Whos making the best tactical 12s these days?

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GAMEOVER44

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Was just curious who you guys think are making the best tactical 12 guages on the market today? Strictly home defense with an option to hunt would be nice.

I like a full stock but I also like a pistol grip to go along with it. Capacity is important.
 
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Get a plain old 870 & practice a lot. The shotgun has served as a fine home defense weapon long before they came up with a "tactical" version. I have two 870s, one plain jane, and one with an extended tube and a saddle carrier for extra shells. The plain jane one is lighter and handier.

Mindset, preparedness, and willingness are much more important than a couple of extra rounds.
 
Can you elaborate, im not familiar at all with the 870 as just a model #. I live in Detroit..

Capacity is important to me within reason but a round or two wont make or break the deal.
 
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Can you elaborate, im not familiar at all with the 870. I live in Detroit..
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Remington 870. One of the two most common pump-action shotguns in the world. (The other being the Mossberg 500).

The "best" tactical shotgun is whichever one you've put 10,000 shells through yourself. There's not a lot of magic to a "tactical" shotgun. It's just a shotgun. It is as good or as bad as your skill set with it lets it be. All that bolt-on stuff that you see in the catalogs and magazines is really most useful at getting extra money out of your wallet. Won't help you be more effective with the gun.

An 18"-20" barrel makes it a little easier to maneuver than a 26" hunting barrel.

Sometimes making it all black is very tactickle, if that's what you want.

Pistol grips...not really much use there.

If you want your shotgun to be SUPER tactical (in this case meaning effective/accurate/fast) find a gunsmith (you know one of those, right?) and ask him to fit the gun to you. That's the biggest factor in hitting anything with a shotgun -- the fit of the stock. Drop at heel, length of pull, cast-on, cast-off, etc. Fitting the appropriate shims and making a few small adjustments so the gun fits you correctly will make it so you don't even need sights. The shotgun will pattern where you LOOK. (Which is the whole point with shotguns.)
 
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As far as "tactical" shotguns go, the short list is Remington and Benelli. The Remington 870 Magpul Edition is nice, as it offers Magpul furniture, along with a forward pump grip that incorporates mounting points for flashlights and such. The Benelli M4 is a semi-auto shotgun and is the LE/civilian version of the venerable M1014, used by the United States military. The M4 is serious business, cost wise, and they command a price premimum, even used.

If I had to pick between the two, I would probably spring for the Benelli. I like that it offers removable chokes, and if you've ever shot a Benelli shotgun with the ARGO system before, you know you are in for a real treat. However, if I had to choose a shotgun for SHTF, end-of-the-world scenarios, give me the Remington 870. It's pump action (never fails), ubiquitous, and you will always find parts for it.

One last point about the Benelli. There are other versions of the Benelli M4 available, that cut the cost of the shotgun nearly in half. Of course, realize that you are getting a neutered M4, so your mileage may vary.
 
Thanks, I just prefer the pistol grip but id never buy one without a shoulder stock. I shot a 12 guage pistol grip and was NOT impressed at all by the control.
 
As mentioned, the Remington 870 & Mossberg 500 are the most popular pump-actions. Also as mentioned, the best ("tactical" or not), is the one (or the configuration) you shoot best.

I have an 870 and it's a fine shotgun. But for a HD shotgun, I'd prefer the Mossberg, as the tang safety's a lot quicker and intuitive to employ IME. Also, the Mossberg can be unloaded without having to cycle the shells through the action. If I'm supposed to be able to do that with my 870, I haven't yet figured it out.
 
Once you get your shotgun, look into a good Shotgun Defense class.

Shotguns are incredibly versatile and incredibly effective, but to get the most out of them requires good instruction, technique and practice. The dexterity involved in running & reloading a revolver fast & well has nothing on doing it with a shotgun.
 
Not that it matters but im not new to shotguns.. I shot clay growing up with my dad. Pull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Id obviously pack slugs too but im not against taking a class. Im already trained to a degree but you NEVER stop learning.
 
I just went through this, and there are some things that aren't apparent till you get there.

I looked at everything. I could find little or no difference between the 870 and the 500. For that matter, I can include the Maverick 88 in the mix. All three of them need to be smoothed up when you take them out of the box. Clean, lube, and smooth off some of the burrs and they become very reliable and usable weapons. I looked at Benellis and Berettas and found them to be truly works of art, but way beyond my budget. I wound up with a simple MB 500. I made the decision solely on price. If the 870 had been within a few dollars, I would have taken it. As it was, the 500 was $65 less.

But then you get to where you want to shoot them. So you head to the local skeet/trap/etc range.

You are very likely to find that your 18 inch barrel is not welcome. No "tactical" weapons allowed. So you buy an ebay 28 inch barrel just to comply (I found one for $50). You will then find those who look at brand of the gun and smirk. You will even find those who will tell you that you can't shoot that gun at their range. There are "shotguns" and then there are "SHOTGUNS". If you didn't pay a grand for your gun, don't come here. There is even some who will rationalize -- "...if you can only afford a Mossberg, how will you eve pay our dues? Our dues cost more than your gun."

I mention all this because you will likely find that with a true HD shotgun you will be limited if you want to use it for anything other than HD. Stocks made of anything other than hand-rubbed walnut are about as welcome as a tattoo at a symphony orchestra concert. God help you if the gun has a black plastic stock. Even the duck hunter types will eye you as if you probably are engaged to your own sister. I've never run into this with pistols or rifles, and I've been shooting for over 60 years. There is a real snob factor when you become a shotgun owner.

An option you may want to consider would be to buy something other than the typical tactical 18 inch 870/500/88. You can get any of those guns with a 28 inch barrel and wood or camouflaged stocks that will let you hunt and will let you get in to more ranges. And you CAN use a longer barreled gun for HD.

But the all-black short barreled shotguns sure fit the HD need perfectly.
 
You are very likely to find that your 18 inch barrel is not welcome. No "tactical" weapons allowed. So you buy an ebay 28 inch barrel just to comply (I found one for $50). You will then find those who look at brand of the gun and smirk. You will even find those who will tell you that you can't shoot that gun at their range. There are "shotguns" and then there are "SHOTGUNS". If you didn't pay a grand for your gun, don't come here. There is even some who will rationalize -- "...if you can only afford a Mossberg, how will you eve pay our dues? Our dues cost more than your gun."
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Since I also live in this area, I have never seen this attitude you describe at any of the gun clubs so please enlighten us as to which ones have these snobs. Many do not like the shorter barrels due to noise, but no one has ever looked down on anyone shooting a Mossberg or similar - and I have shot at all of the clubs in central FL

BTW, a grand for a shotgun isn't all that much to spend. I wonder what you'd think about someone shooting one that cost $110,000? ;)
 
In all of the above posts I find Sam's the most useful -and I know a bit about defensive shotguns. Your familiarity and practice are far more important than almost anything with a weapon that can end a fight with a single shot -on target.

I've carried both Mossberg and Remington riot configured shotguns (simple short barrel four shot weapons with only a bead sight) and far prefer the Remington because of how the safety is configured (and more specifically where it's located). I was always worried that with a Mossberg I might accidentally pop a round given the thumb safety they employ -and I may have actually pointed a shotgun on the street at a lot of people with safety in place until I needed to shoot (and that happened only once in 22 years...).

A quick pointing easy to employ shotgun on the street or in your home is almost the perfect close quarters fight ender once you know the pattern it shoots. I always had mine in hand whenever I anticipated a weapons problem. Most on the downrange end take one look at it and give up their bad intentions with never a shot fired. On the one occasion it was needed a single shot ended the fight right there. All we were ever issued was ordinary relatively inexpensive 2 3/4" 00buck ammo (and that's what we practiced with as well).
 
As Louis Awerbuck used to say... "It's the Indian, not the arrow."

Any reliable repeating shotgun will do just fine. It's a trained and practiced shooter that makes the difference.

As to capacity ... no matter how big the magazine, it will eventually run dry. So we still have to learn to load 'em, to paraphrase Clint Smith. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhgwHQCJwWw to get it from the horse's mouth.
 
If you want a semi auto, There is also nothing wrong with a plain Jane Remington 1187. You can get one with a 28" barrel for about $600, and then add a shorter barrel from ebay or cabelas. I would suggest a 20" rifle sighted barrel, smooth bore model with changeable chokes so you can use a rifled choke for slugs or not. I bought a nice used 20" smooth bore rifle sight barrel for my 1187 here on THR for $95 a few years ago.

Then you have a bird hunting and trap gun with the 28" barrel and a deer hunting / Home defense tactical model with the shorter rifle sight / slug barrel. You should be able to do this all for $800 if you buy new or 600-700 used.

Then go out and practice shooting it a bunch to break it in and get accustomed to it.
 
Strictly home defense with an option to hunt would be nice.
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Another option is the Winchester SXP Defender model. 5+1 capacity, fixed cylinder choke 18.0'' chrome lined (does it really make any difference?) barrel. Very smooth to operate (brand new, and then it just gets better), lightweight, synthetic. 26'' and 28'' barrels with interchangeable chokes are available for the birds. What makes it different from the Remington and Mossberg guns? It is an import, which some do not like. The safety location is in front of the trigger guard, the release is behind it on the left. It has not been around for as long and therefore can not be compared to them in term of durability. Different flavor, but still a pump shotgun.

Based only on the quoted requirement, pretty much any shotgun would do, I guess, although I would favor a repeater, just in case there is more than one bad guy, and I would avoid a UTS or a KSG and stuff like that because they do not seem very reliable according to the internet. Paint and add-ons can make it tactical, only practice and reliability make it good for HD.
 
Not to go off topic but I got two warnings back to back pretty much so I think im going to speak very little and just read more then participate in discussions. Ill help where I can and ask in the form of a post if needed but please dont be offended if I dont reply to each of you individually. I appreciate all the feedback i've received. Thanks.
 
the best
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has a lot of hidden information.

Best value for a defensive shotgun? Probably the 500.
Best reputation? Probably the 870. Close second on the 500s.
Best recoil management system? Probably the Browning Gold or Beretta A300 semiautos.
Best accessories? 500, 870, Benelli, ???
Best wow factor? Saiga, KSG
 
oneounceload said:
"Tactical" is a mindset, not a piece of hardware.

Remington 870 as mentioned is a great and inexpensive shotgun
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Hey something we agree on :D
Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 pump gun will fill your need which ever gun you shoot the best If you want a longer barrel for hunting they are easy to find for either brand .
I like short shotguns I shoot my both my lefty 870 with a 18.25 barrel and my black "tactical " 870 with a lefty trigger group every once in a while at our club , usually hit 17 to -21 birds Only comment I have ever gotten about my guns is You would be hard to beat if you ever get a real gun and that was in good fun
Roy
 
You can get a 8 shot Maverick 88 for around $200 plus tax/FFL. When you decide if and what you want to hunt get a good hunting shotgun. When I ditched the 870 express it was very easy for me. I knew I wanted to deer hunt and I needed a utility shotgun. I got a Mossberg 500 deer and field combo (28" vent rib, 24" rifled barrel).

Then I bought the 8 shot Maverick 88 when the hunting laws changed. The bag limit changed from one deer a day to the number of tags you had. We were driving deer. We used buckshot for safety. Late in the season deer gang up. It is not uncommon to see 10 or more deer at the same time. Eight 3" magnum 00 buck would thin a herd of deer out quick. Nine 2 3/4" 00 buck are plenty for home defense.

Here you go eight 3"/9 2 3/4" with pistol grip kit
http://www.dfwshootingsports.com//product.maverick-88-12ga20-barrel-wpistol-grip-kit

www.gunwatcher.com results
http://gunwatcher.com/gun/73AB626A8EF311/Maverick-88-20%22-barrel

I can tell you this much pistol grips look cool. But the best way to ruin the accuracy of a shotgun is to put a pistol grip on it. At self defense range you have to shoot a shotgun just as accurately as a rifle. The pattern of buckshot is about the size of your hand at 7 yards.
 
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