From this article about newcomers to the shotgun market:
Mossberg | 590M Standoff
Specifications
Gauge: 12; 2¾-inch chamber
Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds
Barrel Length: 14.375 inches
Overall Length: 27 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 5 ounces
MSRP: $1,050
Apart from my distaste for the sawn-off buttstock, I have to say I think this might be a leeeeetle too much — because 10 rounds of 12ga ammo is going to ad more than a few ounces to the 6.5lbs of the gun.
Speaking for myself, if I had to pick one of the guns in the above article, I’d rather go with the
Heritage | Coachwhip
Specifications
Gauge: 12; 3-inch chambers
Capacity: 2 rounds
Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
Overall Length: 35.43 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 12 ounces
MSRP: $984.99
Yeah, it’s actually heavier than the Mossberg above — but that extra weight comes from the longer barrels — which is where it should be, to help with recoil and accuracy. And it looks lovely, where as the mag-fed Mossberg… ’nuff said.
#DogsAss
And the rest of the guns listed… meh.
That said, if I were in the market for a self-defense pump shottie, it is and always will be the peerless Mossberg 590 Mariner:
Full stock, 20″ barrel, 8 rounds in the mag (same number as in my 1911, FYI), indestructible finish… pretty much all one might need, methinks. One day I might sell one of my spare guns to buy this one. If I had a spare gun to sell, that is.
#GunShortage
Feel free to argue in Comments, as always.
For a lifetime, multi-generational piece, you are spot on. You cannot beat the Mariner. And no ghost rings, gewgaws and gimcracks. Just a SIMPLE sling and a Big Dot front sight, that’s it.
The Big Dot epoxies right on top of the existing bead. All you need.
https://xssights.com/products/big-dot-shotgun-bead-plain-barrel-mossberg.html?searchid=302136&search_query=Mossberg
And don’t forget the Rob Haught push/pull technique. No pussified whining about recoil. My son gleefully shot 00-buck in it when he was about 10 years old and all of 110 pounds once he learned it. It works.
https://youtu.be/Gq74aiXn1b4?si=EizQdK36p-99UfVy
Didn’t pick up the para breaks, sorry. The comment software here is wonky.
Screw all that tac/gizmo stuff. Gimme that coach gun at a $500 price point and take my cash. Wanna!
I want that coach gun too, just because.
I’m presently “shopping” for a 12 ga autoloader, any “name” brand.
Must have a box mag, lightly used or new.
I will strip it down to the gutz and build it back to my own specifications using the best parts available. I’ve done this with 3 other guns in the past 5 years, including a Remington 870 Marine Magnum.
I have a police turn in Mossberg 500 with a side saddle for more ammo, ghost ring sights and some sort of rail up front if I want to mount a flashlight. I like the Mossberg design and ambidextrous safety. The detachable magazine on a shotgun does look appealing but the balance and weight just might be too much of a disadvantage for me.
MSRP for that Mossberg is nearly $900. I bought my Mossberg Maverick with both an 18″ and 28″ barrel for only $200. Seems like only yesterday though that was back in 1992.
Mariner that is..
You can do a similar gun on the cheap. I found a used Mossberg 500 used at a shop for like $190. The short barrel was $80. It has a wood stock, of course, and is blued rather than stainless.
But it’ll get the job done.
That 590M Standoff looks like it was designed for one primary purpose: trigger the hoplophobes into such a pearl-clutching frenzy that they all succumb to massive brain aneurysms.
That would be my guess too.
A friend has a roadside stand, and is looking for an “other weapon” for when he closes at the end-of-day:
When I showed him that Heritage Coachwhip, he just said that would really be handy if the bbl’s were cut back to about 8-9″ and it had a pistol-like stock and could be carried in a leg-holster as he needed both hands while closing down his stand.
Is his name Johnny Yuma? lol
No, but he has his autograph – framed, on the back wall.
Have owned my Mossberg 500 since around 1980. Like the tang safety, however it does not play well pistol grip stocks. No, I have no desire for a pistol grip stock on any shotgun. Nice to see that Mossberg finally came up with a rotary safety.
My front line shotgun is a Benelli M1 Super 90 that I have also owned for decades. Reload rides in a bandoleer/belt that hangs next to it. I just grab the bandoleer and sling it over my head and shoulder. It will hold 25 rounds, but that is waaay too heavy. I load it with 10.
S&W 1200 police/riot gun. Folding full-length stock with pistol grip. And loaded with buck and ball. Ouch.
But I’m not really a shotgun guy. No, the “if I have to shoot you in my house” gun is an AR chambered in .300 Blackout, subsonic and suppressed. And amazingly quiet.
I have a Wingmaster 870 18.5″ barrel and extended ammo tube with a birdshead grip that is the bedroom gun. I use a 65mm length shell and I can get 7 shells in the tube. I have a well used Stevens 311 double as a hunting shotgun.
I had a Mossberg 500 and did not like the safety location. I also had a Browning semi-auto. I found that having another shot on hand tended to cause me to not take enough time aiming.