My first shotgun, let's have the suggestions

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Leviathan

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Hi,
I'm near around here; in fact, I just got my PAL in the mail a few days ago, so I'm new in general. I'm a Uni student in Edmonton. Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on what my first shotgun should be. Please don't say Benelli m4 because, as I mentioned, I am a Uni student. I am looking at maybe a Dominion Arms from canadaammo.com or a Kral Tomahawk from marstar.ca. Unfortunately there are basically zero literature on the internet on the Kral. Any experience anyone? The tactical look really appeals to me, too, so bear this in mind with your suggestions. Folding stock is my only must. Auto or pump, no matter. Also, I'm a pretty big fan of the re-conomy, so if you're selling, I'm interested.

http://www.canadaammo.com/product.php?productid=24&cat=0&page=1
http://www.marstar.ca/gf-Turkish-SG/index.shtm
 
first of all, as your first shotgun purchase, I'd suggest either Mossberg 590 or Remington 870.

As you see, they are both pump action. *easier to maintain for first time gun owner. less parts to worry about.

all those Benelli M4 and the other stuff... well yeah, have the tactical build-in and looks cool, but it's nothing compare to the history of the Mossberg 590 or Remington 870.

Have a look at the 2 shotguns I suggested and give a post back if you like or don't like.
 
you can't go wrong with a rem 870

IMG_0876.jpg
 
i concur with those above. my first shotgun was the remington 870 express mag pump in synthetic. still have it and still love it. easy to maintain and bulletproof construction. the other important thing is that you can pick one up for reasonable price of 250-350.
 
IMO pick up a 2 3/4" Wingmaster receiver for $150 and start modding. theres one in the EE right now with a 6 round sidesaddle and forend for $190. buy a $45 2-round mag extension from brownells. itll solve the missing mag cap/spring problem.

buy whatever buttstock you like. buy whatever barrel you like in the EE. no need to stop there, you can add ghost rings, heat shields, whatever. honestly this is as far as i personally will go with the 'tactical' thing but everyone has their own idea of the ideal tactical shotgun and theres plenty of 870 accessories out there to put together whatever you have in mind.
wingmaster.jpg



or if you like easy, buy a DA Grizzly. heres an old pic of mine with some 870 wood. its a lot more beat up now.
shorty2fo0.jpg

keep in mind that while most things fit, these are not 100% compatible with 870 stuff. barrels dont index perfectly. this doesnt bother me as i bought it specifically for the short barrel.

for budget shotguns, im happy with both of them.
 
well if you look at the service history of the shotguns I mentioned

MossBerg 500 or 590
Remington 870

both have been around for at least 20yrs+
both have been used by military and law enforcement

If you check out some small town RCMP, you'll find a beat up old Rem 870 sitting on the side.

If you check out some military specs, you'll find the mossberg 590 being the life saver in close quarter.

ofcourse Remington is a WAY better bang for your bucks (no pun intended)
with the package deal, it'll usually come with enough barrels for all situations.

Though I'd still recommend you look for a Remington 870 with the factory EXTENDED 8 or 10 rounds tube.
 
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Wow, thanks for all the insight. This forum is pretty lively. I expected maybe a few reads.
The 870 seems like the one for me. I really like the idea of building one up as per manbearpig's suggestion. That way I'm not throwing out unused furniture. Unfortunately I cannot get into the EE (I assume that's the marketplace). This is probably due to my post count. Can this be overridden by an admin? If someone could PM the guy selling the receiver, sidesaddle and forend combo and put him in contact with me, that would be great as I cannot do it myself.
So am I best to assume that the Krals and DAs are basically turds compared to Mossbergs and Rems? I really like the DA with the magazine and the auto Kral, that's why I ask.
 
Mossberg 500 combo. 28 inch vent ribbed field barrel with accuchokes and 18 1/2 cylinder bore. all this for 300 bucks from Wholesale Sports. I bought the maverick field cuz I was cheap and now I am wishing I had the shorter barrel.
 
You have to go to your User CP, group membership and select the EE. A mod will grant you access soon after.

They are not necessarily turds. Fit and finish might be a little wrought. Quality control might not be the same as the big brand names. Even though they have their own lemons.

Go to a gun store and check both of them out, get a good feel of them and if you can ask a local CGN'er if you can try out his guns. Shop around and watch for deals, never good when you buy an overpriced gun you end up not liking.
 
i sent a PM to the guy who is selling the receiver - hes actually a mod here. maybe you guys can work out a deal. remember he says its missing a mag cap and a mag spring. you can buy a 2-round magazine extension for $45 from Brownells and kill two birds with one stone - itll solve both problems since it IS a mag cap and it comes with an extended mag spring.
www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=12526/Product/EXTENDED_MAGAZINE_TUBE

or you can look around for a better deal. if you find one that comes with a stock set in good/great condition, you can sell the stock off for $75-100 in the EE so factor that into the price.
get EE access and look around for a barrel as well - you dont want to have a gun sitting around for months waiting on a barrel, and you dont want to buy barrels new either. i have several shotguns so its really no big deal for me to have one sitting around for a year until i find a great deal on a barrel for it, for you it would be a big inconvenience. the EE is full of very overpriced stuff, and some great deals. a bit of patience pays off. you definitely want to take the time in there to compare prices, look around, maybe wait for a better deal.

Leviathan said:
The 870 seems like the one for me. I really like the idea of building one up as per manbearpig's suggestion. That way I'm not throwing out unused furniture.
Click to expand...

keep in mind with an older wingmaster, you are limited to 2 3/4" shells. unless you are hunting waterfowl or turkey, 2 3/4" is pretty much all you need anyway. later on you can have a gunsmith replace your ejector spring with a 3" one - a cheap fix, especially if you tell him not to worry about reblueing the entire receiver.

as for 'throwing out furniture' -- you never throw anything away with an 870. if you buy a gun with a stock you dont like, list it in the EE and itll sell in a couple days. people are always looking for stocks.

Leviathan said:
So am I best to assume that the Krals and DAs are basically turds compared to Mossbergs and Rems? I really like the DA with the magazine and the auto Kral, that's why I ask.
Click to expand...

IIRC there was a less-than glowing review of the Kral here a while back.

the DA Grizzly is not a turd at all. its a great gun, excellent bang for your buck. if you want a short barreled gun, look no further. its beefier and IMHO at least as well built - possibly better built - than an 870 Express, and also comes with an all-metal triggergroup like the Wingmaster (although not so nice).

the main disadvantage of the Grizzly is that it is an 870 clone - not an 870. so while i can take the bolt, triggergroup, barrel, etc off one of my 870s and pop it in any other one, this doesnt work with the Grizzly. the dimensions are slightly off, so Remington internals like the bolt, triggergroup, etc dont quite fit. Remington barrels do not index perfectly on them - so your front sight will be off to the side a bit and the entire front of the gun will be twisted. so you are more or less limited to the barrel it comes with.
stocks, exterior accessories usually fit no problem, or with very minor modification.

actually the more i think about it, the better off you may be with a Grizzly. $300 out the door for a short barreled shotgun and as long as its not back-ordered youll get it in a timely manner, and can head to the range right away.

then keep an eye on the EE and look for an 870 wingmaster or police receiver, and build a second shotgun. youll soon realize that just one is not enough :p
 
I have the Grizzly MAG and like it alot.
Has anyone asked what you intend to do with this shotgun?
The grizz has a cylinder bore so the shot spreads out fast. I just shoot at stuff so it doesnt matter to me, but it all depends on your usage.
 
I think an 870 express or Mossberg 500 both make a good starter pump.
They are both cheap guns, but they go bang.

I actually have a 535, which I prefer to the 870.
The thing I don't like about my 535 is I haven't found a cantilever scoped barrel yet.
 
I have the DA Grizzly 12.5" (not mag fed) that has been tacticool'd for less than $500 (incl. the gun). Sorry, can't put up a pic as I'm at work. I did use a cheap chinese red dot & accessories but they're holding up well and I haven't had any issues so far (about 100 rounds through it). I'd definitely recommend one (it's also an 870 clone so accessories for that fit it).
 
theres an 18" 3" chambered 870 takeoff barrel like the one on my Wingmaster in the EE right now for $150 shipped. thats not too bad, IIRC i paid $100+shipping, but prices have gone up a bit.
heres one for $130 and a Knoxx SpecOps stock for 120.
heres another for $160.

dont be afraid to bargain a bit on the EE especially if the item has been bumped a dozen times :p

theres also a 14" factory Remington barrel for $300 -- the price of a Grizzly w/ factory 12.5" barrel.
 
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Thanks for all the replies, everybody. I'm not going to reply to each individually but I'll say that everyone's post is appreciated. I'm gonna go to wholesale sports on the way home from school today and check out an 870 Express and Mossberg 500. I am not going to write-off the DA but the Kral no longer interests me. One problem is that I can't find a DA to actually hold.
Ultimately, my reason directs me to the DA for the money savings. This is based on my past ADD history of quickly getting into hobbies and spending way too much money, way too fast. I'm sure everyone can relate. But there is always that other side of reason that says, "buy something good and you'll only buy it once." I'll leave it at aporia, I suppose, and keep you all in the loop.
 
for all intents and purposes a DA Grizzly will feel the exact same as any 870 Express since its a clone - even has more or less the same finish.
its slightly different dimensionally, and may weigh an ounce more, but this is nothing you can really detect by holding one. the stock is also a bit different than the 870 Express factory stock -- imo not as nice looking, but beefier and more solid.

keep in mind that 18" is the shortest barrel you can get cheap for an 870 -- if you want a shorter factory barrel just the barrel alone will cost upwards of what a Grizzly costs new. it also usually wont come with removable chokes whereas the current gen of Grizzlies does (i bought the first gen unfortunately, id love the option of chokes).

adding ghost ring sights to an 870 that doesnt come with them will also cost you - a lot more than the $9 price for the option on a Grizzly.
 
I would go with a wood stocked Mossberg 500 12 ga. Many barrel options available, lots of extra chokes available, very versitile. Therse not much you can't hunt with a 12 ga pump. I got mine brand new with 3 chokes and a 28" barrel for 300$. The 535 is also a good choice. Same thing as the 500, bit with a 3.5" chamber instead of a 3" chamber. Very happy with my 500.
 
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