20ga barrel on 16ga receiver?

If you are correct then i would be excited. I would be looking for a used 16 barrel.
BUT Seems the smaller 20 would not extract reliably due to the smaller rim diameter. The mechanics seem wrong too as a 20 would be loose in the mag tube and would not reliably feed a single shell. To remedy this to would use a 20 ga tube which is too small to thread into the reciever. Doesn’t really seem right, but I’m no 870 expert. Let’s wait for one of those to show up.

DeadFlies said:

I recently traded for an 870 advertised as a 20ga.

Click to expand...

Remington made many 870 guns in 20 gauge on a 12 gauge frame back in the day. Perhaps yours is one of those. If the ATI stock for a 12 gauge fits, that may be the case.

With the 12 gauge receiver being heavier, it might be a bit more to carry in the field, but it should also reduce recoil over the 870 20 gauge lightweights.

Jim

Not only were the early 20 ga guns made on the 12 ga frames all 16 ga guns were made on 12 ga frames.
20 ga also came in LW and LT models.

20 gauge on a 16 gauge frame I’ve never heard of. 16 gauge on a 12 gauge frame is very common. I would think your shotgun is perfectly safe.

cdb1 said:

20 gauge on a 16 gauge frame I’ve never heard of. 16 gauge on a 12 gauge frame is very common.

Click to expand...

Same here. Personally, unless you have a specific reason for it-to reduce recoil, for instance, as explat_alaska suggested, I don't want a lighter gauge barrel stuck on a heavier gauge frame. It sort of defeats the purpose of using a lighter gauge in terms of its potential handling and weight advantages.

SwampWolf said:

Same here. Personally, unless you have a specific reason for it-to reduce recoil, for instance, as explat_alaska suggested, I don't want a lighter gauge barrel stuck on a heavier gauge frame. It sort of defeats the purpose of using a lighter gauge in terms of its potential handling and weight advantages.

Click to expand...

I totally agree.

I have a 20 on a 12 frame 1100. It's heavy for a 20, but recoil is really light.

I have a early rem 1100 20ga on a 12ga frame and it is heavy for a 20ga, but shooting the clays games its a joy to shoot all afternoon.

DeadFlies said:

I recently traded for an 870 advertised as a 20ga. When I got it home, I realised that this shotgun is actually a 16ga (“W” suffix) wearing a 20ga barrel.
The previous owner lived to tell me that he put 5 slugs through it with no issue.

Is this safe?

Click to expand...

The early 20ga 870s were made on 12ga frame. You can see that by examining construction of barrel shank. That is why the later 20ga guns made on small frame particularly those from 1970s with mahogany wood are worth a premium.