Which does everyone prefer semi or pump? I currently have a Rem. 870 SPS-T but getting either a 870 or 11-87 in thumbhole stock just trying to decide which I should get HELP ME MAKE MY MIND UP

i hunt with an 870 express mag turkey gun with a 21 inch barrel. when i find the stock i want in camo itll be a collapsable m4 style camoed pistol grip stock. i think that will make the ultimate turkey gun. remington came out with one...mossberg makes the stock i want. i contacted Advanced Technology stocks and they said they will make their black model in camo soon...that was a long time ago..hopefully they come out with it sooner or later. i never seen the need for a semi in the turkey woods. if you do your part and wait for the shot your only going to need one shot. if your blazing at them with a semi(like im seeing more of on TV) your going to do more wounding then killing. i come from the school of 1 shot 1 kill and waiting for the perfect shot opprotunity. i was taught to hunt with single shots. my deer rifle dad made me only load 1 round in and only gave me 5 total. said if i couldnt get my tags filled with 5 shells i was SOL. so i guess its kinda...engrained in me to make that first shot count..but thats how it should be.

I currently own a pump gun (Win 1300), but if I had to do it all over again, I would go to a semi-auto instead. You can't beat the second shot capability of a semi-auto VS a pump gun. There's nothing to disrupt your sight picture, just squeeze the trigger a second time. Semi-auto's do weigh more than a pump, and that's one thing to take into account,as well asthe price difference as well. Personally, I like the Winchester X2 in a semi-auto, being that I'm a Winchester fan myself.

Bow!

Pump gun. Never saw the need for a semi. I have one of the original 870 Express guns. I'm not fond of the 28 inch barrel, but it gets the job done. I'd like to get ashorter barrel some day, but since I added the camo stock and R3 recoil pad, I LOVE that gun

I like a pump for one reason... SAFETY!!!!! After I shoot a Gobbler and I get a little excited and for get to put on my safety... My gun is still safe because there is no live shell in the gun...

I ran up on a Gobbler with my 11-87 once and forgot to put on the safety. I was a little scared when I relized what happened[]

a 3 inch magnum turkey load in my 1300 cycles another round in just from the recoil. You can't help but be almost ready with another one in a fraction of a second. Given that why would I want more weight to carry. Pump for me.

Tough question there!

Real answer? Whatever you prefer.

I've been shooting autos for years (11-87, 1100, Win S X-2) but just recently purchased the Rem870 Thumbhole tactical yo-mamma turkey gun.

Why? cause I thought I would try out a pump. Thats all.

OK - I'll open the can of worms - does that pump really put you at a disadvantage over the semi for the follow-up shot?.............we'll first off, I'm with the guy on this thread that said I'm a single sot sort of guy. WE ALL SHOULD STRIVE TO BE THIS WAY. However, having said that, sometimes you need a 2nd shot, The semi-guys will tell you they can get that shot off faster, and the dudes that have been shooting pumps all thier lives say, yea, I agree, but you should see how fast I can get that second shot with the pump if I really want to. Which jams more often? I'm not going to touch that one, if you take care of your equipment you'll experience fewer jams but any shotgunner that tells you he NEVER had a jam is, well, you know.....

So, I just gave a big hot wind of opinion but you asked.

When it comes down to it, semi or pump in the turkey woods, we are shootin the gunlike a rifle, make sure you determine your point of impact, practice with a few different chokes and loads and when you get confidence with this at 30-40 yards it won't matter whether your shooting a pump or a semi cause he is going down on the first shot!

Good luck!

I agree, honestly you probably won't get a second shot off anyway unless you handle recoil very well. I started with a mossberg bantam pump and 3 inch mags. It worked pretty well and the ported barrel helped with muzzle jump with real heavy loads. Didn't do anything for light loads though.

I eventually traded that and some other guns in to get a dedicated slug gun. Then I bought a H&R pump that I was going to use as my turkey gun. After getting that gun though I decided I wanted a semi just for giggles, I had never owned one. I ended up getting a used A-5 stalker light in 12 ga with a 21 inch barrel for a very good price. This will be my new turkey gun for now. Even though it only shoots 2 3/4 loads. The new Fiochi high speed pheasant loads are very impressive and I think that is what I will use along with an extra full choke.

I'm not using the A-5 because it's an auto, I'm using it because it fits me well, it's rugged and I like it.

I may get a 10 ga turkey barrel for my H&R ultra slug gun though.

I laughed when I read about racking another shell from the recoil. I actually did that with my buddies 3.5 inch remington. It kicked so hard I ejected the shell and half way racked another into the chamber.

Paul

I love my 12 gauge automatic. I tried out a pump and never liked it. My auto is lighter then the Pump. i don't really know how you guys say you cant get a second shot off in the woods.. Its not that hard. Just my .02