpensive shotgun that will likely last as long as a Mossberg 500.   

Browning BPS - not as common as the Rems/Mossys, and not as many accessories available for them.  Built in Japan (Rems/Mossys are USA guns).  Very smooth; very well-finished...kinda like the Remington 870 Wingmasters.  More expensive, tho...you're paying for that smoothness.  Bottom load/eject...drops empty shells at your feet rather than throwing them off to the side.  I prefer them for hunting, but I find the bottom feed/eject to be a bit more inconvenient for trap, skeet, and sporting clays; as they are not as easy to load as the Rem or Mossys.

 

Barrel length is a combination of pointability/swingability (getting you on-target and staying there), personal preference, hunting location/style (its tough swinging a 32 inch barrel in the woods, for example), and a lot of other factors that people will argue endlessly.  Most have settled on 28 inches as the best overall length, with 26 inches as the second.

Choke - depends on what you're hunting....

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You got some good advice from some of the above posters! 

I have been hunting with an 870 Express 12ga. since the early 90's. Under some wet conditions the finish will get surface rust that easily wipes off with a rag and some gun oil! The metal surfaces still look great and the gun has never failed me!I have a rifled slug barrel, as well as a 28" vent rib barrel. With those, you can do any Jersey hunting.

Regardless of whether you get an 870 or Mossberg 500, get a 26" or 28" vent rib barrel, the 26" barrel would swing a little faster and be easier handling in the woods, but if you decide to hunt ducks/goose, the 28" may be an overall better choice.  You would want a rifled slug barrel for bear/deer. I would recommend a cantilever scope mount over iron sights. With the cantilever scope mount, your scope is on the barrel and the barrel can be switched out and back with little to no change in zero. I didnt recommend iron sights because hunting hours in NJ for deer are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sundown. You will see most deer during this time period at the beginning/end of legal hunting hours. A scope is easier to use during this lower light period! Also, if you do go the scope route, dont buy a cheap scope, a good $150-200 scope will hold up better, have better light gathering than a $40 scope will.

Good luck, welcome to hunting! 

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Thank you for all the comments. Very helpful and mostly align with my own home work so far.

I guess the next thing is to wait for King Murphy to open hunter live-fire session for me to get the cert, then wait for the gun market to cool down a little.

If anyone having a hunt party that can take in a new hunter, I'm happy to join, even just to observe at first. I'm not new to gun. I have put at least a thousand rounds through my 4 rifles, a tactical Mos 500, and 2 hand guns. I'm only new to hunting.

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4 minutes ago, Nam Le said:

Thank you for all the comments. Very helpful and mostly align with my own home work so far.

I guess the next thing is to wait for King Murphy to open hunter live-fire session for me to get the cert, then wait for the gun market to cool down a little.

If anyone having a hunt party that can take in a new hunter, I'm happy to join, even just to observe at first. I'm not new to gun. I have put at least a thousand rounds through my 4 rifles, a tactical Mos 500, and 2 hand guns. I'm only new to hunting.

Wait a minute, you already got a mossberg 500, all you really need is a bird barrel for birds or a slug barrel for deer or bear. No need to get an other one, well unless you want an other one.

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18 minutes ago, always_an_eagle said:

Wait a minute, you already got a mossberg 500, all you really need is a bird barrel for birds or a slug barrel for deer or bear. No need to get an other one, well unless you want an other one.

Nah, it's too troublesome to swap out everything...

F2p6pGD.jpg

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1 minute ago, Nam Le said:

Nah, it's too troublesome to swap out everything...

F2p6pGD.jpg

That would be a really nice close range deer gun for buckshot! Just have to plug the magazine tube so it doesn't hold more than 3 total rounds! Just a thought!

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2 minutes ago, Nam Le said:

Nah, it's too troublesome to swap out everything...

F2p6pGD.jpg

I see what you mean, with all the accessories on it. If you do get into deer hunting, you could use that shotgun if you want. Since it has an optic you can use rifle slugs and just need a plug for the mag tube. If the heat shield is off then you can replace the barrel to a bird barrel. I have shot clays with my old police explorer advisors tactical mossberg 500 with a 18 inch barrel and collapsible stock before. Its do able, just gotta be quick with it.

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CZ has some very nice semi auto hunting shotguns at a decent price point. I have a CZ712 utility I’m pretty pleased with. It’s a gas gun, but they also make an inertia gun as well. The Utility model is a 20” barrel, with interchangeable choke tubes. 
 

CZ’s shotguns are Turkish made..initially I was a little skeptical, but it appears that was unfounded. The only ‘problem’ with the CZ line of shotguns is that there isn’t much in the way of ‘accessories’, for those who like to play Barbie with their guns. 
For me, the Utility model fits the purpose for me perfectly...a beat around the ranch shotgun. No accessories required. 
 

https://cz-usa.com/product-category/shotguns

7BFB103A-7CF2-421F-ABBA-6EDFFD193AB4.jpeg

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For this year's deer season in NJ, I am probably gonna use my H&R Pardner Protector pump in 12 gauge. Just need to get a plug for the 5 shot tube and some more federal flight control to pattern it, since I only got a bead sight on it. In NJ, you can only use rifled slugs if you got an optic or rifle sights.  I actually picked this gun up from a fellow forum member here for a good deal, all during the start of the COVID buying panic. Thank you @Matthew Lutz

20200312_192657.jpg

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11 minutes ago, always_an_eagle said:

For this year's deer season in NJ, I am probably gonna use my H&R Pardner Protector pump in 12 gauge. Just need to get a plug for the 5 shot tube and some more federal flight control to pattern it, since I only got a bead sight on it. In NJ, you can only use rifled slugs if you got an optic or rifle sights.  I actually picked this gun up from a fellow forum member here for a good deal, all during the start of the COVID buying panic. Thank you @Matthew Lutz

 

All those red shells in my pic are Federal flight control and that's all I got left, and I have had zero luck refilling them lately.
Hope you will have better luck and not paying a hefty price.

Back to hunting, yes the heat shield does come off quite easily, just need to unscrew the picatinny rails at the muzzle end.

So I guess I got a shotgun for small game now... just need to wait to finish the hunter course.

17 minutes ago, always_an_eagle said:

 In NJ, you can only use rifled slugs if you got an optic or rifle sights.

 

Wait a minute, are you talking about hunting, or about legal gun ownership in general?...

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9 minutes ago, Nam Le said:

All those red shells in my pic are Federal flight control and that's all I got left, and I have had zero luck refilling them lately.
Hope you will have better luck and not paying a hefty price.

Back to hunting, yes the heat shield does come off quite easily, just need to unscrew the picatinny rails at the muzzle end.

So I guess I got a shotgun for small game now... just need to wait to finish the hunter course.

Wait a minute, are you talking about hunting, or about legal gun ownership in general?...

Everybody has been buying guns suitable for self defense, including pump action shotguns and buckshot. I have a good stuff of buckshot, but I only have 5 shells of federal flight control, so currently that is in the tube for home protection. You just have to keep your eye out for what is available. Next time I am gonna drop some money for 100 shells of flight control, but I am gonna wait till august or september to pick up some ammo. 

The statement about rifled slugs I made is specific for deer hunting in the state of NJ. You can learn more about hunting regulations with your hunter safety course. Just ask your instructor.

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1 hour ago, always_an_eagle said:

Also @Nam Le check the for sale section on here, it looks like someone is selling some buckshot

It's ok I still have plenty of buckshots that I put aside previously after falling in love with the flight control.

There's one problem with my current mos 500 though, it has no choke so shooting small game with #4 or #6 pass 15 yard could be a challenge.

 

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Perhaps a 22lr rifle can be the ticket for small game. I am only interested in deer hunting at the moment so I am not sure when the season for rimfire rifle for small game in NJ right now but a 22lr rifle would work too.

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1 minute ago, always_an_eagle said:

Perhaps a 22lr rifle can be the ticket for small game. I am only interested in deer hunting at the moment so I am not sure when the season for rimfire rifle for small game in NJ right now but a 22lr rifle would work too.

22.lr isn't legal to hunt squirrel, rabbit in NJ. Only for fox.

Groundhog is only for farmer.

If I interpreted the digest correctly.

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2 hours ago, Nam Le said:

22.lr isn't legal to hunt squirrel, rabbit in NJ. Only for fox.

Groundhog is only for farmer.

If I interpreted the digest correctly.

This is correct! No .22 LR for small game, but you can use a .177, .20, or .22 air rifles. Some air rifles are really powerful, almost as much as a real gun!

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3 minutes ago, pasu0115 said:

Some air rifles are really powerful, almost as much as a real gun!

PCP Air rifles are extremely powerful, on par with 22lr.  While most are in the 950 fps family, many are considerably faster than standard 22lr velocity.  Hatsan makes a few 22s that exceed 1400fps.

Side note: Lewis and Clark brought a 46 caliber PCP rifle along on their expedition across the continent.

 

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Actually, I  think you've answered your own question.  You're already used to a Mossy 500 - just keep your eye out for another 500 or Maverick 88 in "hunting" attire.

 

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2 hours ago, W2MC said:

Actually, I  think you've answered your own question.  You're already used to a Mossy 500 - just keep your eye out for another 500 or Maverick 88 in "hunting" attire.

 

Not really.

The Mos 500 I have was always kept at home so I have no idea how well the finish would sustain weather.

Also for a home defense shotgun, accuracy and everything contributing to accuracy are not really that important. Point my red dot on the target within 7 yard and I know I will hit it for sure.

So I can't really give a review on the Mos 500 I have, except for the pros on the tang safety and the fact that it's never failed me at the ranges.

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