Interstate Arms Defender Pump 12 Ga 18.5" Barrel, CB 3", GRS Black Stock, 5rd

It caught my eye when I was cruising a gun store looking for bargains. Well, I found one. $200 and it's as good, if not better than the 870 I thought it was. Yes I locktite some of the screws. I put a sling on it, a side saddle, zeroed it with Brenneke slugs, at 100 yds, and it's good. I carry a mix of buck and slugs which it digests with ease. My Jr MEC homeloads do well in it with turkey loads. Takes the worry out of being close.

This review is for a shotgun that appeared as a special at my local Big5 store 10 years ago. It is also sold as an Interstate Hawk, both of which are alleged to be Remington 870 clones and indeed many of the 870 accessories do fit well enhancing a great, rugged and useful tool. After 500 rds it is functioning great with routine cleaning and application of loctite in the proper places. I improved it and made it more to my personal needs with the replacment of the OE barrel with an H&R rifled slug barrel (though the OE barrel will handle slug & sabot rounds well I wanted the added accuracy of a rifled barrel). Mag-tube extention, See-thru Weaver-type sight-rail with reflex-sight that allowed the ghost ring sights to remain in place as a back-up. A 3-point tactical sling and the coup de grace: the OE fore-arm and stock were over-moulded with nylon reinforced polymer to mimic the texture and finish of the Remington 887 Nitro. Very Happy.