Remington 870 Vs. 1300 winnie for defense

[finisher]

Can anyone give me the pros and cons of the two.
I have an opportunity to pick up an 870 w/ 18" cylinder in excellent condition quite cheap if I sell my Winchester 1300 Stainless Marine Defender.
 
I'm told the 870 has a steel frame as opposed to aluminum on the 1300, so in theory, the 870 may be more durable. Weight is not really an issue to me in this case.
 
Also, for the price I can get from the 1300 I could afford to buy, along with the 870, an 18.5" Police barrel (Remington made) with rifle sights and a modified choke which I was told will really tighten up buckshot patterns and slug groups (is this true?).
 
I figure then, I could maybe trade the original cylinder barrel for a turkey or goose barrel. This would, in theory give me a defense/deer/fowl combo for the price of the Winchester.
 
Does this seem like a sound plan or should I just hang on to the 1300.
 
 
 
 

[GEMSTATE]

870 is used by the military and leo nationwide. You seem to want multiple chokes for either/or so I would look at Polychoke. No stainless to match the winnie however. I've had three polys installed and have been very satisfied with them over 30 years. I'm not affiliated with polychoke in any way. Given the choice 870 wins.

[yellowtail3]

Well, is selling the winchester will get more shotguns and goodies, there's a reason. Other hand... I like the rotating bolt & light weight in a winchester. First centerfire I ever bought was a Win 1200 Ranger in 12GA (pretty much a 1300). Sold it over ten years ago and got an 870... kind of wish I could get that 1200 back.

[Lloyd Smale]

there both good guns but if i was held down and made to choose id probably go with a 870. Its the small block chev of the gun world. Lots more accessories available for it and there usually cheaper.

[LanceR]

Having had both I can't say either is a clear winner in overall quality or functioning.  Durability is not an issue either way.  Both guns have been made in trap versions and I've never heard of a durability issue from either.  Unless you plan to turn it into a Swiss Army gun and have your heart set on a particular modification that you can do to one but not the other it remains a toss-up.

Modern buckshot loads are buffered and in wad cups that reduce deformation so as to tighten patterns and reduce wild flyers.  The patterns generally don't spread as fast as they once did and the one-time rule of thumb of pattern spread for a cylinder bore went out the window years ago.  Managed recoil loads seem to pattern tighter at all practical ranges.  In head to head comparisons with various military and commercial buckshot loads the patterns with any given choke can vary by 30% or so at 10 yards but by nearly 100% at 20 yards.

Only some work with a patterning board at the ranges you most expect to use the gun are going to answer your questions about choke etc.  Order as many different kinds of buckshot as you can afford and test them.  Then get some more boxes of your first choice and save them for defense use.  Since loads get modified all the time buying a box of the same load a few years from now does not mean that you'll get the same pattern results.  Stock up now and reserve that ammo.  Practice with something else.

A buckshot pattern that spreads rapidly enough to be what is considered a large pattern at 12-15 feet is still roughly the diameter of a softball.  The idea that a shotgun give you some big advantage from pattern size during close quarters combat doesn't seem to hold much water.  You've still got to be in the center of the torso to reliably end fights so pattern size doesn't matter much.  Shot placement matters far more.

For home defense your task is generally limited to the typical distance across the rooms of your home or, at the longest distance, down a hallway.  Unless you live in a place with a very wide open floor plan I suspect that you'll be at not much more than bayonet range. 

00 buck can penetrate as many as 4 wood framed walls with 1/2" gypsum drywall.  Even #4 buck will generally go through as many as 3 walls so keep this in mind.

There are specialized #4 buck loads at around 1,100 FPS designed specifically for close quarters combat that are very effective which greatly reduce ricochet and over penetration issues.  I've been retired for 6-1/2 years and have not followed the trends in military use of combat shotguns so in addition to all the less than lethal loads there may be some newer close combat loads of which I am unaware. 

For now, I suggest patterning the 1300 to see if the patterns are acceptable.  Also, I don't think any rifle sight is going to be more efficient than the Tru-Glo sight already on the 1300.

I do note that if I were worried about having a shotgun for home defense I'd might sell the gun and use the money for moving expenses...

Good luck

Lance

[SHOOTALL]

The 1200 will cycle the mini shot shells as is the 870 needs modification to do so. The way the 870 action rails are installed are stronger looking to me. The trigger group on the 1200 seems less robust also.

[spruce]

I'd choose the 870 simply because I've owned several over the years and I've never owned a 1200/1300, but for HD either will do the job.
 
Personally, I think a HD gun should be JUST that and nothing else.  Always kept in whatever location and state of readiness you choose.  After all, if you're out turkey hunting what are the family members going to defend themselves with?

[finisher]

Thanks very much, everyone, All your input has been a  great help.