My answer would be neither. I thought a lot about this and went AR. Less recoil, more ammo, etc.
Since that wasn't one of your options, I like the Mossberg. Mainly due to the position of the safety and slide release. Of course it's just a training thing like grip angle on a Glock coming from a 1911. Either is going to work, just train with it...
if looking at a pump, i'd opt for that used LE 870 that rcm192 has in the shop. those guns are great. I have one that is SBS'd with a 12" barrel.
If you are going semi auto, I'd skip the saiga 12s and veprs, as they take some tuning to trust your life on. Even then, you'll always wonder it the gun will hiccup.
the shotgun that I'm grabbing first is my Benelli m4. It has a side saddle, an rmr and a light on it.
7+1 of goodness. I have not been able to make it malfunction. I've taken it out to shoot skeet like a bubba. It doesnt matter what i feed it. The M2s are great too, but forget adding weight to them a la lights, side saddles, etc.
Be warned though, your semi autos are going to weigh a fair amount more than a pump.
Thanks for all the input, I went with the Mossberg 500, mainly due to the safety position being like the stevens I used to have and I like the look of the heat shield. Ended up with the persuader, not wood like I initially wanted, but the black looks good and I really like the (faux parkerized?) finish. Now I need to get a stock, as it came with the pistol grip, and that is not for me. Anyone have an old one laying around that they would sell?
Congrats! Now you need dummy rounds (the ones with pellets but no primer) and get to practicing, as noted earlier in the thread the pump gun takes more of it
I, too, am looking to buy a shotgun for the home and I want something worthwhile to
pass along to my children someday. Are there any gun stores/ranges that will allow you
to "test drive" and/or fire a shotgun to see how it feels and then purchase?
So I originally had an 870 was sold in on the track record with the police but recently experienced a failure of the ejector spring and ejector which cost about $50 for a gunsmith to fix. That was only after roughly 150 rounds definitely not too impressed if you buy an 870 go with an old 1970s Wingmaster and get the Tactical barrel length and Tube extension
I also own a Mossberg 500 and I really like the safety being on top of the receiver with a traditional buttstock. Quality is nice but the 5 shot tube is a bust, I would go with the 20 inch model with the 7 shot tube if you are buying one new
Another option is the Maverick 88 basically a budget version of the mossy 500. Everything on that seems decent for the money you can pick those up around $150 new