TexasCHLforum.com

I ended up getting a Remington 870 Express 18" with 6-round (barrel-length) magazine:

...so which grandson'll be the lucky one you hand it down to...it'll last at least that long...money well spent!!!

speedsix wrote:...so which grandson'll be the lucky one you hand it down to...it'll last at least that long...money well spent!!!

And to think it cost slightly less than my S&W 442.

rp_photo wrote:I could be wrong, but I've heard that cost goes up and variety goes down as gauge goes below 12, which seems most true for .410.

12 ga seems to be the "9mm" of shotguns.

12 ga is the ".45 ACP" of shotguns. 20 ga is the "9mm."

For defense ammo, I got Federal Power Shok 2 3/4" #4 buckshot.

rp_photo wrote:12 ga seems to be the "9mm" of shotguns.

Yesterday I picked up 100 rounds of Winchester "Western" #8 shot shells for $20 at a local Academy, making the per-round price the same as 9mm WWB at Wally World.

Is Winchester "Western" the WWB equivalent for shotshells?

When the gun is on home defense standby, is it better to have a round in the chamber or not in addition to 6 in the tube?

Are shotshells less prone to damage from repeated chamber unloadings than handgun rounds? Obviously bullet setback wouldn't be an issue.

Don't forget your rebate. Same one I bought last month.

stroguy wrote:Don't forget your rebate. Same one I bought last month.

Details?

Go to Remingtons website and look at their rebates. The bar code on the box will be applicable and the filing is easy.

Depending on whether there are kids/other unauthorized users in the house and your general storage feelings, there are are several different ways to store your shotgun. For near instant readiness, "Ready" -- also called "Cruiser Ready" -- and "Safe" modes are popular. Ready status means a full magazine, chamber empty, action unlocked and safety on. To prepare to fire simply rack the already unlocked slide and take the gun off safe. Safe status is magazine loaded, chamber empty, action locked and safety on. To prepare to fire, take the safety off, press the trigger or depress the action lock, rack the slide and fire.

With no young kids in the house and the shotgun typically in the safe, my ready mode is modified with a round on the elevator, action open, full magazine and safety on. The action must simply be closed and safety taken off to fire. This allows for one extra round at the ready over the other modes.

You made a good choice. As for the 20 gauge, I bought a youth express 870 4 years ago specifically so that my girlfriend who is 4 foot 10 could use it and the length of pull is still a little long for her (I have a Blackhawk (Knoxx stock) on the way to fix this problem and it should be here WED.). I plan on doing a post this week and amateur review with the Knoxx on. As for the recoil of the two, reduced recoil 12 gauge loads is like shooting 3 in mag loads in a 20 gauge imo. A lot of people talk about how much less recoil a 20 has as the main benefit for a smaller person but I think the number 1 benefit is that the whole gun is smaller and lighter and therefore easier for them to manipulate quickly. A 12 gauge mossberg is about 1-1 1/2 pounds heavier then a youth 20 which might not seem like a lot to us but to a young boy or little lady with limited arm strength it is a lot!