Euromutt

Let me begin by stating that I think a pistol grip stock is likely to look more aggressive than a "standard" stock to some members of a jury. How many members probably depends very strongly on where you live, i.e. on local cultural attitudes towards guns. You're going to be better off in turkey-hunting and varminter country than you would be in urbanized areas or even deer-hunting country (since turkey and varmint guns are more likely to have pistol grip stocks than deer guns). That said, let's get it clear I'm playing Devil's advocate here. if I were on the (grand) jury dealing with your case, I couldn't care less what you had bolted to your HD gun; you could have a fully TacStar/ATI-pimped-out Mossberg 500, and at most I'd question your sense in buying those brands (ATI and TacStar, that is; there's nothing wrong with Mossbergs). The crucial question, in my mind, would be whether the shootee gave you reason to fear for your (and your family's) physical well-being, and the fact that guy entered your house without your permission weighs significantly more heavily in my mind than the precise type and configuration of your HD weapons. ****, I'd be the a major hypocrite if I did, given that my own SNT is kitted out with a Nordic extension, Insight M3, Mesa 6-round sidesaddle and the attachments for an ERT sling; I'm not about to get holier-than-thou because I have ComfortTech stock rather than a pistol grip one. Look, it's fairly obvious you want to keep the pistol grip stock. I'm not going to tell you you're wrong to do so. But this still comes down to the choice of whether you want your SNT to handle well, or be more "jury-proofed." Frankly, I think a ComforTech stock will be more jury-friendly than a pistol grip stock; however, I also think it will be easier to justify your choice of a pistol grip stock to a jury (using the arguments you've listed) than it will to justify your choice to install a sidesaddle. Especially given that you can buy a PG stock-equipped SNT "off the rack" (and maybe your friendly gun shop was out of ComforTech-equipped models that day) but installing a sidesaddle requires a deliberate effort on your part. What I'm saying is, if you want to keep the PG stock, keep it; I think it has a certain amount of added liability in front of a jury than a ComforTech stock, but if it gives you a better chance to "judged by twelve, rather than be carried by six," go with the PG stock. I would advise you to make sure your lawyer is conversant with firearms, so that he knows how to undercut any BS claims the DA or plaintiff's counsel might make. Might I suggest you become a donating member of the 2nd Amendment Foundation? If you're a member, they can put you in touch with an attorney who knows local gun laws.

It strikes me, ShotgunNoob, that you're trying to reconcile two mutually incompatible objectives. On the one hand, you want easier handling, and for that purpose, I can see your arguments about removing the magazine extension and the light. However, if you're looking to "jury-proof" your SuperNova, losing the mag extension and the light makes no sense if you're going to retain the pistol grip stock and the sidesaddle, the combination of which looks a darn sight more aggressive (in my opinion, anyway) than the extension and light combined with a ComforTech stock. Any DA who has some knowledge of firearms is going to take apart any claim that a shotgun with an 18.5" smooth-bore cylinder choke barrel is intended to be a hunting weapon (especially since you've removed the limiter plug from the magazine). Under the usual rules of a common law (aka "Anglo-Saxon") legal system, the prosecution/plaintiff doesn't get to attack claims you haven't made. If you don't claim on the stand that your SNT is a hunting weapon, they don't get to demolish that claim on cross-examination, so just keep stumm as to the purpose of your shotgun. I'd say (and IANAL, though I've been mistaken for one) that the light might actually be beneficial in a trial situation, in that you can argue that you have the light to help ensure that you don't shoot someone you shouldn't, and it precludes any line of questioning by the DA (or the plaintiff's attorney in a civil trial) along the lines of "it was dark so there's no way you could tell Mr. [intruder] displayed hostile intent" (or better yet, you get to throw the implication back in his face). You might even claim that you got the mag extension for the purpose of mounting the light. Again, I can see your point in wanting to remove the added weight to your muzzle end, but that won't serve the purpose of "defanging/jury-proofing" your SNT if you keep the aggressive-looking stuff further back on the gun. So (again, my personal opinion), you're going to have to choose which matters more: better handling or "jury-proofing."

Holy mackerel! That'll clear out a street really fast.

I picked up my gun safe on sale at Costco.com; it goes by the name of "Executive Vault," but it's actually made by Cannon. It set me back just under $800, IIRC, including curbside delivery (though the guy who delivered it was nice enough to roll it all the way into my garage). And as has been noted, once you have a safe, it wil fill up quite quickly. Not necessarily with guns, but I also keep a fair amount of ammunition, miscellaneous shooting gear (magazines, snap caps, eye and ear protection, etc.), important documents, etc. in mine, along with the hard cases my various pistols came in (so as not to advertise to any intruder how many I have) and the manuals to all my firearms.

Benelli works "dealer-direct," both in firearms and in firearm parts and accessories. Talk to the place you bought your SNT and they should be able to order whatever you want from Benelli.

+1 on the Urban-E.R.T. sling. Heck, it's probably the only "tactical" sling available for the SuperNova (though you can fit any regular sling on it if the swivels will fit), and it gives you the option of configuring it for two-point or single-point use as desired.

To expand on Tucker's answer, if by "AK47" you mean an actual Sov-manufactured selective-fire Ak47 assault rifle, then it is legal to own in most states (some state laws prohibit private ownership of weapons capable of automatic fire), provided you have the appropriate paperwork from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) and the AK47 in question was imported into the US prior to the entry into force of the Gun Control Act of 1968. If by "AK47" you mean any semi-auto-only Kalashnikov variant (such as Romanian WASRs), those are legal to own in any state that doesn't have a ban on "assault weapons" (i.e. semi-auto weapons based on selective-fire military designs, and anything that looks scary), such as Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California, Hawaii and probably a few others. This can lead to curious situations. In Washington state, you can't own an actual AK47, but you can own a semi-auto-only AK-derivative. In Massachusetts, you can't own a semi-auto-only AK-derivative, but you can own an actual AK47 (though you need a mountain of paperwork).

Ruger 22/45 Mk. III Henry Lever Action Youth Model Stoeger Cougar 8000F (9x19mm) Smith & Wesson M&P40c Smith & Wesson M&P40 Taurus PT 1911B Olympic Arms K3B-M4-A3-TC "Alphabet Gun" (AR-15 carbine) Benelli SuperNova Tactical (w/ GRS) The Ruger, the Henry and the Stoeger are my guns for taking friends and family shooting. I also have a .22LR adapter for the Alphabet Gun (not as good as a dedicated .22LR upper, but much cheaper). The M&P40c is my carry weapon. The M&P full-size is my "first response" HD weapon. Both M&Ps have night sights and CTC laser grips. The Alphabet Gun and the SNT are my "break out the artillery" weapons, for major home invasions or civil disorder in the event of natural disaster.

On the bright side, a number of these bills were introduced earlier this year in various states but never made it out of committee. That's what happened here in WA, anyway. Still, I have a pipe dream that ammunition would refuse to sell any non-coded ammunition to government agencies in states that pass this kind of legislation...

Oh, that makes me happy to hear, because I just ordered some myself for my own (brand new) SN Tactical. One question: were those the "full power" or the "low recoil" variant?

Well, I for one wasn't intending to go chasing around my house in the middle of the night with an unknown number of intruders out there, and certainly not wielding a long gun. My plan was to hole my family and myself up in the master bedroom, cover the only hallway leading to it, and call in my friendly local law enforcement agency. That may not work for you, due to the layout of your house and/or the expected response time of your local PD or sheriff's office, say, but I'm reasonably certain it's the best plan of action for me. As shotgunNoob rightly points out, it's an established term. As I noted earlier, the overwhelming majority of pump-action shotguns don't have internal firing pin locks, which means that if the weapon is subjected to a sharp impact, and there is a round in the chamber, the weapon may discharge, even with the safety engaged. In the case of a shotgun carried in a police cruiser, there is a risk that if the vehicle were to be rammed or crash, and there were a round in the shotgun's chamber, it might discharge. This why police keep the chamber empty while the shotgun is carried in the cruiser. Hence "cruiser ready." Any more condescending questions? Noob is as noob does, if you ask me. Well, let's hope for your sake, tucker, that if it ever comes to that, the prosecutor's office and the grand jury see it your way. At the risk of speaking for Novaking, I suspect his opinion isn't based on misplaced humanitarianism, but on a correct assessment that not shooting someone means not risking trial for aggravated assault, or worse. And I'm with him on that. At the end of the day, what matters to me is my family and myself coming through the incident unharmed, and ideally, I'd like to achieve that without subsequently risking a trial. If that means the bad guys get away, so be it.

Getting back to my earlier post concerning the tang safety on the Mossberg 500/590, I discovered the Browning BPS also has a tang safety. In combination with the downward ejection, that does make it a very user-friendly weapon for a left-handed shooter. I see Browning even makes a high-capacity model, that looks to be intended to fill a home defense role. So that might well be a very good choice for you, Monte. About the only problem you might have with the BPS is that there isn't as wide a selection of after-market accessories, like sights, stocks, slings, etc. that you're going to find for the Mossberg 500/590 (let alone the Remington 870).

Myself, I subscribe to Massad Ayoob's advice that pump-actions should be stored in "Condition Three"--action locked on an empty chamber, with the magazine full. The overwhelming majority of pump-actions don't have internal firing pin locks, which means that they can discharge if subjected to a sharp impact (such as falling off a shelf) even with the safety on. It also has the added advantage that if a kid manages to get hold of the weapon, he or she will have a more difficult time getting the weapon to fire (hey, I didn't know about "action release levers" until I read the manual of my new SuperNova). If you're confident you've headed off those contingencies, then by all means, store the weapon with a round chambered if that's what works for you. But there are good reasons not to, and people who keep the gun with the chamber empty aren't fools for doing so. That's the key with a lot of firearms advice: there's rarely just one right way to do things. Usually, there will be several ways, each with its pros and cons, and you have to figure out which one works best for you.

The deterrent effect of a pump-action being cocked is one of those perennially recurring topics among gun enthusiasts. One example came up on the Box of Truth: An unwarranted (and highly facile) conclusion, I would argue, given that the bystanders presumably did not expect the shotgun to be aimed at them in the immediate future. It's the not the sound itself that's supposed to provide the deterrent; that would be magical thinking. What is supposed to give the intruder pause is the realization that at least one occupant of the house is not only aware of the intruder's presence, but is additionally in possession of a piece of highly lethal firepower. A more persuasive argument against working the slide is that the sound will give away your position to the intruder. I think that depends on the precise circumstances. If the intruder enters my house between 0100 and 0600, I'll almost certainly be in the master bedroom, and I'd wager that's exactly where the intruder expects me to be. And since the model of house I live in is very common in the wider area (greater Seattle-Tacoma), he's probably going to have a pretty accurate idea of where the master bedroom is. So, in those circumstances, how much am I giving away, really? There's also the question of what exactly it is that you're trying to achieve. Do you want to (hopefully) intimidate the intruder into fleeing, or are you trying to ambush him? If you go for the latter, and you end up shooting the guy, that might not look too good in court afterwards. Personally, I'm not just going be racking the slide; I'm also going to be shouting--loudly enough that you can hear it on the 911 tape later--that I have a firearm and will use if necessary. Yeah, yeah, "better to be judged by twelve than carried by six" and all that, but I'll take the major advantage in court later over the slim-to-non-existent combat advantage now. Besides, to paraphrase Sun Tzu, the best battle is the one you can win without fighting. In the meantime, the closest I have actual evidence either way comes from an ex-boyfriend of my wife's, who is a Coast Guard reservist. He's been on more than his share of boardings of floating meth labs, and he quickly swapped out his standard-issue M16A1 for a Remington 870P, because he found the latter had a significantly more intimidating effect, both because of the racking noise, and because of the sheer size of the bore compared to that (seemingly) tiny hole on the M16. Of course, this anecdote is not entirely applicable, because as a home defender, you're not part of a bunch of other guys carrying rifles and sidearms. Still, it is evidence that the sound and sight of a shotgun have some power to intimidate a bad guy.

This is going to sound odd coming from someone who is left-handed himself and just bought a SuperNova Tactical over the weekend, but I'd recommend you take a good look at the Mossberg 500/590 series. The primary advantage of the Mossbergs is that the safety is on the rear top of the receiver, readily accessible for both right- and left-handed shooters. (I'm right-eye dominant, so I shoot long guns right-handed. Which is why buying a SuperNova isn't an issue for me.)