Arms question
asked of me by a reader, privately.
“What shotgun under $200”
Well, for the most part, none.
You can buy a used scattergun for $200 but it will most likely be a disapointment, and you will have trouble with it.
WalMart “used” to regularly have Mossberg 500 combos for $250. I see several places showing this combo now for over $300 but I believe if you shop around you can find it cheaper. I will be visiting my local Walmart to check pricing in about an hour. Update: Bass Pro shows it at $350. Still a good deal.
The Mossy 500 combo is a well made entry level firearm. It’s not as smooth or polished as a Remington 870, but its not as spendy, either. And the combo comes with a vent rib changeable choke barrel, and rifled slug barrel.
There are also a TON of cool accessories you can buy, from Mossberg or from aftermarket sources. Pistol grips, both fore and aft, short barrels, special sights, lasers, flashlights, extended magazines, etc.
The things I’d suggest, knowing that sometimes Mossy’s QC is variable, is to make sure the action works smoothly, and never buy more than one box of any kind of ammo at a time, since some of the pumps can be finicky as to what they’ll feed. You tend to want to try a box at a time until you find the best combination. And the slug barrel makes it that much more versatile.
yeah, I don’t have the current pricing but this is the best, (imo) entry level shotgun, and now all there is to do is decide which gauge? I’m a big fan of 20’s but the 12 is probably the better round.
13 comments Og | Uncategorized
20’s are good because they are easier on girls and children. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you can’t handle a full sized adult 12 ga. Perhaps you are infirm from advanded age or are still recovering from being mauled by a bear.
Seriously. I have a 500. Had it for 20 years. Never had any trouble with it. Mine did not come with the extra barrels but I recently picked up a Mod choke barrel at a gun show and have no trouble using it for trap and skeet.
The 20 is a nice gun if you can shoot. If you can’t point the gun in the right direction, a 12 might be better as it throws more pellets wider. Perhaps you are blind from having stared into the sun for too long, or are recovering from extensive brain surgery, so a 12 would be better. :D
Yeah, the battle of 12 over 20 will always rage, but man, you’d be hard pressed to find a better made gun for that much scratch, huh?
I find Mossy 20’s (or clones they built for the original big-box stores) in my favorite gun shops pretty regularly, usually $180- $200. I end up buying them for friends who want a home-gun. I just wack the barrel to 18.25 inches and clean them up.
My fav personal one at the moment has a ATC pistol grip-top folding stock with a Limbsaver pad and a laser pointer on it.
Oh yeah, and just for grins I left the Lyman adj choke on it, heh, heh, heh.
I picked up my 12-gauge 500, in the box, for under $300 at a local gun show.
With no muscle memory, the mossy’s are a better start. They’re laid out more intuitively and keep the shell ramp out the way avoiding load thumb and double feeds.
But I’m an 870 guy from my early teen duck season so I picked up a used Wingmaster for $200. You won’t have a problem with a Wingmaster. It’s the Express and other lower quality 870 models you need to watch.
Oh, and 12ga unless you’re going to be carrying it for miles and miles (then get a 16 *grin*). The “20 shoots lighter” line is BS. You will get rocked by a 20 loaded up just like you will with a 12.
If recoil is the issue, run a different load not a different gauge.
I picked up a used Remmy 870 18″ with a 7 shell mag for $200 last summer – you have to keep an eye out but they are there.
Successful thread, Og. Perhaps later you could run a Brothels Under $200 post. Realizing, of course. QC will still be hinky.
The kit sells in my Wal-Mart for $277, but they had none in stock. I asked the girl if I could put in an order for one on the next truck, and she said they don’t work that way, that when they’re out (like they were) they restock, and I have to hit them when it’s in. There was a Mossberg 12 ga. on the rack for $177 (not a kit, a simple shotgun – Frontierman? I don’t remember the name). I wonder what would be the advantage to a kit anyway, and am leaning to the $177 model. She said the only difference between the $177 Frontierman and the $240 500 (non-kit next to it) is in the stock; that the guts, the working mechanics, are of equal quality as the rest of the stuff, that Mossberg doesn’t have a flimsier shotgun vs. better, that they’re all good guns.
Now I have to figure if it’s better (i.e. cheaper – I’m a poor s.o.b.) to buy shells or reload them myself.
If you don’t envision yourself ever using a slug barrel for deer, and if the shotgun you describe is a Mossberg 500 without the extra barrel, I say go for it. You don’t want to spend $177 on a single shot.
Shotshells are cheap. You’d have to shoot hundreds of thousands of rounds to make a reloader practical.
If this will be the only gun in the house get one with a short barrel option as well.
It might as well pull home defense duty along with field time. A full length field barrel is not what you want to be defending the home with and buying the short barrel later will cost more than you want it to.
Nah, the 500 is a different gun from the Frontiersman though both are pump. Since the 500 alone is $230 and the kit is $277, I may as well go for the kit. Better to have and not need yadda yadda, especially if I need to sell it in the future to someone who does shoot slug. I value your advice and will stick to the 12 ga. Model 500. Now I’ll need a cheap source of shells.
Of course once baby’s got a new toy, I wonder if there’s a shotgun range closer to the Region than Jasper Pulaski. I’ll want to air it out before the weather gets too frosty.
Aaand I’ll remember to ask for short barrel option if it’s available. It’s for home protection vs. multiple invaders, and since bullet prices will remain in the “For the love of God, are these things made from gold?” range, shotgun looks good. Now Blythe’s range fee is $10, so not only is Federal soaking me, well. I have the rounds I need for defense, and will practice more later instead of monthly anymore, thankyoyverymuch.