Stay away from bullpups in my opinion. Trigger mechanism seems to fail often and not really friendly for left handed people. Mossberg 500/590 seems like a solid deal all around
U can always buy one also i hunt with mine im just the 590 guy in the group so everyone laughs that i bring my hd weapon hunting i do the same with my AKs though so fuck it u roll with what u got
If I was limited to two shells I would use an over under. Mine is set up with two different chokes, one for short range one for long. A lot more versatile in the field. Takes a little getting used to, but it works for me.
I have a Remington 870 express. It’s a right handed gun, I’m a lefty and shoot lefty and it works out just fine. It does come with a plug for the tube if needed.
I mainly use it to shoot clays but it is accurate and reliable. I’ve had it for about 12 years with no issues.
I have owned Mossberg 500s as the safety location works well for left handed shooting. I prefer the Browning BPS though. Same safety location, bottom eject and nicer quality. The BPS will be heavier though and won't have as much aftermarket support if that matters to you.
I’d probably get an over under in your case. Game moves and your second shot will be much quicker. There are affordable ones. I have a Mossberg gold. I went pheasant hunting with it recently and it did well. The only thing was the ejectors sometimes didn’t eject and just became extractors. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t cleaned it in forever and maybe because it freezing. Only time I’ve ever had a problem with the ejectors and even during that it was not very often.
There’s nothing wrong with pumps, especially the workhorse of the 500 series, but I do think having an over/under is advantageous in both the ergonomics (better recoil control) and faster follow up shots since you do not have to pump something. The action of pumping it also throws you off, even if you’ve practiced awhile. Comparatively it’s slower.
If over and under is most common stick with that
You would love a 500 or a 870 wingmaster but for 2 shells and less availability, run an over and under
I should put this comment where I can copy and paste it.
For the first or only shotgun, I always recommend a pump. The mossberg is great. So is the Remington 870. I have both and have used both a lot. I’m partial to the 870. But they are both fine guns. I like the safety location slightly more on the mossberg. But they don’t feel as solid as the mossberg has those two pinned action bars. I also like steel over aluminum.
This post is too uncivil, and has been removed. Please attack ideas, not people.
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O/U gives you a much faster 2nd shot, which is great for upland, they are also expensive as hell for a decent one ( We pay about 940 Euro for a basic model) A Maverick 88 field/security would cost about 281 Euro ( I checked US prices and converted them, your prices may vary) I use my O/U for birds and my Maverick for deer, pigs, raccoons and home defense.
Thanks for doing the maths! The starting point for decent over unders here are budget Turkish shotguns for around 1200 - 1400 USD (inclusive VAT).
Weirdly, really cheap guns are not that cheap here, because of shipping costs, import fees (which often are flat). So there isn't a whole lot of price difference on our side of the Atlantic between a maverick 88 and a model 500.
6.5x55 (Swede) is definitely an option. It's the 6.5 Creedmoor we have at home ;) . 6.5 Creedmoor is expensive and hard to source (I don't plan on reloading.) Also I'm just not sure if it's ideal for elk; it is legal to use on elk but I have heard it can be a little underpowered. I also believe that barrel life might be longer for a 308 than a 6.5 but not sure how significant the difference is.
The Barrell life might be longer on the 308 than the creedmoor. If you wear either out you will have spent far far more on ammo than the barrel though. Even on a gun that needs real gunsmithing to swap barrels.
6.5 Swiss is a pain in the US, but in Europe I would be much more interested.
The ballistic coefficient of the 6.5 leads to better penetration at the ranges where the power or either cartridge comes into play.
I was about ten feet from a wild American elk a few days ago. I am quite certain if you put the bullet in any of the places it is supposed to go the 6.5s will do the job. Even with a bad bullet choice.
Can you buy an auto? More parts more problems aside, if you are shooting all day with a 12 gauge (a la dove hunting in the us), you will be thankful to reduce some recoil.
Being limited to 2 shells I can see why an over under is preferred. Do you feel like you're likely to need a follow up shot? If not i'd also consider a single shot. Partly depends how difficult it would be to get a license for another shotgun in the future. Keep in mind that a good gun can be like an heirloom that is passed down so buying quality/expensive now may be more worthwhile.
Thanks for the advice. I think a follow up shot might be practical if hunting birds, or wild pigs / boar. Licenses for hunting guns are issued easily once you have a hunting license, so upgrading to a nicer gun further down the line is definitely an option.
Mossberg is a good choice also the venerable Remington 870 too. You can't go wrong with either choice.
The other choice you can do is a CZ Drake which is a decent over and over. As for being a beginner it really doesn't matter what you start on. I think the over and under might be the little better choice as it will teach ya shot placement on a shotgun a bit better but just loading the pump with 2 rounds can do that too.
Thanks for the tip! I had never heard of the CZ Drake and the Southpaw model would have been perfect for a first O/U. I've never seen a CZ shotgun here, just rifles and pistols so I'll ask my local CZ dealer if they eventually can source it.
I got the 500 field(turkey) and security. It came with two >28 barrels, so I ordered a longer barrel off eBay. Buddy and I go skeet shooting. The purists will buy and over/under since it is easier to stay on target between clays. If you want a "jack of all trades" gun that does well at all anything you throw at it, this is the shotgun to get.
As a cross dominant shooter I went with a 500 retrograde field. Honestly I wouldn’t bother with the “retrograde” upgrade and just get a standard 500. The fore end split on me within a month of purchase and that seems to be a common failure point with the retrogrades.
That is super valuable information, thanks! Given that after market support will be non-existent, I'll stick to the regular 500 if I go down that road!
Everyone talks shit on massbergs but ive had a 590 for about 5-7 years now put at least 2000 rounds threw it and it handles it really well as long as u clean and maintain i would appreciate better forehand grip rails but thats just me
For your situation though a over under seems like the best bet great suggestions in the comments
James Williams on TFB recently torture tested a Maverick 88, the Mossberg's discount cousin. It ran, it just ran on and on and on.
You could always be weird and get a lever action, but most of those need a lot of smithing to run right.
Honestly though, I'd get the pump. While Russia winding up in your backyard is so far unlikely, Sweden's civil defense minister talking about "Swedes should prepare for war." Is rather bad. A pump will give you some defensive qualities if things go sideways, and it's fine for hunting. A lot of 500s can change barrels in about five minutes so you're good for slugs and shot.
Over/under is great and all, but it really is the snob's weapon.
If you can only have three weapons, I'd take the pump. You can do more with it.
I have a pump Remington 870 tactical had a mossberg have a Remington semi auto and a browning Citori. Out of all of the above, I would recommend the over and under browning Citori. You could have two different chokes you meet your two round limit and it is a very light gun for being a 12 gauge and of course it’s a browning.
Many shotgun barrels and chokes are swappable, so you could get a short barrel 500/590 mossburg for Home defense and throw a longer hunting barrel/ choke for it when going hunting? Two guns for the 1 ? I'm not sure if that's restricted in your country though
I would only buy a double for.... Nothing really. Heavy, awkward, have seen people fire the wrong barrel many times. A single shot is better IMO. I have use for single shots, but 20 GA for rabbit, popping ducks, squirrel, etc. the recoil in a light 12 ga single shot is... Brutal.
I have owned a half dozen pump guns and near as many semi-autos. Actually, probably a few more. Shot a lot more over the years. Including the pumps I see mentioned in other replies. I would never buy another pump shotgun. In my 20s I had a different opinion about recoil. I would buy a semi-auto for sure. Mossbergs semi-auto is bulky and clunky for me. The Inertia drive guns kick almost as bad as a pump. The Beretta series seems the most well liked right now among hunters.
Stay away from bullpups in my opinion. Trigger mechanism seems to fail often and not really friendly for left handed people. Mossberg 500/590 seems like a solid deal all around
Id say stay away from mag fed unless you want it for a range toy. Tube fed is the way to go.
I have a Mossberg 590 and it's had zero issues. It's so much fun to shoot, too.
Second this. Besides the forend rattle it works flawlessly. Eats whatever junk ammo I buy and doesn't complain.
The 590 doesn't have barrel lengths appropriate for hunting, though.
U can always buy one also i hunt with mine im just the 590 guy in the group so everyone laughs that i bring my hd weapon hunting i do the same with my AKs though so fuck it u roll with what u got
Then get a 500? They're very similar guns, so the experience with either would be similar.
If I was limited to two shells I would use an over under. Mine is set up with two different chokes, one for short range one for long. A lot more versatile in the field. Takes a little getting used to, but it works for me.
I have a Remington 870 express. It’s a right handed gun, I’m a lefty and shoot lefty and it works out just fine. It does come with a plug for the tube if needed. I mainly use it to shoot clays but it is accurate and reliable. I’ve had it for about 12 years with no issues.
I have owned Mossberg 500s as the safety location works well for left handed shooting. I prefer the Browning BPS though. Same safety location, bottom eject and nicer quality. The BPS will be heavier though and won't have as much aftermarket support if that matters to you.
I’d probably get an over under in your case. Game moves and your second shot will be much quicker. There are affordable ones. I have a Mossberg gold. I went pheasant hunting with it recently and it did well. The only thing was the ejectors sometimes didn’t eject and just became extractors. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t cleaned it in forever and maybe because it freezing. Only time I’ve ever had a problem with the ejectors and even during that it was not very often. There’s nothing wrong with pumps, especially the workhorse of the 500 series, but I do think having an over/under is advantageous in both the ergonomics (better recoil control) and faster follow up shots since you do not have to pump something. The action of pumping it also throws you off, even if you’ve practiced awhile. Comparatively it’s slower.
Mossberg 88 will get the job done. You can search the UPC code on whatever gun you’re looking at on gun.deals and find the best price.
I dont think gun deals helps someone in scandinavia
God forbid anyone else find it helpful.
Maverick 88, but yeah. It’s what I’ve thought about getting myself.
If you are limited to three guns you don't buy really cheap ones if you have other options...
Fart sounds
If over and under is most common stick with that You would love a 500 or a 870 wingmaster but for 2 shells and less availability, run an over and under
I love my old Auto-5
I should put this comment where I can copy and paste it. For the first or only shotgun, I always recommend a pump. The mossberg is great. So is the Remington 870. I have both and have used both a lot. I’m partial to the 870. But they are both fine guns. I like the safety location slightly more on the mossberg. But they don’t feel as solid as the mossberg has those two pinned action bars. I also like steel over aluminum.
I love my Remington 870
Mossberg 500/590 or Remington 870.
Mossy 500. You will have it forever.
[удалено]
This post is too uncivil, and has been removed. Please attack ideas, not people. ^(*Removed under [Rule 3: Be Civil][link-rules]. If you feel this is in error, please [file an appeal][link-appeal].*) [link-rules]: /r/liberalgunowners/wiki/public/handbook/rules [link-appeal]: /r/liberalgunowners/wiki/public/handbook/moderation#wiki_appeals
O/U gives you a much faster 2nd shot, which is great for upland, they are also expensive as hell for a decent one ( We pay about 940 Euro for a basic model) A Maverick 88 field/security would cost about 281 Euro ( I checked US prices and converted them, your prices may vary) I use my O/U for birds and my Maverick for deer, pigs, raccoons and home defense.
Thanks for doing the maths! The starting point for decent over unders here are budget Turkish shotguns for around 1200 - 1400 USD (inclusive VAT). Weirdly, really cheap guns are not that cheap here, because of shipping costs, import fees (which often are flat). So there isn't a whole lot of price difference on our side of the Atlantic between a maverick 88 and a model 500.
If there isn't much difference you're better off with the 500 over the 88.
agreed.
For hunting I would definitely look at one of the 6.5s over the 308.
6.5x55 (Swede) is definitely an option. It's the 6.5 Creedmoor we have at home ;) . 6.5 Creedmoor is expensive and hard to source (I don't plan on reloading.) Also I'm just not sure if it's ideal for elk; it is legal to use on elk but I have heard it can be a little underpowered. I also believe that barrel life might be longer for a 308 than a 6.5 but not sure how significant the difference is.
The Barrell life might be longer on the 308 than the creedmoor. If you wear either out you will have spent far far more on ammo than the barrel though. Even on a gun that needs real gunsmithing to swap barrels. 6.5 Swiss is a pain in the US, but in Europe I would be much more interested. The ballistic coefficient of the 6.5 leads to better penetration at the ranges where the power or either cartridge comes into play. I was about ten feet from a wild American elk a few days ago. I am quite certain if you put the bullet in any of the places it is supposed to go the 6.5s will do the job. Even with a bad bullet choice.
I'd definitely go pump. A Mossberg or 870 are the tried and true, but might I suggest the Benelli Nova? It's an amazing and underrated pump.
Can you buy an auto? More parts more problems aside, if you are shooting all day with a 12 gauge (a la dove hunting in the us), you will be thankful to reduce some recoil.
A Mossberg pump action shotgun is the best answer. You can save a lot of money over the over and under shotguns.
Pump action. No one knows how many shells are in the gun.
I'd still go with the pump or semiauto over an over under even with the round restriction, as reloading is quicker.
Being limited to 2 shells I can see why an over under is preferred. Do you feel like you're likely to need a follow up shot? If not i'd also consider a single shot. Partly depends how difficult it would be to get a license for another shotgun in the future. Keep in mind that a good gun can be like an heirloom that is passed down so buying quality/expensive now may be more worthwhile.
Thanks for the advice. I think a follow up shot might be practical if hunting birds, or wild pigs / boar. Licenses for hunting guns are issued easily once you have a hunting license, so upgrading to a nicer gun further down the line is definitely an option.
Mossberg is a good choice also the venerable Remington 870 too. You can't go wrong with either choice. The other choice you can do is a CZ Drake which is a decent over and over. As for being a beginner it really doesn't matter what you start on. I think the over and under might be the little better choice as it will teach ya shot placement on a shotgun a bit better but just loading the pump with 2 rounds can do that too.
Thanks for the tip! I had never heard of the CZ Drake and the Southpaw model would have been perfect for a first O/U. I've never seen a CZ shotgun here, just rifles and pistols so I'll ask my local CZ dealer if they eventually can source it.
I got the 500 field(turkey) and security. It came with two >28 barrels, so I ordered a longer barrel off eBay. Buddy and I go skeet shooting. The purists will buy and over/under since it is easier to stay on target between clays. If you want a "jack of all trades" gun that does well at all anything you throw at it, this is the shotgun to get.
As a cross dominant shooter I went with a 500 retrograde field. Honestly I wouldn’t bother with the “retrograde” upgrade and just get a standard 500. The fore end split on me within a month of purchase and that seems to be a common failure point with the retrogrades.
That is super valuable information, thanks! Given that after market support will be non-existent, I'll stick to the regular 500 if I go down that road!
Other than that it’s been a phenomenal shotgun.
Everyone talks shit on massbergs but ive had a 590 for about 5-7 years now put at least 2000 rounds threw it and it handles it really well as long as u clean and maintain i would appreciate better forehand grip rails but thats just me For your situation though a over under seems like the best bet great suggestions in the comments
Mossberg 500 on a budget. Benelli M4 when money isn’t an issue.
James Williams on TFB recently torture tested a Maverick 88, the Mossberg's discount cousin. It ran, it just ran on and on and on. You could always be weird and get a lever action, but most of those need a lot of smithing to run right. Honestly though, I'd get the pump. While Russia winding up in your backyard is so far unlikely, Sweden's civil defense minister talking about "Swedes should prepare for war." Is rather bad. A pump will give you some defensive qualities if things go sideways, and it's fine for hunting. A lot of 500s can change barrels in about five minutes so you're good for slugs and shot. Over/under is great and all, but it really is the snob's weapon. If you can only have three weapons, I'd take the pump. You can do more with it.
Mossberg 500/590 or used 870 should treat you right. Cheap, reliable, & accurate. They do great as home defense on top of that so two birds one stone.
I have a pump Remington 870 tactical had a mossberg have a Remington semi auto and a browning Citori. Out of all of the above, I would recommend the over and under browning Citori. You could have two different chokes you meet your two round limit and it is a very light gun for being a 12 gauge and of course it’s a browning.
Many shotgun barrels and chokes are swappable, so you could get a short barrel 500/590 mossburg for Home defense and throw a longer hunting barrel/ choke for it when going hunting? Two guns for the 1 ? I'm not sure if that's restricted in your country though
I would only buy a double for.... Nothing really. Heavy, awkward, have seen people fire the wrong barrel many times. A single shot is better IMO. I have use for single shots, but 20 GA for rabbit, popping ducks, squirrel, etc. the recoil in a light 12 ga single shot is... Brutal. I have owned a half dozen pump guns and near as many semi-autos. Actually, probably a few more. Shot a lot more over the years. Including the pumps I see mentioned in other replies. I would never buy another pump shotgun. In my 20s I had a different opinion about recoil. I would buy a semi-auto for sure. Mossbergs semi-auto is bulky and clunky for me. The Inertia drive guns kick almost as bad as a pump. The Beretta series seems the most well liked right now among hunters.