Quote:
Originally Posted by Slims
They are just not practical for the average homeowner.
...need for concealment...
That stock helps you instinctively line the shotgun up towards a target, absorbs recoil to facilitate follow up shots, provides stability for reloads, helps prevent bad habits, etc. It is important.
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I concur with the tactical guru.
Yeah, common sense suggests one defending their home isn't really concerned with concealment. White light and loud voices all the way for that situation.
The ease of handling associated with a pistol grip or folding stock shotgun is the video game myth I mentioned above: in the real world you need to anchor the gun to your shoulder with a substantial stock. If you want a shorter shotgun, the cheapest way to go about it is to get that $200 tax stamp and saw your Remington 870 barrel down flush with the mag tube (~14"). Time tested weapon design has shown again and again that the only realistic way to effectively shorten a weapon is to shorten the portion in front of the pistol grip by either chopping the barrel ("carbine"), making the action more compact (ex: Uzi bolt) or moving the action rearward (bullpup).
Folding stocks are generally weak, wobbly, and uncomfortable (think M1 paratrooper carbine, Butler Creek models for the Mini-14 or the retarded steel "Transformers" stock on the original Uzi that is only slightly less painful than prison rape). They're a crappy gimmick with few exceptions on the market and represent a huge weak point in a weapon's structural integrity as well as design philosophy. What good is something small and handy if you can't aim and fire it correctly? Short of PDW-style spray-and-pray weapons, they are inappropriate for most weapons and unnecessary for home defense.
The Speedfeed company produces a full solid stock with pistol grip (similar to the feel of the old M16A2) that is top notch. You'll see a similar setup on Benelli's tactical and newer hunting shotguns. An old school solid wood stock on a home defense shotgun is a good choice as well. The advantage of the solid stock with pistol grip combination over the traditional shotgun stock is, in my opinion, the stronger, straighter angle of the wrist and elbow. It's more comfortable, more natural, and handier.
+1 to the youth stock. Perfect option for shorter people or people in body armor. The key to success is having something substantial and solid to mount in your shoulder pocket at all times, something that a folding stock doesn't provide. While the length of pull may be way off and uncomfortable, it means at least you're not two-handing a long gun like a cheesy action movie hero.
If you have the money and can afford an expensive stock, the mostly-steel M4-style collapsing stock is an acceptable choice if you need something relatively compact. I was pleased with the FN TPS shotgun I played with for a few weeks. Keep in mind that the market is flooded with worth-shit clones, just as it is with every type of gun accessory. Never use anything as a stock that you can break by leaning on or dropping from shoulder height. The stuff made by Knoxx is quality, but expensive and overkill for home defense purposes.