[ms6852]

I have an 870 20 gauge and for me, I do not notice the recoil difference between my over/under 12 gauge and the 20 gauge. I doubt you will notice the recoil too should you ever have to use it in defense of your home and family. You probably won't remember from the shock and adrenaline.

 

[MrDetail]

Shooting paper targets won't tell you anything. You already know the answer. If you can make a mental image of the aftermath of someone who breaks in thru your door. What would I be able to live with: what someone might do to me and my family if I do nothing and submit, or using a violent/destructive force against another human? Even though you know that you did what you had to do, it will remain in your mind forever. Trust me on this point.

Not an easy thing to answer. I don't think that an answer either way qualifies or disqualifies you as a man. I know that stopping a threat is easier for me, personally, to handle than having harm come to a loved one and having to live with that. Easy for me to say, but I'm not you.

Thanks Mr. Brady for your post. All I know is that when I watch my TV and the recent news lately, I find myself screaming at the television when I see the animals breaking thru storefronts and burning cars. I ask myself where are the police and where are the firemen? None to be had.

Yesterday I saw an 870 and a Maverick 88 but with pistol grips. Can I change out a pistol style grip for a regular stock?

 

[accident]

https://www.brownells.com/shotgun-parts/stock-forend-parts/buttstocks/archangel-mossberg-500-590-

maverick-88-adjustable-buttstock-prod128887.aspx
Yes.

 

[ysacres]

Buy tape recorder
$1 please
:lol:

Yer getin rich, one dollar at at a time. :bowdown:

 

[MrDetail]

I thought you guys might like this sign you can buy.

 

[Gun Geezer]

I saw Mossberg 88's on sale at Academy for $199.00 today. 18.5" barrel, holds 7 shots of 12 ga. If you're 6'-4" tall, 160 lbs & able to stand upright, you should have no trouble handling a 12 ga. The youth group at our Trap range shoots 12 ga. Many of them are under 12. Get some training & practice, practice, practice! At close range, any size shells will get the job done. I recently shot a rabid rather large raccoon at less than ten feet with Trap loads. It was unrecognizable with one shot.

 

[Gun Geezer]

Many Mossberg's come with a pistol grip that can be changed out for the regular stock. Watch some U-tube videos with inexperienced shooters firing a shotgun with only a pistol grip. It's funny, but it isn't funny!

 

[Firpo]

My very first shotgun was a BPS 12 gauge when I was 12 years old. Spent many an hour carrying that gun through the AZ desert chasing Gambles Quail.

 

[gvw3]

That pistol grip helps mitigate the recoil. I have a Mossberg 535 12 gauge and the recoil to me is pretty nasty. I used to shoot 100 rounds of trap with it and my arm would get bruised up.

 

[FastReb]

A good shotgun, in either 12 or 20ga., will fulfill your requirements. At your size, especially using something like rounds loaded with BB shot or #4 shot, you should be able to handle the recoil very well. I'd say get a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 (the Maverick 88 is the inexpensive version) in either of those calibers, a few boxes of ammo and then go out and use it.

 

[KenK/84Bravo]

"New Guy" weighing in. I collect and have a few 12ga. Mil. Issued Riot Pumps. (I have 13 different Shotguns, at last count.) By far the most devastating up close and personal Firearm ever distributed. There are those that laugh, and it is an Internet Joke, about hearing one racked and P'ng on oneself. I can tell if you hear one racked in close proximity and it does not get your undivided attention, you are not fully paying attention, or realize what you are hearing.
Also, #1, I have a young (4 yrs old) athletic Pit (Buddy) that would be on you well before I could engage. #2, my main concern would be not hitting my Pit while he is attached to you. #3, if I have to shoot at you at inside the house distances, my prefered #4 Buck, or #4 Heavy Field load would be more than adequate. Thinking you "do not have to aim a Shotgun" is misleading. Shoot one at 50-75 yards distance in to a pond from an elevated position, will prove this to you. (My standard shooting range off my back deck.) Inside the house distances, you are talking about a 3-4" diameter shot spread. If that.
IMHO, aHandgun is only to get you closer to your Long Arm should you be caught off guard. No one is going to take my Shotgun from me. There is this thing we practiced over, and over, and over called a "Butt Stroke" that is rather devastating.
Also, I keep instant on high lumen light, attached to my inside the house Firearms. I will not be shooting blind, you however will be blinded when i hit the instant on switch. It is all about being prepared, and in the proper mindset.

Your view may differ. (YVMD)

My 2 Cents.

 

[Sqare]

Get a .40 or a .45, they are easy to handle and pack a punch.

 

[Corsair II]

My weapon of choice is the Mossberg 500 JIC II ( 12 ga. w/pistol grip and 18-1/2” barrel) filled with #4 buck. 27 pellets of 25 cal. coming their way. The blast itself should get them rethinking their life choices.