I'm looking at 12 gauge pump shotguns. After searching through the forums here I've narrowed it down to either a Mossberg 500, Remington 870 Express, or Winchester 1300.
I'll want it to be an all-purpose gun (turkey, waterfowl, hogs, coyote, deer). I'm left-handed and a big guy (6'3", 275 lbs). What length barrel should I be getting?
Also, should I get a combo? My price limit is about $325-350, but if I don't need a combo I'd prefer to spend the $250-275 or so for the standard shotgun. If I don't get a combo, what barrel should I get (smooth, rifled, turkey, what choke, etc)? I guess the question is, if I don't get a combo, what barrel is the most flexible?
govtmule- I, too, have been looking at combos lately. I don't know that you'll find one for $350 unless you get a great deal on gunsamerica.com or auctionarms.com. The two least expensive combo rifles I've found are the Savage Model 24f and Baikal IZH 94. The Savage has limited calibers to choose from but most of the comments I've read were positive. The Baikal has many calibers and gauges to choose from. I'd really like to have one in 6.5x55 with a 12 gauge. I'm still trying to find info on these rifles concerning their reliability. One gun shop owner I talked to raved about the Baikal and said it was a real "working man's gun," - not much on cosmetics but will perform well in the field. People who have their shotguns report good things. Check them out at eaacorp.com. The next step up is probably a Valmet 412 and it's an expensive step up. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Are you looking for one gun or one gun with a combination of barrels? I'm a lefty myself and I shoot one gun. I shoot a Browning BPS. It's ambidextrous, has a tang safety and shucks the shells out the bottom. It's an older model with a regular Invector choke system. With a good turkey choke, it'll put 20-30 pellets into the head and neck of a turkey target at 40 yd. With an improved cylinder tube, it'll put Brennecke slugs into 4" at 100 yd. any time.
Whether or not you'd consider a left handed gun, I'd recommend any gun with a tang safety. I shot a Remington auto for years and unless you get the safety switched to lefty, it's a pain in the @$$ to get at the safety easily. If you are looking for one gun/barrel, I'd stay away from over or back-bored guns. They won't shoot slugs. I'd also recommend a 24 or 26" barrel. It is a nice compromise between a smoother swinging, longer barrel and a more compact gun for turkeys or deer. My gun has a 28" barrel and although I like the longer sighting plane, there are times I wish it was shorter. With the improvements in rifled slug barrels, A multi-barrel combo might be the way to go. A rifled barrel will be way more accurate that a smooth bore, and with a cantilever mount, you'll be able to put a scope on it.
Get the combo, no doubt about it. You will never be able to purchase the second (slug) barrel seperately at the price it will come with the combo deal.
I was asking a similar question recently and have decided to go with the 870. I feel like its worth getting what I want even if I end up spending a little more money than I want to. I would rather be happy with the gun and unhappy with the price than vise versa. The one decicion I still have to make is weather to get a scope or not. I will probobly decide later on after trying out the iron sights and the accuracy.
Shotgun...combo or not?
