Getting a Christmas Tree with Guns.com

We recently cut down a beautiful Christmas tree using a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun. It took a single shot of Winchester's 3-inch 1 1/8 ounce steel shot to cleanly sever the 3-inch stem. Traveling at 1,550 feet-per-second, it was a clean cut with no hassle.

Mossberg 500 shotguns were introduced in 1960 with the US military adopting it not long after that. Mossberg claims the 500 model is the only shotgun to pass the U.S. Army's Mil-Spec 3443E test. This includes firing 3,000 rounds of full power 12-gauge buckshot in unforgiving conditions. While the Marines officially switched to the Benelli M4 shotgun in 1999, many branches of the U.S. military still use the 500 today.

What makes the Mossberg 500 shotgun so handy for tree cutting work comes down to this dependability and affordability. A new or used 500 series shotgun will run you around $500 at Guns.com.

Available in a variety of models and configurations, we opted for the SPX model to nab this Christmas tree. The SPX features an adjustable ghost ring rear sight, a high visibility front sight, a six-position adjustable synthetic stock, a five-round side saddle, a Picatinny rail over the action and a pistol grip.

Empty, the gun weighs 6.75-pounds. Equipped with an 18.5-inch ported barrel, the SPX boasts a compact and maneuverable design with the ability to sport five 3-inch shells in the tube and one in the chamber -- That’s more than enough firepower for Christmas trees and much more.