new pump shotgun recommendation

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I have a "new" Ithaca model 37. It has the choke tubes. I bought this gun about 10 years ago. It has been an excellent gun. That said the local dealer has quit carrying them and I am not sure what the company's health is like now.

I also have my grandfather's Model 12 Winchester. Three generations of hunters used this gun and it is still a good shooter.

If I were looking now, I would be looking hard at the Browning BPS.
 
If you’re looking for a pump shotgun to shoot birds or clays, the old Winchester Model 12, Ithaca 37 or Remington 31 are head and shoulders better than any currently produced pump shotguns. These are readily available at modest cost.

The best of the currently produced pump shotguns is the Remington Wingmaster 870. Pistol grip stocks should be avoided like the plague in a shotgun you plan to use for wing shooting.

If you want a tacticool shotgun, I can’t help you. I find them clumsy, clunky things and poor choices for shooting at anything except stationary targets.
 
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hillbillydruggist said:
does anyone have any have any recommendation besides Remington or Mossberg?

thanks
Click to expand...

So what's wrong with those two? To me, there is just not that much difference among pump guns (and I have six of them including two Model 12s) unless you are a shotgun snob. Even though no longer made, the Winchester 1200 and 1300 (actually the same gun) is my personal favorite and they are common on the used market. I used one in 12 gauge as my Skeet gun for many years. Never had the first problem with it and it still looks good after many thousands of shells.
 
Depends on what you are going to use it for.
If you have the need for 3 1/2 inch mag to "reach out" for geese or hard to get big northern ducks, a Benelli Nova would be a good choice.
But if you want wood it would be a no go, only comes in black and camo.

Other than that if you want the 3 1/2 in capability, Browning BPS at twice the price.
 
What? Here we are on the Smith & Wesson Forum and no one has mentioned the S&W models? No, not the 916, but the 1000P. It's a lot like the Remington 870. I started with an Ithaca 37 fifty years ago, which is good for a lefty since it's bottom eject (like the Browning BPS, I believe). Also have a Winchester Model 12. Both terrific firearms, but I'm also favorably impressed with the fit, finish, and functioning of my S&W 1000P......probably just blind sentiment since it's an S&W.
 
You don't say what the shotgun would be used for - hunting, skeet, home defense, range shooting, so my recommendation is if it's for home defense or the range.

I would recommend the H&R Pardner 12ga. It's a Remington 870 clone, but a slightly heavier gun. From all accounts, it is a robust and reliable shotgun...at a price that's ~$100 less than either the 870 or the 500.

I have had one for several years and have no complaints.
 
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thadheth said:
What? Here we are on the Smith & Wesson Forum and no one has mentioned the S&W models? No, not the 916, but the 1000P. It's a lot like the Remington 870. I started with an Ithaca 37 fifty years ago, which is good for a lefty since it's bottom eject (like the Browning BPS, I believe). Also have a Winchester Model 12. Both terrific firearms, but I'm also favorably impressed with the fit, finish, and functioning of my S&W 1000P......probably just blind sentiment since it's an S&W.
Click to expand...

I WOULD THINK THAT IT IS BLIND SENTIMENT----NOT KNOCKING THE GUN, BUT JUST SAYING......

IT DOESN'T HAVE THE LENGTHY HISTORY OF MY ITHACA 37, THAT SERVED IN THE MILITARY, AND IS A JOHN BROWNING DESIGN.....
 
The only pump gun I ever owned that was not an 870 was a Browning BPS. It was beautiful but for all intents and purposes it was a single shot. Only gun in my 57 years I ever sold. My Wingmaster I got for Christmas when I was 12. Thousands of rounds later it is still going strong. I replaced the BPS with an 870 Special Field with a 21 inch full choke barrel. Kicks like a mule but is a turkey killing machine. Good luck with whatever you choose.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
"What? Here we are on the Smith & Wesson Forum and no one has mentioned the S&W models? No, not the 916, but the 1000P."

One of my six pump shotguns is an S&W 916 in 12 gauge, basically a re-branded Noble. I bought one in sorry condition (but mechanically OK) very cheaply at a garage sale about 20 years ago and refinished both the wood and metal. It has only one choke (modified) but that's fine with me. I still use it for hand-thrown clays. It fits my anatomy better than any other pump gun in my stable and I cannot say anything bad about it.
 
There are so many ways to go on this from cheaper than the shotguns you mentioned to more expensive to skeet guns to upland game guns to squirrel blasters all with your choice of finish and stock material. People dog synthetic stocks because they aren't as appealing visually as wood but they are MORE functional. I've had fine walnut stocks warp and become useless for anything besides a table lamp.

Benelli’s pump shotguns are good. So are the NEF Pardners that are essentially clones of the 870 except for a few key differences to avoid copyright claims. Not one thing wrong with those. You need to give us an idea what kind of shotgun you want.
 
The 870 is my favorite pump gun. Much more than the Winchester Model 12's I own for collecting purposes. But if I had to go with something other than an 870, it would probably be a Browning BPS. They're well made guns.
 
I would certainly go after an older gun. Remington 870, Winchester M12, and the Browing BPS. The Ithica 37 is nice too. I am not sure about the others, but I think you can get a slug bbl for an 870. Your hunting choices suggest different choke needs, and as much as I hate them, you may need choke tubes.

I have not hunted upland in years, so I do not know if there is a steel shot requirement, beyond just migratory birds, but putting steel through a gun not designed for it will stretch your choke for you
 
A turkey gun is actually different from a quail gun. To me that's the beauty of the 870 platform. It's easy to buy barrels to change from HD to heavy load turkey round barrel to slug guns to bird shot for quail. A basic 870 will shoot 2 3/4" shells or 3" shells and there's a wide variety of rounds available in those two lengths. Not all shotguns will shoot both those sizes. You can buy a Super Magnum 870 but from what I've heard a 3" shell will kill a turkey just fine. The 870 is a very versatile gun. That isn't true of most shotguns. That's a big reason they are as popular as they are.

One thing I would suggest is that if you want to hunt quail you may want to consider a semi-auto. If you jump a covey of quail it's much easier to get more than one bird with a semi-auto. Everything else would be easy with a pump.
 
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