pistol grip shotgun

Shotguns without stocks are more toy than tool. Check the archives,there's tons of input.

500 vs 870, non issue, get the one that feels best. The Mossberg may break down first, but it's not likely for decades.

5-6 rounds for either.

New ones are $200-300. But used ones are common at lower prices. Very few lemons in either make.

HTH....

Like Dave said, a pistol grip is not ideal for most situations. It is still considered a long gun with the pistol grip. At minimum I would want a folding stock. It's compact and you still get a full stock when you need it.

i have a mossberg 500 cruiser with just the pistol grip, and apparently i was thinking along similar lines of just "for fun" but its not so fun after a few shots, gets to be kinda hard on the hands. i wish i had just been smart and gotten one with a stock and a pistol grip. thats my recommendation. you have percieved coolness factor based on what, movies and tv? versus actual shootability/usability... man i just need to add a stock to mine and not complain about it! lol

making a supressor from a redbull can

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uhm. Not to be tacky... but good luck with that and even better luck getting away with it.

first being, if it doesnt have a stock, is it considered a longgun, or a handgun? i need to know because i am 18, so i cant go out and buy a handgun(easily)

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You need to be 21 to buy a PGO shotgun. The PGO shotgun is not considered a long gun or a handgun it is considered "other". It is lumped in with bare receivers and other serialized (FFL only) gun parts. These parts (and PGO shotguns) can only be purchased by people over 21.

Earl beat me to it. This is an "Other Firearm" so you won't be able to purchase from a dealer until you are 21.

I liked to fire mine as long as I used managed recoil loads. But I still ended up trading it at a loss. I have to be in some very unsafe neighborhoods once in a while and I thought this would be a good car gun. I was wrong.

IMO the entertainment industry is doing a huge disservice by featuring PGO's in so many movies and video games. That's likely persuaded many inexperienced folks that they'd be an ideal HD weapon, and that certainly isn't true for most.

As most of us here are very aware, shotgun patterns are quite small at close ranges and you can very easily miss a man-sized target unless you aim carefully. There are people who can shoot PGO's with reasonable accuracy, but only after LOTS of practice.

If I had spare money laying around I could see having one just for fun and shooting water jugs, but I'd either get it in .410 or shoot very light loads.

If you get a Mossberg 500 with the 'Tactical' M4 type stock, it can be removed so you can try it as a PGO.

Then, when you decide it's a bad idea, you can put it back on.

If you get a Mossberg 500 with the 'Tactical' M4 type stock, it can be removed so you can try it as a PGO.

Then, when you decide it's a bad idea, you can put it back on.

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I did exactly that for S&G at the range once. Put it back together and it has stayed that way ever since.

You need to be 21 to buy a PGO shotgun. The PGO shotgun is not considered a long gun or a handgun it is considered "other". It is lumped in with bare receivers and other serialized (FFL only) gun parts. These parts (and PGO shotguns) can only be purchased by people over 21.

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There's your first problem.

i have a mossberg 500 cruiser with just the pistol grip, and apparently i was thinking along similar lines of just "for fun" but its not so fun after a few shots, gets to be kinda hard on the hands.

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There's the 2nd problem. There are many more fun items out there for the same money (like a lever action henry 22 and several thousand rounds of ammo + resetting targets for the same price!). PGO shotguns won't dazzle you with amazing accuracy. PGO shotguns are horrible for skeet shooting. PGO shotguns aren't fun for plinking because you can actually hit stuff better with a shotgun that has an actual stock. Follow up shots are non-existent with PGO shotguns. PGO shotguns aren't good for home/self defense. PGO shotguns don't handle better or aren't any easier to run or transition in tight places when compared to a stock-ed shotgun with an 18" barrel.

For some reason, hollywood seems to love PGO shotguns and people think they are uber-cool. I don't get it. The novelty wears off after one or two shots. PGO shotguns don't even look cool to me, but maybe that is because I've shot one and realized that they weren't really handy for anything other than storage in tight places. I wouldn't even want a PGO shotgun for a last resort weapon.

But to each his own!

At least no one has made any "shotty" references...man I really hate that word!!

There are people who can shoot PGO's with reasonable accuracy, but only after LOTS of practice.

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Not only that, no matter how good they are with a PGO shotgun...they will be better with a stock.

Being in the minority, I have two.
I have a Mossberg 500 in 12 ga. that I got as a P/G because my storage space in the safe was limited. I also thought the short length aided in maneuvering in a house. I added the Knoxx Breacher's grip which is basically a P/G with a spring to absorb recoil. It works great.
I could shoot it all day. (from the hip, of course)
Then, I came to the belief that a .410 was a better H/D choice, so I got another Mossberg P/G in .410. The recoil is so mild, that at the range, I find I like using the bead sight, so I may actually add a stock to that one. Maybe a Blackhawk M-4 type.
(I still like the short length.)
Listen to all the advice, then make your own choice.

P.S. If you want to shoot skeet or trap, get a stock.

Legally PG pistol grip shotgun and PGO pistol grip only shotgun are two different things.

PGO Pistol Grip Only (from the factory) is an "other weapon" on the 4473 federal sales transaction form and is age restricted to 21+. It is a nonconcealable shotgun not designed to be fired from the shoulder.

A shotgun that came from the factory with a buttstock as an ordinary shotgun (designed to be fired from the shoulder), with the same pistol grip added is still a ordinary shotgun as long as barrel is 18" or longer and overall length is 26" or longer (non-concealable weapon designed to be fired from the shoulder even if it is temporarily wearing a pistol grip). Age restricted to 18+.

If I recall correctly, once you install a buttstock on a PGO shotgun, it magically becomes an ordinary shotgun (re-designed to be fired from the shoulder) subject to the restrctions as an ordinary shotgun (barrel 18" or over, overall length 26" or over) whether it wears a pistol grip or buttstock thereafter.

Theoretically (at least at one time) as long as a PGO was over 26" the barrel could be under 18" according to an ATF opinion letter but I would not count on that holding up for long. The factory PGOs usually come with an 18.5" barrel. ATF opinion letters are often overridden. tis best to play safe and not venture into ATF grey zones.

Those are federal restrictions on shotguns and PGO shotguns (and I'll not even get into Title II AOW and SBS restrictions). Most states follow the federal definitions, but some have additional limitations on barrel/overall length. Check local laws.

There is no advantage to PGO (to me in my not so humble opinion) even though I keep a pistol grip pump as a HD shotgun. With the cheap Ithaca clone I have, the push-forearm/pull-reargrip hold natural to me with a PG shotgun helps assure positive feed. With the buttstock on, I have to remember to "bump" the forearm forward after firing to feed reliably.

From a "utilizing the safety standpoint", the Remington is easier to use.

From a practical standpoint, neither is

If you really want to play in that playground, buy the Serbu Shorty

If you're really all about this I'd suggest finding a used Mossberg or Remingtion with a full stock, then just swapping it out for a pistol grip. You could probably even find a used pistol grip on the classifieds here judging from how many have tried them and found them useless. Should be cheap and if you decide you don't like it you're still not really out anything.

From a "utilizing the safety standpoint", the Remington is easier to use.

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I think it's whatever you're used to.
For me, the Remington is hard to use and the Mossberg easy. Now, if you're talking about using it with the gun on your shoulder, the Mossberg would be awkward, but I'd click off the safety before shouldering the firearm. Maybe it's just me.

If you really want to play in that playground, buy the Serbu Shorty

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Yeah, the ultimate SBS. But pricey and requiring another tax stamp. (and it uses 870 parts) Would I like one? Sure! Am I going to buy one? No.

I thought the question was regarding PGO shotguns - in that scenario, the Mossberg's top safety is difficult to reach with a PGO grip

The Serbu requires the same $5 tax stamp as they make them from 870, 500 and 88 PGO guns, although I would think a bird's head grip might be more comfy than the vertical pistol grip

Run a slug in a PGO and see how much fun it is to shoot. The only real use I ever got out of a PGO is convincing my SO to shoot a 12 gauge. She finally decided the recoil couldn't be that bad if I could fire it one handed with my left arm. Of course after she got addicted to shooting skeet with us, I pulled the insert random slug magazine trick on her. Hey a guy has to have a little fun now and again.

I was never very impressed with the shock and awe (and pain) of shooting a PGO. When I bought a 500 set up that way years ago, I ran it with various slugs (including 3" Brennekes) and 3" buck, and all manner of other shells. It recoiled, but not painfully. I shot skeet with it, aimed in the conventional way right up in front of my face, and never got kicked. The reports of it being a "killer on both ends" were greatly exaggerated.

The pain or recoil really isn't the problem. (Though tossing in a heavy-recoiling shell to startle or hurt an unsuspecting shooter is a real <Not High Road Comment> thing to do.)

I abandoned that system because there wasn't a single thing I wanted to do with a shotgun -- from traditional uses to close-quarters fighting -- that I could do half as well with the PGO than I could with a full, conventional stock. Considering that this was/is my home-defense gun, I wanted to be the best with it that I could (not just the best with it that I could be considering a huge handicap of the missing butt stock), so the PGO had to go.

It also depends on the grip. The ATI pistol grip I have hurts after a tube full. The Tapco SAW grip hurts after about 3 magazines. Make sure you feel the grip in your hand as the ATI one is not that comfortable.

i dunno if someone hit on this but the mossberg's safety and slide release dont really lend themselves to a pistol grip