I think the first thing you have to come to grips with is your tendency to base your judgement on a few bad reviews while ignoring the plethora of positive reviews.
Every gun ever made has had bad reviews. I' m sure that even shotguns as revered as the Browning A5 and the Winchester Model 12 had some bad reviews. Some people might not like the gun for whatever reason, or maybe they got a bad specimen that had problems. The problem with negative reviews is that first; people with bad feelings are far more likely to write a nasty review than the many who have had great experiences are to write a positive review. Second, people take far more notice to bad reviews than good ones. Third, people tend to ignore the reviews that don' t suit their predisposition. You site the negative reviews of Remington, Browning, and Benelli, but seen to completely disregard the fact that there are at least as many negative reviews out there about Mossbergs.
You say that you' ve read bad reviews about the BPS, but I can personally vouch for the quality and functionality of mine. Sure, it' s a little heavier than most other pump guns, but otherwise it excels. I do have a love hate relationship with the bottom eject, perticularly on the trap range, but that doesn' t make it bad for everybody (like the guy to your right in the duck blind). There are bad 870' s out there too. I have personally owned an 870 Express that I didn' t really like, not because it didn' t work right but because I like my shotguns to have nice walnut stocks and deep bluing. Personal preference. I used to own a Winchester 1300 pump, but I didn' t care for it because it just didn' t fit me well, so I traded for the above mentioned 870 Express.
I' d suggest that you go down to your gun shop and take a personal look at all the pump guns they have side by side and see which one you like best. Pump them, point them, take them apart and see which one meets your requirements. If it' s the Mossberg, then buy the Mossberg. It' s your money to do with as you please, after all. I just hope that you CAN find a shotgun to meet your specs. You might just consider sticking with the A5. Shotguns don' t get much better than the A5. I wish I had one myself.
Remington 870' s are damn nice shotguns, plain and simple, end of story. The Ithaca M37 and the Browning BPS are good as well. The Mossbergs should not even be let in the same gun cabinet as these guns.
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Aim Straight,
NBH
" If guns cause crime......mine are defective" ----Ted
Nugent
" Fast is fine......accurate is final "
NRA Life Member
the original reason for this thread was to get opinoins[information] on the NEW pumps now out there. As I first stated, I' m not WHATSOEVER interested in Rem. if anyone has any experience with NEW,I repeat,NEW, pumpguns i.e. Nova,BPS,Win. your comments are very welcome.the reason mossy was mentioned in the first place is because I' m leaning towards buying a 3 1/2" .with it being backbored,ported and offering a variety of chokes, it seems to carry more bang for the buck. the stock spacers and various camo patterns don' t hurt either. whoever wants to carry on with their almost holy rantings about the 870 can check out my new post; shotguns: best,worst and why. sorry to get all the 870 fans all riled, but I did originally state that I' m not at all interested in Rem. I' ve given my reasons so lets move on to other pumpguns please. P.S. it' s been rather entertaining so far.
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Hunt hard, stalk silent,shoot straight and keep your knife sharp.
As a former police officer, I had to reply to this.
Yes, it is true that most all law enforcement agencies go with the lowest bidder when it comes to either the Crown Vic or the Impalas. And I think this is stupid. I' ve seen far more problems with the Crown Vics than I ever did with the Chevy' s. Including a recall, not that long ago, for brake failure at high speed.
However, I' ve never, in 19 years of service, seen any agency go with the rock bottom bidder when it comes to firearms. It doesn' t happen. There' s too much civil liability involved here, not only for the officer, but the public he' s trying to protect. They have stringent guidelines that have to be met to even be considered, then they pick the lowest bidder that meets that guideline. Sometimes. Sometimes, even the lowest bidder that does meet the guidelines doesn' t win the contract.
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Danny
Life Member, North American Hunting Club
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Life Member, Buckmasters
Oklahoma Hunter Education Instructor
RE: firearms
