Swap old-school 870P for Beretta 1301 or Benelli M2 for HD?

[Chris17404]

Hi all,

I have an old-school Remington 870 Police Magnum that I've kept for HD for quite a few years. It's actually the first firearm I ever purchased. It's a plain jane blued 18" barrel with bead sight, factory +2 mag extension and walnut furniture. It's like new. I shot a few rounds of skeet with it to get used to it, then relegated it to an HD role once I migrated to a Beretta 3901 for skeet. I do practice with it now and then to keep up my skills, but I get concerned about being rusty with it's manual of arms during a social situation.

So I have a choice. Do I upgrade my 870 with a light (e.g. Surefire DSF-870), Magpul stock, better sights, side saddle and VangComp safety... or do I get rid of it all together and go with a new modern semi-auto like the Beretta 1301 or Benelli M2 (the 11029 model specifically). I figure I can get a good selling price for it since these a pretty rare these days.

I'd first like your feedback on which direction you'd recommend I choose in my situation. And secondly, what are the commonly-accepted "best practice" ways of setting up the Beretta 1301 and Benelli M2 for HD? I've read through most of the Beretta 1301 thread here on PF, but having it all in one place would help.

I do like the much lighter weight of the M2. I'd consider that a maneuverability advantage over the heavier 870. I've even considered doing with only a +1 mag extension on the 870 to save weight at the end of the barrel. I've never held a 1301. Also, since all my other firearms are semi-auto it does make sense to go that route. Of course, it's an old-school Remington 870 Police Magnum that cannot be replaced. It was built right.

So... I appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks for your time.

Chris

[pangloss]

I'm not expert, but if you shoot mostly autoloaders, then I'd probably standardize on the autoloader. I hunt with and sometimes shoot sporting clays with an 870, so I have an 870P with Magpul furniture to use for home defense (though it usually stays locked in the safe). If most of my shotgun time was with an autoloader, then I'd set up a Benelli or Beretta like you mentioned, and it'd probably be as close as possible to my sporting gun.

[Jason M]

Chris,

If you are going to stick with a shotgun for HD, the 870P that you have is already a very capable tool. While some of the mods/add-ons that you mentioned have value, I think that the most important of those mentioned is the light. Positive ID of threats is a must have. Before spending a ton of money on hardware, I would give serious consideration to attending some combat orients shotgun specific training.

You are near I-81 and RT 15. A quick trip to Culpepper, VA with get you to John Murphy's training venue. He hosts a number of great instructors who teach shotgun. One of those is Tom Givens. He offers one of the very best POIs on home defense with a shotgun. It is very reasonably priced; less than all of the mods you mentioned. Tom is a gifted instructor with ton of practical experience. The class includes not just setting up and running the beast, but learning how your gun performs at specific distances with specific shells. Tom will get you thinking about the specific distances in your home and help you plan accordingly. At the end of the class you will have a better knowledge base upon which to base your decision.

Even if you choose a semi-auto SG or an entirely different system, you should keep the 870P. It is one of the most versatile long guns ever made and can fill a variety of roles. There is nothing in our corner of the world that cannot be addressed with it. It will keep you entertained, fed, and safe. If, after all is said and done, you still want to sell it. let me know. I will likely buy it.

[TCinVA]

Tom's shotgun class is a must.

I teach shotgun for FPF now, too...so you have a plethora of options for shotgun training in lovely Culpeper, Va.

360 Shooting Performance is actually in Pennsylvania and Ashton puts on a damn good shotgun extravaganza.

...so as for training options, you have an embarrassment of riches in front of you.

As for the gun:

You spend most of your time shooting a Beretta semi-auto shotgun.

So make this real simple - buy a Beretta 1301 tactical. Manual of arms will be the same. The 1301 is light, handy, and extremely reliable. Moreso, certainly, than a pump gun you don't practice with as much. By the time you pour the money into upgrading the 870 you are getting close to having spent most of the purchase price of the 1301 anyway.

The 1301 can be equipped with a light relatively inexpensively:

22175

That's a Streamlight 870 mount with a VTAC light mount holding a Surefire E2E with LED conversion. So far that is the best arrangement I've found for mounting a light on the 1301. It works splendidly, in my experience. You just have to pay attention to tightening the end cap now and then during extended shooting sessions with the light mounted.

The bead-sighted pump gun is the shotgun that requires the most sustainment training to use well under stress. It relies on you getting a perfect mount to hit anything (since you have only a bead for reference), and you have to run the action vigorously and completely to prevent a malfunction. If you do or have done a lot of work with that style of shotgun it's no big deal...but I don't find many people who have done the work necessary to build a sufficient base to just pick one up and use it well under stress.

A good semi-automatic like the Beretta 1301 Tactical comes with much better sights and as long as you feed it reasonable ammo (they run splendidly with Federal Flight Control) all you have to worry about is aiming, pulling the trigger, and keeping shells in it. And the only real modification it needs out of the box is adding a light.

Buy the 1301 Tactical.

[Jason M]

You forgot to add "...and sell the 870P to Jason M."

[SamueL]

You forgot to add "...and sell the 870P to Jason M."

Already sent him a PM. Haha!

In all honesty, I would do as TC recommended above and go with the 1301. I want to go that route but am married to the 870P as required by work.

[Aray]

Chris

What part of the MOA are you concerned about? The "Shoot one load one" aspect is the same. Operating the action isn't complicated and only requires minimal refresher training once you are competent with it.

The DSF-870 will make the 870 substantially heavier no matter what magazine configuration you have.

Ask TCinVA about current 870 prices. He's like the Rainman of Gunbroker shotgun listings.

The 1301 seems to be a very good choice, although I have seen a couple with significant reliability problems lately. I'm still planning to grab one next year when my financial outlook is agreeable.

I would recommend taking a class with your 870 first. Once you know what it and you can do together, you will be able to make this decision from a place of knowledge, not speculation.

Tim's classes at FPF are legit. Tom Givens and Rob Haught are the tops.

If you come to the FPF class in February, Tim will have a less eloquent co-instructor with forgettable hair. There will likely be almost every conceivable configuration of 870 available to try and a number of 1301s also.

[willie]

My advice. If you decide to choose a semi-auto, keep the 870P anyway. In the future finding another good one will become very difficult. Though valuable, you may discover that dealers will not offer a fair trade. And those in the shooting industry often wish to get special prices. Consumers when trying to sell or trade an 870 are frequently told that after all, its just an 870. Then they are told that Expresses have driven down prices, and so on.

[Chris17404]

Thank you for all the replies so far. I appreciate it. TCinVA... the picture you posted of the 1301 light mount setup didn't seem to work. (At least I can't see it.) Do you have any more details on that, and other options for mounting a light on a 1301? Thanks.

Chris

[David S.]

Agreed on taking the class before dropping money on a new gun. Take the class with your 870 as is. Go from there.

[David S.]

Tom Givens shotgun class in Culpeper, Va in April. OnSight Training has a March 31 shotgun class in Pitt and Sentinel Concepts is running June and Sept '18 classes in Alliance, Oh.

[TCinVA]

Agreed on taking the class before dropping money on a new gun. Take the class with your 870 as is. Go from there.

It is certainly easier to make intelligent decisions after you've had the chance to play with different options and see how they work.