870's are a breeze to maintain. I can break that right down, although it's not really necessary. It built so simpleit is almost unbelievable. They will keep on working for you regardless of condition. The true workhorse of the gun industry.

I got an 870 12ga. Upland Special (discontinued) and that is a great bird gun, probably the best. One of the most comfortable guns I have ever shot. Once in a while when I get bored of shooting birds with a pump i will shoot my 1100 20ga. skeet gun or my dads 12 ga. Browning B2000. Regardless, they kill and thats what matters. Although shooting a pump is slightly slower than a semi-auto (if your good at pumping quickly) it makes you have more time to compose yourself for a follow up shot. Semi-autos tend to make people a little trigger happy and you start shooting Hail-Mary's.

My slug gun is the 870 Express w/ 23" cantilever barrel and synthetic stock and forearm. Haven't shot it much but I have a lot of confidance in it. My dad has the 1187 SPS slug gun and took deer out as far as 150 yds.

I have a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag for my turkey gun with a Kick's choke and shoot 3.5" Federal 6's out of it. That gunsends 3'x3' boxes flying into the air at 40 yds.

They say that you get less energy out of a semi-auto because some of the gases are used to operate the bolt.I have taken birds out to 50 yds. with my 870 improved cylinder that I would have have been able to do with a semi-auto improved cylinder gun. I've tried it with my dads 1187 and it doesn't work.

If you are new to guns, get a pump. A lot easier to maintain and shoots more consistently, probably because the gases used to operate the bolt on a semi-autois put into the shot on a pump utilizing the most energy possible from the shot. Semi-autos are a pain if you don't take good care of it. If you let it get dirty inside, it is a pain to get it all cleaned out to get it working properly.

If you get a pump and get the rhythm of shooting one, nothing can beat it. If you get bored and switch to a semi-auto for a long period of time, you will lose your rhythm for the pump and it takesa lot of shooting to get it back, at least it did for me. When I went to the 20ga. 1100 skeet gun because I hunt over an English Setter I lost the rhythm and when I went back to the 12 ga. pump because one day I hunted over some springer, I started trying to pump it to early or I wasn't bringing it back all the way that I wasnt able to make second shots. When I went to the semi-auto, after every shot I was trying to pump the forearm then I broke that habit and thats when I lost the rhythm. Just another thing to keep in mind.