I bought my son a mossberg 20 gauge mini bantam when he was 9. It's basically a smaller 500. He just got upgraded and now I have this gun. I'm thinking of making it a home defense gun. Since it already has a shorter barrel and 20 gauge should do just fine for home defense. Anyone done this yet?

I bought my son a mossberg 20 gauge mini bantam when he was 9. It's basically a smaller 500. He just got upgraded and now I have this gun. I'm thinking of making it a home defense gun. Since it already has a shorter barrel and 20 gauge should do just fine for home defense. Anyone done this yet?

Do it. 1/2 the kick and 3/4 the payload compared to a 12 gauge pump. Perfect for home defense, especially if your wife or child might need to use it in a pinch.

It comes with an 18.5" barrel I think

You can replace the Bantam stock for a pistol grip

and the 20ga. makes a fine Home defense weapon.

Try a pistol grip before you get one. I have never found them to be very useful. I would rather have a stock planted against my body than have limbs flailing skyward with recoil on a pg shotgun.

I was thinking pistol grip or collapsible stock

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

The Blackhawk recoil reducing adjustable ones are nice. I find the grip to work better with a stock. Remember on a Mossberg the safety won't be reachable with your thump if you use a grip.

Try a pistol grip before you get one. I have never found them to be very useful. I would rather have a stock planted against my body than have limbs flailing skyward with recoil on a pg shotgun.

Remarkable point. The PG makes you feel like you can maneuver it better. But now after shooting a shotgun for clays i feel like the actual "shooting" part is way better with a stock. I took a new shooter to the range to try my Moss 500 with PG and when i tried putting it up to my cheek I was like "what the hell is this?". It just feels way more natural on the regular stock

You really don't put a pistol grip gun up to your cheek.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

You really don't put a pistol grip gun up to your cheek.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I gave myself a fat lip trying that once. JonF was with me. He thought I would be picking up my teeth.

I'm stuck between a few ideas. I'm liking the home defense gun. I could set it up for my wife to shoot but I don't think she would use it. My daughter isn't even 3 yet so I'm not hiding it for that long til she starts shooting. I can change a stock back and forth and use it for classes when needed too.

Of course you can use it, it shouldn't even be in question. Get a couple stocks and a couple barrels you have a multi-purpose shotgun ready to go for whatever.

 

I wouldn't suggest cheek welding a PG shotgun, but we shoot clays with PGers and have no problem. It can be brought up to your eyes to align the bead but you have to make sure your holding it out far enough...or else.

My brother has a 20g home defense shotgun set up for his wife to use, Its really fun to shoot and I wouldn't feel under gunned with one.

My father inlaw won a weatherby 20g home defense. That's what got me thinking

More info please on this PG vs standard stock aiming situation. Obviously I have felt the difference, but you are supposed to sight them differently? I'm confused.

 

Oh wait. I don't mean pure PG I mean a PG stock like an AR stock on my 500. I thought thats what Shawn meant

 

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/SpecOps-NRS-Shotgun-Stock,1157,165.htm

I used to have a mossberg 500 pistol grip only shotgun 12 guage and never had any issues with it flailing around violently... Or with putting shot on paper at self defense distances....

A lot of people think you point a shotgun and it leaves a huge swath of destruction. The size of a buckshot load at self defence distances is about that of a baseball, so it is only giving you a few inches of added punch radius over a rifle or pistol bullet, so that means you need to aim it nearly as well as a rifle or pistol. To me that means shoulder stock, with or without pistol grip. If birdshot were a good send defence round, then I would consider a grip only, because birdshot does spread.

A lot of people think you point a shotgun and it leaves a huge swath of destruction. The size of a buckshot load at self defence distances is about that of a baseball, so it is only giving you a few inches of added punch radius over a rifle or pistol bullet, so that means you need to aim it nearly as well as a rifle or pistol. To me that means shoulder stock, with or without pistol grip. If birdshot were a good send defence round, then I would consider a grip only, because birdshot does spread.

I'm not saying its ideal but I have no issues hitting a man sized target at self defense distances with a pistol grip only shotgun.... I prefer a carbine over any of that....

you can run a birdshead grip if you're set on not running a stock.

 

I never liked any kind of PG or PG stock on a 500...the action release is awkward with a PG