Pump Shotgun Feedback/Sugestions?

[Jc2020]

My oldest son has been bitten by the waterfowl bug. It's time for him to have his own 12 ga. I want my A500 back. He's got a birthday coming up and I'm thinking of taking him shopping for a new gun. I want him to handle it and pick it out. My budget is pump gun money if he wants an auto loader he can make up the difference. I haven't been paying a lot of attention to new models but the two I'm liking on paper are the Benelli Nova and Winchester SXP. Never had a problem with a Mossberg 500. I've heard some negatives about new 870s. Now experience with the Stoegers but even the auto's are looking to be close to my budget.

So anyone have any real world feed back about the newer pump guns on the market? Thanks.

I’ve had two super novas a mossberg and a couple 870s I love the benellis and the 870s never had issues with either. the mossberg I have and I have friends with them all seem like the action gets sloppy and there is a lot of play in he pump to me

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I have a 1960s era Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 gauge with 2-3/4" capacity in walnut. I really loved hunting with it, but decided to get a synthetic camo-ed version of the same gun with the magnum 3-1/2" receiver. That was in 2018. I really enjoy that. It is lighter weight than the walnut stock and it has a threaded barrel for chokes that my older gun did not have. I like the 870 because it is very simple. Easy to take apart to clean. Not too many parts to break or replace.

 

[Buckyranger42]

If used is an option my vote is for a used 870 Wingmaster.

I use an 870 Express, but I understand the concerns of more recent 870s.

 

[DouglasR]

Imo I would take the mossberg off the list. Others will disagree I'm sure but I think there junk pick one up and handle it you'll see what I mean.

There’s a squirrel or 2 down in the central part of the state that would disagree.
They’re supposed to rattle when you pick them up!
I’ve got the bantam from when I was a kid retro fitted with the adult black synthetic stocks.
I like it because it’s more of a tool than a show piece.
Check out that gold trigger tho.

 

[OntarioHunter]

If you are referencing my remarks, it is confusion caused by unclear writing on my part. I was trying to say choose your gun by fit - and if several guns all fit similarly or can be made to fit with simple adjustment, then choose the better quality of those that fit - per my opinion regarding the relative quality of the pump guns being referenced that I have owned. I was not ranking by fit.

Nope, not you. Someone, the thread starter I think, said he took his son to a store and tried both 870 and Winchester and the 870 didn't seem to fit right. The one thing most seem to agree on, even those who don't like them, is the 870 points very well.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I shoot a Mossberg 500 12 ga. My dad hunted with it before me back to when he bought it new in the early 80s. Has killed hundreds of squirrels, rabbits, upland birds, waterfowl, doves, etc. He said he bought it because it was cheap, and he did get the slide serviced one time over 25 years ago. I have another one in 20 ga. with a raised comb, red dot, cantilevered scope mount, rifled barrel, and red dot optic.

There is nothing I don’t like about these guns. I would caution against the synthetic stock variety though; both mine are in wood.

I have shot 2 winchesters that I later sold, and 3 Remingtons. I didn’t like any of those guns.

Pros:
-inexpensive
-indestructible
-easy to take apart and clean
-tang safety

There are certainly many nicer guns out there that have much better finish and style but the 500 is a workhorse that holds its own in performance IMO. Most people I know prefer the 870 if given a choice, which is also a solid option, I just strongly dislike how they feel and handle.

 

[mplane72]

Thanks for all the input.

For the record there are already 3 mossbergs in the house. Both my sons started with 500 bantams that have killed their share of deer, ducks and turkeys without a problem. I also have a 835 from the first year they came out that's still going strong. (Damn that's 30 years ago!) I admit they're not as nice in finish as my old wing master, A500 or ruger but they do get the job done.

I'll have him try them all and make his choice. Maybe find a good deal used but I'm not holding my breath. Was more looking for a consensus on anything to stay away from due to quality and reliability.

 

[Cheesehead]

Nova for me has been my ‘crowbar gun’. Ugly but works and fine to beat up. Have occasionally had issues with it feeding if there are 3.5 mixed with 2.75, but that was rare and easily sorted. Had my first straight 25 trap score with it, so I can forgive its looks.

Also had good luck with a sweet 16 Ithaca, although if I were to do it again I’d go 20 due to cost of ammo.

 

[Nick87]

There’s a squirrel or 2 down in the central part of the state that would disagree.
They’re supposed to rattle when you pick them up!
I’ve got the bantam from when I was a kid retro fitted with the adult black synthetic stocks.
I like it because it’s more of a tool than a show piece.
Check out that gold trigger tho.
View attachment 158571

I still strongly disagree. My benelli is treated as a tool as well. You use it enough and your going to want something quality I guess. Btw your supposed to shoot squirrels witha .22.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I expect the chair of the International Shotgun Culture and Ethics Committee will show up to post any moment and set everything right.

Called it!

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

There’s a squirrel or 2 down in the central part of the state that would disagree.
They’re supposed to rattle when you pick them up!
I’ve got the bantam from when I was a kid retro fitted with the adult black synthetic stocks.
I like it because it’s more of a tool than a show piece.
Check out that gold trigger tho.
View attachment 158571

I have an 870 and a mossberg 835. I’ve hardly used the 870 I’ve taken everything from doves to deer with the mossberg.

If your shotgun doesn’t rattle how do you let’m know you’re coming... dubious fair chase ethics abound on this thread

 

[Jbotto]

I’m strongly biased here as I think highly of 870’s but the ones made in the last ten years or so aren’t as nice as the older ones. It seems they went downhill quite a bit when the “laminate” stocked Expresses came out. My first was a dusty new, old stock that had been overlooked in the old fun shop that i bought it from for the shiny newer laminate stocked versions. Happily brought it hope and had been at my side for thousands of shots! They are a great fit for me and they are the pump-gun I recommend. I’ve spent quite a bit of time behind a Mossberg 835 and a Browning BPS as well and I just like how the 870’s feel and function. Between the few I own, I even bought a stripped receiver once and made a functioning shotgun out of it, which proves that even this guy with two left thumbs can’t make an 870 let me down.

I wish I would’ve bought a used Wingmaster at some point but probably will soon. My main 870 is am getting smooth just from use, but still not as nice as a Wingmaster.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Called it!

Always interested to hear what the president of the Rocky Mountain Popgun Society doesnt have to say. Still anxiously waiting for that milk jug backstrap recipe. Do you shoot them on the ground or take them on the wing?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Thanks for all the input.

For the record there are already 3 mossbergs in the house. Both my sons started with 500 bantams that have killed their share of deer, ducks and turkeys without a problem. I also have a 835 from the first year they came out that's still going strong. (Damn that's 30 years ago!) I admit they're not as nice in finish as my old wing master, A500 or ruger but they do get the job done.

I'll have him try them all and make his choice. Maybe find a good deal used but I'm not holding my breath. Was more looking for a consensus on anything to stay away from due to quality and reliability.

I see Ithaca Model 37 on the used racks fairly regularly. Nothing wrong with those. And if you find an old Model 31 Remington in good shape for a good price, snap it up. They don't make guns like that anymore.

 

[A207X2]

Honestly, when I hear Pump Shotgun- I think 870. It’s like tissue/Kleenex, the 870 is simply the standard by which all others are judged.
they’ve been making them since 1950 in so many variants, that I can’t name them all. I hate pump shotguns (I’m too dumb to remember to pump). But I own several in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga.
I would argue that any newer pump shotgun owes its birth to the 870.

** For my older friends, I’m not forgetting the Model 12 nor the Model 37, just looking at the modern era.

Some of the best Ithaca Model 37s ever made are now coming out of Upper Sandusky, OH. They're expensive, but really well built - IMHO the best pump action shotguns.

 

[shb]

1970s Wingmasters can be had for a fraction of the price of these new fancy pants pumps,



all of which that are just trying to be the next 1970s wingmaster.

 

[OntarioHunter]

The problem with the 870 is they are cheaply made. That was the objective when they were introduced after the swift success of its stamped parts predecessor, the 11-48, a slicked up version of the Model 11 (which was essentially a copy of John Browning's Auto Five). Mind you the 870 is a work horse and for its day was a leader in ease of maintenance. They are not the smoothest pump ever made (that honour must go to the Model 12) but probably as smooth or smoother than any made today. But though it's easy to remove the barrel, breech bolt, and trigger assembly, there are parts permanently riveted or peened to the inside of the receiver and exposed to firing residue that are impossible to thoroughly clean. My old Wingmaster has been shot to death and the ejector needs replacing (a thin piece of bent stamped metal). That requires a special riveting tool and a trip to the gunsmith or Remington. I know one fella who sent his in to Big Green for an ejector and it cost him $400. I'm sure my gun is not worth that much. Several years ago my gun's right shell latch popped off (it's merely peened into its receiver rail at two tiny spots top and bottom). Too much crud got built up behind it I guess. Repairing that is definitely an expensive factory shop assignment. The front trigger assembly pin will hold it in place but the trick is getting the trigger assembly back in while holding the shell latch in place and at the same time pushing in the pin. I think I have invented new swear word phrases for just that occasion.

There are at least two "old style" quality pump guns being manufactured today (Ithaca Model 37 and, to a lesser extent I think, the Browning BPS). The rest are designed with cheap manufacturing costs foremost in mind. Quality too often takes a back seat and in some cases mentioned above in other posts, that seat is dragging behind the bumper. I'm not so sure some of the newer model pumps aren't designed with disposability foremost in mind.

My first gun given to me on my 12th birthday back in 1964 was a used sixteen gauge Model 12. It was my daughter's first gun and I have no doubt it will be my grandson's first gun after I am gone. My 1968 Wingmaster? It will probably go to someone in the estate sale, maybe for parts. That is not the gun I would want to be remembered for. My daughter will definitely take the A5 Light Twelve I bought in Korea (she shoots it well at trap). Maybe her guy will be interested in the late acquisition Magnum Twelve if I don't wear it out totally by then (I have now replaced everything except the barrel ... including as of last month the receiver). The point of all this is I would want the first gun for my kid to be something worth keeping and remembering. Something of quality but durable ... because that's what I am. A Mossberg? Like the 870 they work but too many plastic parts for me. I definitely would not bother with an 870 Express that will be a rusting hulk before the boy is grown up. Not much reason for him to hang onto that for his kids. Similarly, I wouldn't go buy him some ultra fancy auto or O/U either. That is not representative of me. I'm in the outdoors to experience nature and watch my dogs, and to a lesser extent shoot birds, not for a style show. Since you have a Mossberg and have been happy with it, that might not be a bad sentimental choice for him. It works. My dad had a Remington Model 11 A5 clone auto but he gave me a Model 12 Winchester and my brother a Remington Model 31 pump (Dad didn't think an auto was a wise choice for a kid's starter gun). I hope you pick something he will want to keep and also want to use.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Personally, I’d buy an 870 and wouldn’t consider anything else. I’ve got old ones and new ones and haven’t had any issues with any of them.

 

[Gunner46]

I've never, in my 50 yrs of owning Moss 500's, had reason to consider anything else. The only reason I bought my second one was because the 1st one was stolen. ( see? Even a thief knows Value when he/she sees it) Both 20ga's with the Poly-choke. Hell's Bells.....even the Marine Corps issues them !

 

[Ripnbst]

I have a Winchester SXP pump gun and a Beretta A400 gas semiauto. In the past I've owned an 870 and a Winchester 1200. I really like Winny pump scatterguns. They fit me well and the actions are smooth. I was amazed at how nice the trigger was in my SXP the first outing. Usually shotguns have pretty heavy triggers, my SXP is phenomenal for a factory shotgun trigger. No issues with cycling at all.