High security is fine; high maintenance is not, as Mossberg's own copy puts it. The 500 Tactical Persuader is a pump-action 12 gauge with an 18.5-inch barrel, a 5-round capacity and a matte black finish. It is a plain, serviceable home defense shotgun.

Mossberg says the commercial Persuaders are virtual duplicates of its military 500 models, which passed U.S. Military Mil-Spec 3443 standards for pump-action shotguns. That is a statement about the design's durability, not a promise about any single gun, but it explains why the 500 line has a long record of trust.

Pump actions are simple and run with a wide range of shells. The short barrel makes the gun easy to move through doorways and hallways, and the 12 gauge hits hard with buckshot or slugs. Learn to work the forend firmly and fully on every shot, and practice loading the tube.

At just under seven hundred dollars this model costs more than a base 500, but it comes set up for defense. Store it safely, away from children. This shotgun is new. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer for the background check and transfer.