We expend buckets of ink within this column covering tactics, drills, accessories and defensive-shotgun theory, but the most common question I receive is very simple: What’s my favorite shotgun? Although it’s a broad question when considering gun types, price spectrums and availability, I’ll oblige, but with a caveat that these are merely one dude’s opinions based on my personal shooting style, experiences and preferences—and it’s why you won’t find any AR-style or bullpup-style shotguns on my list.
So, here goes.
Budget Pump
Mossberg Maverick 88 Security
This shotgun with seven-plus-one capacity and 22-inch barrel is much like its cousin, the 590A1, except its parts are made outside the U.S. and therefore it’s less expensive to produce. Still, it has everything I want in a no-frills pump gun for home defense, including dual action bars and a no-nonsense buttstock. For $276, I’m not sure there’s a better value available across the entire firearm world.
Budget Semi-automatic
Stoeger M3000 Defensive Series
Stoeger’s M3000 line is known in the hunting world as the poor man’s Benelli. In fact, it, like Benelli, is also owned by Beretta, so the companies share designs. This tactical “Benelli” is made in Turkey, not Italy, and is a little less refined so it can sell for a third of the price of top-end Benellis and Berettas. I like Stoeger’s M3000 Defensive Series guns, especially the model with the Steady Grip and the extended magazine tube that holds seven rounds for eight total. It comes with ghost-ring sights, a rail for an optic and a full-contour buttstock that I insist on. Like many Turkish guns that are not as polished as others when they leave the factory, expect a break-in period before it begins cycling light loads reliably. Once the break-in process is complete, though, it’s a fantastic shotgun, especially for an off-the-shelf price around $600.
Mid-Priced Pump
Remington 870 Tactical Magpul/Mossberg 590M
These two iconic pump shotguns—two of the best-selling guns of all time—are so similar in price, features and reliability that it really boils down to personal preference of the brand and the location of the safety. The Remington features a crossbolt safety located on the trigger guard while the Mossberg’s safety is on the tang. I like the crossbolt, so I lean toward the 870 Tactical model with the Magpul stock and fore-end that provides various flashlight and sling attachment points. (Mossberg also offers a 590A1 version with Magpul furniture.) It’s handy at just 38.5 inches in overall length, yet holds seven rounds.
But, now there’s another incentive to go with the Mossberg 590, and that is a detachable-box magazine. Some home defenders worry that shotguns hold too few rounds and are too slow to reload, so Mossberg solved the issue with its 590M series that holds five, 10, 15, or 20 rounds depending on the mag chosen. While the bulky vertical magazine definitely alters the balance of the gun, my oh my, what a formidable scattergun!
Mid-Priced Semi-automatic
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol
It’s wild that any Beretta shotgun would end up in a mid-priced category, but with the company’s flagship 1301 at the top end, it figured it could push the A300 line toward the middle and get sales there, too. The A300 Ultima Patrol is a gas-action gun with legendary Beretta reliability that’s been tailored for defensive use. With its 19-inch barrel it’s handy, and oversize controls make it easy to manipulate under pressure. It comes with ghost rings and an optic rail (that I don’t prefer, but many do). Notably, it holds eight rounds total but can be “ghost loaded” to hold nine. Frankly, because the Ultima weighs a pound more than the new (and excellent) 1301 Tactical model, it has much less felt recoil and is easier to shoot. For around $1,000 rather than $1,800, I like it better, and considering its price, quality, features and its maker, it might just be the best value shotgun available.
Top-End Pump
Benelli M3 Tactical
This is a little bit of a cheat because the nearly forgotten M3 is also a semi-automatic. That’s right, with a twist of a locking collar located near the end cap it instantly switches from an inertia-action semi-auto to a pump. If you have a jam, or wish to use low-recoil loads, go to a pump—or use the pump full time, whatever. I believe it’s one of the best tactical shotguns of all time, especially considering it’s basically two shotguns for less than $2,000. Its only flaw is that it only holds six rounds, but that can be remedied with a mag extension. I like the rubbery pistol grip, the compactness and everything about this ingenious shotgun.
Top-End Semi-automatic
Remington VersaMax Competition
While this was a tough choice between the Beretta 1301 Tactical, Benelli’s M2, M3 and M4, I’m going with the Remington VersaMax Competition, which has been discontinued, but is still available, because it’s the best-feeling, lightest-recoiling 12 gauge ever made, yet it has all the accessories and accoutrements that I want for home defense. The VersaMax gas action revolutionized the gas action by simplifying it: Instead of only using a mechanical gas block to regulate the shell’s gasses, the VersaMax’s seven gas ports are located in the chamber, where the shell size dictates how many ports are used to power the dual-piston strikers. Admittedly, I’m biased toward the feel of Remington shotguns because I cut my teeth on them, but to me the stock dimensions are perfect, although they can be adjusted for length and drop if needed. The grippy, rubber-feeling stock features a padded comb insert that greatly mitigates recoil. Controls are huge and easy to access. The Competition model differs from the Tactical in that it’s finished in green, does not have a pic rail for an optic but rather a shallow “V” rear sight that I love because it’s non-intrusive until you need it. It holds nine rounds total or 11 with the included two-round extension, but I prefer to forgo the extension for better handiness in a hallway. The gun is relatively heavy at 8 pounds, but that’s also what makes it so great to shoot. And while it used to cost around $1,800, at the time of this writing I see it online for several hundred dollars less than that. Until it’s no longer available to buy, it remains my top pick.
