The FN Police Shotgun Stream Of Consciousness Review

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dave,

If I can get a 00 or 000, 8 or 9 pellet reduced recoil load to pattern well at 25 yards (that being by my definition anything inside a foot or so) I will be happy with it. I hope the new Federal stuff will work out for that- we will see when it gets here. I'd not mind at all using the #1 load for indoor applications if necessary, but if the fight goes outside it would mean switching to slugs sooner than I had rather do so. I have to confess a decided bias in favor of the larger pellets for antipersonnel applications.
----

It seems to me that it's time to start adding some ballast to this beast. I wanted to work through a range of ammo before I got to this point, and I think I have done enough experimenting (that is to say, suffered enough) by now. I would HATE to have to take a two-day, 400 round/birdshot, 75 round buckshot, 50 round/slug type shotgun class with this thing in out-of--the-box configuration, it's too much of a bruiser due to its light weight. Dave has kindly offered to supply a couple of pounds of birdshot as ballast(I don't reload currently, and couldn't locate my leftover components while I was home for the holidays) to keep me from having to buy a whole bag.

I plan to fill that nice separate void under the pistol grip cap that I mentioned earlier with birdshot, seal it in place with silicone caulk and reinstall the grip cap for starters. There's not a lot of room in there but it should hold a quarter of a pound or so, and I can't see letting the space go to waste when it can serve perfectly well as a ballast compartment. Then there is the entire separate void in the stock itself for more, if needed.

I'm also going ahead with an order for a six round SideSaddle and a two round TacStar magazine extension for it too, while I'm at it. I don't see that anyone makes a parkerized finish extension for the Winchester 1300 at this time, and TacStar extensions offer good value for the money IMO. One of these days I'll get it parkerized to match, for the time being it doesn't really matter much whether it matches the finish perfectly- it will add the needed weight as well as allowing me room to load five rounds in the magazine with room for one more. That's how I prefer to keep a working shotgun in standby condition (some call it 'cruiser ready' or 'loader ready') anyway, with four or five rounds of buckshot in the magazine, hammer down on a (double checked) empty chamber and slugs in the SideSaddle. That leaves room in the magazine to insert a slug if needed for the first round up the spout, and keeps a bit of pressure off the magazine spring in the process as well.

A note about double checking the chamber before dropping the hammer- I make it a point/habit to perform both a visual and tactile chamber check on a shotgun before pulling the trigger. I suggest you always do the same, if you prefer to store a gun with the springs relaxed and the action unlocked. With the Winchester 1300/FNPS's rotating bolt design, the mouth of the chamber is a good bit further up the barrel than is the mouth of the 870's chamber. You have to look further up the bore to see it and stick your finger further in as well as you check the chamber on this one. It is a really good idea to be careful here, it seriously disturbs domestic tranquility to produce a BOOM when what you intended was a click.

My overall concern is keeping everything as well balanced as possible as I tack on weight and try to add to functionality at the same time. Any weight added 'between the hands' pretty well disappears into the overall weight of the gun, weight added at the muzzle or at the butt has a greater effect on the balance of the piece. The FNPS is perfectly serviceable right out of the box, but at just over 6 pounds it is too light by far for a steady diet of full house buckshot and slug loads, even for an experienced shooter. It needs to take on some weight and/or be fed only reduced recoil buck and slug loads if it is to be shot a good deal as it comes NIB.

Stay tuned...

lpl/nc

edited to add: Swapped choke tubes for the FNPS this PM, installed the ImpCyl and fired the last load of Remington Express #1 buck at the increasingly tattered pattern box. Again, no joy. Nine of 16 pellets on paper on a target 20" high by 11" wide, POA dead center on the target. Pattern was 14" tall by who knows how wide with very uneven distribution of pellets. It could be a tighter choke tube would give better results with these smaller pellets but none is available to me tighter than the factory-supplied Mod tube. I'm not willing to shoot rifled slugs through a tube tighter than that so I won't likely be looking for anything with more points. Peering across the low broomsedge to the berm, 25 yards doesn't LOOK very far at all, but from these patterns it must be a long way.

As I mentioned earlier, the "feature" of the 3" chamber on this gun is likely to langiush unused, as it does with most of my shotguns. Recoil out of full house 2 3/4" loads is punishing enough without being masochistic...

Happy New Year, all!

lpl/nc
 
Last edited:
Agreed on 3 inch loads. Between turkey and goose loads there's mayebso 40 shells here, plenty for the next decade or so.

Compare that to the 5K+ rounds I fired at clays, slug targets and a few small birds and game.

The idea of corking off full house slugs and buck in a 6 lb shotgun leaves me underwhelmed. I handle kick fairly well but that puts the moxie up in the 375 H&H range.

Shot on way in a few, got some overtime impending.
 
The young man named Mitch at Natchez promised me that my order would be delivered Thursday when I called it in earlier this week. Sure enough, just after dark last night comes the BBT (big brown truck) with a box for li'l ol' me.

Inside were a 2-shot TacStar magazine extension for the Winchester 1300, a 6-round SideSaddle for same, and several boxes of Hornady TAP-FPD 00 buck loads. Hey, it's all in the name of science, right??

So to work we go. First the magazine extension goes on. Since the stock magazine spring was actually longer and stronger than the spring included with the extension, I re-used the stock spring. TOLD you that sucker was stout... . I also kept the OEM steel follower in place to see how well it works. Natchez was out of barrel clamps but the parts box supplied one, there is also a lime- green polymer follower with a 'tail' and an extended magazine spring from Wilson in the parts box if the stock spring and follower aren't happy with their added responsibilities.

I designated and properly labeled a substantial Ziplock storage bag for the leftover/removed parts (trigger plate pin, magazine cap, magazine spring retainer, spare choke tube and wrench) generated by my kitchen table gunsmithing- I always like to be sure I can put things back the way they were whenever possible, and having all the parts together in the same bag makes sure I lose everything at the same time. NO, seriously, they go in the ol' Rubbermaid parts box and that way I can keep up with them.

With the magazine extension in place and clamped it was time to install the SideSaddle. The Winchester 1300 version has only one hole in the aluminum plate that screws to the receiver. It is clamped in front by a thin U- shaped steel bracket that fits just inside the loading port and attaches to the SideSaddle with two of the tiny screws that hold the polymer shellholder to the aluminum backing plate. In addition there is a curved tab on top of the backing plate that matches the contour of the top of the receiver to keep the SideSaddle from spinning downward on its single mounting screw.

Problem was, the inside corner of the thin steel bracket was a teeny bit too long to line up its slots with the screw holes in the SideSaddle when the assembly was in place. Close at hand was a Chinese milling machine (coarse file) and in a few strokes the problem was no more. I filed about 1/16" of the offending corner away at a 45 degree bevel, dressed it up with a couple of backstrokes and everything went on as it should after that.

Earlier I had filled the void in the pistol grip with the birdshot that Dave generously provided me (payback...), and that balanced the welcome weight of the magazine extension quite nicely. It may be that a short piece of PVC pipe capped on both ends after being filled with birdshot gets glued into the buttstock later- we will see how things balance as time goes on, and how much additional weight might be needed. Carrying a total of eleven rounds on board the gun (6 in the SideSaddle, 5 in the magazine) ought to do a good bit to soak up recoil.

In anticipation of patterning the Hornady TAP later today the ImpCyl choke tube is back in place. I must say the gun is still very well balanced when empty and now has a more substantial heft. The added weight, especially when the extra ammo capacity is fully utilized, should make a real difference in how this one feels to shoot.

Stay tuned,

lpl/nc
 
Progress at last! Finally, patterns I can live with from the FNPS. Looks as if Hornady has something going for it with its TAP-FPD buckshot load. The ammo has been around for a while now and has been written up here and there already, but this is my first time shooting any so a report is in order I think.

What I have is the red hulled variety, full house 8- pellet 00 load intended to run semiauto shotguns reliably. There is a blue hulled low recoil version as well if what I read in various places is true, that may or may not be available outside law enforcement purchasing channels- but this isn't it. On the box, the muzzle velicity for the red hulled variety is claimed at 1600 FPS- definitely steppin' out for a shotgun load. Still, recoil is not bad at all. Of course, the added weight of the gun with its new trappings and some extra ammo on board is likely the reason for that.

On the sacrificial IPSC cardboard target, the results are definitely something I can live with. Patterns were running 7- 9" from the ImpCyl choke tube at 25 yards and pretty much could be kept in the 6" X 11" A zone of the target if I did my job with sight picture and trigger squeeze. A tendency to 'string' the patterns was noted. Dissecting an unfired shell once I failed to find ANY of the wads from expended rounds indicated possible reasons for that.

The wad in this shell is a red one-piece H shaped solid plastic combination over-powder cup and shot cup, with about 1/4" of hard plastic in the middle. There is just enough room in the shot cup for the eight unbuffered hard lead unplated pellets to nestle in a two-by-two crisscross pattern. The shot cup is an open topped cylinder just over an inch deep. There are four flaps about 3/4" long and 1/4" wide cut into the shot cup, hinged at the bottom and free toward the top, with their leading edges about 1/3" from the top of the shot cup. It seems these flaps are intended to partially deploy immediately upon departing the constraints of the bore, in order to add air resistance to the wad and allow it to shed its load of pellets without further interference.

In other words it seems to be a self-retarding wad, the sort of thing the folks at Patternmaster went to a lot of trouble to make their choke tubes do for the same reason- avoiding the dispersive influence of the wad on the pattern immediately upon leaving the muzzle. Given my limited experience with the ammunition this afternoon, the concept definitely works in an acceptable manner. It seems to me that the slightly belled muzzles of the issue choke tubes are not allowing a perfectly symmetrical departure of the wad, thus the tendency to string patterns a bit. I noticed the same tendency to string patterns from the FNPS with the original Estate low recoil 00 load I fired as well, another load with a long one piece combination type wad.

I didn't try the Mod choke tube this afternoon, nor did I try any of the Hornady TAP in any other guns (but I will). It definitely seems as if Hornady has something going here.

More later,

lpl/nc
 
Just put some TAP-FPD red through my 18" IC 870 yesterday. Have expended wads and pattern papers, will take pics of all and post later.

The Flite-Control wad (it's physically identical to the Fed 132-00/133-00 Flite-Control wad except it's red instead of white) really holds the shot together for a while after leaving the bbl. Perhaps a bit too long, IMHO.

Many patterns under 15yds consist of 3-4 pellets and a giant hole where the wad+remainder of pellets has gone through. At 25 yds the wad has fallen away and I'm getting beautiful 8-12" patterns.

Pics to follow....
 
Hiya Talon, good to hear from you again. Please do post pics, I am still technologically challenged here (no digicam).

I braved the howling west wind this afternoon long enough to get some TAP buckshot through that troublesome Remington 870 ImpCyl 18" RS backbored beastie barrel I've been having fun with for a few months now. I am a firm believer in the TAP concept at this point, if it can get consistent, evenly distributed 7" patterns out of this particular barrel at 25 yards, it should be able to tame almost any barrel out there. Now I gotta start looking for case lots of this stuff, or its apparent Federal equivalent. It is so NICE to have experiments to look forward to...

The 870 barrel in question (a Police gun barrel I bought on eBay, diagnosed as a factory backbore by the folks at Colonial Arms in Selma, AL given its measured .729 choke and .739 bore with full barrel wall thickness) delivered patterns precisely to point of aim at 25 yards, with good even pellet distribution throughout. Not the 3-4" patterns that the old Texas era Estate 00 9 pellet loads would do out of a Mod choke tube, but certainly good enough for goblin work where minute-of-bad-guy is the standard. I _like_ this stuff, now if I could only get it for $3.00 per 10-round box... well, those were the good old days I guess.

I finally recovered one of those disappearing wads this time around. I don't know where all the others went but this one was caught in the tall grass on the berm. In my earlier description of the wad I didn't mention the six cuts in the walls of the over-powder cup portion of the one-piece wad. Seems that THESE are the real 'air brakes' on the wad- they open up like the skirt on a shuttlecock when the load exits the bore and the heat and pressure of firing seems to be enough to re-mold them into a new permanent shape.

The hard plastic at the bottom of the shot cup has enough 'give' to receive an impression of the bottom two pellets in the stack of buckshot plus a bit of the pair criscrossed above them. Not really a lot of apparent padding but these are hard alloy pellets and the walls of the wad are pretty thick, giving them a good cushion on their brief gide down the bore.

Also forgot to note earlier that the medium high shell heads on these hulls are steel, apparently plated with brass and headstamped simply HORNADY 12 GA. Printed on the hull in black is Hornady's trademark H, under that BUCKSHOT 2 3/4 70mm. Primers are not sealed, neither are the 6-pointed star crimps. Here there is no buffering material to leak out and cause problems though, as on some other buckshot loads. For ammo to be carried in military field conditions you'd want sealed primers and crimps, for HD use this is good enough as is. And if you want to take it outside, you can always seal it yourself if necessary.

I like this load a lot given my relatively brief exposure to it and the relatively small number of barrels I have fired it through. It is not a reduced recoil load in the strictest sense, though its payload is lightened by one 00 pellet over most standard 2 3/5" 00 loads. The loss of one pellet is not enough to worry about when the other eight all go where they are supposed to though. This load will put them there out of each gun I have tried it in so far- both of which have proven troublesome previously with every other buckshot load fired through them.

More to come,

lpl/nc
 
Lee Lapin said:
.... It is shipped in a coating of protective grease that needs to be removed before use- I found that WD-40 did a reasonably good job of dissolving the heavy brown coating from surfaces inside and out.
Click to expand...
More than one gunsmith told me that WD-40 on a firearm is a big mistake. This has to do with the fact that WD-40 leaves a subtle residue that evaporates slowly over weeks. This residue hardens to a thick varnish when heated. Over time this can build up as a sticky layer causing mechanical problems.

I've never used it on any of my guns myself and I realize many people have used WD-40 without problems - still I know of several gunsmiths who claim their bread-n-butter is in repairing guns that have been WD-40ed over years.

Another gunsmith working on 1911s will add a cleaning charge if he finds a WD-40 residue on it. Apparently its tough to clean.

Here's one reference: http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/akforum/akhunting_message.php?id=12799
 
I sugested using WD-40 only as a medium to help remove the grease or whatever preservative came on the gun from the factory. For that purpose it did a decent job. The WD in the name of course is for 'water displacing' and it was intended as a degreaser and rust preventative more so than a lubricant. I do suggest using it as a degreaser where proper lubricants are to be applied soon after, there are many lubricants far more suitable for firearms applications these days. And there are other things useful as degreasers as well, brake cleaner or Gun Scrubber will work (but some brake cleaners will damage some plastics, something to watch out for). It happened that what was handy here at the time was WD-40 and so that got used.

Hope this clears up the point, thanks for the comments!

lpl/nc
 
Lee Lapin said:
I sugested using WD-40 only as a medium to help remove the grease or whatever preservative came on the gun from the factory. For that purpose it did a decent job. The WD in the name of course is for 'water displacing' and it was intended as a degreaser and rust preventative more so than a lubricant. I do suggest using it as a degreaser where proper lubricants are to be applied soon after, there are many lubricants far more suitable for firearms applications these days. And there are other things useful as degreasers as well, brake cleaner or Gun Scrubber will work (but some brake cleaners will damage some plastics, something to watch out for). It happened that what was handy here at the time was WD-40 and so that got used.

Hope this clears up the point, thanks for the comments!

lpl/nc
Click to expand...
It does. Thanks.
 
Wow- time does fly when you're having fun! I didn't realize it had been this long since I had revisited this thread. Well, here it goes, back to Page 1 for a while, with some new stuff added. I've been working on new things and spending a bit of money, and I threw a little of it toward the FNPS while I was at it.

I'd been kicking around how to get a light on this gun for a while. I considered several options but didn't really like any of them enough to pick up the phone or hit the keyboard and place orders. One of the things I'd been looking at since I saw one for sale on eBay was the Spanish- made Ombu LEDWAVE Z-5 Weaponlight. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the folks at Streamlight ought to feel warm and fuzzy if that really is the case. This one looks pretty much like an M3 clone.

Except for the price...

I took the time to dig around on the net for a while and look for reviews or reports on the Z-5. There were a few around, mostly approving in tone. So I started looking for a low price leader, and wound up at the Popguns website at http://www.popguns.com/ledwave/Z5.htm . Their 'June Special' price on this item was a whopping $49.95, so I smoked a little plastic and ordered one. It came in only a couple of days- FAST shippers, these folks.

Problem was, it didn't work. There was something wrong with the battery cover, and it wouldn't latch in place against the spring pressure that maintained electrical contact with the batteries. So I gave Popguns a call the next day. It was the first time I had done business with them and didn't know what to expect. Well, they were busier than a little dog in a big yard when I called that Saturday morning, there was a gunshow close by and they were swamped with overflow plus apparently having sales staff gone to work the show. Still they were polite, said I didn't need a return authorization, that there had been some problems with some of the early examples, and told me to pack it up and send it back with a note of explanation. I did.

A few days later the BBT (big brown truck) rolled up with a replacement, and it worked fine. They threw in a spare battery cover/rocker switch assembly for my trouble too, which was nice. So finally I got to start playing with the Z-5.

You can see Popguns' comparison of the Z-5 and the M3 at http://www.popguns.com/ledwave/m3vsZ5comparision.htm . I won't bother to repeat their analysis here Despite the name, this is NOT an LED powered light. It's a halogen incandescent, and it's pretty bright. Technically it isn't as bright as the M3, but in all practicality it doesn't matter, it's plenty bright enough. As to how durable it is in use, I haven't had a chance to find that out yet- but I'm working on it. While the M3 is all plastic, the Z-5 has an aluminum bezel and a plastic body. The weak link on any shotgun mounted light is the bulb- shotgun recoil is hard on bulb filaments, as well as batteries, connections and other hardware. But the good thing about this sort of light is that it's easily and completely removeable from the gun for daytime practice, so it doesn't get beaten up unnecessarily. I like it well enough that I have ordered a couple more to employ on other defensive firearms hereabouts- didn't want to let the 'June special' price get away without taking advantage of it again.

After taking Louis Awerbuck's shotgun class recently, I am more convinced than ever of the necessity of not only having a good white light source mounted on a defensive shotgun, but of the necessity of not depending on a tape switch alone to operate the light. You need to be able to switch the light on and leave it on if necessary, so you can take your support hand off the forearm for other duties- like turning on a room light or dialing 911- without leaving yourself and Mr. Badguy in the dark. A setup like this one lets you use the light either in an intermittent mode or switched on, as the situation requires. Good idea... .

As to getting the light mounted on the gun, I decided to use a tried and true solution- a Streamlight 12 Ga. Extended Magazine Tube Flashlight Mount, Part #69901. This is a rail that clamps on the magazine extension tube and allows the light to click solidly into place, and costs a mere $12.95 from the good folks at Opticsplanet.com. ( http://www.opticsplanet.net/streamlight-12ga-extended-mag-tube-tactical-mount-69901.html ) I've used one on my favorite 870 for several years, after I picked up the phone one day and called Bill Davis at SpeedFeed (before the Davises sold the company) to ask why he wasn't yet producing synthetic shotgun forearms with molded- in light rails. He explained that there were patent limitations on his ability to do that, but that he was just getting a substitute into production. He sent me a couple of samples, and I've been happily using them ever since- and returning the favor by buying several more at intervals. There's another model that fits under the magazine cap on standard magazines as well, and those are used on the house guns that are fitted to my wife ( http://www.opticsplanet.net/streamlight-rem-870-tactical-mount-69906.html ).

So, for a grand total expenditure of about $65, I have an easily useable, removeable weapon light that produces useful illumination out to 50 yards and better. The FN Police Shotgun has taken another major step toward being a completed project.

More later,

lpl/nc
 
Last edited:
Got one of the FN's from CDNN , when they first got em. Came with full length mag tube. Removed rear sight elevator and stoned down bottom of rear sight leaf to get POI a little above POa. Also used day glo green paint on recessed "V" of rear site and front sight bead. Changed stock to Houge, much nicer recoil pad.

Currently have a full choke tube installed, very nice grouping at 25 yds with Fiocchi reduced recoil 00. Also like Fiocchi's reduced recoil slugs. A Rifled choke tube is available, and works decent with saboted rounds (Fed w/Barnes copper).

Bore is rougher than others owned, and could use some polishing. With the full choke tube, clay bird shooting is easily doable.

Have been pleased with shotgun. so far. With it's rifle sights and full choke tube installed, it is reserved for "out and about"
 
To me, one of the major appeals of the FN Police Shotgun (or FN Standard Police Shotgun as it is sometimes labeled) was its very reasonable price for the value offered. It costs a lot to have sights added to a shotgun, to get choke tubes installed, to have stocks shortened, to get blued guns parkerized. And having all this available as standard features on a NIB (new in box) gun is a great advantage IMO.

Well, this morning I spent a while checking prices for available FN Police Shotguns on the web, and things have changed a lot since last year. Prices under $300 are nowhere to be found in the usual listings (Gunbroker, Gunsamerica etc). A couple of dealers list the MSRP in the neighborhood of $475, and offer the shotgun for anywhere from $375 to $415 or thereabouts. I didn't know what a screaming deal I was getting at $100 less than the prices most outlets are currently offering on the FNPS or I would have bought several of them at that price. I hope anyone who really wanted one got it while the getting was good. I still think the FNPS is a fair value at $375 given all its factory features (and given the shameful state of the US$)- but at $275 it was a much easier sell to people who wanted those features in a defensive shotgun and didn't have a lot of money to put into the purchase.

These days anything priced in dollars of the US variety is subject to changes on the pricetag, and most of those price changes are only going in one direction. You can guess what direction that is... . This week word came through the bitstream that it looks as if ammunition prices will be following the trend upward, and perhaps availability may become more of an issue as well for some calibers. Since the source of this news was one of the largest ammunition manufacturers on the planet, this does not bode well. But it is no surprise, looking at the prices of most things that have to do with natural resources.

I didn't mean to wander off into the dismal science here, but that's what happens in stream of consciousness stuff. And when what passes for money is getting created out of thin air at ever-increasing rates with no more effort than it takes to type this, what can you expect but rising prices based on an ever- increasing money supply (in other words- INFLATION)? Ol' John Maynard (Keynes, that is) was certainly right when he said 'in the long run, we're all dead'- but there are no guarantees we won't all be broke first, especially at this rate.

IMO that's an excellent reason for spending some of those rapidly inflating dollars on a good shotgun and a stash of fodder for it- if you don't have them already. Things might get interesting before it's all said and done.

lpl/nc
 
There is a lot to be said for good quality inexpensive defensive firearms. At that particular point, nothing exceeds a good pump shotgun for combining capability and low cost at the same time. And this is definitely a good pump shotgun. Right out of the box it offers a durable parkerized finish, rifle type sights, interchangeable choke tubes, a short stock, and sling swivels. It's available from the factory with an extended magazine if that's desired, or a magazine extension can be added to the 5-shot version. For an overall cost out the door of $265, this shotgun was a real bargain. And putting on the needful things that make it just what my idea of a home defense gun should be hasn't broken the bank either.

Total tab:

FNPS- $229
Shipping to my FFL- $20
FFL Transfer- $15
Magazine extension, Sidesaddle, clamp- $55
Light rail- $13
Z-5 light- $50
Sling materials- $10
----------------
TOTAL: $392 (so far)

About the only thing left to do at this point is to replace the front sight insert with a tritium equivalent. There's no real need IMO to worry about the rear sight on this gun. It's fine just as it is, too much tritium too close to the eye easily distracts from the front sight and that is definitely not what you want to do with any defensive firearm.

I seriously wish there was still a source of these shotguns available for less than $300 out the door. It would be a difficult matter for me to recommend anything else to someone who needed a defensive shotgun in their home. That's about the best endorsement I can give this shotgun.

lpl/nc
 
Thanks for this review!

I went out friday and bought the FN Police Shotgun off the shelf at my local dealer. It was listed $379 for the parkerized 7-shot with tac-choke and rifle sights. I left the shop after $400.99 went flying out of my wallet, and I don't feel that I paid too much. Now I just have to find a tritium front sight, and I'm happy.
 
I realize i'm resurecting this thread from the dead but i just had to say thanks for the review.

Friend of mine offered me an outstanding deal on his fn police shotgun 7shot tube mdl.

After reading this review it was an easy decision.
 
FN Police Shotgun Forend Lights?

Hi Lee. I see that you mentioned that the FN Tactical Police Shotgun is an offshoot of the 1300. Do you know if the surefire forend lights for the 1300 will fit and also what model side saddle I can purchase. Thank-you so much.

Russ
 
It's a mechanical clone of the 1300 as far as I can tell, the Surefire for the 1300 should fit fine. And the Sidesaddle for the 1300 will fit too, though I had to do a tiny bit of adjustment on mine to make it go on the FN (a bit of filing).

hth,

lpl/nc
 
Wanting to buy a FNH TPS W/ Collapsible Stock

Lee,

Which model should I get? Should I get the one w/ interchangeble chokes or the one that is backbored with a fixed choke? I mainly want to use it for buckshot, but want it for slugs also. I want a real good patterning HD shotgun. Plus, it will fit in with my RRA AR-15. No shops around have the TPS that I can look at, so I thougt I would ask you about it. Great review.
 
thanks for the info,i have a fnps and i just love it,that gun is amazing,growing up we always fired shot guns,had a trash dump down the street,so we were always out there with the owner at night shooting rats with everything from ball and cap to shot guns,the thing i like best about the gun is,have you even noticed that when you do a lot of shooting the breach seems to get sticky?the fn doesent,it actueally pops open a little after you shoot giving you a little push,like it wants to fire again,doesent open enough to have the breach open,just pops a bit, i found this very helpful when shooting 5 rounds in a row
 
The FN pumps I have seen look just like my 1300's. I have two of them. They are not the easiest recoil, but livable.

On the 1300 I sometimes use for trap I installed a C&H mercury recoil tube in the stock and one in the magazine. I only put a shell in the magazine when shooting trap doubles. It still holds one for that. The added weight and recoil reduction really smoothes it out almost but not quite down to my 1100 Classic Trap. I would say the recoil is even with my son's O/U he uses for trap.
 
Last edited:
littlered75,

I'd stay away from a backbored barrel if I planned to shoot any slugs out of it. Mine has choke tubes and handles slugs just fine.

lpl/nc
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

I
  • Locked
FN SLP comes with?
Replies
1
Views
521
Fred Fuller
F
A
  • Locked
Remington FNH Tactical Police Shotgun (TPS) Home Defense?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Snarlingiron
S
H
  • Locked
FN Police Shotgun
Replies
2
Views
488
Harry Paget Flashman
H
J
  • Locked
cheapest home defense shotgun?
2 3
Replies
53
Views
3K
Larry Ashcraft
Larry Ashcraft
J
  • Locked
M4 stock for 870 out there?
Replies
12
Views
908
skebe
S
Back
Top