Im looking for a shotgun comparison thread or chart, for tactical/personal/home defense shotguns. So far I've come down to either Mossberg or Benelli, but nothing in the way of models. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

What length do you want? Pistol grip or no? Shot capacity?

 

I use a Mossberg 500 18.5" with a pistol grip & M4 style collapsable stock.

Mossburg persuader comed in a few configurations: some major differences include stock and sigh options. Remington 870 also is an excellent combat shotgun with multiple options. Benelli, a great choice. You can go wrong with any of the 3 it just depends on what type of stock you want, what kind of sights you want and what barrel length you want. I own an Benelli Nova for hunting and target shooting. I have never had any issues and I think highly of Benelli. I also own a mossburg 20ga for claus and for the wif to use, also no issues but I haven't really beat that one. For combat shoots and home protection I picked up a Charles Daly 12ga tactical. It isn't anything fancy but I have put over 100 rounds through it in rapid shooting drills as well as accuracy drills and am very happy.

after the update of the forum, not all threads come up when you search. there was a whole Mossberg vs. Remington battle before and a Benelli vs. Mossberg thread. I went with Mossberg partly because of price. I have a 500 (much like Nick's) with a 18.5" bbl(and a 28" bbl for clays) with a Knoxx SpecOps stock. to me, Mossberg 500 is a good, affordable solution. Benellis run quite a bit more expensive, but if you can easily afford it, it may be a slightly better shotgun.

Feliks,

 

This is one of the threads of which you speak.

 

Mossberg v. Benelli

I have a Maverick 88 Security, which is a 12 g with an 18.5 inch barrel. It's made by Mossberg and is a watered down version of the Mossberg 500. You can get one for about $200 brand new. I haven't shot it yet, but heard it is very reliable and good for home defense.

Whereas I appreciate the input, what I am looking for is a comparison chart on all of the specs. Is one available?

All the Mossberg specs on are online: http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=28&section=products

It all depends on what you want, DR. There's no real comparison charts that I've found.

 

For personal/HD, do you want pistol grip or no? The safety on the Mossberg 500 is on the top of the gun, whereas the Remington 870 and Benelli Nova safeties are right next to the trigger. If you've got a pistol grip this could make a big difference. Also - what kind of sights do you want? Ghost ring? Bead? For close range, Bead is fine.

 

Edit: Found the Benelli Nova stats:

 

NOVA PUMP TACTICAL 12-GAUGE 2-3/4", 3" AND 3-1/2"

20050 18.5" Synthetic Open Rifle 40.0" 7.2 lbs. $409

20051 18.5" Synthetic Ghost Ring 40.0" 7.2 lbs. $449

Nova Pump Magazine Capacity: 4+1 Chokes: Fixed cyl. Length of Pull: 14-1/4" Drop at Heel: 2-1/4" Drop at Comb: 1-1/4"

To be honest, I've only ever shot one shot gun, and that was an Automatic Benelli in the military. Ideally though, I would suppose a pistol grip pump action, and I would probably go with rifle like sights

You'll have to come along next time we go to R14 or something, man. Most of us have regular bead sighted shotguns, which are perfectly fine for HD usage. Clay shooting as well.

This will always be a great discussion. Normally, I would say 870 all the way. But it's all preference. Shot a 500, then an 870, and then a Benelli.

For a pump gun, 870 police model all the way.

 

Cop motor, cop brakes, cop suspension... ect

I never used a Bennelli, but carried a Mossberg 590 and Rem 870. Out of the 2 I am partial to the Mossberg. I have put many rounds through them in different conditions and both functioned flawlessly. My preference goes to the Mossberg because I prefer tang mounted safeties and the action bar release is more user friendly. Sorry it is only a one sided comparison

so the Mossberg gets an "Ooh-rah"!

how about the winchester defender, i always liked the marine version.. but never purchased one cause i had no need for one but very cool gun..

 

http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=110

 

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/historic-detail.asp?family=012C&mid=512228

Those aren't made anymore. Dunno how easy it is to find them used either. For the money though, a Mossy or Remy is more than enough.

how about the winchester defender, i always liked the marine version.. but never purchased one cause i had no need for one but very cool gun..

 

http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=110

 

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/historic-detail.asp?family=012C&mid=512228

 

i believe they're the same as fn's pump shotguns which are no longer made either

but when they do pop up on gunbroker in an auction form(no reserve, no buy it now)

they usually end up around $450

You can get into a 870 new for like 400ish for the tactical model. Mossbergs have a tang safety which i was never very fond of, it also prohibits the use of a pistol grip if that's the direction you want to go. Just buy a used 870 and then buy a 18" barrel and you're good to go for around $200.

no more mariner but still make the defender..

 

 

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=021C&mid=512252

 

You can get into a 870 new for like 400ish for the tactical model. Mossbergs have a tang safety which i was never very fond of, it also prohibits the use of a pistol grip if that's the direction you want to go. Just buy a used 870 and then buy a 18" barrel and you're good to go for around $200.

 

 

maybe the size of your hand matters.. I have a 500 with the top mounted safety and a knoxx stock with PG.. no issues activating or deactivating the safety.. I will say it took a little bit to get used to.. but no issues..

Benelli, Mossberg and Remington all make great defensive shotguns. They are all different in some ways so it's mostly about where you want the features. The saftey is located in different places on all these makes. Benelli's have them on the trigger assembly, in front of the trigger. Remington has them on the trigger assembly but behind the trigger and Mossberg's is on the back of the receiver. Remington and Benelli have the action release in the same place but it may be different on some Mossberg models. Benelli's also have a feature that lets you release the chambered shell without extracting a fresh one from the mag. This can really help for slug change overs. Selecting where you want the location of these features will help you decide what to buy.

 

You also have to consider what, if any, upgrades you want to add on to it. There are endless upgradeable parts for Mossberg and Remington shotguns but not nearly as many for Benellis. Not to mention factory parts for Benelli's can be unbelievably expensive and hard to find, just check and see what an extra barrel cost.

 

If you are looking at Benelli look closely at both the Nova and Supernova shotguns. There are a few different models to chose from with options like ghost ring or rifle sights and pistol grip, standard or Comfortech stocks. The main difference between the Nova and Supernova are the stocks The Nova has a one-piece stock whereas the Supernova has a removable stock. Benelli Tactical SG's are also chambered in 3 1/2 inch so you can pretty much shoot everything.

 

- Supernova Models (click on "Specifications"): http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/benelli_supernova_tactical.php

 

- Nova Models (click on "Specifications"): http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/benelli_nova_pump_tactical.php

 

If you are going to look at Remington 870's, look most closely at the "Police" line of shotguns. There are numerous upgrades over the Express line that make it a much better fighting shotgun. I have owned bot a Nova and Supernova but I have since got rid of them for 870 Police SG's. Personally I think they are the ultimate defensive shotgun.

 

- Police Models: http://www.remingtonle.com/shotguns/870.htm

 

- Important differences between Police and Express models: http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/articles/870ExpvsPol6-30-05.pdf

 

For Mossberg, it's the 500 or 590 Special Purpose models. There are far to many to list but the complete collection can be found on their web-site.

 

- Special Purpose 500's & 590's: http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=5&section=products

 

Hope this helps.