Thinking about setting up a shotgun with ghosts or red dot, maybe both. Ext. mag, flashlight, sling?, synthetic?, just stuff that would be useful.

Then got to wondering if there are other things I need to know or consider about a shotgun at home or in the truck. Ammo bulk, ammo weight, pump, semi, folder ?

So..throwing it out on the forum here to folks who have them and use them in competition or practice with them for fun and home defense.

If you use them at work or shoot 3-gun, give me the ins and outs, do's and don'ts, pros and cons. Thanks much

I am not an expert nor do I pretend to be one on Internet forums. My familiarity is with the AR platform, I have a nice semi auto shotgun set up with ghost rings, weapon light, extended magazine. However it’s a novelty to me and I have always wondered how many of my neighbors houses would be perforated with 00 buck in the event I had to use it. I keep it loaded with #4 shot these days. Since I am more comfortable with a 5.56 cal weapon loaded with Speer 64 grain gold dots, and being that the 5.56 usually does not out penetrate a 00 buck round, I can’t really help you. Sometimes less is more.

May be worth waiting on, sounds like they are trying to get it right in as many ways as possible.

No idea what's up with the monster mag clamp.

I’d stay clear of pistol grip stocks. Some prefer a regular “youth” model stock but I get by with a full size on my Benelli’s.

Ghost ring sights and a red dot on a mount that co-witnesses the sights are really nice. I use GG&G mount and a Holosun 407c on my M2.

I set my M2 Tactical up for coyotes and home defense. Truth is I killed a lot of coyotes with my standard M1 with it’s 21” barrel and a headlight. This new one with the red dot also has its own Streamlight TLR1 HL with a red lense and seems to be just about perfect slinging #4 buck but I haven’t hunted it yet, got sidetracked with thermal and NV and chasing pigs.

The RIA VR80 (12 gauge) and VR82 (20 gauge) are both AR-like, gas operated, semi-auto shotguns. I chose the VR82 because I’m no longer willing to take the beating from shooting 12 gauge:


As usual, I made a few modifications to suit my preferences, as it accepts AR stocks (some may need minor fitting), grips, sights, lights and M-LOK stuff.

It’s kept by our front door, its box magazine loaded with five rounds of No.3 Buck. Two more five round magazines (one of No.3 Buck and one of slugs) are kept just to the left of the coat rack. In my semi-rural setting, my neighbors are not near enough to be at significant risk from stray buckshot. We do have a black bear snooping around our place occasionally. But, so far, we’ve not messed with each other.

Disclaimer: I do have personal ties to RIA. So, if you have interest, you should investigate and decide for yourself whether or not RIA VR80 and VR82 shotguns are worthy.

No shotgun expert, but here's mine...

Remington 870 Youth 20 gauge (24" barrel), added a decelerator pad, short rail for a light, tritium front bead, oversize safety and a shell carrier that has 3 buck & 3 slugs (I changed the shell carrier from what is in this picture), empty chamber with five #4 shot in the tube.

Went with 20 gauge and the youth stock since my wife and the kids may need to grab it.

Rural also, I've had issues with cougar, bear, raccoons, skunks & possums and my livestock. So far only used it on skunks.

The only thing I don't like about it is, it is not D&T'd for a rail... As I would like to put a red dot on it.

Also, 20 gauge accessories like magazine extensions and shell carriers are difficult to find and the choices are pretty slim.

Jerry

I go the 'less is more' route on my defensive shotgun. All I did was upgrade furniture on my 870 to MagPul.



No expert, nor a competitor. I did train with and use shotguns as duty weapons for a few years back in the day, while on embassy duty.

Stick a micro red dot on the vent rib.

You have the 6 shot mag tube which has no issues with the Magpul forearm.

The Magpul forearm with a 4 shot mag tube can have issues with sling plates that are held on by the tube cap due to the overhang

https://www.rem870.com/2012/07/03/magpul-stock-and-forend-for-remington-870-photos/

No experience with the stud in the center of the cap type sling attachment, but the type below will work with a sling attached since the sling and swivel gets shoved out of the way when the Magpul forearm goes forward.

Just the sling swivel with out a sling installed will usually lock everything up.

https://www.unclemikes.com/swivels-...tos/pumps-and-autos-swivel/UM-15612.html

I remember Clint Smith saying in one of his videos that you will most likely fight with the ammo you have in and on the shotgun. An elastic butt cuff shell holder is cheap and easy. A saddle holder is perhaps more elegant.

Simple is how I roll too. I have a Rem 870 Marine, but honestly prefer my Win 97 trench gun. Nothing but a front bead on either one. No lights. No sling. No rails. KISS.
I take it out on occasion for birds, just for the hell of it. It is is a real Win 97 with no trigger disconnect, so it can be slam fired.

I carried a Benelli for a while in the Middle East. I am WAY more comfortable with a shotgun at home defense ranges than I am a rifle or handgun. They just make sense to me, for many, many reasons.

We have some Rem 870s at work for bear defense, but they have actual sights, normal notch and bead open sights, which I just can't stand on a shotgun.

I am not sure this qualifies for tactical. I used 870s in the Coast Guard, but prefer the slide release, safety location and forend style of this 590.

My M1 is simple but a light is a must in the dark and the red dot is as simple as it gets, so this M2 is also simple yet very capable.

Ordered one of these:

Most any repeating shotgun is a good HD shotgun. No bells, whistles, or tacti-cool is required, but some stuff makes sense: shorter barrels, extra ammo availability, maybe a light, and I prefer chokes. Most of my turkey and buckshot predator/deer shotguns are great for it, though an old 1300 with a light and sidesaddle, along with a WWII REM M11 sit around with bandoliers, jic. Sights at house ranges are overrated. A big glowing bead or some white tape on the muzzle is about as refined as I need, and faster. If you’re gonna play in 3-gun?….go nuts. There’s variables added there.

I got a VR 80 and their pump that takes the same mags. I’ll probably by the bull pup when I run across one.

The shotgun I want to get is the lever action from Blackaces. Kind cool.

I shoot shotguns in 3 gun. My take is that the best shotgun for defense is a quality semi-auto tube fed model with an 18 inch barrel, as they very reliable if you keep them oiled and maintained. I'd probably choose a Benelli but there are other decent options. I've also used a Rem 870 some, and pumps can work fine, but depending on skill level there can be more risk of malfunction due to operator error in a high stress situation. I see plenty of magazine fed shotguns in competition, but I think they're too finicky for defense purposes.

The problem with tube fed shotguns is that they are slow to reload.

My personal preference in a weapon for defensive use is a relatively short barreled (14.5-16 inch) AR-15 with a red dot or 1-4X illuminated scope and a 30 round magazine. If you want to get an SBR and go suppressed that's probably even better. You need hearing protection with any non-suppressed rifle. If you're in an area where over penetration is an issue you can get .223/5.56 ammo that penetrates less than buckshot or most pistol rounds.

I have the KSG from Kel-tec for 650 from Psa few months ago. Love it. So short and handy with 15 rounds. Limbsaver would really be nice on it.everyone that has shot it here loves it. I have it in 12 but they also have it in 20 or 410. I will definitely get those also. I have an aimpoint on it. Very happy so far.

In current models, the Mossberg pumps seem universally respected, even the cheapest Maverick 88s. I had a 590s briefly, but it was a bit too heavy and any more I buy will be 5-shot, and cut for an optic if possible. The Mossberg 940 is another one that looks good, for less than the top-of-the-line Berettas and Benellis.

Meanwhile, I make do with a vintage Ithaca Super Deluxe Deerslayer, circa 1963, a somewhat emotional pick. Need to do some serious testing with various shells as some of the old ones don’t like steel case heads, including the Deerslayer’s 28” sibling.

In the current manufacturing climate, I’d not trust anything without a thorough function check with the ammo of choice, like anything else important. I’m fond of 870s, but have seen some problems in reviews of new ones, and even the 20ga youth model I bought for my son a long time ago was tricky to load without getting a hangup.

I have played with a lot of shotguns that can wear the label of "tactical" .. most do the jobs pretty well most pumps that are not just ultra cheap will work fine.
for me I guess my current protective tactical shotgun would be a stoeger 19-in tactical is how it is sold..

I actually spent the money and went had threaded chokes put in it
I have a lot of different chokes for it and have experimented a lot with different buckshots and ammo and slugs.

it wears a Holosun 510 .. I think it's pretty awesome it is never had an issue. so long as you use the minimum ammo the book says to use .. well I'd rather have a Benelli m4 yeah maybe or even the Beretta I forget the exact designations of a couple their new short barrel tacticals maybe but for this gun at about half the money yes I would trust my life on it after I used it for a while and learned it..


I did play with a couple different mag fed shotguns that actually were quite reliable. but I just had better luck fast speed in a tube than I did magazines and then most of the magazines in my opinion were kind of a pain in the ass to load.

I have never yet played with the bullpup shotgun though but they have my curiosity

If one is “stuck” with a cylinder bore shotgun, fear not, Federal 00 with flight control wads was made for cylinder choke. We shot it in a few shotguns and even IC tended to open the patterns up.

Hornady’s version tended to like a little choke on it.

I'll say this in generalistic material. the cheaper The buckshot the more it favored the open cylinder. the more refined it might lean toward modified and some buckshot more specialized such as the Federal full choke was even better.
is what I experienced with my shotgun after installing choke tubes and buying I think it was 13 different chokes. and some of these were specialized"buckshot" choke tubes

I bought a Benelli Nova "Tactical" back in 2008, it has an 18.5-inch barrel with sights, and I have made no other changes. It stays propped up in the corner closet loaded with # 4 buckshot.

No issues with the gun, no muss no fuss; I put a couple of boxes of buckshot through it every year and used it for a class in 2017.

They are still reasonably priced and there is a variety of aftermarket accessories available.

There are lots of choices out there these days.

StarchedCover

I will throw this in just because no one else has mentioned it...MagPul makes a forend {at least for the 870} that accepts their M-LOK light mount. This is a rail that will accept any rail type light. I have a Surefire on mine. It is positioned so that it illuminates the front sight or bead and makes shooting the shotgun a whole lot more effective in low light or nighttime conditions. This is more for self or home defense than it is for just plain old tacti-cool fun shooting, but if you use your shotgun for both, it really is an almost necessity. If it's dark out and you can't see the sight or bead the gun is not worth much.......M

Edit: if you shoot right-handed then you want the mount on the left side of the gun. You will activate the light with your forend hand.

Mine is just a Remington 11-87 youth 20 gauge. Loaded with a stout shell with BB shot in it.

My "defensive" shotgun doubles as my predator and spring snow goose shotgun. It started as a Mossberg 930 "tactical" which meant it had a matte finish, 24" barrel, black synthetic stock with a short rail on the forend, a largish front bead and a simple rear sight bolted onto the vent rib. It wears a Streamlight pistol weapon light with pressure activated switch. I added a 5 round magazine extension bringing capacity to 9+1. I load 6 in the mag for defensive or predator purposes as all that weight can get heavy. It also wears a side saddle she'll holder with 5 Brenneke slugs as well as a butt cuff with 5 00 buckshot.

I bought it used at a price I wouldn't be too disappointed with if the gun was a dog like many that came after the Model 1000. I don't know how many rounds were put through it initially but I'm over 3000 so far. The gun has been utterly reliable through several snow goose hunts in about any weather and ground condition possible; two "tactical" classes with several hundred rounds of buckshot and slugs (both standard and reduced recoil), a year of skeet and sporting clays use to gain familiarity and trust in the gun, and miscellaneous hunting and target shooting. All I've done with the gun has been to replace the recoil spring after I bought it. It looks like I have another couple thousand rounds to go before needing to replace it again.

I've got a Benelli M1S90 that filled that role before I switched to a carbine. I used it in a couple defensive shotgun classes and my 1st couple 3gun matches (not well suited for that):



It stayed in a V-Line long gun vault loaded with #1 Buck and wore an Insight light. It has Grs, which are good for slugs out to 100yds are slow, but I find them slower up close than just a large fiber optic bead. My 3Gun shotgun wears a simple FO front, is fast and I don't (normally) have issue hitting at 50yds with slugs.

I like the pistol grip stock on the M1S90 as it makes it easier to work one-handed, opening doors etc.

I switched to an AR15 when we moved out to the country as I'm way more likely to have to engage a coyote than I am an intruder.