Dependable pump shotgun

[elktrout]

Time to buy a pump shotgun. It will be field gun with 24-26 inch barrel. I have seen that Benelli SuperNovas have reliability issues. Still, it looks like a great gun. What are your recommendations between the Benelli SuperNova, Winchester SXP, and Remington 870? I want it to be totally reliable, easy to completely strip and clean, and durable. Thanks.

 

[9x56MS]

They don't come more reliable than an 870. Not pretty but a workhorse of a gun that will last several lifetimes. I have never owned one but my best friend has used his for 51 years straight doing nothing more than cleaning it after every hunt. My preference runs to Ithica model 37's.If reliability is your # 1 priority the only semiautomatic that fits that bill is the Browning auto 5.

 

[Cvans]

They don't come more reliable than an 870.

Find an older in good shape if you can.

reliability is your # 1 priority the only semiautomatic that fits that bill is the Browning auto 5

Keep it clean and it will be reliable.

 

[jmr40]

The 870 has always been my go-to shotgun. The design is solid and even though some newer guns may have minor issues they are easy to correct. Most of the problems are simply lack of attention to detail in the final fitting and finishing. Some may need to have some parts polished to work properly. While the purchaser shouldn't have to do this, I'd still rather have an 870 that needs some attention out of the box than most others. Once corrected you have a solid gun. I'd not hesitate to buy new or used.

I have no experience with the Benelli Super Nova, but the standard Nova's I've owned and shot were equal to the 870 in reliability. I don't care fort the "upgrades" of the Super Nova and would rather pay less for the standard gun. But while I find them to be reliable, I don't like the ergonomics on the 12 ga Nova. To me they are too fat and chunky, but many like them. I do have a Nova in 20 ga that is much trimmer. I like that they offer a 24" barrel that most others do not.

Another that I like that is often overlooked is the Browning BPS.

 

[Lo-Profile]

Another Remington 870 vote.
Find a older one they run smoother than the newer ones. Shouldn't be too hard to find one in decent shape at a good price locally.

 

[tmd16556]

My experience and opinion is about the same as jmr40’s on the Nova and 870. The nova is the easiest to clean and disassemble, so it is my go to if I’m hunting in the rain.

 

[entropy]

870. The WIngmaster is better than the Express, older better than newer. The Win. Models 12 and 97 are reliable, if one goes over them first. (Remember the M12 hasn't been made for 56 years, and the 97 for 63 years)

If reliability is your # 1 priority the only semiautomatic that fits that bill is the Browning auto 5.

M1014 Benelli. Nothing wrong with A-5's, but the M1014 (M2, & M4 also) is very reliable (the Marines aren't using the A-5) , and lighter. The 1100 is also a reliable gun, but needs lots of maintenance to keep it that way.

 

[Blue Jays]

If selecting from the Remington 870 family…pick one 20+ years old and have it refinished.

 

[9x56MS]

I had a nova, took it on 1 Turkey hunt the forearm rattled and made so much noise I traded it for a Browning BPS.

 

[9x56MS]

M1014 Benelli. Nothing wrong with A-5's, but the M1014 (M2, & M4 also) is very reliable (the Marines aren't using the A-5) , and lighter. The 1100 is also a reliable gun, but needs lots of maintenance to keep it that way.[/QUOTE]
The marines aren’t shooting light field hunting loads either. I have no experience with the M 1014 and am not trying to bash it. I can load a full magazine in the A-5 with anything from light skeet loads to heavy shot Turkey loads and have absolute confidence all will cycle flawlessly. Can’t speak to whether the M1014 would need any adjustments for different loads. Can you enlighten me on this aspect of it?

 

[guyfromohio]

I haven’t picked up a new 870 yet. An older 870 would be my choice. For a brand new gun, I’d go with a Mossberg, Browning BPS, or Benelli Nova. I have all four. The Nova is a tank and has taken tons of game from deer to pheasant. I do find the pump stroke to be longer than others and it does rattle, but it is well-made. The BPS is great all around. The Mossberg….I was a brand snob for years and considered the Mossberg to be beneath me. That was until I bought my kids youth 500s. With a Montefeltro and a BPS trap in the safe, my 6’2” lineman son (just turned 15) still goes for the Bantam 500 in 20 (I’ve since replaced the stock with adult-sized wood). He still keeps up with me on the Trap, Skeet, and Clays courses. I’ve since picked up numerous 590s and 590A1. I really can’t say enough about Mossberg.

 

[jar]

No one has commented on the SXP yet but so far I've been happy with mine. I still prefer my model 12 but the SXP has the advantages of more options and available chokes.

 

[Double_J]

Mossberg 500 / Maverick 88, Remington 870, Browning BPS are my 3 top picks. My Maverick 88 has been almost unstoppable, the only issues I had was a mag spring issue and carbon build up / gunk inside the bolt after a long day of shooting clays.

 

[RUT]

>>the only issues I had was a mag spring issue<<

I'm curious as to what this was exactly. Tnx.

 

[e rex]

I've spent a lifetime hunting pheasants and for my money you can't beat an Ithaca 37. The SXP should be light enough to carry through a stubble field all day too but I've never shot one. The other shotguns you mention are probably pretty good guns but weight becomes an issue if you have a lot of walking to do in the field.

 

[Tirod]

Mossberg 500. Military issue in DOD, tested, reliable, and accepted for harsh use.

What we really want to know is what are you shooting at, since the application makes a difference. Birds, slug hunting deer, etc. It even varies the best length barrel, and a few inches one way or another doesn't vary the spread and reach that much. There are plenty of shells that can do that.

 

[anothernewb]

x whatever on an old rem 870. Bought one off a police auction awhile ago. it had rattled around loose in a trunk, was run hard and put away wet more times than I had years, and was still perfectly functional.
was a seriously dumb decision to let that one go. been looking for a replacement ever since.

 

[AK Hunter]

I own Mossberg 500s but the Remington 870 is dependable too.

 

[Jim Watson]

The only pump I ever gave a second look was a Remington Model 31. Oops, they haven't made those in nearly 70 years. I have a sawn off Ithaca 37 to repel boarders with but that is about it.

 

[PapaG]

If well cared for, a used 870 WM, a 37 Ithaca, 500 Mossberg, Benelli Nova, Browning BPS, or an SXP will be just fine. I've had all. Benelli was too darn ugly but worked fine. Even a nice old Model 12 would qualify. I doubt you will see new Wingmasters for a while yet and would rather have one from the seventies myself. (I actually do have three). New, your choices are limited to SXP, 500, maybe Ithaca and BPS.

 

[Barnfixer]

I’m a 870 guy “old ones that is” but we picked up a SXP for my son six years ago. A friend I work with recommended the Winchester for him. It’s been a great gun with no problems. He’s used it for trap, pheasants, turkey, ducks & geese. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.

 

[Double_J]

>>the only issues I had was a mag spring issue<<

I'm curious as to what this was exactly. Tnx.

The spring broke at the end and jammed the rest of it and the follower in the tube. My local gunsmith had a spring in his "scratch and dent bucket" that is still working great almost 20 years later.

 

[Bandit67]

I have a Wingmaster built in 1969 that will have to be pried from my cold dead fingers.

 

[entropy]

The marines aren’t shooting light field hunting loads either. I have no experience with the M 1014 and am not trying to bash it. I can load a full magazine in the A-5 with anything from light skeet loads to heavy shot Turkey loads and have absolute confidence all will cycle flawlessly. Can’t speak to whether the M1014 would need any adjustments for different loads. Can you enlighten me on this aspect of it?

The M1014 is an inertia operated shotgun, thus it will fire almost any load as long as it can cam the locking lugs. The down side (compared to the A-5) is it's light, and kicks a bit. Not a good Trap gun. It is not adjustable with friction rings. (And of course, if you take them all out to ensure reliability in an A-5, you'll soon crack the forearm.) There are no gas action parts that need constant maintenance, like the 1100, nor a 'ka-chunk' to the action like the A-5 and other long action autos. It is utterly reliable with a minimum of maintenance, in combat conditions.

 

[DustyGmt]

+1 for the 870 and if you happened to be in a shop and they didn't have an 870 but you wanted to leave with a shotgun that day, a Mossberg would fit the bill nicely too. Either 870 or 500 will have all the aftermarket support you could ever want.

I love my 870 and agree with others, find an older one if you can. If you can't, like others said, the minor issues the newer ones have are easy to address. Sticky chamber? lil 0000 steel wool on a cleaning rod chucked into a drill will smooth it right out. Doesn't have to be chucked into a drill, you can buff out any rough burrs that may or may not be present by hand.

The remington 870 is one of the best pump guns ever made, as is the 500. The 870 is just a lil better in my opinion....