First gun

[Trollnheel]

I have shot several 20 gauges at various turkey shoots, a few double barrels. Here's what I'm looking at. I want a gun for skeet & sporting clay, with the occasional hunt. I've got it narrowed down to a Remington 870 OR a Remington 1187. I'm leaning towards an 870 only because I've been told it's a solid purchase for a first time gun owner.

Any suggestions?

[Pearl Diver]

I will start by saying that I am no expert on the matter. BUY an 1187! The first gun I ever owned was a hand me down 1100 that was at least 20-30 years old, swapped the rubber gasket for the recoil system and it shot fine. Moved up to the 1187 to be able to change chokes ( the old 1100 had no choke tube). I shoot trap,skeet,and am absolutely terrible at sporting clays (my fault not the guns). The 870 may be somewhat cumbersome to "shuck" when shooting true pairs instead of report pairs... And my thought is if the boogie man is coming down the hall at 3 a.m. in the dark I don't want to have to worry about racking another shell every time I shoot. Probably never need it for that but it is a thought. Last I would recommend looking at barrel length, I don't know what is best for your needs but ask locally or with the guys that you would shoot with and see what length barrel they prefer!

Good luck.

PD

[DFreedom]

If you are shooting skeet/trap, I would definitely opt for a semi-auto. The 870 is a great shotgun but, go with the 1187, you will be happy you did.

[Bell Swamp]

Get the 1187.

[welder]

You through the HUNTING part in there soooooooooooooo , I would go with the 870 WING MASTER and learn to use it WELL in both situations .

As far as a home protection gun, The racking of the 1st shell into the chamber will do the trick EVERY TIME for a intruder .Everyone knows that sound and WILL stop dead in their tracks , if they are that dumb and do not stop , ONE SHOT would be all you need for any perp.

Even bird shot at just a few meters will leave a nice size tunnel of love in the bad guy .

Never mind the Dog ...Beware of Owner

[Jaime Lyn]

First shotgun I ever bought (6 years ago) was the 1187 premier. I will NEVER sell that gun!

Hunt with a pump, hunt with a semi, no comparison (and I do have a pump). Went pheasant hunting with a friend and he asked me if he could try the 1187. So he handed me his pump. First bird that goes up in front of him he misses, I'm waiting for the second shot, no second shot. We meet up 2 minutes later and I ask him why no second shot, he tells me the gun must be jammed cause he could'nt rack another round in the chamber.

[Troutline]

As far as a home protection gun, The racking of the 1st shell into the chamber will do the trick EVERY TIME for a intruder .Everyone knows that sound and WILL stop dead in their tracks , if they are that dumb and do not stop , ONE SHOT would be all you need for any perp.

100% Agree...

20ga. Remington 870

12ga. Ithaca Deerslayer 37

The pump action has been done enough in movies that it is unmistakable...

[MLW66]

Just for a goof, do yourself a favor. Go to a local gun show (plenty of them in FL and NC) and for about $200 or slightly more pick up a slightly used Winchester 1200 20 gauge. I can't knock the Remingtons the other guys are expounding here, but the Winnie action is preferable to me for skeet & trap, several tens of thousands of rounds later. I alternate between a Franchi 9-shot SAS 12 gauge and a Remington 870 for home defense. I am an equal-opportunity blaster.

Let the Remington vs. Winchester flame wars begin!