[Bill Lester]

The 870 Marine Magnum would also be my gun of choice. In fact the 870 is my shotgun of choice for any duty. Even though they're cheaper, stay away from the 870 Home Defense and Expresses. The factory finish is useless for rust protection. Spend the extra dough on the Marine Magnum.

I'd also suggest the addition of a Side Saddle ammo carrier. It will allow you to have an additional six rounds on the left side of the gun's receiver.

Are you concerned with piracy and drug smugglers stealing the boat, or will the shotgun be used for more peaceful purposes?

 

[Bill Lester]

The trouble with rifled barrels is that they ruin your shot capability. If one plans on slugs only, they're great. But with buckshot the rifling tends to spread the patterns quite a bit. I once tried an extended rifled choke tube with two kinds of 00 buck. At 10 yards patterns were something like 20-25% larger than with an Improved Cylinder choke tube in the same barrel.