pistol grip shotguns

[SHOOTALL]

In a world where it might be nessary to have a weapon at hand that is more powerful than a pistol say while fishing or working in big bear country a pistol grip ( only a pistol grip no butt stock)shotgun makes sense . It is easy to carry if it has a 18 inch bbl. and fitted with a sling. Now I know some here don't care for them but that's ok as others do. When broken down they take up less space. I find them easy to master with pratice. If legal they would seem better than most any other gun for use in a vehicle or tight spaces. I don't feel they replace a shotgun with full stock but they have a place. They may also be better to hide in a time of crisis , easier to deploy from a pack or vehicle at times.
 I know some have tried them and talk about the arwful kick. There are ways to take some of the pain out of the kick if need be. I confess I shot a Mosseberg pistol grip shotgun a few days ago for the first time . It was a Maverick by Mossberg. It is light in weight and equiped with a solid pistol grip. I can say it kicks alot harder than a Remington with a rubber pistol grip.If you don't care for the weapon then there is little need to post negative cuts here but if you like the guns set up this way what do you find works best ? Do you agree they can be useful and how ? 

[Ranger99]

usta have one way back when they
were real popular in the miami vice
days and never cared for it. i finally put
a choate full stock on it and had it
for a long time. after a while they had
came out with the pistol grip forearm
for the pump , but i never tried one.
in all fairness, i never shot it enough
to see any advantage to it other than
concealment, and it may have worked
better with the pistol grip forearm.
i just knew i couldn't shoot it accurately,
and noise only counts in the movies.
if one can make accurate shots with it,
and they're happy with it, good deal.
i can say with confidence it's not for me.

[Goldstar225]

Get a folding stock, just as compact lengthwise and much more capable.  Several years ago my department held qualifications for shotguns.  Up until then you shot the department shotgun for qualification then carried what you wanted.  That changed to where each officer had to qualify with the gun they carried.  Several had PG only shotguns because they didn't take up much space and were handy.  No one with a PG only shotgun passed, not one.

[SHOOTALL]

my point is not that the PG gun is better or even equal in many cases . It is compact and useful in places and at times where the full stock gun is um cumbersome or hard to secure from sight (hide). I tried a folder and didn't care for it and the weight is there with good ones. The courses I shot with a shot gun all had slugs involved at some distance and I would agree the PG would be hard to work with in those cases but again I consider it a close range affair. I admit also it takes a fairly strong shooter to handle it. 

[Couger]

.If you don't care for the weapon then there is little need to post negative cuts here ......

You have a monopoly on commentary? 
 
These [really] shortened shooties I think have their place, but I wouldn't be so braggadocio to the world if I put one away.
 
Actually however, I think besides the pumpers that a SXS like the shotties Milla Jovonovich (sp?) used in the Resident Evil flicks looked useful if a high volume of fire was not needed.
 
But the pumpers?  Once saw a flick with Navy SEALs where one operator carried a HG-Mossberg or HG-M870.  He didn't have trouble killing any bad guys (yeah, yeah someone will say "it was a movie!"  To which I'd remind him the SEALs are well accomplished with their guns!)  Shots were "close" but far enough away a pistol would have been "iffy."
 
There probably is a niche for a pistol-grip-pump or PG-double, for their concealabity and compactness (illegality perhaps?**). 
 
Yes they are a shorter-range weapon, and a sidefolder (not bottom ot top folding stock) might make all the difference. 
 
As well as the correct choice of shotshell loads. Definitely not the time to shoot 3" magnums! 
 
A mild 2 3/4" field load of 4's or 2's might be damned exffective
(or 27 pellets of 4Buck). 
 
** Too bad those short-barreled weapons SWAT likes for blasting doors or entry tems are discouraged by the fedcoats.  One of those would make a helluva bear stopper or house-warmer. 
 
ADDED:  I think one of these pistol-grip shotties would be real handy for many situations (with or without a front bead!) for self defense at close range,  even in a 20 gauge if built on a lightweight frame/gun. 
 
Actually I like the idea of a 20ga in such a configuration, much better than a one of those DUMBB cut-down, shortened mutton-leg Rossi .30-30's! 
 
The 12gauge PG-shottie the SEAL used in the movie was very compact and he carried it on his back under his wet suit.

[FPH]

Never have cared for pistol grip in either a rifle or shotgun. (JMHO) I have been told that the 2 3/4 # 4 buckshot is the best round to use.  The shells load and eject easier and the # gives the best kill pattern.  (Told to me by a SWAT member.)

[Victor3]

 I had a Mossberg 500 12ga with pistol grip. It's now owned by a friend who put a stock on it. Since you don't want any negative comments, I won't make any. 
 
 I wouldn't mind having a 410 pump with a pistol grip; that's the largest I'd personally be able to make use of.

[SHOOTALL]

I see no need to list negatives as anyone who has ever considered having or shooting one would already know their short commings so why rehash old news. It is not the best gun for all situations in fact it has limited use. but in its area of usefulness it is king.
The idea of #4 buck , use of 2 3/4 shells etc and when they shine is more the point to be discussed here . Things like recoil control , grip type etc are topics to be addressed . We know a 12 ga shotgun with buck shot kicks so how do we deal with it ? I find federal reduced loads work quite well to reduce felt recoil. To install choke tubes or not what gain would you get ? The folding stock pro's or con's ?

[FPH]

#4 buck

[SHOOTALL]

Depends on what you are doing with it , in bear country 000 , 00 or slug might be better . Also depending on how a particular gun shoots would determine shot choice I would think. In home defense #4 might be a good choice.

[Dixie Dude]

It would cost more money, but I know someone who got a Marlin 44mag.  Cut the barrel down to 16-1/2 inches, and also cut down the magazine tube to match.  They also cut down the stock, but made the weapon legal length which I think is 2' maybe 30".  He said he was hiking and camping in bear country in California.  To hard and too much trouble to get a pistol.  This was his answer.  When he cut it down, he also hollowed out the stock to hold several rounds of 44 shells.  He kept it loaded for bear, but had some shot shells for survival purposes if something kept him trapped in the mountains for longer than he was to be there.  Gun weighed about 5 lbs after cutting down. 

[SHOOTALL]

I believe the OAL is 26 inches . I have see single bbl shotguns with 4 in stocks to meet the OAL

[Dixie Dude]

So as long as it is 26" and barrel over 16" it meets rifle standards.  Shotguns have to be 18", but don't know the OAL.  In home protection, the short pistol grip shotgun is deadly.  In a wilderness situation or wilderness survival situation, a 26" 44mag or 357mag Marlin would be ligher.  The 44 would give you a little longer range, and you could carry more ammo.  Once could carry light 44 special loads for rabbits or squirrels, shot shells if range permitted for birds, and with the 44mag loads, you could kill deer, black bear, coyotes or just about anything.  Then again, you could carry a 22LR for almost anything and shoot deer in the head, but you would want something bigger for bear protection. 

[SHOOTALL]

I believe either needs to be over 26 inches long

[Zcarp2]

I'm hoping someone can qualify this for me.  I was told that PG shotguns were used for folding your nose over to the left.  In other words, they sould be shot from the hip, not 2" infront of your face. 
 
Since I do not have any experience with them, how do you shoot them accurately?  From the hip or just out front somewhere?  I'm guessing I would have to practice to get good with one.

[mcwoodduck]

I always thought a pistol grip pump gun was going to be an awesome personal defense weapon.
My buddy in college had a Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip and a pistol forend.  Always seemed great like a great idea in his living room.
We took it out to the farm and tried it.  Holly cow was it hard to shoot and was it hard to control.  With bird shot it was inaccurate and with buck shot it was painfully inaccurate.
We then tried a Folding stock and it was still inaccurate past 10 feet and even then it was hard to hit the cented of a sillohuette target.  The top folding stock was easy to store and pull out but was a little rough on your cheek with buck or stugs.  At that point I figured the full stock riot models were easier to handle.
In the past few years I have aquired an 870 with a telescoping AR stock that makes it compacr when closed and still able to shoot both as a pistol grip and as a shoulder gun.  Poping the stock open makes it easy to stick slugs into a 20X20 gong at 100 yards and a little easier on your arms with them.  The tail of the stock helps in aiming when shooting from the hip. 

[mcwoodduck]

Oh and my Friend, no matter what you tell him show him or he proves to himself he still has pistol grip pump guns with 18" barrels and has a SXS 311 R with 20" that keeps it legal at 27" OAL. 
He would love to have the little SXS pistoll that Tony Soprano has in one of the eppisodes but they stink except for contact distance, they look mean.  If I were to get into a gun fight I wish my opponnet would be armed with a pistol grip shotgun.

[Victor3]

It would cost more money, but I know someone who got a Marlin 44mag.  Cut the barrel down to 16-1/2 inches, and also cut down the magazine tube to match.  They also cut down the stock, but made the weapon legal length which I think is 2' maybe 30". He said he was hiking and camping in bear country in California.  To hard and too much trouble to get a pistol.  This was his answer.  When he cut it down, he also hollowed out the stock to hold several rounds of 44 shells.  He kept it loaded for bear, but had some shot shells for survival purposes if something kept him trapped in the mountains for longer than he was to be there.  Gun weighed about 5 lbs after cutting down.

 Not sure what this guy you know was talking about. 
 
 In CA, we generally jump through the same hoops, be it rifle/shotgun/handgun.

[SHOOTALL]

I'm hoping someone can qualify this for me.  I was told that PG shotguns were used for folding your nose over to the left.  In other words, they sould be shot from the hip, not 2" infront of your face. 
 
Since I do not have any experience with them, how do you shoot them accurately?  From the hip or just out front somewhere?  I'm guessing I would have to practice to get good with one.

I really don't have a problem holding it up but away from my face and controling it , we pratice shooting skeet thrown by hand out in front . Note that is with bird shot. with reduced recoil buck it is still no big deal. With mag buck it is a handful but not much more than a 454 revolver. From the side not touching the hip it's about the same. The most often used and best for stablity is from the hip , turm the gun so the pistol grip fits in the crease betweer the leg and body grip angles in . Again pratice , I never cared for the vertical fore grip .
The PG gun is a speical tool for certian jobs. It is not a fit all situations gun. When it can be applied it is often the best tool for the job , IE in tigh places where a threat must be stopped right now or it will hurt you. If you area person that must have all their weapons with perfect fit or it won't work. then the PG gun might not be a good fit .