The Best Shotgun on a Budget?
When cash is low, it just isn’t practical to have more than one shotgun for hunting and home defense. After all, the bills still need to be paid. Instead, combining the two is the best option and this is where the Mossberg 500 still shines brightest.
There are a couple different approaches you could take to having one gun with more than one purpose. The most expensive of these is buying more than one barrel that can be swapped out depending on your need. In other words, when you get home from hunting, you have the option to put a short barrel on the gun for home defense. This is a totally viable option and is really easy with a Mossberg 500. But, as I said, it is more expensive because it involves the purchase of an additional barrel, which can tack on another $60 to $180 to your bill.
Extra barrels of different lengths can turn one gun into many and play out particularly well on the Mossberg 500 platform, though more barrels mean more cost. (Photo: Armslist)
This next part is where I differ from some of the other gun and hunting enthusiasts out there. Many hunters will tell you that you need a long barreled shotgun to go hunting. While it is true that the longer barrel does help in some cases (like when hunting waterfowl), using a short-barreled shotgun, say 18.5-20” long, is fine for hunting anything walking on four legs – just as long as you go about it the right way.
So if money is truly an issue, and you want to bring food home and have the option to protect your family, a single Mossy 500 barrel will do the trick. Here are a few tips for when you go hunting with a short barrel and when you need to protect your home:
Hunting
1. Having a shorter barrel reduces the effective range of your projectile.
In other words, it is better to be closer to the animal because you have more accuracy at a shorter distance. Some short barreled hunters try to keep it at less than 50 yards with a clean shot.
2. Go for slugs over buckshot for larger game.
If your municipality allows, using a slug is the best choice for taking deer when using a short barrel. The shorter barrel won’t likely have as big of an impact on a slug as it will on buckshot. Just make sure your gun is set up right first.
3. Make sure your gun is properly choked.
The use of different chokes goes beyond the scope of this article. However, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the correct choke for whatever you’re hunting.
4. Don’t use the cheapest ammunition you can find.
You’re already using a short barrel shotgun, so you’ll want to stack the odds as highly in your favor as possible.
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