My old Westernfield - Mossberg 500 can still hunt but is set up for holding down the fort. and convert it yourself they way you want it. You can by a used slug barrel, extended mag, rail, grips etc. Parts and conversion accessories are readily available for the 500's and the price of a used 500 is pretty reasonable. If it is beat up its probably has issues that would make it unreliable as a defense weapon. IMO, unless the 12 or 37 you are looking at is beat to heck, it would be a shame to butcher it up. Also see if there is any lateral play where the barrel / mag joins the receiver. If it is peened back the gun will most likely jamb after being shot. On the older model 12s you could hold the trigger back while racking rounds through the action, firing each time the bolt closed without resetting and pulling the trigger. There is a milled recess inside the receiver, rack the action open and look with a light, if the back of the lock up recess is peened back (not a square sharp edge) find another shotgun. On a model 12 you want to look at where the top back of bolt locks up into receiver. Whats the best choice for a used shotgun, or any modern shotgun today? Modern production shotguns are in this price range, and while they dont have that 'feel' the aftermarket is strong for the mossberg 500 and 870 I hate to ask, but if I had a gunsmith chop it to riot shotgun length, which version is less 'rare' so I don't butcher a piece of history? Is this normal? Anything to look for in a used model 12? I have a few Win Model 12's to choose from at my cabelas, and I love the look and feel, but the forward shuck feels springy like I need to pull forward a bit extra to lock the bolt. I want something high quality, reliable, in the 400 price range and I definitely love history, but lack of aftermarket support is weighing heavy too.

I feel like a complete noob, and its 10x more confusing than it ever was picking a first pistol, since there are so many different variants. I'm a complete city boy so I've literally never held or fired a shotgun in 10+ years of shooting AR's, bolt guns, and pistols. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I wanted a knowledgable opinion from shotgun guys.

Ithaca 37 shotgun 1956