Rem 870 or Winchester 1300 for home defense?

lonerunner1 · June 04, 2004, 02:42

I have been looking for a good home defense shotgun but I do not want to spend a whole lot of money. (A Benelli M1 tactical would be cool, but for right now I need something I can afford.) I have seen the Remingtion 870 and the Winchester 1300 home defense shotguns but I really can not decide which one I want to get. They are both priced about the same. Any one have any opinions or any suggestions for other shotguns?

wayne in boca · June 04, 2004, 05:24

The Winchester 1300 is about the fastest pump shotgun ever made.They have beaten semi-autos in speed tests.The action is so smooth it's amazing.Not knocking 870s,but when things go bump in the night,I grab my 1300 before I grab my Mossberg 590 (9 shot w/bayonet,really cool but cruder than the 1300).With a short Defender barrel,it's just right for fast followup shots.And with another barrel or two,you have an excellent bird/clays/bunny/deer gun.

benf · June 04, 2004, 09:33

For the most part, I'll agree with previous post! But, from a Gunsmiths point of view, I'll have to add that I've seen more Win.'s with problems than 870's. Not knocking the Win.'s but from a reliability and durability standpoint I'd have to go with the 870. This applies to Wingmaster only. 870 Express is another story.

MACII · June 04, 2004, 10:07

I too have seen problems with the 1300. I have also had problems with one. I sell guns for a living at a major corp. sports store. I have seen more express problems then 1300 problems. Over the last xmas/deer seaon I sold at least 20 1300 combos and only 1 was returned(1 other came back because its new owner couldn't get it back together). That said I sell the Remington HD (18" 7 shot express) at least 4 to one over the 1300 defender. Even tho the 870 is longer,heavier and poorer finished than the 1300.

BTW i think the 1300s action is ok but not as smooth as a Mossberg or Browning BPS. The Winchester 1300 feels to me to have binding issues but maybe that cleans up after shooting it awhile.

familyman357 · June 04, 2004, 12:20

It's like Ford vs Chevy.... get whichever you prefer for whatever reason.
But if you feel a need to "Tactical Ted"

your shotgun, you'll probably find accessories are more readily available for the 870.

Snakeshot · June 04, 2004, 12:42

I have both and I like both.

But the 870 is the one that lives next to the bed.
It's an early seventies Wing prison trade-in, police wood, 20" rifle sight barrel. All business, smooth as silk and has never had a malfunction.

June 04, 2004, 02:42	#1
lonerunner1 Registered FALaholic #: 2252 Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 334	Rem 870 or Winchester 1300 for home defense? I have been looking for a good home defense shotgun but I do not want to spend a whole lot of money. (A Benelli M1 tactical would be cool, but for right now I need something I can afford.) I have seen the Remingtion 870 and the Winchester 1300 home defense shotguns but I really can not decide which one I want to get. They are both priced about the same. Any one have any opinions or any suggestions for other shotguns?

June 04, 2004, 05:24	#2
wayne in boca Registered FALaholic #: 10926 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 495	The Winchester 1300 is about the fastest pump shotgun ever made.They have beaten semi-autos in speed tests.The action is so smooth it's amazing.Not knocking 870s,but when things go bump in the night,I grab my 1300 before I grab my Mossberg 590 (9 shot w/bayonet,really cool but cruder than the 1300).With a short Defender barrel,it's just right for fast followup shots.And with another barrel or two,you have an excellent bird/clays/bunny/deer gun. __________________ This mess is so big,so deep and so tall,we cannot clean it up,there is no way at all. The Cat in The Hat

June 04, 2004, 12:42	#6
Snakeshot Registered FALaholic #: 909 Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Alfalfaville, NV Posts: 4,050	I have both and I like both. But the 870 is the one that lives next to the bed. It's an early seventies Wing prison trade-in, police wood, 20" rifle sight barrel. All business, smooth as silk and has never had a malfunction. __________________ "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." Frederic Bastiat

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June 04, 2004, 09:33	#3
benf Registered FALaholic #: 14032 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 25	For the most part, I'll agree with previous post! But, from a Gunsmiths point of view, I'll have to add that I've seen more Win.'s with problems than 870's. Not knocking the Win.'s but from a reliability and durability standpoint I'd have to go with the 870. This applies to Wingmaster only. 870 Express is another story.

June 04, 2004, 10:07	#4
MACII Banned (Temp) FALaholic #: 11983 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Ceder Falls IA Posts: 80	I too have seen problems with the 1300. I have also had problems with one. I sell guns for a living at a major corp. sports store. I have seen more express problems then 1300 problems. Over the last xmas/deer seaon I sold at least 20 1300 combos and only 1 was returned(1 other came back because its new owner couldn't get it back together). That said I sell the Remington HD (18" 7 shot express) at least 4 to one over the 1300 defender. Even tho the 870 is longer,heavier and poorer finished than the 1300. BTW i think the 1300s action is ok but not as smooth as a Mossberg or Browning BPS. The Winchester 1300 feels to me to have binding issues but maybe that cleans up after shooting it awhile.

June 04, 2004, 12:20	#5
familyman357 Registered FALaholic #: 11502 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Northwest Ohio Posts: 804	It's like Ford vs Chevy.... get whichever you prefer for whatever reason. But if you feel a need to "Tactical Ted" your shotgun, you'll probably find accessories are more readily available for the 870.