8 Best Mag Fed Shotguns in 2019

Why We Think Box Magazine Shotguns Are The Best

You may know I have a fetish for high-capacity shotguns and I think now is the time to buy a box magazine shotgun. That is the tech that has won the day.

Now Mossberg and Remington have released official shotguns, rather than third party conversions, it’s time to get one.

The Mossberg 590M and Remington 870 DM are the best shotguns in the world right now, in my humble opinion. Well, there’s a curveball here in the Vepr 12, but the box magazine shotguns are the step forward we have been waiting for.

Shotguns are great, but they’re generally limited by a puny capacity that means they’re just not the first port of call for most of us when it comes to home defense anymore.

Grandpa used to grab his trusty shotgun. Now? The trusty AR-15 or even more trusty AR pistols offer 30 rounds and unerring accuracy with a red dot.

The shotgun was in danger of becoming a forgotten memory.

Novelties like the Kel-Tec KSG and Tavor TS-12 showed the way back to relevance with radical and yet complex designs. The box magazine fed shotgun is simply the combination of age-old tech that we know works.

Specialist Shells Will Change The Game

The worry with mag-fed shotguns is that shells tend to settle when they’re stored in mags and that can make for an unreliable shotgun.

Rotating shells every few days really isn’t a big deal, just pop them out the mag, swap them out and rinse and repeat. It’s a manageable issue.

But now we have the works shotguns, there’s an intriguing possibility and I am sure they are coming.

We will soon have specialist magazine shells that solve any issues. They might come filled with gel that burns up right away, or thicker shell walls, or just a new design shotgun shell, but these shells have to be on the way. 

The TL;DR version? The guns are set. They will develop, but they don’t need to. The big jump should come from the shells now.

So you can buy the guns with confidence that your box magazine fed shotgun wont be gathering dust in the back of the safe next year.

Here are the best mag fed shotguns on sale right now.

1. Remington 870 DM

• Price: $399.99
• Action: Pump Action
• Barrel Length: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 38.5 inch
• Weight: 7.5lb
• Capacity: 6+1

Remington is winning this war on price. The guns for sale are arguably as good as the Mossberg alternatives. In some ways they are better, but the real difference comes in the pricing strategy.

Remington just keeps undercutting the opposition and at this cheap price for the basic Remington 870 DM Hardwood, well that is a bargain in anybody’s book.

The Remington’s other USP is that it can take either 2 3/4 inch or 3 inch shells. The Mossberg can only take the smaller shells and this does make the Remington more flexible in the field.

On the downside, the Remington can only take six shells in the mag and we’re waiting to see if this pump action shotgun with a a magazine gets a bigger box mag in the future.

The stock might look like veneer, but it’s actually real wood. There’s a Magpul version floating round that looks more operator, but this is just a good look for this gun and it’s the right price.

A SuperCell recoil pad helps soak up the impact on your shoulder and this is a great shotgun that is simply a Remington 870, with a mag. That makes it awesome in our eyes.

The Remington 870 pump-action shotgun is an icon. It has been with us since 1950 and although it has evolved, it has been basically the same shotgun since. Until now.

The addition of a magazine changes the gun’s character, as well as it’s potential. This is a real tactical shotgun now, a shotgun that gives you options in the field. You can hunt with it, you can keep it loaded with slugs and by your door, you can use it for what you want.

It’s very clearly an 870 that has been modified with the grafted on mag receiver, and that’s good. It just needs a bigger mag and we are sure that is on the way.

2. MOLOT Vepr 12 Tactical

• Price: $899.99
• Barrel Length: 19″
• Overall Length: 38.5″
• Weight: 8.5lb
• Capacity: 5+1 / 8+1/ 10+1 optional

Long before Mossberg and Remington opted for box magazine shotgun options, Kalashnikov in the Eastern Bloc was making waves with the Saiga 12 semi-automatic shotgun.

Due to the vagaries of Russian copyright law, there are several variations of the basic AK 12 Gauge. That’s very lucky, because a recent ban on Kalashnikov Concerns products means no dealer can import new Saiga-12 and other Kalashnikov-branded products.

You can still pick up new in box guns, but they’re pre-ban imports. So if you want a Saiga 12 now, buy a MOLOT Vepr 12 and get AK functionality with 12 gauge horsepower.

This could be the best home defense shotgun for sale in 2018. It’s a tactical shotgun and then some.

You get a pistol grip, Picatinny rail, a folding stock and a 5+1 round mag that can easily be switched out for the 10+1 mags that can be found on the web. There are even 20-round drums, so it depends on exactly how much ass you need to kick at  any given time.

It was designed around the AK basics, which means it’s tried and trusted technology and nobody tried to get too clever.

Check this one out, the crazy Russian has a fully automatic version of the Saiga-12. You will get the semi-auto shotgun, which does almost as good a job.

Now the gun is used in 3-gun competitions and it’s a star on Youtube. All the gun reviews are basically eulogies to the best semi auto shotgun in the world.

It is an assault shotgun, not just a magazine fed shotgun. You can even trust the bigger drum mags from these guys, as they’ve been around so long and they’ve just kept working on the basics.

Fit a drum mag and you can have 20 shells, with no pump action required. Bear in mind, burn through that in a home defense situation and you’ll remodel your own house in the process.

That is a serious weapon right there folks, and could make you think twice about grabbing for the AR-15.

It is also a seriously well-loved hunting shotgun, with the longer barrel, because it’s more or less an AK platform.

That means accessories fit, you can slap your red dot on top, you can tune your MOLOT Vepr 12 and there is even a cottage industry in custom parts and high-end firearms. It’s basically unique, but some have taken it to the next level.

You won’t get much change out of $4000 for a Lone Star Saiga 12 conversion, but it is an intense shotgun that shoots like nothing else.

You can find bullpup configurations, or a more traditional SBR that we prefer. Check out this 3 Gun custom weapon in action to witness the Saiga 12 in its purest form.

It’s one of the best magazine fed semi-auto shotguns in the world. Get one.

3. Mossberg 590M

• Price: $597.99
• Barrel Length: 18.5″
• Total Length: 39.5″
• Weight: 7.75lb
• Capacity: 10+1 rounds / 20+1 Optional

The Mossberg 590M comes with an optional 20-round mag. Really, 20 rounds of 12 gauge venom and then you can pop in another mag and start firing again.

The OEM magazine is 10 rounds, which you might want to go with thanks to the lighter weight.

It also means you can load up an ammo belt with buckshot and slugs, so it suddenly becomes a versatile gun as well. Fit a red dot, use the right slugs and this is a total self-defence weapon. Up close, load up with buckshot and it’s a beast.

This is a real tactical shotgun, with ghost ring sights, a 2.75 inch pump action and a 10+1 capacity. Pop the mag out and you’re good to go again. Still want that Benelli? I don’t.

In my humble opinion, the Mossberg 590M is one of the best shotguns in the world today. It isn’t expensive, and it could be a real equalizer.

It is also a simple pump action shotgun with detachable box magazines that hold up to 20 rounds of your chosen shotgun ammo.

Gun reviews have noted, though, that the 20-round mag is noticeably harder to rack. It isn’t smooth and it is hard work, so you might opt for the 10-round version of pure performance reasons.

The Mossberg 590 has been with us since 1960 and there’s a vast number of Mossberg parts and accessories. You can produce a fully custom Mossberg 590M, then, and turn this gun into something truly special.

A lightweight, AR tactical brace and pistol grip can turn your Mossberg 590 into a serious weapon for home defense.

4. AA-12 Shotgun

• Price: $3000
• Barrel Length: 18″
• Total Length: 39″
• Weight: 11.4lb
• Capacity: 20+1 rounds / 32+1 Optional

This is basically an overgrown Uzi, according to the creators. There is almost no recoil on this gun, it comes with a massive capacity and it’s an absolute beast of a home defense system.

It comes with a 20-round drum mag, although 32-round drums are available. Put a red dot on it, and this would be a monster to have in your home, in modern semi-automatic form.

Originally, this was just for the special forces, which needed an automatic warrior for the increasing issues presented by urban warfare.

As a SHTF, last line of defense, zombies are closing in kind of gun, I can’t think of a better one. Mag fed shotguns really could be the grim future. Up close, they’re AR-15 killers.

You can fit box magazines with a lower capacity if you don’t need the full fury of the drum mags, too.

It was a secret military weapon for many years, but Max Atchisson signed over the rights to this gun in 1987. Jerry Baber has refined the basic concept since then and finally the gun went on sale to the public this Summer. Kind of.

Every sale is limited to 1000 units and they’re going through Gunbroker. So you have to be on your toes to get one of these. if you do, you will simply love one of the best shotguns for sale in 2018. It’s a seriously expensive semi-auto shotgun, but it is basically Milspec.

You get a basic bullpup design that looks like someone made it at home, but that’s a simple polymer case for the serious welded metalwork underneath. It’s stainless steel, it doesn’t even need lubrication and it has been taken into action by some very serious fighting forces around the world.

The Russian fella got one too, and he thinks it’s even better than the Saiga thanks to the reduced recoil and the sheer stopping power of a 32-round shotgun.

Of course his is automatic, natch. But even in semi-auto shotgun form, the AA-12 is an almighty magazine fed shotgun that could make you rethink your home defense firearms collection..

5. Mossberg 590M Shockwave

• Price: $599.99
• Barrel Length: 14.37″
• Total Length: 27.5″
• Weight: 6.55lb
• Capacity: 10+1 rounds / 20+1 Optional

Shockwave is Like a Sawn Off Shotgun With AR Capacity

The Shockwave version is even more menacing in its own spectacular way. It’s a home defense Pitbull of a pump action shotgun, or firearm.

Of course there are a serious amount of 590M accessories out there and you can turn your Mossberg Shockwave into a Zombie Apocalypse special if that’s your thing with a chainsaw style pump action and more.

We love the Mossberg for that optional 20-round magazine, but you might find yourself opting for the lighter 10-round magazine instead. If you do, then the Mossberg loses its decisive competitive advantage as a magazine fed shotgun. Suddenly it has bog standard options nibbling at its heels in terms of capacity.

The smaller detachable box magazines make it easier to swing and pivot the gun, though, so there’s always a trade-off. Shotgun shells are heavy and you will feel the difference between a slimline detachable box magazine and a clunky drum mag.

A box magazine fed shotgun has its advantages, then. It’s a very different kind of tactical shotgun and you have to decide if you would trust this gun with your life. 

The near instant reload of the Saiga means it wins out for me, but these old school pump shotguns with a mag will probably sell in far greater numbers.

That’s because it’s tried and trusted tech. We know this gun and the Mossberg seal of approval to the magazine fed shotguns fold will carry weight as well.

It’s a compact, devastating firearm, as well. This is exactly the kind of weapon that could end a home invasion before it begins. It’s an intimidating gun that gives you the edge, as long as you have the capacity to back it up. With the magazine reload system, you really do.

The Mossberg magazine fed shotgun is a fussy eater. It will only take 2 ¾ inch shells, while the Remington happily spits and swallows 3” magnum shells.

Right now, you can only get a 6-round magazine for the Remington 870 DM, but it will shoot anything and the 20-round mag might be just round the corner. 

The Mossberg is still a real contender with this capacity. Find the right ammo at  the range and then stick with it.

Cheap 12 gauge shotgun shells at BrownellsC

6. Armscor VR60

• Price: $400.00
• Barrel Length: 20″
• Total Length: 39″
• Weight: 7.4lb
• Capacity: 5+1 rounds

If you could get a bigger mag, Rock Island Armory’s AR platform would have finished higher up the list. It has to come, this is too good a firearm not to service properly and RIA will surely get a 10 round mag and even a 20-round out there before too long.

There’s nothing fancy about the Armscor. All the furniture is basic polymer, although you do get a recoil pad to handle the substantial kick.

It’s a semi-automatic shotgun, but that magazine is the Achilles Heel right now. If Rock Island Armory can supply a bigger mag, this gun could be a smash hit. Especially at this price.

7. Remington 870 Tac-14 DM

• Price: $432.50
• Barrel Length: 14″
• Total Length: 26.3″
• Weight: 6lb
• Capacity: 6+1 Rounds

Remington 870 Tac-14 is Awesome

Remington has its own alternative to the Mossberg Shockwave in the Remington 870 Tac-14 DM. It’s compact, it looks like a sawn off shotgun and yet technically it isn’t a shotgun at all, it’s a firearm in NFA speak.

And if we hadn’t already given the price to its sibling, this gun could easily be the number one.

The Raptor birdshead grip is a neat thing, as is the Magpul M-LOK foregrip, and the Remington does look a monster.

The gun just looks sexy, and the overall length of 26.3″ means it’s a compact firearm you can have fun with. It’s not quite concealed carry, but it’s absolutely a truck gun. The only problem is the Mossberg does it better.

 8. EAA Akdal MKA 1923

• Price: $649.99
• Barrel Length: 20 inch
• Total Length: 29.5 inch
• Weight: 9.7lb
• Capacity: 5+1

You will see a number of this type of shotgun out there in the wild and this is basically no better or worse than a good few of them. It’s a bullpup based on the IWI Tavor, with the action and magazine behind the trigger.

Now it’s generic, but it works and the short bullpup layout means it’s great for home defense. The 5-round mags switch out for a 10-round alternative and this basic design doesn’t have a massive amount to go wrong.

You can also get a solid grip on this polymer frame and there’s a long rail for a red dot, iron rear sights and tower front that comes with the package or other tacti-cool madness.

It’s not the most prestigious shotgun here, but the bullpup mag-fed shotgun is showing just how to make friends and influence people. It might be a bit of a mongrel, but we kinda like it.