If you find that the autoloading feature is the way you want to go, you will have much more top performing options to choose from. There are many manufacturers that have focused on this segment of the market so if you wanting lots of quality options to choose from you’ll have no lack of that here.

These autoloaders are great at firing rapidly, which may be a priority for you, but besides that they have very little else that makes them better than pump action. The cost is at least twice as much as a pump-action counterpart and won’t generally hold any more shells or have any additional accessories that you would find for the top 12-gauge pump-action models. You’re paying a lot just for the ability to fire more quickly, but if it’s a feature you desire than here are some recommendations for you.

Remington Model 1100 TAC 4

Another quality Remington product, this has all the same bells and whistles you’d get on the pump-action with the added benefit of rapid fire. Unfortunately, you can only get this with a 22” barrel, which can be a bit much when you’re thinking of it for purposes of home defense. The bonus is that it carries 8 shots and has a positive track record for over 40 years of service.

Remington Versa Max® Tactical

Unique design to this tactical autoloader that is one of the newer releases from Remington, but has already earned a good reputation. Barrel length of 22”; holds 8 rounds in the magazine and 1 in the chamber; accepts up to 3”shells, and comes with a picatinny rail (described in next section), forward barrel-clamp side rails and an extended magazine.

Mossberg 930 Tactical

This is a great choice at a great price for an autoloader. Has a barrel length of 18.5”, capacity of 7 rounds in the magazine and 1 in the chamber and sells for at least $500 cheaper than the MSRP of the Remington Versa Max Tactical shotgun. Comes with excellent sights and a pistol grip and is well regarded as a light, fast firing and reliable weapon.

Saiga 12

A Russian made firearm that has a great price point and a completely unique look for a shotgun. Its design looks more like a rifle and it uses a box type magazine, which is quicker and easier to reload and unload than the tubular type of magazine that is the norm for shotguns. The operating system is directly derived from the AK rifle pattern that is dependable and virtually trouble-free. The visual effect is another great benefit of this weapon as you would appear to be much more heavily armed (looking like a rifle) than you really are if you were handling one of these in a home defense situation. On top of having the quicker reload, you also have more capacity with a 10 round magazine and the availability of a 20 round drum, which completely surpasses any other shotgun.