The Defensive Shotgun; How we make it work--MilCopp Blog

[Sterling Archer]

Great write-up, I've been thinking about picking up a shotgun lately.

[Firefly]

You ever shot those out of a a rifled barrel? Talk about a tack driver at 100 yards. They do okay through a smooth bore but that rifling steps it up a notch, obviously.

Thread drift, now you've got me thinking about rifled shotgun barrels - I've always been a fan of rifled barrels for the 12 gauge less-lethal rounds - they popped the old bean bags open and flying square within four feet of the muzzle; with the sock rounds it is a rotating donut of hurt. Spreads impact over a larger area so you can deploy much closer.

Yep. It really is just like a rifle. I had the fortune of taking Advanced Shotgun and 100 yard hits, smoothbore or no, with slugs inspired a lot of confidence.

Esp. with rifle sights or ghost ring (I prefer Ghost Ring)

It's why for a standard police shotgun, the 870 really can't be beat. Easy to swap barrels. There are niches where a 20-22" rifled barrel and an optic can supplant a rifle if needed.

But a 14" patrol shotgun with a Modified choke can, again, fill some niches just inherent in police weaponry.

A rifle is a good 60% solution but a good door knocker can be quite handy.

[Pi3]

...and the 870 is cheap. For someone on a tight budget, that makes it a good first firearm.

[williejc]

If you want a shotgun, the 870 is a great choice if one wants a pump gun. It has a proven track record and is easily maintained. Parts are commonplace. The village idiot(almost)can work on it.