short barrel or pistol grip
- Thread starter popcanhunter
- Start date
i always revert to a full standard stock on all shotguns . it is fun to play with pistol grips but if you are serious about hitting your target and getting off a second or subsequent round the full stock is the answer . as an aside the birds head grip is the best of the grip styles and i do not consider it to be a pistol grip as it is not vertical to the barrel . it is easy on the hand . have fun and be safe farmer 47.
I don't think you can go wrong either way. With a 12.5" barrel you can have it down to an oal of about 31" with a full stock (short lop). The other option is getting an 18.5" with a side folding stock. The overall length folded would be ~28" give or take an inch. Realistically you are only saving a few inches at best, which doesn't make that big of a difference inside a house. If you go the 18.5" you can mess around with a pistol grip and still have a full size shotgun, whereas with the shorty you don't have that option. If the pistol grip option is important to you go with the longer barrel if not then the choice is up to you.
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I would agree , a full stock shotgun with an 18 to 20 inch barrel is the standard for a truly useful shotgun for defence . This combination is widely used by Corrections and many police forces for a reason . Pistol grip shotguns may be okay for hiking and last resort emergency use at very close range......but they would fall short for everyday use . The shotgun with a full stock and 18 to 20 inch barrel is called old school for a reason.....because they work well , and have done so for years.....
I agree with 870P.
I think the standard 18" or 18.5" gun is because in the US shotguns under 18" are a hassle to own with extra paperwork from the Govt.
This hangover from the hayday of gangster violence has resulted in the popularity of 18" or 18.5" ers for home defense.
I think the standard 18" or 18.5" gun is because in the US shotguns under 18" are a hassle to own with extra paperwork from the Govt.
This hangover from the hayday of gangster violence has resulted in the popularity of 18" or 18.5" ers for home defense.
ipscgraz
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have posted this before; a friend and I were p*ssing around off a logging road with short-ish barrel SGs'
I had my S&W 3000 with a 20 inch barrel and factory wood stock and he had a defender with pistol grip only. We set up some balloons in the trees and made a little assault course.
I did it in about 40 seconds and he did it in about 3 1/2 minutes, including the two times he had to run back to the truck for more ammo. He couldn't hit anything with PGO.
If you want to go pistol grip only, practice is gonna be important.
I had my S&W 3000 with a 20 inch barrel and factory wood stock and he had a defender with pistol grip only. We set up some balloons in the trees and made a little assault course.
I did it in about 40 seconds and he did it in about 3 1/2 minutes, including the two times he had to run back to the truck for more ammo. He couldn't hit anything with PGO.
If you want to go pistol grip only, practice is gonna be important.
A friend and I shot some informal courses and while we were indeed slower with a PGO than a shoulder stock, it wasn't a ridiculously vast difference.
Targets were arranged from 5 to as many as 40 yards out, ammo was Federal 8 pellet 000.
I think a lot of the speed difference came down to a slower reload with the PGO as much as the actual shooting for most of the targets.
I'm not a proponent of the PGO, but its interesting to see what can be done with them.
If you run a folding stock its probably a good idea to get familiar with shooting it with the stock folded in case you REALLY need it and can't unfold it.
If it was the only thing I'd have probably the oldschool 20" full stock, but I wouldn't feel much more difference than my 12.5" other than more rounds in the mag and maybe a bit of a longer reach.
My 12.5" mod choked with magpul stock is the handiest shotgun I've handled tho.
If zombies showed up tho I'd slig/scabbard the 870 for when sh!t is piled up really high only, so that same 12.5" with a PGO would be my choice... A mag fed rifle and a pistol would take care of everything better until I get swarmed me think.
Ive been wondering how would the MESA PGO feel for a little while... But I won't turn my NR 12.5" to a range only toy so I guess I'll never know.
My 12.5" mod choked with magpul stock is the handiest shotgun I've handled tho.
If zombies showed up tho I'd slig/scabbard the 870 for when sh!t is piled up really high only, so that same 12.5" with a PGO would be my choice... A mag fed rifle and a pistol would take care of everything better until I get swarmed me think.
Ive been wondering how would the MESA PGO feel for a little while... But I won't turn my NR 12.5" to a range only toy so I guess I'll never know.
As some will say..."any SG with a bbl under 20" and/or with a PGO is the most useless thing in the world".....
That said, I own 2 on your list. DA single shot 12"(?) bbl and a newly acquired 18.5" 500 JIC2 with a Shockwave Technologies Raptor grip. Both are fun to shoot and novelty SG's AFAIC. However, with practice I'm sure both can be very useful for Real World situations with the 500 getting the edge with more capacity and a nice ergo grip.
I'm not sure what a standard security setup is but my Mossberg 590A1 20"bbl/Ghost Rings sights with the VansComp System(thanks to Casey) might work.
PGO shotguns are mainly for close-up center-of-mass shots IMO, but you will always have more accuracy and control with a shoulder stocked gun. Since zombies pretty much require headshots to anchor them, accuracy will win the day [but I wouldn't choose a shotty for that eventuality in any case...]
You'll need practice either way, so buy whatever you like and get lots of rounds through it!
I've shot a pistol grip only and couldn't do much. First time with PGO but still I wasn't impressed.
My shotgun has a full stock and 18.5 barrel, had a 30 before that was way to long for my use.
If your own the move outdoors, PGO or folding stock can be a good choice (practice with the stock folded as has been mentioned)
indoors 12.5-18.5 should be reasonable with a full stock. You can tuck the stock under your arm if you needed to. *I* would stay put with my sights on the door though.
If your looking at 15 yards, might as well practice your pistol shots... That's not very far.
I've shot a pistol grip only and couldn't do much. First time with PGO but still I wasn't impressed.
My shotgun has a full stock and 18.5 barrel, had a 30 before that was way to long for my use.
If your own the move outdoors, PGO or folding stock can be a good choice (practice with the stock folded as has been mentioned)
indoors 12.5-18.5 should be reasonable with a full stock. You can tuck the stock under your arm if you needed to. *I* would stay put with my sights on the door though.
If your looking at 15 yards, might as well practice your pistol shots... That's not very far.
