https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/vote-best-pump-of-all-time.565929/#post-4969583

 

Cool more to look at.

 

I am an Ithaca Model 37 fan, especially pre- 1962 when they either had no checkering or hand carved checkering. The forearm should be the classic corncob or the pre-war hand checkered style for me. The magazine end cap should have the nifty little crossbars. A 12 gauge will weigh an ounce or so over 6.5 pounds because putting a rib on this hunting gun is like putting a trailer hitch on a Ferarri.
To say it's only half a pound lighter is inaccurate. A 16 gauge weighs 6 pounds. 6.25 if you put a modern Pachmayer SC butt pad on.

Parts are still available from the factory, which is (sort of) open. The magazine tube is simple to clean, the bolt is more involved. The operating mechanism has few parts and they are very sturdy. 26 and 20 gauge models scale the receiver to the bore. I can't imagine affording a 28 gauge, but it scales, too.

I have loved the roll engraving since I was a littlle boy, looking at my dad's Model 37 in the gun cabinet.

Ejecting the shell down makes them easy to find in the field and left-hander friendly. I have never seen a broken Ithaca Model 37 action bar that wasn't horribly abused.

The Wingmaster is very nice too. The stocks seem to run longer and don't quite fit me. Quality of the metalwork is top notch. The wood is nice but I don't care for the checkering. Mine had a corncob pump grip; I wish I had understood those are not ordinary before I sold it off. Heavier than the 37, and not all of the sub-gauges have receivers that scale. Some do. You have to know the secret code to know which 20's are on 20 gauge frames. The double action bars are good, add weight. So if I was a soldier, I'd pick that.

This is a top choice for the "home defence" crew, so they can do 'load from the side' firing drills as they blast away at steel plates. The bolt is easy to clean but the magazine tube is involved. Exactly the opposite of the 37.

Model 12? Very nice! I hope to get my hands on one someday. Only disadvantage I can imagine is that John Browning could not think of a way to use more parts. Lots of little tiny parts! Now approved for Cowboy Wild Bunch competition, many are being cut short to 'riot' length. Hang on to your nice field gun.

Those are the big three, for me.

The BPS has the advantage of screw in chokes, rated for steel, and weighing a ton. For clay games or waterfowl, it's the winner. But I can buy two or three used Ithacas for the price of a new BPS, so who needs screw in chokes? And IC and IM would do it all for me, anyhow. Another plus for ejecting down. It's not a matter of half a pound heavier. Lets see your BPS on a scale!

Remington Model 31 is probably very nice, too. But parts?

Honorable mention to the Savage 520 and 620. I would love to find one for a bargain price. A Savage 620 has the deluxe wood and elegant receiver with the utterly crazy expensive John Browning design. Look up how the barrel comes off and tell me how much it would cost to machine those parts today.

The dime store versions are cool, too. That clunky square receiver? Suicide Safety? Neat!

If I had a fancy cabin, this would be my choice for a ranch shotgun. Nothing would look cooler hanging on the wall.

Given what I am buying Ithaca Model 37s for... with real Amercian walnut and hand checkering... if it isn't on my list, I would not own it.

 

The only BPS that I have that is noticeably heavier than my other shotguns is my 3.5".
The 12 and 20 I dont notice.

I am by no means a youngster but I do have arms which work and fit is more important.

Will have to get a Model 12 and 31 and I do not care which of those weighs more or not either.

 

The most popular are the 870 and 500. The best made/manufactured is the BPS. My choice is a 590 for HD, for anything else it's an auto or double.

 

Older Model 37s always seemed to point/hit best for me tho I do not like the need to magazine load or very light weight or bottom ejection.

A 50s model 870 16 was a perfect weight and as slick as any...never shot a Model 31 in the field.

The Model 12 holds the win for having 'the look' and the best feel when carried, imo.....sometimes it's enough to look at a gun and like what you see...that, is a Model 12.

Still, I voted M37 since hitting seems the end game.

 

I’ve been a Model 12 fan for decades with my favorites being the Plain-Jane Field Models. I have a trio of 1940-41 Field guns in 12,20, and 16ga as well as an early 50’s Skeet Model and a final production 20ga. Over the years I’ve have owned and shot most of the alternatives listed in the poll.
I never could get way from the balance, shoot-ability, reliability, and workmanship of my +half century old Model 12’s….Perhaps an acquired taste…But just me.
12,16,20ga(top-bottom)

 

Nice looking trio!
I need a Mod 12 to see what all the high praise is about.
I have no doubt they are great guns.

 

I was fortunate enough to come home with these Gold medals from the 2013's Pan American IPSC shotgun championships. Benelli Super Nova's were far and away the most popular pump in the Manual Standard (pump) division.

 

I’m a 870 fan it always works great, with anything that you give it. My Ithaca jammed all the time, my 1100 jammed to often.

 

Remington 870 Wingmaster, beyond a doubt

cdb

 

Thats a beauty. Would love to have one of these in the safe alongside my 1100 and 1187.

 

Rather than "best," I'll just go with my personal favorite.

 

How do you define “best”? Cost, build quality, design, strength, finish, personal favorite? There are a lot of variables here.

 

Hunting guns mostly.
Your favorites that you choose more than others.

 

If by "best" you mean for breaking clay targets competitively then my choice was the CZ 612 Target.

 

I agree with most , I have an 870 for Trap , M37 for field and a500 for plinking ...M12 safe queen.
Jim Z

 

Such a difficult decision. It’s definitely not based on most versatile. As far as the one that puts the biggest smile on my face when I carry it….hands down, Remington M31 in 16 gauge. Yes, I made the stock for it, and yes it is just so dang smooth. I have or own all the guns on the list (minus Mossy, I’ll just say I’m not a fan of their products).

 

My old 870 Trap . . . .smoother than snake snot!

 

 

Winchester Model 42! a blast to shoot!! Big fun in the 410!
DG

 

Here we go again. This has been discussed and parsed here numerous times over the years. Everyone has a different definition of “Best” so in the end, there is no answer. I’m with Randy. What is your favorite. That ends the debate.

 

Let me take a wild guess, number 1 Remington 870 (Wingmaster Model) number 2 Model 12.
I would say most versatile I had was Wingmaster 3.5" Supermag😱🤕 with 28" Light Contour barrel. For obvious reasons this is rare variant from the 870 family of pump guns.

 

There's about a 5 pound difference between a 7 pound gun and a 9 pound gun. After carrying it for an hour it becomes a 10 pound difference, and after a long day it's closer to 20 pounds.

I'm sure every gun has something special about it.

I love my Model 12 much more than I thought I would but I HAD to get it (or an 1897) for Wild Bunch rules Cowboy shooting. My favorite thing is that it breaks down into such a small package, must pumps don't do that. (You could argue that 1897's are the best because you could use them in all the Cowboy matches... The CB97's are sweet.)

But I wish I could load my Model 12 faster. I wish I could shoot 3" rounds. I wish it had Browning's fast load feature off the A5's. I wish I could extend the magazine.

Does anybody make a pump that loads like a dream, shoots 3" or even 3.5" shells, can hold 8 rounds, and breaks in half for transport? Make it durable and have a good trigger, make it shoot straight, and of course make it fit me like a silk bath robe, and that is my favorite pump action. Oh, make it stainless too.

(And because I just measured it today, my Model 12 weighs 7 lbs 14 oz with a 24" barrel, polychoke (24" to the bead, 27" to the end of the choke), and lace-on leather recoil pad. 4 lbs 10.5 oz for the rear part, 3 lbs 3.5 oz for the front assembly.)

 

Besides being one of my favorite upland guns, my 16 ga. Model 12 Field Model, produced 1941(26”/IC bbl, 6.5 pounds) does a decent job on the clay course. On this particular day I lucked out with a 47/50 with the old girl. 1 Oz, #8, 1220FPS.

 

Love the 870s of my youth! I still have them.

870 12 gauge Magnum for ducks geese and deer.
870 20 gauge LW for grouse and deer

I’ve owned 16 gauge 870s and two Model 37s (pre-war parts) assembled in 1946 when production resumed.
Loved the Model 37s!

My latest pump gun enjoyment guns are the Marlin 120s with the 38” and 40” barrels.

What fun to shoot!

 

Mossberg 835 Ultimag. I ran that gun for years in the marshes of the Great Salt Lake and it never failed me. I only replaced it when my son moved up to a 12 gauge and replaced it with an SX3 (also a wonderful gun). My son has been using it for the past seven seasons again with no issues. Had to get it Cerakoted a few years back because of some surface rust but this is to be expected after years of use.

 

While I don't have a dog in this fight as I can see value in many different designs and variety is the spice of life, I am surprised that only one person has mentioned the Winchester 1897. It was the first commercially viable pump shotgun and over a million of them were sold in a time where the world population was a lot smaller and a lot poorer. Many have mentioned the Model 12 that replaced it (and arguably improved upon it) but the reality is that there would be no Model 12, no Ithaca 37, Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590 or any other of your favorite pump shotguns if it wasn't for someone making them commercially successful and desirable, and the gun responsible for that is the 97. Whether you agree with my claims or not, it's worthy of the list. Perhaps just everyone who had first hand knowledge of what a big deal it was in its time, are already dead.

 

When I was young I remember old men talking about 97's and single shot shotguns with exposed hammers. They felt guns with exposed hammers were much safer to carry because you were not carrying around a cocked gun. Where as guns with internal hammers were cocked and relied on a trigger safety.

 

My coolest looking, Winchester 1897. Favorite to carry, 20 gauge Wingmaster. Favorite to shoot, Mossberg 500E .410.

 

Well, whatever pump gun you favor, that can be the 'best' in my book. You shoot your best and I'll shoot mine, and we'll talk about it in the field while the dogs sniff and caper.

 

I have a BPS Trap, a Model 12, a Stevens 620, three High Standards, a couple 31's, and around a dozen 870's (including 5 TC's and 2 TB's). My only experience with a Mossberg was my brother's New Haven 600 (a department store 500). I haven't any experience with a 37, but I'd like to get one sometime.

"Best" can be defined in different ways.

If machined steel innards are your thing, the earliest designs on the list will tickle your fancy (12, 31, 37 {which is actually a 17}, and the Browning designed Stevens.

If you add smoothness to your criteria, the tipping breech bolt designs will rise to the top (31, 12, 37). The High Standard is also in the tipping bolt group and just as smooth, but the overall workmanship isn't quite on the same level.

After WW2, cost cutting/efficiency comes more into play on pump guns, and I think of the High Standard as a simplified and Fieldmastered Model 31. The 870 replaced the 31 (which Remington claimed lost them money every time they sold one). Much of the machining in a 31 was simplified in the 870, or replaced outright via stamping. And the ultra smooth tipping breech bolt was eschewed for a tipping locking bolt which could headspace into an extension on the barrel, facilitating quickly interchangeable barrels. The next step down the cost cutting path is the Mossberg, which I think of as an 870'd High Standard. The 500 takes full advantage of the bolt locking directly to the barrel extension, and makes the receiver cheaper to machine by switching it to aluminum. The 500 is simply cheaper to make than an 870, and Remington's mistake with the Express was to price match the Mossberg.

I don't know if Remington even contemplated an aluminum 870. The aluminum 31L was problematic, and aluminum just cannot look exactly like blued steel. Furthermore, they wanted some cross platform production efficiency, not only between the pump and autoloading shotguns but also with the rifles, and steel is the easy choice to cover all of them. And if you see an 870 cut through, there's not a lot of material there to save weight on with aluminum.

The BPS has plenty of exterior elegance, but unlike the older bottom ejectors with their tipping breech bolts, it has the tipping locking bolt engaging the barrel extension, so it shucks more like an 870. Reassembly can also be tricky, enough so that Browning counsels owners not to remove the trigger assembly.

My favorites? The 31 is at least as slick as the best of the pre WW2 designs, it has the righty friendly ejection/singles loading port of the Model 12, and I believe it feels like it has a bit more of its weight centered between the hands than the 12. It just feels elegant while you're running it.

Overall, though, the modernized 870 still manages to look good, especially in the nicer Wingmaster and target grades. Speaking of which, it's the last pump which was designed to handle a serious competition schedule; look up what all Rudy Etchen did with his. Most repairs are pretty easy; ejector replacement does require riveting, but the staked in shell latches aren't too tricky to replace. Parts are plentiful on eBay. If you're worried about a breakdown while at a trapshoot, a spare bolt assembly and trigger group will get you out of most foreseeable jams in a matter of minutes. And maybe it's not as smooth as the earlier designs, but its dual action bars certainly make it more bomb proof.

 

Appreciate your knowledge and sharing with us. Thank you