Originally Posted by
JRB
There are still plenty of Mossbergs to be found in Army arms rooms. They're still fantastic for breaching and other MOUT stuff and they're still issued to meat-eaters in that line of work as well as guys/gals controlling EPW's and other detainees.
For all 'shotgun' purposes the Mossbergs work very, very well. And they're easily maintained and supported by a large aftermarket, just like the 870P's and Benellis. Aside from less-lethal and breaching use, the role of a shotgun for mil or LE is the same as it is for a civilian - it is the undisputed king of true one-shot stops in close quarters.
So before deviating from older but well-known designs with large established training support, experience, and parts/aftermarket support - I'd ask what's the obvious benefit over those older designs that makes it worth the additional cost and the deviation from good support.
In the case of mag fed pump shotguns, the only immediate benefit I've seen is the ease of clearing the weapon, and ostensibly faster full reloads.
Given the typical 7+1 or 8+1 capacity of most 'traditional' pump shotguns used in these roles, the faster reload is unlikely to be of immediate benefit. Fast clearing without having to pump all of the ammo out of the weapon seems to be the biggest benefit of a detachable mag.
But it introduces the handling issues of the magazine, the reduced flexibility from not being able to single-load a slug or LL round as needed, and complicates support as suddenly the weapon needs bulky and generally low capacity spare magazines, and likely compromises overall reliability for all the reasons already described.
That all adds up quickly to a conclusion where a quality AR full of quality duty ammo would probably be a better choice, especially if you're expecting a protracted, multiple reload sort of engagement.
I'd carefully consider what you need your shotgun to do, and choose accordingly. If you just want a fun range blaster and something weird to look at, go for it! Not all guns have to be the next latest greatest thing for a defensive or 'duty' sort of purpose. I'll admit, I love 'space guns' and a lot of the new cheap imported mag-fed shotguns look straight out of a Hollywood movie and I love the way they look. But simply liking a new weird novelty design shouldn't lead you to forcing it into roles best suited for vetted, well-known options.