H&R or Rock Island Home Defense Shotgun?

[Sanjuro82]

Many hours of research went into this post. Hopefully some of you will find it useful. I have handled the 982 and the Savage 350. Still haven't handled on the RIA M5s. Maybe reddog1 or someone who has purchased one from him could provide some more info on them.


Interstate Arms Corp 982

Pros:
Remington 870 clone. Parts and accessories are plentiful.
High carbon steel receiver and trigger guard (no plastic!)
Machined extractor and ejector (no MIM parts!)
Aluminum Trigger
The forged barrel is thicker than Remington 870s
Excellent set of ghost ring sights once you replace the screws with M4 and M3 socket screws.
Will feed pretty much all ammo even the cheapo stuff
15+ year proven track record of US importation, with tons of them sold here.
The 982 is used by military and police overseas.
The stock is actually pretty good, with a nice high quality recoil pad (similart to a limbsaver but not quite as soft)
Steel safety

Cons:
Remington barrels don't fit as the 982s barrel locking nut/ring is in a different loaction. NEF/H&R barrels do fit though, and are easily ordered.
Below average park finish. With it being parked it would be easy to coat with gunkote or cerakote.
870 Mag tube extensions won't fit with modifications.
Some 870 accessories might take a bit of tweaking to get the right fit.
Weak mag tube follower spring (but easily replaced)
Stamped steel follower (easily replaced)
Heavy trigger pull
Lack of warranty and customer support
It's Chinese

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Savage-Stevens 350 Security Pump

Pros:
Ithaca 37 clone. A simple and solid, proven shotgun design
High carbon steel receiver and trigger guard
Machined extractor and ejector (no MIM parts!)
Steel trigger
Dual action bars (the Ithaca only has one)
Same excellent ghost ring sights as the IAC 982
Fiber optic front blade sight (green) with protective steel wings
Forged barrel
Quality Savage warranty and customer service
Bottom ejection (no side cuts in the reciever). Could be a pro or a con depending on your preference
.
Lefty friendly
Decent matte blue finish.
Heavy duty stock and for end


Cons:
It's Chinese
Parts and accessories are only somewhat plentiful.
Average recoil pad
Trigger pull is heavy
Mag tube extensions are hard to find
Stamped steel follower (easily replaced)
Weak mag tube follower spring (but easily replaced)
Some Ithaca 37 accessories might take a bit of tweaking to get the right fit.
Cost a bit more than the RIA m5 or the IAC 982


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Rock Island Armory M5 Pump Shotgun

Pros:
Hi-Standard clone made in the Philippians. The Hi-Standard is a proven high quality design.
Also similar to the Winchester 1300
Lifetime warranty with excellent customer service!
Vented heat shield
Steel reviver and trigger guard
Nice parkerized finish.
Nice fit and finish. Better than the Norincos out of the box
Jeweled bolt which looks cool IMO. Could be a con depending on your preference
From what I understand most Mossberg stock fit the M5
Can be bought locally from a OSA member (reddog1)
Cross bolt safetly located at the front of the trigger guard.
Nice polymer buttstock & forearm
Nice trigger pull
Can get them with a Nickle finish.
Nice price at $200 out the door (reddog1)


Cons:
20” barrel. For HD I would prefer a 18.5”. Could be a pro depending on your preference
Bead sight. I prefer the ghost ring set up. Might be a pro depending on your preference
Receiver is not drilled and tapped
Parts and accessories availability
Not sure on mag tube extensions, if they are out there they are hard to find.
Just not a lot of info out there on them.

 

[coolhandluke]

I think that I have narrowed it down to the IAC 982 or the H&R Pardner Protector. Hopefully I can swing by Sooner State Pawn and have Tommy price them for me in the next couple days.

 

[dieseltech09]

I think that I have narrowed it down to the IAC 982 or the H&R Pardner Protector. Hopefully I can swing by Sooner State Pawn and have Tommy price them for me in the next couple days.

The H&R is 183.99 using his gun search off of his page. With Shipping and tax I think you could find a better price but Tommy maybe be able to do better than listed

 

[coolhandluke]

The H&R is 183.99 using his gun search off of his page. With Shipping and tax I think you could find a better price but Tommy maybe be able to do better than listed

He seems to be able to sometimes. I sent an email asking him to do a price check on those two as well as the RIA M5.

 

[langston302]

sorry boys....I will stick with my $200 870. I went down this road with shotguns before.....bad times my friends. only Norinco I will own now is the 1897 Trench Shotgun. Sadly I cannot find one....ever.

 

[coolhandluke]

IAC 982 is $189.99 and H&R is $183.99 at SSP. They did not price the RIA. Shipping of $20.95 plus taxes would be tacked onto the price. Unfortunately the IAC Hawk 982 is out of stock through Davidson's or I might have ordered it.

I headed to Academy on my lunch hour and checked out the H&R as well as a Savage Stevens 350. I was very impressed with the ghost ring sights on the Savage as well as how it felt when shouldering the shotgun. I called all three metro area Academys to see if there were any non-display units in stock and to get more info on the model. The only feedback that I could get from the all knowing gun counter personel was that "a shell might burn your legs because it's a bottom eject" and that "there was no comparison between the Savage and the H&R because the Savage is made in the U.S." I've done a little bit of research on the Savage and it appears that most everyone is pleased with the shotgun, but there are a few troubling reports of double feed jams and unintentional ejection of unfired shells under recoil due to the slide not locking. No mag extensions can be installed and replacement parts for the Ithaca 37 platform are hard to come by.

I guess I'll be picking up the H&R Pardner Protector since the IAC 982 doesn't look like it will be easy to find. Anyone seen a local price lower than Academy's $199?

 

[jc5420]

The stevens 350 feels like a well built shotgun, but it is fairly new although a copy. The H&R I have only held and it too feels extremly well built. With that said, I would also stick with my remington boom stick. Not hating on anything anyone else has, its just my prefrence and its what I am confortable with.

I do have a question as to most of the things that people want when looking for a "Home Defense" shotgun.
Why do people want the thicker barrel such as the Mossberg 590?
What is wrong with a polymer trigger guard? I dont think I have ever heared of one breaking esp from sitting under the bed or in the closet.
What good is a ghost ring sight for home defense?

JW as I know very little about shotguns other than I like a simple pump action shotgun that I know will go boom when I squeeze the trigger.

 

[coolhandluke]

What good is a ghost ring sight for home defense? JW as I know very little about shotguns other than I like a simple pump action shotgun that I know will go boom when I squeeze the trigger.

It's not...only upside for me is that it would make range time a little more fun. If Academy could keep their $269 Remington 870 HD in stock, it would probably swing my decision in that direction. Everyone else in town seems to be nearly $100 over that price.

 

[jc5420]

Yeah, thats why I ended up buying a used one like new from gunbroker. Also, I think my ideal HD shotgun would be a remington 870 with the barrel cut to match the standard mag tube length. Too bad its a no no without getting approved and paying the government.

 

[Sanjuro82]

The stevens 350 feels like a well built shotgun, but it is fairly new although a copy. The H&R I have only held and it too feels extremly well built. With that said, I would also stick with my remington boom stick. Not hating on anything anyone else has, its just my prefrence and its what I am confortable with.

I do have a question as to most of the things that people want when looking for a "Home Defense" shotgun.
Why do people want the thicker barrel such as the Mossberg 590?
What is wrong with a polymer trigger guard? I dont think I have ever heared of one breaking esp from sitting under the bed or in the closet.
What good is a ghost ring sight for home defense?

JW as I know very little about shotguns other than I like a simple pump action shotgun that I know will go boom when I squeeze the trigger.

Minus the furniture I don't want any plastic on my shotgun! That plastic trigger guard on the new production 870s isn't there because it's an improvement over the steel ones on the older Wingmasters. That plastic trigger guard is a cost savings plain and simple. Just like the terrible decision to use MIM parts for the extractor and ejector. And I personally have seen a plastic trigger guard break (Mossberg 500, I have now sold that shotgun to my brother), they just don't hold up to hard use. My home defense shotgun isn't just a weapon that rest near the bed. I use mine, and I use them a lot. I train with them, I run and gun with them, etc... I shoot a lot of 12 ga, and feel the shotgun is probably the most versatile weapon around. If the SHTF a shotgun will at the ready at my home!

Just like my AMD-65, my shotgun has to be rugged. I don't want a trigger guard, or plastic safety, or a MIM extractor failing when I need it to function. IMO the Noricos are just better built than the new production Mossy 500 or the 870s. It's sad but it's true.