8 Shotgun Brands for Home Defense
There are many incredible firearms brands in the world that are known for their high-quality firearms and innovative designs. Brands like Colt, Sig, FN, Heckler & Koch, Remington, and Winchester have a long history of making firearms, and people trust their products to be reliable and some of the best in the world. Brands like these are experts in making firearms, and if you want dependability and peace of mind from your weapon, it is better to go with the experts. Here are some of the best shotgun brands you can find in the market today.
Benelli
The Benelli Firearms manufacturing company was an offshoot of the Benelli motorcycle company and was founded by Giovanni Benelli in 1967. Benelli is an Italian firearms manufacturer, which is known especially for their incredible shotguns, though they also make rifles and pistols as well, mostly for Beretta, which is the parent company of Benelli.
Benelli’s ticket to success was their innovative design for semi-automatic shotguns. An Italian designer, Bruno Civolani, who worked for Benelli designed a firing mechanism that used the energy from the bolt in the form of inertia instead of the more conventional gas mechanism to cycle rounds. This mechanism was very reliable and allowed shooters to shoot faster.
Benelli used this system in the most popular shotguns like the Benelli M3 which is used by SWAT units in the US, and the US Marine Corps also used the Benelli M1014 shotgun, which is more commonly known in the civilian world as simply the Benelli M4.
These Semi-automatic shotguns are also a favorite among competition shooters, because they are very well designed, ergonomic, and shoot great as well. Benelli also makes Pump-action shotguns, as their Nova line, however, they are best known for their incredible semi-auto shotguns.
Beretta
Beretta is another Italian firearms manufacturer and is in fact one of the oldest ones that are still producing firearms, and firearm parts. It has been around since the 1500s and is known to make some of the highest quality firearms in the world.
These days, Beretta makes almost every kind of firearm, from grenade launchers and machine guns to air pistols, Beretta makes it all. They most notably won the contract for the US military sidearm in the 1980s, supplied them with Beretta 92fs pistols, and have been making reliable military arms for their own and many other militaries in the world.
However, when it comes to shotguns, they have been at it since they started making complete guns instead of just barrels. They are known to make some of the most incredible hand-assembled double-barreled shotguns designed for hunting and clay shooting. The Beretta Imperiale Montecarlo Shotgun is one of their most premium products, and it is an impeccably designed and crafted side-by-side double-barreled shotgun.
Aside from premium shotguns, Beretta is also known for making some amazing semi-auto and pump-action tactical and home defense shotguns. The Beretta RS202 M1 and M2 pump-action shotguns are among the most reliable guns in their lineup, and the Beretta 1301 is an excellent tactical semi-auto shotgun.
Mossberg
Mossberg is one of the most popular American firearm manufacturers, which has been around for a little over a century. Mossberg initially made rifles, and pistols, however, in the post-war era, it started focusing on competition guns, particularly shotguns. In 1966, they released their Mossberg 500 series of shotguns, which is still in production today and is one of the best shotguns made in the US.
Unlike Benelli, and Bretta, Mossberg shotguns are more affordable, and within the budget of every civilian. This is why they are very common for home defense, and many other applications. The Mossberg 500 is a pump-action shotgun, which is also used by many units of the US Army. Mossberg also makes semi-automatic shotguns like the Mossberg 930 and 9200 series, which are affordable and great for competition shooting as well.
So, if you are low on budget, and want a reliable and dependable shotgun, Mossberg is the brand to go for. You can get a good Mossberg shotgun, like the Mossberg maverick for as little as $200, which is something that everyone can afford.
If you’re interested in Mossberg, check out our comparison of the 2 famous Mossberg models.
Remington
Remington Arms was an American Arms manufacturing company that was in operation from 1916 to 2020. The company recently went defunct in 2020, however, over its operation of more than 200 years, it has been responsible for some of the most amazon innovations in the world of firearms.
Remington makes a wide variety of rifles, and shotguns, and every firearm from Remington is known for its excellent performance and reliability. The Remington 870 wingmaster has been one of the most popular pump-action shotguns in the US for a very long time. A tactical version of the Remington 870 is also used by some units of the military.
Remington also made several semi-auto shotgun models, some of which were specifically made from competition shooters like the Remington Sportsman 58 and the Remington 878 automaster. Overall, Remington is a brand that has a history of making excellent firearms, and their shotguns are some of the best in the market. Remington pump-action shotguns are also quite affordable and are usually slightly lower than competitors.
Winchester
Like Remington, Winchester is another American firearm manufacturer that has been around for a very long time. They have established themselves by making some of the most reliable and innovative rifles, and shotguns in the market for over 200 years. Winchester also made the trench guns in the world wars, which were the first shotguns adopted by the US military for combat.
Winchester also made some incredible shotguns for the civilian market for a very long time and these days there are many shotguns in many countries all over the world, especially in Turkey and the US. Winchester has made many different shotguns over the years, however, these days, their most popular and widely used model is the Winchester SXP series. This pump-action shotgun is very reliable and is known to be very fast, with its unique rotating bolt action, which is mostly used in semi-auto shotguns. This allows the Winchester SXP to be one of the fastest pump-action shotguns on the market.
Winchester is also known to make shotgun ammo, and one of their unique shells is the Winchester defender, which has a very effective load of once slug and three 00 Buckshot pellets.
Winchester also makes some high-end over-under shotguns for clay shooting and hunting. The model 101 is one of the best over-unders in their lineup. Winchester has also been making semi-auto shotguns since 1911. The model 1911 was their first semi-auto shotgun, and the model 50 and super x series are some of the best semi-autos from Winchester.
Read Also: Best Tactical Shotguns reviewed
CZ
CZ is a firearms manufacturing company based in the Czech Republic. They are known for making some very reliable pistols, and especially sub-machine guns, like the CZ Scorpion EVO. The quality and performance of CZ firearms are unmatched, and their specialty is definitely rifles and submachine guns, they also make some incredible shotguns.
Originally, CZ only offered a couple of different over-under shotgun models. However, recently in 2020, CZ restarted its manufacturing after a break in operations and introduced 8 new Shotgun models. Continuing their tradition of making high-end and super reliable over-under double-barrel shotguns, they introduced four different over-under models named the Drake, Redhead Premier, Supreme Field, and All American.
They also introduced the CZ 1012 in a couple of configurations, which is their only semi-auto shotgun, and the CZ 612 in a couple of configurations, which is an all-purpose pump-action shotgun. These new shotguns from CZ have gained a lot of popularity from fans, and are extremely reliable and effective.
Stoeger
Stoeger is a firearms manufacturer and importer based in the USA. It is a subsidiary of Benelli, and like its parent company, they make a wide range of firearms, however, they have an impressive range of shotguns as well.
You will always hear good things about Stoeger shotguns from their owners. They are comparable in price to other similar shotguns, however, the performance and quality are on another level. The accuracy and reliability are the same as you can expect from Benelli, and they have a wide range of options as well, from single trap shotguns, and high-end over-under, to semi-auto shotguns, Stoeger makes them all.
The Condor is their best over-under offering, and they have multiple high-quality side-by-side shotguns in their catalog. The Stoeger P-3500 is their all-purpose pump-action shotgun, and they make multiple high-end semi-auto shotguns like the Model 2000, and Model 3500.
Read Also: 13 Shotgun Accessories you need today.
Tristar
If you are in the market for a shotgun, and you want the best value for money, then Tristar is the way to go. Tristar is a Turkish firearm manufacturing company, and they make some incredible shotguns that are also very affordable. Though purists might have not approved of Turkish-made firearms in the past, with tristar, that has to change, because their shotguns are absolutely incredible.
They have multiple product ranges, the Tristar Bristol is their range of side-by-side double-barreled shotguns, which are designed both for hunting and clay shooting sports. The Trinity range has some of the most elegant, and beautiful over-under shotguns, that are also quite affordable.
Their tactical shotguns are amazing, like the Cobra III series, which are pump-action shotguns. They also have a couple of magazine-fed semi-auto shotguns in their catalog. Tristar also makes dedicated sporting shotguns, which are designed to be super fast. The Viper G2 is one of their best sporting shotguns.
So, if you want to get your money’s worth and are on a tight budget, you can get a really nice tristar shotgun.
When it comes to shotguns, there are many brands to choose from. Some are better than others, and all have their distinct specialties and designs. Research is key so you can buy a shotgun that is dependable and within your budget.
References:
https://www.remingtonarmsusa.com/
https://www.winchesterguns.com/