Shot gun for bear defense

[Neverhome]

I think the advantage of the 870 with a stock far outweighs the weight of carrying it. With the stock, aiming is a lot easier. I had a Mossberg 500 with the tactical folding stock. It is a great gun and ideal for room to room fighting, but you are not in a room combat situation and trying to aim at a charging bear with a pistol grip gun in not an easy thing to do. I probably will take some flack for the following, and I say it with the provision that I still think a shot gun is the way to go but........if you are really uncomfortable carrying an 870 with a full stock due to its size, you may want to consider a Smith and Wesson 500 handgun. It is expensive to shoot and you really should become proficient with it prior to bringing it afield for bear protection, but it has the power to take any North American game animal, is compact and easy to carry. It will cost you almost three times what a reliable 870 will but the price is a trade off for what you want in weight and portability.

Neverhome

[stereo joe]

I think the advantage of the 870 with a stock far outweighs the weight of carrying it. With the stock, aiming is a lot easier. I had a Mossberg 500 with the tactical folding stock. It is a great gun and ideal for room to room fighting, but you are not in a room combat situation and trying to aim at a charging bear with a pistol grip gun in not an easy thing to do. I probably will take some flack for the following, and I say it with the provision that I still think a shot gun is the way to go but........if you are really uncomfortable carrying an 870 with a full stock due to its size, you may want to consider a Smith and Wesson 500 handgun. It is expensive to shoot and you really should become proficient with it prior to bringing it afield for bear protection, but it has the power to take any North American game animal, is compact and easy to carry. It will cost you almost three times what a reliable 870 will but the price is a trade off for what you want in weight and portability.

Neverhome

The OP lives in Canada so handgun carry is not an option, unfortunately (except in rare circumstances). I would tend to think that a sling would make the most sense to make carrying easier and not give up ammo capacity or accuracy. There are also some backpacks available with a rifle/shotgun pouch. Mounted on your back, the weight of the gun would probably seem a lot less and you could reach behind you and get it out pretty quickly if you needed it.

[Neverhome]

I think the advantage of the 870 with a stock far outweighs the weight of carrying it. With the stock, aiming is a lot easier. I had a Mossberg 500 with the tactical folding stock. It is a great gun and ideal for room to room fighting, but you are not in a room combat situation and trying to aim at a charging bear with a pistol grip gun in not an easy thing to do. I probably will take some flack for the following, and I say it with the provision that I still think a shot gun is the way to go but........if you are really uncomfortable carrying an 870 with a full stock due to its size, you may want to consider a Smith and Wesson 500 handgun. It is expensive to shoot and you really should become proficient with it prior to bringing it afield for bear protection, but it has the power to take any North American game animal, is compact and easy to carry. It will cost you almost three times what a reliable 870 will but the price is a trade off for what you want in weight and portability.

Neverhome

The OP lives in Canada so handgun carry is not an option, unfortunately (except in rare circumstances). I would tend to think that a sling would make the most sense to make carrying easier and not give up ammo capacity or accuracy. There are also some backpacks available with a rifle/shotgun pouch. Mounted on your back, the weight of the gun would probably seem a lot less and you could reach behind you and get it out pretty quickly if you needed it.

[squibload]

Update: Found out a coworker of mine had a Moss 500 pistol grip and the other day we went shooting and he let me try it. Let's just say I'm glad I tried one before I bought one!

I did find it fun to shoot. However it's a bit owie on the hand/wrist after a dozen or so rounds, esp with 00 buck and slugs! Not really the kind of gun I would take out for enjoyment shooting.

As far as accuracy goes, yeah...the thing sucks. Or I suck with it? Whichever. Pretty hard to get accurate shot placement shooting from the hip. I thought I'd be better from 15 or so yards, but nope. In high stress situation - good luck! I also don't like where the action bar release is on the Moss 500 (rear or the trigger guard). I prefer where it is on the 870, and that is where my muscle memory likes it.

Soooo, plan now is crank off a few OT shifts and save up the $ for a Dlask 870 shorty. They are pricey, but I've read a lot of reviews for them and they are a well liked bush gun. I would make a case for it out of PVC pipe and foam, and probbaly carry it with a single point sling. I posted a new discussion on this Dlask 870 if anyone has any specific feedback. Thanks again

http://dlaskarms.com/products/remington-870-shorty

[pancakeofdoom]

I'll go ahead and resurrect a thread for giggles...

OP, on the subject of carrying empty chamber with the action locked... Why not drop the hammer on an empty chamber so you have the action unlocked? If you actually need to use it in a high stress situation you'll have to find the release, best case you get to it quick, worse case you don't, either way you're altering your grip to get to it. There aren't really any disadvantages to carrying it like this (cruiser ready is a common term).