truck / hike gun

popcanhunter

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not sure if this is in the right forum. would this be black, green, red, blue, purple... i dont know...
anyway...

i want a truck gun. it will (obviously) live in my truck. would also be nice if i could easily carry it with me, without onlookers pooping their pants.

to start my thinking, ive narrowed it down to a few choices.

dominion 8.5 tube fed
dominion 8.5 mag fed
dominion 12.5
dominion outlaw
dominion backpacker (X2)
any PGO 18.5" (mossy JIC for example)

so heres the pros/cons as i see it.

dom 8.5 tube... shoulder stock for accuracy, tube for reliability and progressive loading.
dom 8.5 mag... higer capacity, and goes from unloaded to fully loaded in half a second, but no progressive loading
dom 12.5... benefits of tube, but with higher capacity, plus takes 870 barrels should i want to use it for another purpose (other purpose is low value, as i have a 500 with 4 different barrels)
dom outlaw... breaks down enough to fit in a backpack and take on a hike, without anybody pooping their pants, which would drastically increase the chance that i actually have it on me should trouble find me. (running to the bathroom of some remote highway rest stop.... i would leave the 500 in the truck, but i wouldnt hesitate to grab the backpack containing an outlaw and shells, and keep it with me)
dom backpacker... literally half the price of outlaw.. so for this comparison i am considering TWO backpackers vs ONE outlaw. still has the "breaks down to go in backpack" benefit, but with TWO, wife and I could each have one. two shooters are better than one. (as they can be in two different positions)
any PGO 18.5"... capacity, reliability, and increased power relative to short barrels.

lookin for thoughts, opinions, advice, experience on the topic, and the six ideas ive started with.
 
Consider also the Armed single-shot. I have one in 12ga and love it. It does not completely come apart; it only folds so it will not be as compact when packed, but it will be considerably faster to prepare if you need it in a hurry (my guess - I do not own a DA backpacker for direct comparison). Obviously not as fast as a Grizzly, although it is very lightweight for extended carrying if you are hiking.

It is also plastic furniture so I wouldn't worry about getting damage to it if you are throwing it around. The receiver scratches easily, but it's aluminum so I still don't worry about rust damage.
 
I have an 8.5" Dlask and a 15" Armed folder.

For a truck gun that will see little use and is more a just I'm case gun go with the single shot, it's inexpensive and mechanically very simple. If you want a gun that can be kept in the truck but carried for woods protection is go with a 8.5" tube fed 870 with Hogue short LOP stock. It's 26.25" long, easy to pack, easy to shoot, and the short stock makes shouldering it even while wearing a backpack easy.
 
Mossberg maverick 88, with a folding stock. Because why PGO when you can have the option of unfolding a stock so you can actually aim it.

If you already have a 500 with 4 barrels it'll be able to make use of them too.
 
Consider also the Armed single-shot. I have one in 12ga and love it. It does not completely come apart; it only folds so it will not be as compact when packed, but it will be considerably faster to prepare if you need it in a hurry (my guess - I do not own a DA backpacker for direct comparison). Obviously not as fast as a Grizzly, although it is very lightweight for extended carrying if you are hiking.

It is also plastic furniture so I wouldn't worry about getting damage to it if you are throwing it around. The receiver scratches easily, but it's aluminum so I still don't worry about rust damage.

I was about to suggest the same thing. For about the same price, the armed single shots won't be something you need to tinker with to actually get working reliably, and if it's one for you and one for your wife a 12ga and 20ga might work better, depending on if your wife is used to a 12ga.
 
Putting a wood stock on the DA 12.5" grizz goes a long way toward keeping down the "people sh!tt!ng bricks" factor... For some reason, wood scares people a lot less than polymer.

The ARMED 13" 12guage backpackers are getting really good reviews so far, although I can't speak for them myself.

http://corwin-arms.com/product/armed-13inch-12-ga-barrel-shorty-shotgun-non-restricted

My DA 12.5" is going with me into the BC interior for a month this summer. I've run somewhere around 200 shells through it so far, bird and buck shot, and not even a hint of trouble. Point of aim takes a bit of getting used to. 100% faith in it though, and just ordered an XS Tritium Big Dot sight to (hopefully) solve the point of aim issues.

cowboy_griz.jpg
 
thats a really nice lookin gun, side saddle, and ammo belt!

why do you prefer it to a regular 18.5"?
because I already have a 500 with wood furniture and an 18.5" barrel... so im wondering is it really worth the money for me to have an additional gun whos only difference is being 6" shorter?

that 12.5 cant pack discretely into a backpack... and if i have to open carry the thing anyway, might as well just take what i got.

dont get me wrong, i love the look of your setup, im mad jealous... and i appreciate all input... im just posting my thoughts incase their is any flaws in my logic the good people of cgn can point it out for me.
 
I went with the 12.5" specifically as a bush gun. Just lighter, smaller, easier to point. Bigger spread at close ranges is a plus, as well. I load it buck/sluck/buck/slug as a bear defence. With the spread, in a panic (bear) shot, I'm way more likely to hit. Range is a non-issue, because if you're taking a shot at bear for defence, it's going to be within 25 yards.

Cylinder bore is also an upside, because it means I can shoot flares and bear bangers out of it. I keep a couple of bear bangers handy, so if I spot one in the 25-100 yard range, I can hand load it in and try and scare it off before it becomes an issue.

I never used to bother carrying a bear gun, and I'm a lifelong camper/hiker. Just do the normal safety stuff - make noise, stay alert, no unsealed food around the campsight when I'm not around or in bed, etc. etc. But had a bit of a scare last year coming out of a trail head, came across a grizzly about 30 yards off. It looked at me, shrugged, and went off about its business, and "been there, done that" before. The only difference was that was the first time it happened to me when my (4&1/2 year old at the time) daughter was with me.

Different perspective when you have your kid at your side.
 
what is the best for rest stop toilet protection?

and before the legal nazi's get involved.... let me clarify that the risk at remote rest stops is ZOMBIES.
 
still...

im sure strollin through the woods with a shotgun in my hand (even WITH wood furniture) will get me the face to the ground knee in the back treatment from society's "finest"

rather than ensuring the safety of my family, everybody will assume i plan to kill them
 
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