Should I get this:
 

Basically, I want a fun gun to shoot with, at the same time, however, i want a very badass look, which is a very big priority.

I was thinking about getting a Rem. 870 Express 18'' Shotgun ( http://www.remington.com/firearms/sh...70expsyn18.htm ) with this rear pistol grip : http://www.atigunstocks.com/SHTREAR.html

And this fore pistol grip :
http://www.atigunstocks.com/SHTFRNT.html

I would like to get everything for under 500 dollars, and use semi-cheap ammo.

I am however, totally open to a rifle as well. I think an AK would be great to have. I already have a .22 Ruger rifle , and am ready for something a little better, more powerful, and fun.

So, a few questions: Do pistol grip shotguns kill your wrists?
Any problems legally with all that stuff?

Where is a good reliable place to get ahold of a good reliable AK?

TIA

OK...I can help. First of all pistol grip shotguns are stupid. Very stupid. Secondly, a Remington shotgun is very heavy, it uses all metal parts inside (which is a good thing). A Mossberg 500 is the competition and is much lighter for about the same price. But trust me pistol grips are all for looks. I wanted one too until I shot it.

Also, if you ever go trap shooting, you will want a longer barrelled gun. The short 18-20" barrells dont go very far, and then everyone will laugh at you.

Now, I live in Cali so I cannot get AK's, well not leagally at least. But, SKS are very popular everywhere--and VERY cheap. They are essentially the same thing, just not as rugged of a gun. You can put a scope on it, etc.

Also ammo for the AK/SKS is very cheap. 7.62x39 20 in a box, $2.50 per box. 12Gauge ammo--depending on the shot: Slugs 5 for $4.00, 00 Buckshot 5 for $4.00, 4-8 Shot 20 for about $4.00

I actually have both a rifle and a shotgun and I cannot decide which I like more. The shotgun is easier to clean, was a cheaper gun, and there are less laws here about it. Also ammo is more readily available for shotguns.

Whichever you decide, good luck

As said, skip the pistol grips. You lose the very important "beat the shit out of the guy with your gun" ability with pistol grips.

The SKS is cheap, and a fun gun, but quite a far cry from the AK-47- big thing being that the SKS is not clip fed, it has an internal mag that is fed with stripper clips- can be converted to be clip fed, but mags are more expensive and by the time I calculated out the cost it was cheaper to buy the AK than make an SKS with the stuff I wanted- Note that if the annoying loading method of the SKS doesnt bother you, then it can be a nice little gun for under 200- a good AK will run you at least 300 ( prices are guestimated, and for the midwest)

Echo the ammo thing though- Ak or sks are cheap to shoot, as long as you buy the right brand of ammo- also, most places the calibur is legal to hunt with-

me, I've always wanted a doublebarrel coach gun....

Its not so bad after they're on the clips. In fact its much better than most guns...semi-automatic pistols are terrible.

Get an AK. Anything by Arsenal. Or a maddi. You won't regret it.

My Arsenal SA-93

^ Do you have some links for that, what kind of permits do you need, price range, etc.

OK. Forget the shorty barrel, its useless except for home defence. Go get a 26" or 28" barrel.

The Remington 870 is a very good gun, and very cheap at that. It will last you a long time, and parts are very plentiful.

I would forget about the rifle for the time being. A rifle of a caliber larger than .22 is damn near impossible to go out and plink with, regardless of how cheap the ammo is. It is simply to powerful--and thus usually too dangerous to go shooting cans with. Unless you have a good reason to own such a gun, move on.

And as for shotgun ammo, you wont be shooting slugs or buckshot unless you are hunting. A box of 25 shells of birdshot, the stuff you would shoot to go skeet shooting or general goofing around, is about $3.50. Not bad at all.

A shotgun is (next to a little .22) easily the most fun you can have with a firearm. I guarantee you, unless you live in an area with *lots* of free land that you can shoot a high powered rifle on, a shotgun will get *much* more use--and therefore more fun ;) There are skeet clubs all over the place, and if you cant find one within a 30 minute drive, a small field, a $5 hand thrower, and a $4 crate of skeet is more than enough entertainment for a few hours.

A Remington 870 is on my list of guns to buy, but I would probably recommend not getting the pistol grips.

While I have had no personal experience shooting a shotgun with pistol grips, the majority of comments I've heard have been negative for everyday use.

Plus, they are only practical if you are going tactical.

Not very practical for skeet or any of the other fun things you can do with shot guns.

I can't recall; does anyone know if the 870 has the easily changed barrels?

Lebell, yes, there are plenty of extra barrels out there:

http://www.remington.com/firearms/xtrabbl.htm#870

Not really cheap, but no extra barrels are :(

And it should be very easy to change them. I know on my Remington 11-87 it is, and is on every other shotgun I have ever seen.

http://www.arsenalinc.com/

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/webBBS/semi4sale.cgi

http://www.gunsamerica.com

Check out some gun forums, if you post a want ad, you wont be competing with people for a good deal, and people browse those forums all the time just to unload stuff.

Remington 870 is a great gun. I have one and I have a folding stock with pistol grip ,but I don't use that stock. like the wood one for shooting.

I have a Mossberg 590SP with a folding stock. I find it more comfortable and easier to shoot a rifle/shotgun with a pistol grip and stock than a Monte Carlo style stock. That said, a shotgun with pistol grips alone is almost entirely useless and no fun to shoot at all. You take a pounding, you never hit anything, and you tire so quickly that you will never enjoy a day of shooting it.

Ok, here's the deal w/ shotguns:

You should get a traditional stock w/ no pistol grips. If you show your face at a range w/ those pistol grips, you will look like a fool in the eyes of the serious shooting community.

When you put pistol grips on a shotgun, you lose almost all directional control over it. The only real reason for a rear pistol grip (with no stock) is because you absolutely positively cannot afford the extra length of a full stock. You will not be able to shoot anywhere nearly as well with a pistol grip on that shotgun.

The pistol grip on the front limits the positions you can fire it from, and hinders your ability to 'point' it at someone. You want to be able to just grab the weapon, sweep it onto the target, and fire, without having to search around for that grip. That grip could also possibly interfere with your ability to pump the weapon if you are behind cover (since it sticks down).

Never in my life have I seen a serious shotgunner with a front pistol grip, or with a rear pistol grip and no stock.

The rear grips w/ full stocks are not so bad, and while I do not like them, they do serve a legitimate purpose (so you can maneuver the weapon w/ one hand if you have to).

The only reason that front pistol grip is sometimes put on rifles (like some of the m-4's being used in Iraq) is to free up space on the side of the weapon for mounting bulky accessories (like infrared cameras and other sensors).


Personally, I would recommend a Mossberg 500 w/ an 18" security barrel and an extra field barrel for trap/skeet/hunting/plinking. It only takes about 30 seconds to change barrels, and you can buy both the gun and both barrels for less than 400 dollars. If you want to make it look 'badass' after that you can always throw on some black synthetic furniture and a side saddle.

Personally, I am more concerned with my weapons actually being badass, and their appearance is way down on my list of priorities.

OH yeah, and for a purely defensive weapon, the Mossberg 590 is very good as well.

$3.50 for 20 shells? Wow...I wanna live in the states. Here, in Denmark, you'll prolly pay more like $25 for 20 shells...if you want ones that will actually kill anything that is...BIRDS, I MEAN BIRDS...not going postal or anything...:)

I have to agree with Greg700, the Mossberg 500/590 are both excellent weapons. Easy to clean, easy to load, & easy to shoot. All around a very reliable firearm.

Rem 870 folding stock is by far the most versatile, barrels under 150 and plenty of ammo. I have it a mossberg a double barrel 12 coack with external hammersd and a berretta asault shotgun among my guns the 870 is the one that I would depend on most in a jam I have a 13 inch barrel with the federal stamp for $5. a 18 slug barrel and a 28 inch barrel with a versa choke I also keep all the wood Stock etc. as well as the folding stock one screw changes them, and in 20 years of pd including 8 with (emergency response teams Politically correct term for SWAT) and dozens of ranges Ive never been laughed at once. Just set it up for what your going to use it for like any good weapon.

i love my 870, i have a Super Express magnum... AKA it will accept 2 3/4 , 3 ,3 1/2 mag loads. so i ca go out and shoot trap then simply swap out for a slug Barrel and go hunting. its awsome and i belive it was like $240 new at wal-mart.


get the 870 or what ever shot gun you wish. then if you want to make it "bad ass" pick up a mal order catalog liek delta force or soemthign they have all sorts of doodads and furnature you can buy for your 870.

who needs it to look bad ass when you can still slam them with 000 buck shot?

as noted above if you doing any thign other than having a nightstand shotter dont go with thte short version. start with a regualr size barrel with choak tubes. the reason why i love my shotgun is that it its versitile, dont remove that and turn it in to a " hey guys look how cool this looks" gun . you REALY want to LOOK badass save you pennys and get a class 3 weapon. :)

my friend just bought the 500 from big5 it was like $220 with the 18" and also came with a 28" free, its usually on sale there or atleast in seattle so if your going for the mossberg id check them out.

SKS
 

The SKS is a fun gun... I had one for a while.. a real nice Russian one too! Like said, ammo is pretty cheap. It was fun to pop out the bayonet and let it rip!:icare:

If you're into old stuff like me, try an M1 Carbine... good times...