Due to an old shoulder injury I need to replace my shotgun. I have a Mossberg 500 12 gauge with a 28 and 18 1/2 inch barrels. Going to replace with a 20 gauge to reduce recoil. Here are 4 choices. I have shot 3 of them and each of them do what I want. Here are my choices. 1, Mossberg 500 persuader. 5 + 1, 18 1/2 cylinder bore. Pretty much a smaller version of what I have. $149. Will need a 26 or 28 inch barrel.that will add about $170 to the price. This one is calling to me. 2, Remington express synthetic. 6 + 1, 18 1/2 inch cylinder bore. I do not like the location of the slide release. Better put together than the others. $412 plus $155 for a field barrel. I think this will ultimately be my purchase. Problem is my $350 budget. This one would have to go on lay-a-way. 3,Remington Express. 4 + 1. 28 inch with screw in chokes. For some reason this one fits me better than the others. $307, + $60 for a +2 mag extension and $144 for a 18 1/2 inch cylinder bore barrel 4, Maverick Model 88 youth. This is the one I have not shot. 5 + 1 with a 22 inch barrel, screw in chokes. $199 + $60 for a full size stock. This would be a compromise. The 22 inch barrel would work for home defense as well as hunting. $100 under budget sure sounds good! Which way would you go? FWIW, I ordered #1, my gun store is trying to talk me out of it for #2. They won't have to twist my arm too much!
Smaller/lighter means more recoil, even with a 20 gauge. I'd go full size, wood, and the 870 Express is a good gun from what I read. So is the Mossberg, but the smaller size bothers me.
I have shot all but the Maverick and they all had less recoil than the 12, even if I used reduced recoil loads. The Remington Express had the least recoil. Of course it was the heaviest too.
I like the safety on the Mossberg, and I have not been real impressed with Remington's quality lately so I would go with the Mossberg. But if recoil reduction is what you are looking for you might want to look at this. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=200234/MOSS+SA-20+AUTO+20GA+26%22+MATTE+SYN+5+TUBES
And I'll bet that the Remington Express is lighter than my pre-1970 20ga 870 wingmaster that is built on a 12ga frame....
Its amazing the perceived recoil. caliber alone will not make a difference if the gun is lighter. Since i was a kid we had two shot guns. mine, a mossberg 135A a bolt action 20ga. that is super light. And my dads Remmy 11-87 semi auto and heavy 12 guage. The 12ga. has less recoil than my 20. Its auto that takes some recoil away, and so does the weight. But ill take the 20ga into the woods every time. because it doesn't tire me out.
I'm a Remington fan and own quite a few 870s. Personally I would go that route, but I own 5 Mossbergs too, they are not bad choices either. As said the heavier the better for felt recoil reduction.
Looked at this one. LGS had a Tri Star also that was similar, both made in Turkey. $379. I heard they needed stout loads to function well.
Agreed. Friend has a 10 gauge single shot. I have shot it with #4 buck. Recoil is not bad but it is very heavy. Ok for the deer stand or duck blind but I would not want to carry it all day. As noted, I have shot these models and they are all both lighter than th 500 12 ga and have less recoil. I have pretty much made up my mind, just trying to justify spending the extra $100 for the Remington Synthetic Express.
They are designed for heavy loads, but the Mossberg has a field model that handles light loads well along with heavy.
I'll check into it further. The SA-20 was my first choice, but it's no good to me if it will not shoot my bunny load, 7/8 oz shot pushed by a charge of Unique.
