Pump shotguns…. Useless?

[jakeman]

Pump, semi, SxS

I love them all.

870 3" 12 is what I duck / goose hunt with, for 45 years. Total reliability. Cold, wet, muddy and it keeps working.
Just picked up a semi 12, 3 1/2", though.


I went to a shooting seminar, Dan Carlisle was shooting exhibition. Hand throwing 8 clay birds up and shooting them with a VERY OLD Mossy 500 12 ga.
Asked why the Mossy?
They had set up 5 steel plates on timers.
I shot 2.55 secs for 5 shots. Carlisle shot 1.66 secs. Very humbling.

Semi was too slow and he had been shooting that Mossy for 25 years.
The new Berretta / Benelli are faster. (claimed)

Which action is better?
THE ONE YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH.

You left out the O/U.

Just about all I shoot anymore is A-5’s and Winchester 101’s. I’ve got an old savage 16 sxs mod/full without a serial number that I use when blocking for pheasants. It’ll reach out and touch those ones that go straight up and try to use altitude to beat us. I love that old piece of crap.

 

[BillM]

I gave up MY favorite shotgun a long time ago. It was a New Era Gunworks 12ga. SxS, with Damascus barrels, 32" long, full choke, and you could not drop a dime down either barrel. Goose gun, my dad called it. I watched him shoot a crow out of the sky at a paced 200 yards with that shotgun. Not that I could shoot it that well!

It's fortunate that I gave it back to him, because I lost all the long guns that I didn't have him hold for me. I got the Stevens Favorite back but my little brother got the shotgun.

 

[Foxfire5]

It might also get you killed. Sound is a classic target indicator and alerts your adversary to your position.

It sounds tough and cool when you say that but in the real world it's a stupid tactic.

Same with flashlight's on pistols and AR's. I hold my flashlight in my hand to one side and off center (Me). Tactic I learned when I first went into the military from a couple of MP's. Move your body not your hands when turning.

 

[Gunbuffer]

Now that I have your attention and a few tail feather ruffled, I’m hoping to start a conversation about shotguns. Specifically, about differences in shotgun actions and their purpose.

I find myself wanting to sell my pump guns and use that money towards a beretta 1301 tactical. I don’t find I use them. They’re simply my “loaner guns” when I don’t have anything else to loan out. With me at least, my semi’s/double barrels are my primary hunting shotguns, and my pumps are all platforms with multiple barrels that I can loan out or keep short barrels on for special purposes. Mostly wasting ammo/having fun at the range or loaded with #4 buck to be used as close up coyote medicine.

In terms of utility, pump guns rule. You can have one pump gun, and any number of barrels available to swap at a moments notice. Slugs, home defense, birds, you have it all. But the rate of fire is slower than modern semi autos and even double barrel guns if you have a little practice. You’re much more likely to have jams than with a quality, well maintained semi auto or double barrel, simply because you add more human element to the function of the firearm. I feel that semi autos have their utility, and double barrels have their class. Where does that leave pump guns? What (other than money) is stopping you guys from selling your pump guns and going all semi/double barrel? I feel like I’m missing something (other than a beretta 1301) that is completely obvious.

Good stuff. A good auto loading sg is all I would need

 

[Foxfire5]

You left out the O/U.

Just about all I shoot anymore is A-5’s and Winchester 101’s. I’ve got an old savage 16 sxs mod/full without a serial number that I use when blocking for pheasants. It’ll reach out and touch those ones that go straight up and try to use altitude to beat us. I love that old piece of crap.

When my Dad passed my sister grabbed two of the guns he had a Ferlach .222 over 20 gauge and my Dad's Model 21 SXS serial number 451. I used to hunt Fox Squirrel when we would go out with it.. The 21 was about 85/90% with most bluing still there. I had taken my Dad a 6X8X3 safe years earlier for his guns, when I worked for Diebold and Mosler Safe Co's. I lived 350 miles away from my Dads house so wasn't around to see all the goings on. Safe was in a cinderblock three car garage. He had about 16 firearms in it. In the winter sometimes the temps would get down to sub zero temperatures. So we put in one of those heating rods to keep the safe warm making sure the red light was on by checking it every day just in case. Well during a period of time the rod was not working so my Brother-in-Law decided to make a bigger hole in the side of the safe and save some money by installing a electric lightbulb socket with a 60 watt bulb inside. Well you couldn't tell whether it was on or off. And Yep it burned out. The guns sweated and some rusted mostly Model 12's. as they just sat there in the condensation. The Winchester model 21 was spared as it was luckily in the house. A lot of the firearms were greatly devalued because of rust. My Dad had a Colt Model .357 which was the predecessor of the Python which was safely in the house. Never liked that dumb BIL and how!

 

[Glock 'em down]

I absolutely L-O-V-E my Mossberg 500, but sadly, nowadays my body says nay-nay

 

[Firpo]

You just can’t fix stupid.

 

[Blue Heeler]

Pump-action shotguns have been pumping and shucking for over 100 years. They will work if you do your part behind the trigger.

Semi-auto shotguns are great. If you should ever need to do a mag dump, they will do that quicker than a pump gun.

I don’t have the need for a semi-auto 12ga. for home defense (or hunting). While I understand that a Beretta 1301 or any of the Benelli family are great for such, I just don’t think Edmond will be invaded by any pesky commies anytime soon where one of those (expensive) auto-loaders will work better than my 20” Mossberg 590A1, my late father’s Winchester M12 with a REALLY open choke or even my Jim Finch tuned Stoeger Coach gun. Besides, I would likely grab an AR or my CMMG Banshee before I grabbed a shotgun.

That said, the shotgun I keep loaded 24/7 is the Coach gun. I don’t have to worry about mag springs getting fatigued. Don’t have to worry about operator error and short stroking. It’s compact and swings easy. It will do.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

That said, the shotgun I keep loaded 24/7 is the Coach gun.

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I see we have a Joe Biden devotee in the house...

 

[Judi]

It might also get you killed. Sound is a classic target indicator and alerts your adversary to your position.

It sounds tough and cool when you say that but in the real world it's a stupid tactic.

Unless you have the drop on the little meth heads....

Surprise is best.