Shotguns

The Burris FastFire line of red dot sights is known for quality at a low price point. The same is true for the latest addition to the line—the FastFire III. It is practical and perfectly functional and comes in around $240. The 8 MOA dot version is ideal for a shotgun, and I we’ve beaten the hell out of this one, and I’m here to say that the FastFire can handle the abuse.

Who makes the world’s most complete, most bad-ass combat shotgun? It is a question that will stir some heated debates. Pump guns almost always have a leg up over fickle automatics. Capacity is an issue. For civilians who don’t want to bother with registering an SBS, length is still a concern. Ultimately it comes down to two main discussion points: reliability and ergonomics. UTAS, makers of the UTS-15, hope to settle the debate once and for all. They’ve released an overhauled version of their bullpup that is shaking things up.

I was initially enamored with the RAAC MKA-1919, otherwise known as the AR-15 looking shotgun. It was the star of our 2012 SHOT Show coverage, registering over 80,000 readers within the first few days after release. Then I got a review gun, and in August of that year everyone got to read that the gun had some quirks. My review was one of the few that put the gun through its paces, and demonstrated that it failed more than it fired. But at the time, I was excited about a modification company that had exhibited with RAAC at SHOT. Guns can get expensive and the base price of the 1919 wasn’t that high. A couple hundred in mods I felt was reasonable for a niche specialty gun like this, assuming that it works well. That company never got back to me.

Shotguns have been a favorite choice for many years when it comes to personal protection as they provides firepower and versatility with options to fit any budget. There are a lot of myths about what makes a good shotgun for home defense. The basics are easy–it should be a 12 gauge, possess a sturdy and reliable action, have an 18-20 inch barrel, and an easy to see sighting system. Here are five scatter guns that would make excellent choices for defensive shotguns when things go bump in the night.

I believe a new shooter should start with a fully functional gun and not some bargain basement piece of crap. Youth shooters would do well to check out a TriStar. These inexpensive shotguns work incredibly well, and don’t break the bank. Some of them are even pink–which got me some strange looks at the range.

FNH makes a competition shotgun? Indeed. The FNH SC-1 Over/Under is, you guessed it, a double-barrel beauty. It’s designed expressly for clays competition, although there is nothing about it that would discourage other uses. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt ducks or geese with it. This is a versatile gun that can be tweaked for an exacting fit, and it is priced competitively, too.

I started thinking about my ideal qualities of an SHTF shotgun. You know, when the masses become all cranky and protesty because the Kardashians stopped doing reality TV. While pondering all the ways civilization could end, I came up with a list of ten things I really care about in a save-my-bacon and shoot-my-bacon shotgun.

This Beretta 692 Sporting model shown here is the first one of its type to hit US shores. It’s got the B-Fast comb system for near-infinite adjustment and extra long barrels (32-inch) preferred by many trap shooters. Just to be clear, this is not a dedicated trap gun – it’s well suited for skeet and sporting clays. It just offers features that make it suitable for trap as well. Let’s take a closer look.

Urban gun enthusiast Mr. Colion Noir gives us his thoughts on a Mossberg 500 decked out with Magpul furniture.