The Best Pump 12 Gauge

Winchester 1897, Remington 870

IMHO if you haven't tried an 1897 you are doing yourself a disservice ! I originally thought the 870 was the only game in town until I tried the '97.
 
Definatly hands down the nova it feels like a million bucks the action is awesome even with 3.5s , i love it i have owned and fired many pumps but am so glad i bought this one
 
Back when lead was legal, a Model 12 was all you needed.

I have a heavy duck gun for waterfowl, and I chopped down an old beater into an upland gun. I have NEVER had a problem with em.

The 870 is probably the best currently made gun however, and the aftermarket goodies put it leaps and bounds over the Model 12.
 
I have owned a passel of pumpguns over the years.

I love the 870 for accesories ( athough I don't pimp mine out!)
and reliability.
The Mode 12 Winchhesrter for sheer shootability for extended shooting becuase of its weight ( heavier)

The M37 is a lightweight, workhorse, but I do not like bottom loading guns.

The Mossberg 500 is also a good shotgun that has a very large accsesory line going for it, plus a tang safety, a plus in the feild.

I have shot the benelli, but have heard complaints from owners about its recoil.

At present, I own two M12's, and three 870's ( one is actually an express, not a wingmaster)

The '87 and '97 were fine guns, as was the '94 Marlin, but top slide guns are old technology and just not as strong.
This is not at all a biased statement, becuase my favorite guns are SXS's!
I can cycle a M12 more than fast enough to hit all the doubles on a skeet or trap field, but the 870 cycles smoother, IMHO.

I have broken two fireing pins on M12's in the past , but it is still my favorite shotgun when it comes to pumps.

Others will disagree of course, and that is their right to!:D
Cat
 
Why not try a Stoeger P350.
Bought one for my son.Well built I would say.
I own a 870 and a BPS but will prob opt for a Stoeger for myself just for the 3.5'' option.
 
can you really beat the 870? the express super magnum (3.5") has worked great for me, ive never had an issue with it (even after dropping it in a muddy puddle and shooting geese minutes after.
 
captonion said:
Why not try a Stoeger P350.
Bought one for my son.Well built I would say.
I own a 870 and a BPS but will prob opt for a Stoeger for myself just for the 3.5'' option.
Click to expand...
The Stoeger P-350's are very nice shotguns (Benelli Nova knock-off!) and excellent value... probably the best value to be had in a new 3.5 shotgun. Under 400 bucks for a full camo synthetic with five choke tubes.
Pretty hard to knock the 870 off the "all time" list though...;)
 
I would have to say the 870 Wingmaster - but almost too pretty to take in the bush. Second choice would be the Winchester 1300 as it offers a better build than the 870 Express and it fits be better than the Browning, or Mossburg's out there
 
In my experience the Remington 870 shotgun has been the most reliable pump shotgun made since it came out in 1952.

It is interesting to note that the parts in 870 shotguns made in 1952 are interchangable with the shotgun made today with no fitting required.

That was one of the selling points when they first came out...... critical parts are made so no fitting is required and they will interchange. If something breaks it is a simple matter to replace it... no special fitting required...

Try that with an old Winchester...:)
 
guntech, you're probably right. But, in the 90+ years that my 16 ga. 1897 has been in my family, we've never had to fix it (except to adjust the sleeve to keep the barrel assembly nice and snug).

I don't feel disadvantaged - would you?

SS
 
For function and reliabilty of all time I would have to go with the Winchester model 12 closely followed by the older 870 Wingmasters. Of current production guns it would have to be the Browning BPS. Novas are nice guns but I've seen a few that have been shot hard since they were first introduced and they aren't holding up to what they were like when new.

Tim
 
Hey billyc, what have you personally tried? And really, what will you be using it for MOSTLY, and do you have any other guns presently or in mind for the future?

No body wants just ONE shotgun, that's INSANE!
 
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