Can I tell much of a difference? Shotgun advice please

[Travlin]

I bought an 870 in 1968 and the more I shoot it the smoother it gets. Outside of keeping in clean inside and out it has had no parts replaced.

[Rifletom]

I bought an 870 in 1968 and the more I shoot it the smoother it gets. Outside of keeping in clean inside and out it has had no parts replaced.

Exactly. That's why I mentioned the older ones are better. The newer ones, what with Remington's woe's of late, are suspect. The Tristars mentioned have smoe pretty good semi's[G2 Vipers] and pumps. Worth a look.

[daytime dave]

I would recommend a Mossberg 500 combo. I bought one years ago. It's a solid gun that came with a bird barrel with interchangeable chokes and a rifled slug barrel with a scope.
If they still offer that package, I'd recommend that to you. Mossberg hasn't had any quality issues that I'm aware of. They just make good shotguns that work.
The 930 semi-auto is also a solid performer. I don't know about the new 940, but I assume it's fine too.

[GunnyGene]

I have 2 12gauge HD shotguns as shown below. A old Mossberg 590 Mariner, and a recently acquired IWI TS-12. Both are well suited to HD, although they may not be appropriate depending on your location and abilities. 7+1 and 15+1 respectively (2 3/4 shells). Be aware that any shotgun for a close encounter needs to be aimed, not just pointed in the general direction of the target. The Henry .410, or other similar guns, don't lend themselves to that requirement. The objective of HD is not to just scare somebody, but to take them out of the fight.

[Shakey Jake]

I haven't been in the shotgun realm for years. I can tell you that my 870 is a great all-around pump gun. My wife's skeet gun is a 1100 in 28ga and she shot the hell out of skeet clays years ago with it. I think prices for the used ones are outrageous. You might find a good one in your LGS or pawn shop though. My skeet gun was a Citori O/U and I really liked it but they're pricey now. Let us know what you come up with.
Jake

[markiver54]

I don't know much about the newer 870's as Tom suggests, however, I've had mine since about 1976 and can say it has served me well. I bought it for pheasant hunting back when I lived in Illinois. Mine has th 28" vent rib barrel and a 3" magnum chamber.
Don't know about now, but it used to be "Hastings" made a lot of different replacement barrels. They swap out in seconds making it a very versitile gun.
It was introduced back in 1950 and several million have been sold since. You can even get an 18.5 inch rifled barrel for it and will accept a red dot optic.
It has been referred to as " The gun that always worked". It's the best selling shotgun in history.

[GFK]

I agree with the others. I was looking for a Mossberg or maybe a Remington. But, came across a Benelli. I do like the wood look. Yet, I liked the ghost ring setup as well. So, I went with the ghost ring. It is easy to take down and has a feature that allows for changing a round in the chamber without clearing the magazine (like I would require that). I have only had it for about 1 year. However, I foresee many more years.

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[Cleveraction]

I would recommend a Mossberg 500 combo. I bought one years ago. It's a solid gun that came with a bird barrel with interchangeable chokes and a rifled slug barrel with a scope.
If they still offer that package, I'd recommend that to you. Mossberg hasn't had any quality issues that I'm aware of. They just make good shotguns that work.
The 930 semi-auto is also a solid performer. I don't know about the new 940, but I assume it's fine too.

The combo offers the features I am looking for, but can't find one (yet) at a retailer. Can go to gunbroker and pay a $75 premium over list (no thanks!), but I will keep my eyes peeled. I bought their MVP Precision 6.5 CM and the thing is a tack driver, though I always thought they were the 'shotgun people.' Good suggestion, thanks!

[Cleveraction]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I went middle of the road and "less maintenance" option: inertia CZ 1012... $575 + ship/tax = just under 650. Will let you know how it does.

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[BigAl52]

Congrats on the CZ. They are good guns for the money. Mine has been great