Last summer, I bought my first shotgun. Having never even used a shotgun (sounds funny saying that now), I had to make some choices. I was primarily looking for something for home defense. I ended up with a Mossberg 500 set up for home defense. Now, that might have ended up a great gun. I never shot it. It didn't cycle well (the extractors on the bolt kept hitting the edge of the receiver). So, I took it back. After wrangling for 8 weeks (no estimate on warranty replacement time), I talked the gun shop into giving me a credit for another shotgun. 

What I got then was a nice Benelli Nova Pump Tactical. I liked the feel of the gun, and it cycled well. I liked the look of the shotgun -- the shorter barrel and the ghost ring sites just look like the weapon means business. I headed to a public range up in the Rockies the very next day.