Shotgun for Chicago

[NoirFan]

Hi all,

If things pan out, a career change will soon take me to the city of Chicago. I will be living and working downtown and I know I will not be able to bring along my .357 magnum for personal defense. Honestly this rankles quite a bit but I have decided to look at it as an opportunity... an opportunity to buy a shotgun!

I think I have narrowed it down to a Mossberg 590, and after a few THR searches here is what I want, with a few accompanying questions:

18.5" barrel
Some kind of ghost ring/night sights - Is there such a thing?
Heat shield - Can you fit a heat shield on a 18.5", ghost ring sighted barrel?
Mag tube flush with barrel

Basically, what is the most economical way to assemble all these features on one gun?

 

[357wheelgunner]

No need for a heat shield, just don't grab the barrel. Most defensive situations don't require you to fire a few hundred shells, so your barrel won't heat up that much.

Look into the Mossberg 590 line, they have everything you're looking for. You should be able to get a 590, with a flush magazine tube, and ghost ring sights for waaaay less than other shotgun brands.

 

[Vicious-Peanut]

The scariest one you can find!

 

[NoirFan]

357wheelgunner, I know I don't really need a heat shield, but I would prefer to have it for looks. After all I may never fire the gun in self-defense but I have to look at it every day So is there a way to put a heat shield on a 18.5" GRS barrel?

Also, for effective night sights, do you need to have both a glowing front and rear sight, or just the front?

Thanks,

 

[357wheelgunner]

357wheelgunner, I know I don't really need a heat shield, but I would prefer to have it for looks. After all I may never fire the gun in self-defense but I have to look at it every day So is there a way to put a heat shield on a GRS barrel?

Good point! I wish I could answer the question though, I know that many of the 500s come with heat shields, but they all have bead sights.

Also, is there a high-quality glow-in-the dark GRS I can install myself?

I really wouldn't recommend it, sights are tricky sometimes. Let a gunsmith do it if you need the tritium inserts. I wouldn't even mess with it, the factory 590 ghostrings are pretty good as they come.

 

[Bix]

Couple things, NF:

• All the 590s I've seen with factory Ghost Rings have been 20" guns. There may be a different configuration out there, but that's what I've seen.

• Were I in your position, after landing in town and acquiring my FOID card, I'd take a spin up to Shore Galleries and check out their stock. I picked up a police trade-in wingmaster up there for $195 earlier this year. Their current flyer shows an 18", rifle sighted Police for $325, and they throw in a sidesaddle:
  
  http://www.shoregalleries.com/downloads/flyers/08usedgun.pdf

• Expect your registration application to be denied. Mine was, as described here:
  
  http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=26910
  
  I initiated an appeal and eventually got my permit. This process will provide you with a nice introduction to dealing with the City of Chicago .

• Most importantly, training opportunities abound. To paraphrase Cooper - owning the weapon makes you no more prepared than owning a piano makes you a musician. Get training. Louis Awerbuck runs shotgun classes every summer within driving distance of the Loop. Same with Farnam and several others. Run a search with my username and "training options" and you'll find details.

Welcome and good luck!

 

[NoirFan]

Bix, thanks for the links to training events. I will definitely take a defense course with my 590 once I get it, since I am new to shotguns.

I found this post by "m24 shooter" on TFL - http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279707&highlight=mossberg+590 - where he shows how to install a heat shield on a GRS barrel so I know it can be done. However, he is doing it on a 20" barrel, whereas I want an 18.5" So my question becomes: is the Mossberg heat shield short enough to be installed on the 18.5" barrel?

Thanks,

 

[357wheelgunner]

I looked and you can't get an 18.5" barreled gun with ghost ring sights from Mossy. The 1.5" isn't that much difference. I keep a 20" gun and have no trouble navigating the house with it, at least compared to an 18" shotgun.

 

[Z-Michigan]

The Mossberg 590 "mil spec" version would be a good choice.

To my knowledge, 590 line is only 20" barrel, no other lengths. The 590's use a different barrel attachment and magazine tube setup than other 500's.

You know about the Illinois FOID requirement, right?

Also, when choosing where to live, be aware that some buildings may have their own restrictions in the lease or what not. If you need to ask, have some story about trap/skeet shooting, not self defense. Also, many apartment buildings, even very fancy and expensive ones, used a form of financing (I think some form of HUD loan, but I'm not sure) that requires them to devote some apartments to housing vouchers for welfare recipients. I mention this both to be aware of who neighbors might be, and specifically because those buildings may have more restrictions on firearms than others. And totally separate from the gun issue, it's really irritating to pay $1200-1500 in rent while knowing your neighbors are paying only $200 or whatever.

I also remember that a few buildings required prior approval of some building superintendent to possess any firearm. I think those were only buildings that were all public housing and therefore probably not what you're looking at, but beware.

I lived in Streeterville for 3 years. It was fun, but I wouldn't go back. If you don't need to live downtown, I'd consider a more gun-friendly area like Naperville. If you are on a standard business day schedule, the express trains work and are very fast.

 

[Mildot]

You can get a Mossberg 590A1 with 18.5" barrel & ghost rings here;

https://policeguns.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32_263&products_id=4918&osCsid=a3af4a21c9d1381f544c412f2142dfaf

I just ordered the same model with a bead sight.

 

[The Janitor]

I've never tried them personally, but I've heard great things about the topfolding Knoxx Copstock.