IM looking to buy a shotgun mainly for home defense. I’ve been looking at the Mossberg 500 or the Maverick 88. Trap and skeet shooting is something I probably will get into down the road. Any thoughts? Should I go a different rout all together? I’m trying to keep my cost under 400$

Remington 870 12 gauge with 18 inch barrel and a Knoxx stock. You can't beat that.

The mossberg 500 or the Remington 870 are both good choices.

Manually operated, you can get a riot barrel for both and then use the gun for hunting also.

Both are almost indestructible...just keep them away from sailors and 5 year olds....

I found a Winchester 1300 Defender for something like $200 years ago.

Gunbroker has a selection from $135 to $320.

It has been quite satisfactory. Thankfully I haven't had to use it.

We knew a fellow in San Diego who got into guns. He had a small business, made a barely adequate living for his growing family. He lusted after a Benelli shotgun that at the time was $1200. I showed him mine, let him shoot it. It would certainly have been just fine for his purpose. I did my best to dissuade him, in his marginal circumstances, to not spend money on the Benelli. I hope he listened to me.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Remington 870 12 gauge with 18 inch barrel and a Knoxx stock. You can't beat that.

You nailed it.

Trap and Skeet shooting have different needs than a defense type shotgun. I have one for each purpose and a few others just sitting around.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
I found a Winchester 1300 Defender for something like $200 years ago.

Gunbroker has a selection from $135 to $320

^^^This. Mine is an SXP version that comes with a HD barrel and a long barrel with interchangeable chokes. Very nice and relatively inexpensive.

quote:

Originally posted by DBS:
http://summitgunbroker.com/rem--870p.html

Nice!

For the OP, this is the police model which has a lot of upgrades compared to the 18" express model. Here is what Remington has to say about the differences.

Rem 870 is the Glock 19 of shotguns. Has been doing the job for decades.

Thank you everyone! I like the Rem 870 with the Knoxx stock. Ill have to look into that

Ive had an 18" 870 with an extended tube, I think it holds 5 or 6 (maybe 7) standard length shells.

Ive had it for over a decade.

You can never go wrong with an 870.

2 feet from me sits my Remington 870. It's at least 30 years old, probably older. I 'won' a chance to buy it for $100 from my old agency when they were retiring some guns. So it did decades of police service before coming to me, and works perfectly. 18" barrel, 4 rounds.

I took off the stock it came with and put a Hogue shock absorbing pistol grip. I, and 99% of the rest of people with any sense, would normally recommend against a pistol grip on a 12 gauge, however this is my house gun and I have shot numerous loads out of it and feel supremely confident with it at indoor-distances. Only thing that I don't like is low-capacity.

That Hogue grip really tamps down the recoil. I have *accidentally* shot 3" magnums out of a Marine Magnum I used to have, with hard plastic grips. That freaking hurt, for days. I thought I had broken something. The Hogues make all the difference in the world.

Those used 870Ps from Summit are a good deal. I'd take that over a new production 870 Express any day.

quote:

Originally posted by Rictafer:
I’ve been looking at the Mossberg 500 or the Maverick 88.

The Maverick 88 is basically a Mossberg 500. It's just the cheaper "budget" version, lacking some features and with some corners cut during production.

I'd also say the 870, I have 2 of them.

A 1985 blued with wood and a 'tactical' express I bought off a friend.

I have 2 Winchester SXP's for sporting clays. Nice thing about them is that they unlock and open the breech almost half way after a shot. This makes for faster followup shot.

One also came with an 18" barrel. I removed the magazine tube blocker (30 second job) to add 2 more rounds to the capacity.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Remington 870 12 gauge with 18 inch barrel and a Knoxx stock. You can't beat that.

Can't beat it for home defense.

It would be a terrible trap and skeet gun. For that, the conversation gets longer and more specific. A Remington 1100 would make a good entry level trap or skeet gun. Or one of the Beretta gas autos. You DO NOT want a pump for skeet. It makes the doubles harder than they need to be. Trap guns get very specialized. A specialists dedicated trap gun isn't good for much else.

If you're a righty either a Remington 870P or Mossberg 590A1.

If you're a lefty get a Mossberg 590A1.

Skip pistol grip stocks, especially with the Mossberg.

If you can't afford the 870P or Mossberg 590A1, then get an 870 Express or 500, and upgrade them to the 870P or 590 components as soon as you can afford to do it.

If you're planning on shooting skeet/trap, I'd recommend finding a good O/U or a semi-auto. However, the price will probably be WAY more than $400, and that's why no semi-auto is recommended above.

quote:

Originally posted by Bigboreshooter:
You can never go wrong with an 870.

Unless you're a lefty, then it sucks.