Pump vs semi
- Thread starter Brent33
- Start date
Then you have the option to choose a better design. Not so much with a semi-auto, where ALL of them are limited to 5-rounds.
There is another potential downside to a semi-auto that is kinda specific but extremely dangerous if one does not understand the limitations of their specific gun.
Years ago I watched a video shot by a photographer in Churchill MB. Mr Photog didn't know sh!t about shotguns so he likely went in and purchased the nicest one or maybe the one the clerk said everyone had to have. Regardless, he ended up with a recoil operated shotgun and he clearly did not understand how it operated or what it needed to operate reliably.
The video showed a large polar bear trying to sneak up behind him. He only noticed when the bear was quite close. He turned and fired a round into the air, from the hip, to scare the bear away. Luckily for Mr ignorant photog, the bear did run away, because in the vid one could clearly see that the gun had short stroked and failed to eject the spent hull. It did that because recoil operated shotguns MUST be held tightly into the shoulder in order to operate.
Mr Photog didn't realize it, but his life had hung in the balance at that moment, and had that bear not been scared away so easily, it would have had him for a very bloody and messy lunch. This would not have been the case with a pump gun. Cause we all know the thing needs to get pumped after each shot .... at least us gun guys do. It doesn't matter if the thing is shot from the hip or behind your head or upside down, rack the pump forcefully and it will shoot every single time.
Then you have the option to choose a better design. Not so much with a semi-auto, where ALL of them are limited to 5-rounds.
For the price I would argue there isn't a better design, especially for someone who shoots left like me. Perhaps a Browning BPS with the bottom eject, but I like having the ejection port on the side of the gun... Plus the BPS only holds 4 in the tube, not 5 like my mossberg.
Then again, I also don't care about large magazine capacities, when hunting with shot I'm limited to 2 in the magazine anyways, and if I'm carrying it loaded with slugs for something like bear defense I cant imagine being in a situation where I would need to use the shotgun but also have time to shoot more than 5 rounds anyways - bears close 20 yards mighty fast. YMMV of course, my one buddy would have a 20 round magazine on his shotgun if he could because he loves just blasting rounds, but to me thats just an expensive way to make noise.
Both the Mossberg 590 and the Rem 870 have the capacity to run 8-9 round mag tubes.
Nordic components makes a +9 extension for the 870, bringing you to at least 13 rounds. Fantastic if you own a shotgun to be a mall ninja. Much less useful if you're a hunter.
If you are a hunter, wouldn't anything more than a SxS be straying into Mall Ninja territory? Beretta isn't selling all those 1301's to hunters are they?
But what about John Wick?
Seriously I love semis but my go to shotgun is my pump.
Never worries of using light loads, hot loads, short cases, getting dirty, or lube gumming up, rack that pump like you are mad at it!!
I went shooting sporting clays (which I never do), and there were single round stations, try as I may I could not eject a round without racking a round, too many years of using pumps (slug guns) and muscle memory I guess.
Comes down to what do you want it for and how simple of an action do you want? Me, I want dual slide arms, strong receiver and hardware, and as I am partial to slug guns in the bush, I love my ghost ring sights.
Seriously I love semis but my go to shotgun is my pump.
Never worries of using light loads, hot loads, short cases, getting dirty, or lube gumming up, rack that pump like you are mad at it!!
I went shooting sporting clays (which I never do), and there were single round stations, try as I may I could not eject a round without racking a round, too many years of using pumps (slug guns) and muscle memory I guess.
Comes down to what do you want it for and how simple of an action do you want? Me, I want dual slide arms, strong receiver and hardware, and as I am partial to slug guns in the bush, I love my ghost ring sights.
And since you can't load more than three for waterfowl, or two on a clays field more capacity isn't a useful advantage for many people.
Then it would seem there are an awful lot of "useless", large capacity tactical shotguns being sold in this country, not to mention the number of "useless" magazine extensions being sold. I'd bet the numbers are in the millions.
It would seem there are other reasons to own a shotgun than hunting.
To own a "cool " gun, or to wear a tactical vest and shoot zombie targets, or to pretend to be a swat member, those seem to be the most common reasons.
Use it long enough, and you'll get mechanical malfunctions. No repeater is immune.
There are pros and cons with any platform. After many years of favouring pumps over semiautos (90% vs 10%), now I favour semiautos over pumps (95% vs 5%). But it has to be the right semiauto: Quality gas-operated design and construction.
That's for actual shooting use, mind you. Bush carry and vehicle stowage are where the shorter OAL you can get with pump actions really shine.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Buy one that’s chambered for 3.5” shells and legally stuff as many 2.75” shells in as you can.
Midnight Rider
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ......the Vanishing Point .
It really depends on what you are planning to use the shotgun for . A semi is quicker in firing , and a pump has the ability to carry more rounds in the mag . If using a shotgun in stressful situations , not having to pump the action in a semi is one less thing that you have to worry about if you want quick follow up shots in hunting or the shooting sports .
I own a Remington 870 from 1956 I paid $230 for and a Beretta a400 Unico that I paid $1850 for. Both are super reliable and in terms of bird hunting neither one is superior to the other except the Beretta is chambered for 3.5”. Sporting clays the semi is a must. The key is to buy a good gun. A $200 pump might give you problems and a $500 semi might give you problems.
prairie lover
CGN Regular
- Location
- southern MB
Gas operated semi for recoil reduction.
