Shotgun, stock or no stock?

[iwannadie]

I'm going to be picking up my first shotgun(home defense duty) here soon and I am up in the air on the stock setup. I really like the idea, look and feel of a pistol grip with no stock. Will that be a good setup or should I go with a stock? I do plan to pump a lot of rounds through it target shooting and maybe even some skeet just for fun. Anyone with the mossberg 500sp pistol grip care to chime in?

I really hate the AR style collapsable stocks on shotguns also. An over folding would be nice but in any event where I need the gun I wouldn't be thinking about folding down a stock. I have a 7.62x54r rifle that has some serious kick and I can shoot that from the hip without any issue. I haven't shot a 12g pistol grip but I have to imagine the recoil is close to my big cal. rifle and is manageable.

In Az we have some of the best gun laws around and I am liking the smaller overall size also.

I am dead set on mossberg 500sp series so no changing my mind with other brands.

 

[XJ_Vikings]

my good friend has the 500 with a pistol grip. Ive shot it a decent amount and like the way it handles, for home security purposes that is. However if you will be doing a lot of skeet i would strongly advise against it. It should be pretty easy to swap in between the two, no?

 

[mxracer624]

well you are going to hate life trying to shoot skeet with a pistol grip and the short home security barrel. Some mossberg 500s come with both the short home security barrel and the longer barrel. Not sure the length on them both because im not a mossberg guy. But my personal opinion is that i dont like the way the pistol grip without the stock handles but thats my opinion. I have one on an 870 i keep in my truck and its great so it can fit in the space in my truck but not so great to go out and shoot a whole bunch. I also have another 870 with an ar style collapsible pistol grip with the stock and love it but you already said you dont like those. . but a skeet shooting gun and home security gun are 2 totally different types of guns. But if you get all the right accessories, switching from one to another will only take 10 to 15 mins when you want to take it out and shoot some clays.

 

[AIbandit]

Don't be tarded get a stock, unless you want the Px ranger bling.

 

[tbburg]

Personally, I use a Rem. 870 and a Browning BPS. In the past, I've shot sporting clays, 5-stand clays, and trap. If you're going to use the gun for any kind of shotgun games, get a full conventional stock. You won't like clays with any of the folding/collapsible stocks out there. As for home security, the full stock won't slow you down. A long barrel is kind of an impediment, but easily solvable one.

It's simple enough to get 2 barrels for guns like the -500. Get a 24"-30" vented rib, screw in choke barrel for fun and games, and a 19"-20" smooth bore with rifle sights(or better yet a ghost ring and post) for defense. (That's what I do with the -870, 34" full choke for trap/skeet, 24"screw in choke for sporting clays, 20" deer barrel + mag. extension for "home" use)

There are legitimate(but very limited) uses for a pistol grip shotgun, but under most circumstances, you'll want the stock.

 

[joe_peters]

I use an Ithaca M37 12 ga. with a Choate side folding stock. I prefer the Ithaca because I can hold the trigger back and just keep pumping until it runs dry.

I NEVER fold the stock at home--I want to put that stock in my shoulder or lock it to my side with my arm. I keep it loaded with 2 3/4" 00 buck--stop means STOP!

Now, pluses of the Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip--good, dependable design and its lightweight.

Now, downside of the Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip--its lightweight.

Using just a pistol grip it will be damn near uncontrollable using any heavy loads.

I am 6'4" and North of 300 lbs--get the idea?

That Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip might be Ok with some 2 3/4" No. 8/9 light target loads, but you would be insane to use 2 3/4" or 3" buckshot or slugs. You might be able to keep it from knocking you in the forehead with the front bead if you used a pistol-grip forend.

I have shot cowboy action shooting with a 12 ga. 18 1/2" barrel coachgun alternating with No. 6 and No. 8 shot. Put 2 3/4" 00 buck in that coachgun and its a mean bear to hang onto--with a full stock.

Get the full stock with pistol grip or a side folder.

 

[ECKSJAY]

KISS, with a shortened stock for better pectoral placement.

 

[AIbandit]

KISS, with a shortened stock for better pectoral placement.

:thumbup:

 

[mcantar18c]

I vote no stock. This IS strictly a home defense gun, yes?
If the sole purpose is to point and shoot at a target within a few yards of you, no stock is easier to handle and toss around and is easier to move around the house with if need be.

That being said, personally I prefer a stock w/ pistol grip. Best of both worlds... easily controllable at hip fire, but feels good in your shoulder. I'd also have ghost ring sights on it, a lot of people don't like them but I find a shoot better with em at all kinds of targets.
As for how it shoots, I emptied my buddy's 870 Tactical from full within a few seconds from hip fire without any trouble. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's easier to fire from the hip.

 

[5-90]

Stock - gives you more options for use.

I've never liked the "stockless" look, and even the stock with pistol grip doesn't feel right. I've no trouble with it on a rifle designed for it (AR-15, AR-10, BAR, et al,) but the effective use of a shotty seems to mitigate against deletion of the full shoulder stock.

Besides, for home defense duty, you may find it useful to have a non-lethal weapon in your hands as well - and a full-stock shotty can be used as a non-lethal weapon just as readily as a lethal weapon, so you've got both handy.

 

[iwannadie]

I should clarify when I say skeet shooting it would be a just for fun knowing it is a pistol grip setup. I wouldn't be out shooting skeet a lot or expect great accuracy.

It is a home defense shotgun first, any other use is just a for fun thing. I did think about just getting the accessories and swap them out but I wasn't sure how involved. It does sound easy to swap so that may solve the whole debate right there.

I really don't like the pistol grip with full stock so it will be either traditional setup or no stock for me.

You guys have me more on the fence now than before though. I was watching a lot of youtube videos trying to get an idea of the how controllable it is but I wasn't paying attention to the load type. I do want to run a heavy load so now I am worried about it just blasting away with no control ha.

 

[5-90]

For home defense you do NOT want magnum loads! Too much secondary penetration risk.

Pretty much the ideal loading for urban home defense is #4 buckshot in a 2-3/4" shell with a full choke. If you have a long mag (more than a couple rounds,) load the first couple with #4 and the rest with sabot slugs - you'll be wide awake and taking much better aim after the first shot or two. (Bear in mind you're thinking about being woken out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night...)

The very first thing I did to my Winchester 1300 (3" 12ga 18.5" barrel w/full-length mag tube) was turn it into a Winchester 1200 (replaced the pistol grip with a full stock.)

I can mostly control 3" magnum loads in a pistol grip shotty, but I prefer not to (it's tough on the wrist.) And, like Joe, I'm a good-sized fella (6'3", 270#, and been shooting since I was about six...)

 

[98XJSport]

If you plan on taking more than 1 shot shot quickly you're going to want a stock.

 

[iwannadie]

Ok, I appreciate all the input and after re-reading all the comments and going off googling I feel I have a better understanding of what the breaching shotgun is meant for. I will be going with a traditional stock setup and later get a pistol grip for when I want to go shoot and experiment with(be tacticool).

 

[xjtrailrider]

I picked up an old Savage single shot at a yard sale for 30 bucks. I cut the barrel down to 18.25" and cut the but stock down to a pistol grip. For close quarters its fine and if you can't hit someone in your house with a shotgun and one well scattered shot then I don't know if you should be handling a gun. I practice un-loading and loading it all of the time in different lighting situations in the house and I am almost as fast with the single shot as I am with my 870. If push comes to shove and I go hand to hand, the short gun can make a good bat!

 

[iwannadie]

I picked up an old Savage single shot at a yard sale for 30 bucks. I cut the barrel down to 18.25" and cut the but stock down to a pistol grip. For close quarters its fine and if you can't hit someone in your house with a shotgun and one well scattered shot then I don't know if you should be handling a gun. I practice un-loading and loading it all of the time in different lighting situations in the house and I am almost as fast with the single shot as I am with my 870. If push comes to shove and I go hand to hand, the short gun can make a good bat!

That may be fine for you I'm not out to judge anyone but for me I'm capable of spending more to get a better suited shotgun. I'd rather not test my ability to reload under stress or wounded with a single shot weapon. Not to mention the pistol and rifles as backups that I have now ha.

 

[xjtrailrider]

That may be fine for you I'm not out to judge anyone but for me I'm capable of spending more to get a better suited shotgun. I'd rather not test my ability to reload under stress or wounded with a single shot weapon. Not to mention the pistol and rifles as backups that I have now ha.

Oh, i have other guns! This one is with me when I sleep though. My other guns are locked up except for one pistol, I don't want my guns to be turned on me! Now if the fight goes out into the yard/street, the 44 super black hawk, 10.5" barrel will go with me. If I don't hit them i'll at least scare the chit out of them

 

[ECKSJAY]

For close quarters its fine and if you can't hit someone in your house with a shotgun and one well scattered shot then I don't know if you should be handling a gun.

Funny, when I patterned my 12ga (pictured above) at 10yds it was about 9". Measure that out sometime. When you consider that there are 27 pellets in a #4BK shotshell and you want the maximum amount of pellets to hit the target, it's really easy to miss at even closer ranges.

Many of the internet commandos have visions of hip firing and magically clearing the hallway, knocking a perp backward out the window with one shot...alternating between buck and slug because there's an apparent script involved. You people have NO place offering advice in this area, just as you'd jump on someone in a tech forum for speculating tech advice.

OP, go get some formal training and resist the whitetrash bandwagon.

 

[mcantar18c]

Have you seen the Serbu Super Shorty? IIRC they sell for around $700... who cares about controllability, they're fawkin cool!

 

[iwannadie]

Have you seen the Serbu Super Shorty? IIRC they sell for around $700... who cares about controllability, they're fawkin cool!

I've seen them for sale on a local gun forum, they look awesome for an XJ or toolbox gun.