Takedown 12 guage

[BIGdaddy]

This will be my next purchase. Required Specs:

- 12 guage
- able to fire slugs
- able to break down easily
- reliable
- finish shall be wood and blued

Any suggestions?

So far a stoeger coach gun and a winchester model 12 with a shortened barrel are at the top of my list. Both are easily taken down into barrel/mag tube pieces that are 20" or less in length.

Definitely open to other ideas, tho.

 

[CavTrooper]

Another key factor is intended use? Will it have multi function or not? The coach gun is cool, but pretty limited. If your going for a model 12 save the money and buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500.

 

[JPR4LFE]

I really like my Remington 870 without the mag extension (holds 4 in the tube) and an 18 barrel. I only have a front bead, but it is more than enough for me to be on target at the range that I need for a bear gun. Unscrew the cap at the end of the tube and slide the barrel off, seems be quite compact and all pieces remain in tact (springs, followers, etc.) to the body of gun. Then I have my full length barrel for recreational shooting that swaps in easily. I really want a coach gun, but for my needs it would be more of a novelty and the 870 would still be more practical for a definsive type weapon. I am not sure the 870 would fit the definition of a true takedown gun?

 

[Desert Dan]

Mossberg with a folding stock?

 

[BIGdaddy]

Another key factor is intended use? Will it have multi function or not? The coach gun is cool, but pretty limited. If your going for a model 12 save the money and buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500.

I previously had an 870 for 10 years. Expomike has it now. GREAT gun.

Looking for something a bit different, though. Something with more of a classic look/patina, if that makes sense.

Use includes possibly hunting, but mostly a hotel/campsite gun.

Also, I'm looking for a light gun. My wife can handle the recoil, but not the weight of a 500 or an 870

 

[BIGdaddy]

Mossberg with a folding stock?

I've seen a few older mossberg 500's from police departments, with factory police folding stocks, but honestly those stocks are fairly uncomfortable.

The nice thing about the coach gun, is that the action short enough that the stock can accomodate a significant recoil pad making it very comfortable to shoot.


Anywho, thanks for the suggestions so far fella's. Not in a hurry, so keep'em coming if you see or think of anything else!

 

[mogwildRW1]

I know you said "classic" and "not an 870" but, its short, its light, it holds 4 2.75" or 3 3" Magnum's, shoots Bird shot, Buckshot, and slugs without complaint.

8.5" Barrel (Canadian Legal because the OAL is over 26")

I did the custom Stingray inlay panels (rubbery, even with sweaty hands, comfortable to hold) with real stingray leather. I belive the USofA equivalent is the Serbu Shortie.

 

[Abel Villesca]

If you can find one, a Winchester model 1897 with the take down option would be nice.

 

[gm13]

The Stoegers are pretty nice, hadn't seen them.

 

[BIGdaddy]

If you can find one, a Winchester model 1897 with the take down option would be nice.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into those. There was actually one at the local gun store last week when i was there.

 

[BIGdaddy]

The Stoegers are pretty nice, hadn't seen them.
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Yeah, not bad, huh? they're not without their occasional problems, but cowboy action shooters tend to run this brand pretty hard and still give them a thumbs up overall.

i'm looking at the side by side, with blued finish and the nicely figured AA walnut furniture

 

[robert]

I'm going to make an unconventional suggestion- H&R/NEF single shot. Yeah it's not as tacticool as a Vang Comp 870, Benelli M4 or Mossberg 590, but they're inexpensive and very handy as well as light. They do kick though! I've got a H&R Topper in 20ga that I chopped to 18.5", reset the bead and had the barrel threaded for a choke tube and installed Choate furniture on. It breaks down quickly (remove one screw from the forearm), it's short overall (shorter receiver than a pump; use a youth stock), is actually a lot faster shooting than you'd think and with the choke tube in it throws a great pattern. I've actually shot skeet with it just to prove a point as well as shooting rabbits.

Watch Clint Smith (especially at 1:45)
With a little practice you can easily bust more than one clay in flight. The trick is to have a gun with an ejector (the older models) and index an extra shell(s) in your forward hand. be forewarned that the older guns really ejected the shell- as in it really hurts if it pops you in the head. I rotate the gun slightly outward when I break it open so it kicks the shell over my shoulder.

Yes, I'd prefer my 870 if I knew I needed a shotgun* (I've got an early Scattergun technologies conversion/ pre-Wilson) but the H&R is so light and handy that it gets carried on the tractor and four wheeler, tossed in the back of the truck, etc just because it's so handy. That said, I also like the Mossbergs with their extended tubes. I do not like folding stocks on shotguns. Contrary to popular belief you still need to aim, especially with a properly choked gun and quality ammo such as Federal with the flight control wad. If you want a shorter gun, put a youth model stock on it. The greater amount of control, even when hip firing or point/snap shooting, is worth it.


*I'm not a huge fan of the shotgun for most social work; I prefer a carbine.

 

[stioc]

I'm thinking about picking up a Maverick 88 for my first shotgun. It'll actually be my first gun that I would own- though I've fired more than a handful over the years. The primary function would be to bring it for defense when out off-roading with the family in the middleof nowhere. I'm still not 100% sure whether a handgun (either a 357 revolver or a Glock 19) would be better for this because it's easier to carry in and out of the car without freaking people out. But CA has such strict laws especially for handguns; which is why I haven't owned a gun yet. Everytime I start reading the laws I go 'oh geez forget it! more hassle than it's worth' because for all practical purposes you'd better have it locked up good if you're transporting it, most parks won't allow guns, even at home you're supposed to have it locked up etc. Essentially you're allowed to own it but not shoot it. In fact, I really think the only reason CA hasn't outright banned the sale of guns is because the sales generate big revenue for them. Not to mention with all these rules it's so easy to get a felony record if you're not keeping up to date or even if you make one small error. Or may be I'm putting way too much thought into it?

 

[grizzlyj]

O/T but some of you may appreciate.

My Dad had a take down shotgun that he recently wanted to get rid of in the UK. He had minimal use for it, he's getting on a bit and wasn't sure what to do with it.

When I was a kid a neighbour looked after the local farms pheasant population. He had this gun among others, not sure from where, but knew it was typical of those used by poachers since it was easy to conceal. Who locally was or used to be a poacher, or how he got his hands on it I don't know, but it was well used. My Dad asked his advice on buying a shotgun, and was given it

Anyhow, more recently my Dad knows a few police local to him and asked what to do with this gun, if you just handed it to a police station it would get destroyed. One of these said that he would very much like to have it for himself. A quite common thing for the area is deer vs car accidents which often leave the animal severly wounded but alive. This officer gets called to despatch the animal, so having a small, discreet gun was just what he wanted.

So in the space of perhaps 100 years this gun has now served both sides of the law

 

[PGT]

not "classic" in the cowboy sense (rather the classic military look), but a VEPR 12 with sidefolder makes a nice tidy package, especially if one goes the SBS route. In lieu of the side folder probably not being allowed in the republik of California, one could bastardize it and do an HK stock with push pins.

not at all what you're looking for, I'm sure. I had a Mossberg 500 and just sold it...found little use for it. Not good at skeet/bird and lousy at hunting.