Short version:
I am looking for my first pump shotgun, it will primarily be for home defense but would like to keep my options open to start using it to hunt, shoot clay discs, etc. Based on friends/coworkers recommendations and online reviews I am leaning towards Mossberg. My wife doesn't want me to spend too much money at once so I am wanting to keep it around $200. I have looked all around for good deals on used M500s but there has not been much. My local pawn shop has a Mossberg 600AT priced at $179 plus tax, all the important stuff seems fine but the stock and foregrip have seen better days. A gun shop in the next town over (about 20 minutes away) was suggested to me, so I called them and was told they had 5 used M500s in stock ranging from $200 to $500. He said they charge $200 minimum for an M500 regardless of condition, and then the price goes up as condition and improvements go up. He did say he had a "decent condition standard M500" for $200 plus tax. I know from a few weeks worth of research that a lot of people recommend the Maverick 88 for those on a budget and since the Maverick 88 can be purchased brand new from my local Walmart for $206 plus tax I am uncertain which way I should go.
So, my question is what would you get if you were in my shoes? A secondary question is what should I look out for condition wise when shopping for a used gun?
Long version:
This may be a bit long, I apologize, I just want to make sure I provide enough background info. Not that its needed...Anyway, I grew up in an area (Eastern Kentucky) where most everybody hunted but nobody in my family did so I couldn't just go with them and learn from them, and it seems daunting to just decide one day on your own to learn how to hunt. That said, we did enjoy shooting guns. Our back yard was flat for several feet, then a slight incline for several feet, then a pretty steep hill/mountain. So, we often set up targets right before the steep rise so we could shoot that direction and even if we missed there wasn't any chance of shooting through the target and hitting someone/something behind it.
I have shot many different pistols and rifles, but never a shotgun. I usually just used my dads guns or guns people brought over to shoot, and didn't buy my own until I was 18 and bought a grease covered Mosin Nagant with bayonet from the local pawn shop for $40. I cleaned it up really well and bought some surplus 7.62x54R ammo and enjoyed shooting it pretty well. When I went off to college later that year I was working full time and going to school full time so my trips home to shoot became less frequent. By the time I turned 21 I decided I would be better off trading in the Mosin for a home defense weapon. My first instinct was a pistol and the local gun shop offered a brand new Hi-Point 40 S&W as an even trade for the Mosin so I took it and kept it next to my bed in case it was needed. I kept it 5 years and only put about 30 rounds through it.
I work for the Kentucky Department of Corrections and am friends with a lot of current/former Correctional Officers. When I mentioned I only had one gun and it was used as home defense only, and that it was a pistol, they went on and on about how the better home defense weapon was a 12 gauge shotgun. Versatility was something that came up frequently, you could use it for so many different things just by changing barrels or even just switching out to a different type of shell. One of them said he exclusively hunts with his shotgun and he offered to take me with him some time and teach me, lol.
So I looked into it for a couple weeks then decided to sell my Hi-Point. Less than 24 hours later I had sold it, got $100 out of it which isn't too bad considering it is $150 new and I essentially only paid $40 for it (because thats what I paid for the Mosin I traded for it). So I have that much towards a new shotgun, my wife wants me to limit myself to only about $100 out of pocket setting my budget at about $200 but I could probably talk my way to $250 for the right deal.
So, I am now shopping for my first pump shotgun. It will primarily be for home defense but would like to keep my options open to start using it to hunt, shoot clay discs, etc. Based on friends/coworkers recommendations and online reviews I am leaning towards Mossberg. I have looked all around for good deals on used M500s but there has not been much. My local pawn shop has a Mossberg 600AT priced at $179 plus tax, all the important stuff seems fine but the stock and foregrip have seen better days. A gun shop in the next town over (about 20 minutes away) was suggested to me, so I called them and was told they had 5 used M500s in stock ranging from $200 to $500. He said they charge $200 minimum for an M500 regardless of condition, and then the price goes up as condition and improvements go up. He did say he had a "decent condition standard M500" for $200 plus tax. I know from a few weeks worth of research that a lot of people recommend the Maverick 88 for those on a budget and since the Maverick 88 can be purchased brand new from my local Walmart for $206 plus tax I am uncertain which way I should go.
So, my question is what would you get if you were in my shoes? A secondary question is what should I look out for condition wise when shopping for a used gun?
I am looking for my first pump shotgun, it will primarily be for home defense but would like to keep my options open to start using it to hunt, shoot clay discs, etc. Based on friends/coworkers recommendations and online reviews I am leaning towards Mossberg. My wife doesn't want me to spend too much money at once so I am wanting to keep it around $200. I have looked all around for good deals on used M500s but there has not been much. My local pawn shop has a Mossberg 600AT priced at $179 plus tax, all the important stuff seems fine but the stock and foregrip have seen better days. A gun shop in the next town over (about 20 minutes away) was suggested to me, so I called them and was told they had 5 used M500s in stock ranging from $200 to $500. He said they charge $200 minimum for an M500 regardless of condition, and then the price goes up as condition and improvements go up. He did say he had a "decent condition standard M500" for $200 plus tax. I know from a few weeks worth of research that a lot of people recommend the Maverick 88 for those on a budget and since the Maverick 88 can be purchased brand new from my local Walmart for $206 plus tax I am uncertain which way I should go.
So, my question is what would you get if you were in my shoes? A secondary question is what should I look out for condition wise when shopping for a used gun?
Long version:
This may be a bit long, I apologize, I just want to make sure I provide enough background info. Not that its needed...Anyway, I grew up in an area (Eastern Kentucky) where most everybody hunted but nobody in my family did so I couldn't just go with them and learn from them, and it seems daunting to just decide one day on your own to learn how to hunt. That said, we did enjoy shooting guns. Our back yard was flat for several feet, then a slight incline for several feet, then a pretty steep hill/mountain. So, we often set up targets right before the steep rise so we could shoot that direction and even if we missed there wasn't any chance of shooting through the target and hitting someone/something behind it.
I have shot many different pistols and rifles, but never a shotgun. I usually just used my dads guns or guns people brought over to shoot, and didn't buy my own until I was 18 and bought a grease covered Mosin Nagant with bayonet from the local pawn shop for $40. I cleaned it up really well and bought some surplus 7.62x54R ammo and enjoyed shooting it pretty well. When I went off to college later that year I was working full time and going to school full time so my trips home to shoot became less frequent. By the time I turned 21 I decided I would be better off trading in the Mosin for a home defense weapon. My first instinct was a pistol and the local gun shop offered a brand new Hi-Point 40 S&W as an even trade for the Mosin so I took it and kept it next to my bed in case it was needed. I kept it 5 years and only put about 30 rounds through it.
I work for the Kentucky Department of Corrections and am friends with a lot of current/former Correctional Officers. When I mentioned I only had one gun and it was used as home defense only, and that it was a pistol, they went on and on about how the better home defense weapon was a 12 gauge shotgun. Versatility was something that came up frequently, you could use it for so many different things just by changing barrels or even just switching out to a different type of shell. One of them said he exclusively hunts with his shotgun and he offered to take me with him some time and teach me, lol.
So I looked into it for a couple weeks then decided to sell my Hi-Point. Less than 24 hours later I had sold it, got $100 out of it which isn't too bad considering it is $150 new and I essentially only paid $40 for it (because thats what I paid for the Mosin I traded for it). So I have that much towards a new shotgun, my wife wants me to limit myself to only about $100 out of pocket setting my budget at about $200 but I could probably talk my way to $250 for the right deal.
So, I am now shopping for my first pump shotgun. It will primarily be for home defense but would like to keep my options open to start using it to hunt, shoot clay discs, etc. Based on friends/coworkers recommendations and online reviews I am leaning towards Mossberg. I have looked all around for good deals on used M500s but there has not been much. My local pawn shop has a Mossberg 600AT priced at $179 plus tax, all the important stuff seems fine but the stock and foregrip have seen better days. A gun shop in the next town over (about 20 minutes away) was suggested to me, so I called them and was told they had 5 used M500s in stock ranging from $200 to $500. He said they charge $200 minimum for an M500 regardless of condition, and then the price goes up as condition and improvements go up. He did say he had a "decent condition standard M500" for $200 plus tax. I know from a few weeks worth of research that a lot of people recommend the Maverick 88 for those on a budget and since the Maverick 88 can be purchased brand new from my local Walmart for $206 plus tax I am uncertain which way I should go.
So, my question is what would you get if you were in my shoes? A secondary question is what should I look out for condition wise when shopping for a used gun?