Built several riot guns myself.

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Roundhill Group LLC.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I chose 870 cause I've owned a combat magnum for 20+ years and shot monthly with never a hiccup.

I didn't know that. I figured the 870 had been around far longer than the S&W.

I was an 870 man for 50 years and had 12 and 20 gauge models but tried a Mossberg Maverick for something different and really liked it. I like the slide release, light weight, open loading port, and crossbolt safety on front of the trigger guard. I'm 5-9 and the stock was too long but I cut it down and it was perfect. The older Wingmaster 870s are much prettier guns and I remember how they used to be everywhere at gunshows for 100 bucks. For home defense I like a 20 gauge since it's lighter and handier and I can shoot it one handed when opening a door. The extended magazine and maybe a butt cuff ammo carrier would be the only accessories I would need or want.

What I have, use, or like will not answer your friends needs. Good luck.
My home defense is taken seriously, so money doesn't count.
I try to use a pellet rifle, but have adequate backup.

With all that said, you are asking a crowd that should be able to give you all the advice you need. Be safe.

Last time I was asked to buy a shotgun for a personal friend, we talked a little while. I ordered him his parkerized 870 and he smiled. I checked "other".

I voted other. I will use this 103 year old Winchester model 12.

High Standard 18/7 -

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Good enough for Steve McQueen, good enough for me.

I voted other because I use an old m1912 built in 1917 with a short no choke barrel . That said I would not hesitate a second to trust either of the guns mentioned and would go with whichever I got the best deal on. Got a friend that's been using the same old Springfield that he has owned for 60 some odd years , works slick as glass and always goes bang , and they are usually very cheap. Hard to go wrong if it's US made and preferably older.

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

A lot longer . The S&W came out and was sold from 1979
until 1988. The 870 came out in 1950.

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

870 Remington, solid milled steel receiver. Mossberg, alloy receiver, plastic safety button, no thanks.

I had a Mossberg Shockwave that had the roughest action I'd ever experienced on a pump. Maybe it was just a bad one, I sold it.

I have 2 Wingmasters, and old Winchester 1200 on the right. The 1200 leans against my headboard.

Mossberg 500
Just found and made over a used one.
Chopped barrel and remounted bead.
New safety, $10, changed foreend wood.Total investment about $200.
Dual action bars on this one.
You can find great deals used.

I use the handgun........Shotgun is too big and unweildy in a home enviroment.........Would never even consider it.

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S&W Accumulator

HD shotgun? Buy a nice Sears & Roebuck m20 and prune the barrel to 18.5”. Better gun than 870 or Moss for less. Built like a tank and they last forever.

Youth model 870 20ga. non-rifled slug barrel cuz i shoot better with the rifle type iron sights. Loaded with 00buckshot, I've had it for at least 20 years, used for deer hunting many times. If I can drop a deer at 70+ yards with a slug figure I can put a world of hurt on a bad guy with buckshot at closer range.

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Super Snooper

Of the two choices, I am going to tell him to look at the 590 first. Also maybe a .20 ga.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Personally, I chose the Mossberg 590 for the following reasons...

• Ambidextrous Tang Mounted Safety
  The 590 can be operated with either hand, whereas the 870 uses a cross-bolt safety located on the right-hand side of the trigger guard.
• Drilled and Tapped Receiver
  The 590 can be mounted with a scope or other accessories/peripherals, unlike the 870 which isn't drilled and tapped.
• Slide Release Location
  The Slide Release is located behind the trigger guard on the 590, where it can easily be accessed without altering your grip, whereas on the 870 it is located on the front of the receiver where it cannot be accessed without altering your grip.
• Heavy-Walled Barrel
  The Mossberg 590 is fitted with a Heavy-Walled Barrel which is more durable and has the fringe benefit of adding a bit more weight up front which helps to dampen recoil.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Almost any pump shotgun in serviceable condition will work fine. The Mossberg 500 Bantam models make for great, understated home defense shotguns. The 20 gauge has a 22" barrel and a 13" length of pull. Walmart had these in stock even during covid and the price is quite reasonable. Load it up with Winchester #3 buckshot and you are all set. It is small enough that it handles easily, and at 7 pounds loaded it soaks up recoil. The best deal at the moment is the Maverick 88. Hard to imagine a better deal for the money.

I do have another HD shotgun for all the other who favor other shotguns. This is a Model 1912 (read Model 12) Winchester in .12 ga. (2 1/2") made in 1918. I like it as it can be "slam fired". Just hold the trigger down and operate the slide hard and fast and it goes boom for five shots. Not pretty, but works and gets the job done---it had a hard life somewhere.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Yours like nicer than mine......! But mine is 106 years old!

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

My USGI (Ohio National Guard) 870.

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Looks as if they were copying the USMC Remington M870 Mk 1. Should work good and last a long time.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I voted for the Mossberg due to the safety. It's just more intuitive. Plus it's easy to confirm visually, providing there's enough light.

The 870 used to be the police standard and that was my issue for a fair number of years. My experience is that the Mossberg is the police standard now. Both are proven reliable.

The shotgun I carried more than any other was a High Standard pump with rifle type sights. I liked it and never had a problem. It was an easy transition from the 870 I had at my previous agency. They eventually took it away when they standardized on the Mossberg. I liked it too although I missed the old High Standard. I was just very used to it at that point.

My house shotgun is an old Japanese Smith & Wesson pump. I bought it cheap long ago. It's a used police issue from somewhere.

If buying new the Mossberg would be the easy choice to me.

I happen to have both of the apparent poll favorites...

The 1st firearm I ever purchased (@ the ripe old age of 20) by myself was a well-used 20 gauge Wingmaster for $25. It needed a small internal part that a local gunsmith replaced for $15 and has worked very well for me for over a half century... He even touched up the blueing! Told me it was one of the very early ones, close to my birth year of 1951.

My Mossberg 500 in 12 gauge (which arrived some 35 years later) came with two barrels and a synthetic stock: with a piece of rail mounted for a red dot & a light it handles shotgun appropriate home defense duties.

Two winners, IMHO?

CHEERS!

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

My mdl 12 made in 1918 is 2 3/4 in.......Both barrel sets. According to my Winchester book the mdl 12 was first introduced in 20 ga with 2 1/2 in. chambers..........ALL 12 ga mdl 12 are 2 3/4 in chambers.

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S&W Accumulator

I have a 590, which replaced one stolen in 2011 or. so. It is Vang comped; good for shooting, but the concussion to the side is pretty unpleasant. I got it with the ghost ring sights and rail, mounted an Aimpoint on top and a Surefire equipped front end. Since my bypass, it has stayed in the safe as I more sensitive to recoil. It is loaded with 000 or slugs. I am confident that if the need arose, it would stop an intruder.

My preferred long gun is an AR (Bravo Company M4A1) that I also used on duty. Lighter, less unwieldy, far better ergonomics. 5.56X45 is a very good ballisitic choice for HD as with LE duty ammo it is far less likely to overpenetrate walls than decent shotgun or handgun ammo according to tests run by the FBI and Dr. Roberts. Aimpoint, Surefire 1000 lumen light, and sling. I trained with Pat Rogers in several classes, and I am comfortable and competent with it. I also have a pistol or two accessible most of the time. A couple have RDS.

The firearm is probably the least important component of a HD system. Access control (fencing and lights) will deter most; I like bigger dogs as they have deeper and nastier sounding barks and tend to be more stable with others if properly trained and socialized (some breeds are not good with strangers, so make sure you research; I would not have one of the livestock guardians unless I had rural property and livestock, although someone on the neighborhood has an Overchka which seems to be well trained and socialized). Most of our dogs have been rotts or Rott X; they are very discouraging to strangers but pretty easy going if you do your part. Working breed dogs are many times more alert than we are, and the comfort associated with a Rott or 2 on the bed is significant.

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NHI, 10-8.

I choose the 870, but I bought an unfired example from 1975 a couple of years ago - it's so much nicer than current production! The Mossberg 590 is a workhorse, and you find them with MSG Detachments in Embassies worldwide.

I personally believe he already has the perfect home defense shotgun. I use one and love the versatility of it. 2 3/4", 3", mini shells (great for apartments or homes with thinner walls) it'll shoot almost anything and most compact setup you can find. And the ability to load two different loads and switch back and forth is a plus. I've used mine in 3-gun and it rocks. Yes, they are not as smooth as traditional pumps, but they love to be "manhandled." I have short stroked mine at the range more than once, however, when the stress level is up, like in competition, I have never had an issue. I imagine the stress level will be even higher in the home with unwanted guests.

BTW AJ, nice setup, it's very similar to the way I have mine rigged up. A red dot sight is perfect for this. Mine has a circle reticle that corresponds very well with the pattern at any given range within reason.

I am very partial to the Winchester 1200, having used one for a long time. A very smooth action. Yeah, I know about the alloy receiver and a small bit of plastic, but that means nothing to me. It works very well for me. There was at one time a US military version of the 1200, very difficult to come by one of those today.

I like my KSG, and don't understand why or how anyone could hate it. I don't need or want a full sized 18"+ barrel with stock shotgun for home defense. That's overkill, huge, and harder to move and maneuver indoors and around corners. It just doesn't seem practical and there are other better options out there for the task of home defense IMHO.

The 870 of course.

Mossberg 20 gauge with short barrel.
20 gauge will do the job, and be much more pleasant to practice with. Shot size is not critical, but #3 buckshot, ot #4 bird shot would be my first choices.
A 12 gauge is not necessary for across the room distances.
Even a .410 would be good.
Almost all bad guys have an immediate change of priorities when shot with anything.

Ever try to clear a lifter jam on an 870 without tools?
I would not get an 870 because of that, and they are unnecessarily heavy. Got rid of my 870’s in the early 80’s and never missed them.

My other HD shotgun is a Ithaca M37 12 gauge pump. A friend gave it to me cuz it wouldn't go bang. Most guns with a broken firing pin won't go bang. A quick replacement and it was up and running. Somebody had cut the VR barrel down to 22" The damage was done so I didn't feel bad about taking it on down to 18 1/2. It has factory wood furniture and a mag tube that holds 4 rounds with one in the chamber it holds 5. The reciever and reciever parts are all steel....no plastic or pot metal in this baby. A lot of folks think a HD shotgun is "no good" unless it holds 8 rounds in the gun and who knows how many more strapped to the reciever and/or the buttstock.....I disagree. A HD situation isn't a firefight but much more likely to be resolved with one or two rounds

I've had at least four 12 ga. 870s in the last 50 + years; never had that happen nor did I hear of it happening. How many times did you deal with this?

We had a few hundred in the NMSP and never did I see one jam on the range during our 4x annual qualification shoots, day or night. We did have the plastic safety, plastic trigger Mossberg 500s snap the plastic safeties. That was an easy fix.

I inherited a Winchester Model 1897 12 Gauge pump. I bet it is the equal of anything pump action. While it was made in 1925 it is in perfect condition.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Mine is a 12 ga. Sauer Royal Double. Twin triggers and 20" barrels. This was also my quail gun for over 50 years. It is short, fast, and balances perfectly.

I was the active duty 1st.Sgt. of a USMC Reserve MP Company. We had three Winchester 1200's in the Armory. We took them to the range for a familiarization firing for the MP's. I believe it was 10 rounds per man from different positions. All three 1200's were down in the first hour of shooting mostly pins falling out. I had my 870 (yes, the one pictured) along to shoot for my own enjoyment. Ended up letting the company use it to complete the familiarization. Made for a long day, but it got it done. Pretty close to 2000 rounds through the 870 (all 00 Buck). Never missed a beat and still functions as advertised after 36 years.

Still plan on telling my friend to get a 590 Mossberg.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

There is a picture of my Father-In-Law holding a military issue M1897 while on duty in Bruce Canfield's "Combat Shotguns" on page 155. I had a NC Prisons 1897 Riot Shotgun back in the mid-70's, wish I still had it.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Thanks, but that is Borderboss's gun. Not mine.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

The lifter jam is an operator problem caused by not pushing rounds far enough into the magazine tube to engage the shell latches. Problem was solved on 870s years ago by bigger shell latches and the flexi tab parts. Parts include a u shaped cutout in the lifter and flat surface on the bolt and they can be retro fitted. Yeah, steel is heavier than Aluminum and plastic

The mrs & I are utilizing a pair of 870s for hd duty now.

Both are 70’s era Wingmasters, hers in 20 & mine in 12 gauge.

Used in conjunction that’s a whole lotta buckshot heading at Mr badguy simultaneously.


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What can I say...
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I like my 12 gauge Model 12 because of Bo Hopkins.

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Rule of law, not a man.

A Kent State Special .

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

Sears and JC Higgins branded High Standards. Rock solid and cheap as heck. I see them often with the barrel lopped off and no front sight, going for under $200.00 all day long.

"How'd you like to kiss my sister's black cat's ***?" ~ Crazy Lee

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I like the Mossberg. I feel like the lifter arrangement is a little tougher and more positive vice the 870. That being said, at this moment I have a Benelli Nova slug gun as my house gun, loaded with #1 buck. I set the nice ghost ring sights for zero at 50 yards with slugs, in case I need to take care of something out in the yard. You can find these on sale for 300.00.