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I've been thinking about buying a 12 gauge shotgun to add to my growing arsenal of home defense weapons. I'm not looking for something expensive or fancy just a reliable pump action. I don't know very much about them. I intend to use it mostly for home protection but I would also like to occasionally shoot clays. The two shotguns I've heard the most about are the Remington 870 12ga 18" barrel and the Mossberg 500 12ga with 18.5" barrel. I went to a gun show today (my first) to look for them and to get more information. One vendor would tell me to buy the Remington and the other would tell me to buy the Mossberg. If you have any experience with these shotguns, I'd like to hear your impressions of them.

I own both and I have to say I would trust my life to either.That being said I prefer the Moss.I like the safety location the reliability and the reasonable cost.There has to be a good reason our military uses them! Cant go wrong with either of them,aftermarket goodies are plentiful! If you want to shoot clays you will need to get 26 or 28 inch barrel though,the barrels easily switch out.

Reliability-wise, you are looking at a toss up. It really comes down to the preferences you have for the few feature differences. For instance, the Mossberg has the safety on top of the back of the receiver, making it a poor candidate for the addition of a pistol grip stock from a safety manipulation standpoint. On the other hand that type of safety is a bit more ambidextrous than the Remington's. The geometry for feeding shells into the magazines may be a bit different as well, so you may want to actually try feeding shells into each to see which works easier/better for you.

Each design has plenty of aftermarket support and plenty of folks that swear by them. You just have to determine which is the best for you based on the few differences between them.

Exactly, both are good, if you really want to know which one you will like, hold and manipulate the controls of both. I prefer the saftey and pump release location (not sure what that's called) on the Rem 870. I dont know how easy it is to change the barrel on the Mosberg, but I have a 20" & 28" for my 870 and swapping them out is incredibly simple and fast.

Thanks for the info. I did notice the safety was in different places but I didn't handle enough to figure out which one felt more natural. I guess my options are increase my budget and buy both or rent them at a range to do a test drive. I've only fired a shotgun once before and it was a short barrel. I'm a female and my upper body strength isn't the best. Does the length of the barrel add a lot more weight to hold out there?

You have asked the equivalent of, "Which is better, Ford or Chevy?"

Ask 10,000 people, you'll get 10,000 opinions.

...if you're open to the used market...Winchester 120 and 1200 pumps are a bit lighter than the 870...and incredibly smooth-shucking...pawn shops often have either...if you stick with your original two choices, I'd get the 870 new...but you can get two or three used ones for the price of one new one...in the pawn shop circles...I had a Mossberg youth model 20 pump that was compact and light...I paid $125 for it and it was a 22" vent rib...like new...shorter stock...an extra barrel would make it ready to sport shoot...

...that double feed happens most often when we short-shuck it...pumps are made to be shucked hard and fast...

...that youth model with the old man's trick of lead in the stock oughta be a pussycat to shoot!!!

For home defense and or skeet shooting,you might want to look at a Rem.870 youth model 20 guage.shorter lengh of pull and less recoil but will still get the jobs done.

Main differences in the two will be the safety and slide unlock lever. The 870 slide release is large and in front of the trigger, which I like. Mossberg safety makes more sense to me. I use the action as my safety though on the 870. Half open is safe. Push the pump forward and fire.

The 870 comes in several levels. . . if you're referring to the Express vs. the 500, I'd prefer the Mossberg. The 500 seems to have a smoother action with more refined parts. If you're getting into the 870 Police, well, compare it to the Mossberg 590 and you can't go wrong with either one.

I'm definitely not opposed to used. I really didn't think much about pawn shops. I went to the Lewisville gunshow hoping to scope out the used market but I didn't really see much there. I'm going to take your advice speedsix and look at the local pawn shops first. If I haven't picked up something by the time the Dallas Market Hall gunshow is on, I'll check that out too.

I also hadn't given any thought into looking a 20gauge. So I'm going to check it out too.

Are there certain characteristics that I should look out for when buying a used shotgun? I know with a handgun looking at the bore and working the action are important. I assume a shotgun is no different but I wonder if there are things inherent to shotguns that I should look out for.

When I bought my first gun almost a year ago, I was certain it would be the only one I'd own. I have acquired 5 more since and I have several more on my wish list. I think I'm hooked.

I appreciate all the info!!! That is what so great about this forum.

...most often problem on a shotgun is rust...even on much-used ones, I've never bought but one malfunctioning one...the slide release didn't work all the time...Mossberg said I needed a spring...but when you fired it, it shucked like glass...I'd go for Winchester 1200 or 120...then 1300...then Mossberg 500...870 would be my last choice...they were our issue on the PD but I just never loved 'em...