Sorry, it was only one bolt action that was crappy. I believe it was a Mossberg, not a Savage/Stevens. It was clip-fed, 12 gauge, belongs to my uncle. The bore was rusted out from sitting for years in the basement and the thing was long and heavy.
Was it the 195? 
I think we've ALL been there...
What I'm getting at is, let's stop scrapping and stay on topic....
I joined this forum to learn, not to fight. Internet flame wars are a waste of time. If you don't like me, cool, don't post here.
I agree that flaming is "s0 UnKeWl"...
...I really respect my fellow CGN'ers; sometimes I just wish they'd respect each other a bit more. That "preaching" aside, I've read the thread before commenting, and here goes:
1) Single-shot: Like someone mentioned earlier, these run the risk of being "underweight" - a real concern when using the 12 gauge as your chosen chambering (which I believe was mentioned in the beginning of this thread). To me, however, it is the single-shot 12 gauge that is the "swiss-army-knife" of firearms that everyone deems the shotgun. This is because, in theory, you can feed anything into a shotshell, and it's far more basic and quick to switch between ammo types than, say, is the case with a pump or semi-auto. Also, for smaller-gauge-inserts you know you'll want a single-shot. Finally, there's the "feel" of a single-shot; while you just feel more relaxed refinishing one/turning one of these into a truck gun than you would another firearm, you'd also be quite content using one with a looong barrel for trap-shooting. And, on that topic, if the skeet are tossed one-at-a-time, then you really can afford to reload between shots.
2) Bolt-action: You just GOTTA love the size of the bolts here.
Um, that said, there's a few things to consider here. If you're buying used, you'll likely have a good chance to get some "added's" gratis on your shotgun, like a poly-choke or a nifty take-down feature. Shotguns with these actions are often thought to be the ultimate in slug-guns, but it is usually only the newer bolt-actions that have the "wicked" accuracy and, simply put, rifled barrels as standard. Also, you may encounter deceptively "underweight" 12-gauges with this action as well. If you're considering a bolt-action that is single-shot, I'd actually recommend you opt for a break-open unless you're assured of its accuracy. That said, you'll most likely have a 2-shot mag with your bolt-action if you're buying a used one; in this case, I'd recommend an internal mag if possible, as you are more likely to have feeding difficulties/trouble retaining the mag in the shotgun with the detachable "thingy".
While I've seen even base bolt-action SG's built into incredible slug-guns, I'm not sure that's where a first-timer is automatically headed. Oh, and follow-up shot are interesting, to say the least, with this action. However, one major benefit of a bolt-action shotgun is that it seems to mentally "prep" you as to how to shoulder and fire it (you'll readily think of it as just a big-ol bolt-action rifle). Just a personal observation based on taking newbies shooting, pan it if you will.
3) Pump-action: The best you can conceivably get. Bar none. So incredible it makes angels salivate. Yea, whatever...
This is a great action for a shotgun, and the one that will get you closest to a rapid follow-up shot. It's plenty cool to rack the slide, the mag capacity usually accommodates more than three shells, and it has obvious applications for anti-zombie defence, if your mind swings that way (it's also the most likely of the three action-types to get "tacti-cooled"). Loading/reloading this action of shotgun requires a great deal
less space than a single-shot break-open, as well. While you may still get "underweight" shotguns in this action, they are more likely to be identified by name (e.g. feather-light, feather-weight, etc.), and so on. You can get individualized chokes, poly-chokes, various barrel-lengths and
then a host of add-on features (which is why the Rem 870 is also called the "swiss-army-knife" of shotguns).
Anyhow, I've had and fired all three types of actions - I'm currently hooked on pumps - but when the $$$ come back to my wallet, I'll probably be picking up a single-shot again.
Hope this helps!
