Soon to be first time shotgun owner! Have questions

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

B1nary Dec1mat0r

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Messages
6
Sup my fellow gun toting Americans. I've decided to purchase a home defense shotgun for many reasons and after much research and gun handling, i've decided on this beautiful baby. I've put it on layaway at my local shop.

Remington_870_Knoxx_Tactical_A.gif

I chose the Remington 870 over the popular Mossberg's, Benelli's due to

A: More familiar with the Remington brand
B: Gun is used the most by police forces world wide, so that means something
C: 870 felt alot more "solid" in my hand and cocking the gun vs the Moss's or Bert's. I didn't sense a cheaper build then when I tried a Mossberg equivelent, it rattles and felt loose all over.

I've used some firearms over the years, mostly .22LR rifles. Last year, I got my first handgun, a Springfield XDm 9mm and i've had alot of fun learning how to shoot, reload, clean and basically learn up on gun handling and safety skills.

With the advent of the changes in the world and my local neighborhood, I decided it was time for something with a bit more of an intimidation factor if God forbid I ever had to use a shotgun in a home defense situation. Being that this is my first one, I obviously have some questions after all my research into the topic.

1. What things are MUST have addons for a home defense shotgun. I know alot of guys tote that keeping it simple is always better, and I agree with them. But anything in particular that would be a good add on for this gun? A fiber optic sight maybe? THe stock sight sucks pretty hard. Maybe a flashlight? Though alot of guys state thats a great way for the bad guy to target you.

2. Will the adjustable stock hold up? I've never seen a shotgun with an adjustable stock before, but I really liked that I could adjust it to my comfort as well as have a recoil spring mechanism built in. Will this stand the test of time after lots of range shooting or will it fall apart? Should I get a Remington Supercell pad to help absorb even more recoil?

3. Is plain old bird buckshot decent enough to go practice with? Its the cheapest loads around town at 100rounds at Wal-mart for $20

4. What ammo would be a good consideration for apartment dwellings? Having my own home is a bit down the road, so i'd like to know what ammo would be good for home defense with a low chance of blasting through walls into another dwelling

5. Do I need/should get a muzzle break like this guy does? Does it really improve flip and recoil?

KAPP-5.jpg

Thanks all for any and all suggestions, comments or tips that could help me with this decision and become prepared if God forbid I have to defend myself, loved ones and home from an unwanted visitor.
 
Last edited:
I am by no means a shotgun expert, but for HD shotgun, simple is always better, get new sites if you want but for HD your sights are fine. For accessories? Maybe a flash light if your thinking HD and target identification is always a must. For the stock it depends a variety of companies make stocks, some hold up better thru alot of rounds, some loosen up quite a bit. I think Knoxx are the better ones if your digging the adjustables and ATI loosened up considerably for my buddy. You don't really need to get a recoil pad until after you shoot quite a bit, only if you need it. But 12 gauge recoil can take a bit to get accustomed to, don't sweat it.

More rounds thru the better, cheaper shot is fine, and will build your confidence and familiarity with the weapon. Of course practice with what you will have in the shotgun sometimes, but that can get pricey. Practical HD loads? I'll leave that to better experts, but remember typical HD range is 2' to MAYBE 20' so think about penetration factor.

I don't know what the point of a muzzle break on a shorter barrel shotgun is, seems pointless to me. I think that thing on the end is a breaching device more to dig the barrel in the right place to breach a door. For your use? probably to look cool unless your blowing in doors.
 
Good looking shotgun!

Get a light. Can't shoot what you can't see.

Buy the cheapo ammo and shoot a lot of it! Buy a couple of boxes of buckshot and shoot a bit of it to get used to it.

Skip the muzzle crap. That's wasted gold.

Welcome to the High Road, sir!

richard
 
Hmm ok, i'll skip the muzzle break then, sounds like its no good for my intended use.

Sorry for the gun noobness, i've learned alot since having my XDm 9mm the past year, but shotguns are still new to me. Can anyone elaborate or give link for me to learn and see the different types of shotgun shells and the differences. I'm aware that birdshot is a complete poor choose for HD, I learned that early on.

What suggestions do you have for a tactical light that isn't overly expensive? Also, how would I go about putting on a Tru-Glo site on the barrel with the stock aiming knob in the front? Or would ghost sites be a better option?
 
in your first post You mentioned a Bertelli, did you mean Benelli? Just wondering, or maybe its just a brand Ive never heard off.....lol

By the way, what gauge did you get it in? 12 or 20?
 
Howdy and welcome!

My advice (which may or may not agree with anyone else and may or may not be the answers that will work for you):

Learn to "point and shoot" at the range. Ignore the sights, just point the barrel at the target and shoot. You'll see what I mean when you go it a few times. Buy the birdshot at WalMart and shoot it up. Then do it again. Practice picking the gun up from where it's leaning against a table (tree, whatever), bringing it up, chambering a round, and hitting a target at 30 feet or so.

I always have some nightlights burning around the house, so I don't generally need a flashlight. However, I have one handy in the case of a power outage. If you get one, get a BRIGHT one. Something that rivals the sun. When you point that at someone, you are no longer a target, as they can no longer see a thing. If it's not bright enough to hurt their eyes, then the light is the target.

Living in an apartment, I'd go with #2 to #4 birdshot for defense. Be a kind neighbor. You could use buckshot, but the birdshot will work fine for you and shouldn't go through the walls. Goes through flesh just fine. Don't use slugs in an apartment.

Good luck and shoot safe!


Forget the muzzle brake. One shot and the flash will make sure that YOU can no longer see a thing. Not good.
 
I'm no expert, but I like to keep things simple, particularly on firearms. My ideal HD gun would be a plain old used police trade in 870 w/ a 20" I/C barrel, 7+1 mag capacity, and maybe a butt-cuff. I've also considered a small light, but too much weight, too much complication, and too many things hanging off the gun are all bad IMHO. Everybody's tastes and opinions vary.

My best advice would be buy a quality shotgun (used if $$$ is tight, but quality), buy a lot of cheap valupack ammo, and shoot, it shoot it, shoot it. The best thing you can do is get comfortable and good with the gun. In my opinion, that will make more difference than any other variable.

BTW, I have a Supercell pad on my Wingmaster, and I like it a lot. It does a pretty good job reducing recoil, and best of all, it's smooth and not at all "rubber sticky." It goes right to the shoulder without snagging clothes, and I think it would be ideal for a HD gun with a traditional stock.

For farm use and HD, I keep mine loaded with the first 2 rds. #4 buck for dispatching critters (which happens pretty regularly), and the next two 00 buck for bigger needs. I also keep slugs handy in the off chance I might need one. However, for an apartment, I'd probably stick with #4 buck. At least with my gun, it gives a great pattern, and at close range, I'd imagine it would get the job done with less penetration. Just my non-expert opinion.

EDIT: But that doesn't mean it will pattern well in your shotgun. You should pattern it at various ranges with various brands/loads of ammo before you decide what to use as your HD round.
 
Last edited:
Mines a 870 first two rounds #6 2 3/4 mag, then two 00 buck followed by a slug.
Mine has the speed feed stock and those are 00 buck.
 
My onpinions concerning you questions:

1. A flashlight. You don't have to turn on a flashlight but you cannot use one you do not have. A weapon mounted light means it is there when/if needed. You need to positively identify a target prior to shooting it, that might require a light. Learn to use it properly and light is a very good piece of equipment to have.

If there is an options on sights that you find more usefull then it can be a good upgrade. Most here will tell you a good bead is enough for HD work and they are probably right.

I might consider having it threaded for chokes if it is not already. Although even a cylinder bore will have a tight pattern at the relatively short distances one encounters in an appartment I like the versatility of choke tubes to get the best patter available

2. I don't have experience with that particular stock so I don't know. However, I believe the knoxx is supposed to be a quality product.

3. I run the federal bulk packs from wally world for practice ammo. You do want to pattern and get in occasional practice with whatever your defensive load will be but practicing with the cheap stuff allows much more trigger time, which is important.

4. I think you phrased this question well. It is a two part question. The first part asks what is good for self defense and I think that is the primary concern. IMO this rules out birdshot. Yes it will penetrate walls less than other options but it is not up to snuff as a defensive load. I have shot little critters much smaller than a person at short distances and needed to go wring their necks because they weren't dead. Bird shot is for birds and based on everything I have seen I would not stake my life on it stopping a threat.

The second part of the question concerns over penetration. I am not up on what the latest and greatest might be but I would use some type of reduced recoil buckshot. I like federal flight control rounds. It patterns tightly. That could mean less chance of a stray ball going where it shouldn't. Putting shots on target (while easier said than done at times) is going to go along way in keeping them out of your neighbors house. Also consider arranging things like bookcases and heavy furniture to maximize shooting zones. As to the exact brand you need to see what patterns well in your specific gun. The flight control round seem to do well in a wide varity of guns from what I've seen.

5. No need for a brake like that unless you are going to be breaching doors and need a standoff device. I have not used the brake in question but it seems that brakes don't seem to have much effect on shotguns (mid barrel brakes do but are for competitio gusn imo). I wouldn't spend the money on one. I rather put the money towards choke tubes or having the forcing cone extended or other things that have a more pronounced effect on performance.

The shot gun as is can serve you very well the best thing you could spend your money on would be a shotgun course and practice ammo.

Nice gun BTW. I am a fan of the 870.
 
Anyone have any pics or links that show the differences between different buckshot rounds? I'm a visual type of person, so forgive me but having visuals to look with the information means it will stay in my head better.
 
My take on adjustable stocks is they're a liability. If you have it adjusted wrong you won't get a good cheek weld. A buddy handed me his 870 with the stock too short, I didn't pay enough attention and got a good bruise on my cheekbone when it popped up and smacked me the first time.

Re: pictures - http://images.google.com
 
I went with a cheap LED flashlight (brand was Solarforce, but there's millions of others). I pulled it apart and it looks pretty robust, not really much to go wrong. I attached it to mag-clamp rail using a 1" scope ring. Total cost was under $50.

This isn't a SWAT-worthy setup but it should hold together long enough to get a few shots off in the middle of the night. For practice I remove the flashlight.
 
My HomeLand Security Shotgun (Secures my Home & Land) is a box-stock Maverick 88. I originally bought it as a low-cost Woods-N-Water use shotgun w/28" Mod choke barrel.

it now wears the 18-1/2" cylinder bore barrel and a 5-round elastic slip-on butt cuff.

Unless you are being over-run by Mutant Zombie Vampire Dove/Quail, etc, bird shot is only for birds and other small game.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top