Bought a new Remington....sorta

[MCgunner]

Well it has the Remington logo on it, right over where it says Baikal, Russia. LOL! It's a 20 gauge 20" coach gun with screw in chokes, 3" chambers, and double triggers (as God intended). Only thing it lacks that I'd like is selective ejectors, just has extractors, but that's okay. Thing I've been wanting a coach gun length shotgun for is that, broken down, it'll all fit in the top box of my GoldWing. My 28" barrelled 12 gauge double, nor my Winchester M1400, nor my Mossberg 500 will do that. The max that will fit in that top box is 24".

I've also like coach guns for self defense, and I also thought that interchangable chokes would make for a very useful field gun where you may need a slug in one barrel and a shot charge in the other. I can put the cylinder choke in the left barrel (rear trigger) and load that one with a slug, then the right barrel with a modified or full for small game with a load of number eights or something. Almost like having a Savage 24V, better if wing shooting is involved. This would make a decent combo for a combination squirrel/hog east Texas trip.

Hope the thing patterns well. I've also been wanting a 20 gauge. They had that Turkish gun down at Academy I'd been tempted by, but 28" barrels is all it came in. I might actually use a gun I can lock in my top trunk on the bike. On a trip up to Waco this past dove season, I was paranoid to leave the bike long when paying for gas or something, the gun in a case just strapped to the seat. What if I'd had a flat? Was thinkin' about that all the way to my buddy's house and back.

Weather keeps the rain away, I'll run to the range tomorrow to do some patterning and abuse my shoulder with a few slugs. I'm too stoked about this new little monster, hope it don't let me down. And, it ain't really a Remington, but it DOES have the logo on the receiver.

 

[Duckster]

congratulations!!

I was looking at this exact gun for myself, but before I could get the money it was sold:banghead:
Good for you, it is beautiful

 

[MCgunner]

Thanks! Oh, btw, this thing was like new, but a trade in. Guy didn't like his Christmas present. I don't think it's ever been fired. It was marked $299.

 

[Duckster]

That's Great!!!

It was over $400 at the gun store
Ya gotta deal

 

[MCgunner]

Went to the range with it today and I think I'm in love. Shot a 1 ounce load through full choke at 40 yards on some freezer paper with a rough 40" circle. A few little holes about dove size here and there a bird might get through, but on the whole, a well distributed pattern with few pellets outside 40". That'll work! Recoil was VERY mild, surprisingly so. I was expecting more considering I shoot 1 1/8 ounce 12 gauge loads out of my Winchester autoloader, a much heavier gun, figured they'd be at least that much, but no. They're lighter even than the Winchester in recoil. Buckshot rounds were a little stiffer and the slug was heavy, but nothing close to a 12 gauge slug and tolerable without a recoil pad.

Changed to i/c and cyl chokes for slug testing. Right barrel shoots about 7" left and left barrel shoots about 7" right at 50 yards. So long as you remember that and hold Kentucky windage, you can put 3 rounds into a couple inches at that range. It's probably good enough for 75 yards. Elevation was dead on at 50.

A #3 buck load, 20 pellets per cartridge, fired all 20 into 30" from 30 yards through the i-c choke, pretty devastating.

I can't wait for dove season in 9 more months! I left the open chokes in it, put a koplin shell holder on the butt stock, and set it against the head of the bed for now, chambers empty. It is now officially on guard duty.

Only real complaint is the triggers are stiffer than most shotguns, but also are more crisp than most shotguns. I'd rather have stiff and crisp than light and creepy. Don't matter with shot loads, but when shooting slugs, a crisp trigger is nice. I'm hoping given time and use, the triggers will lighten up and smooth out.

 

[sm]

MCgunner,

PM sent.

 

[MCgunner]

Not received yet. I just logged on, not sure how long it takes.

 

[sm]

One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingy... Lily Tomilin as the Operator on Laugh-In

I am on dial-up ISP. Had to re-dial and I think Lily went to powder her nose...

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

Big 5 has an Interstate 12 gauge SxS for $239.99 in this weeks sale flyer. I am debating on whether to go buy one. I just wish the barrels were longer than 20" long. I realise the main market for this gun is SAAS shooters but I think it would make a good short range bird gun and\or self defense weapon. Anyone have any commments? Thanks.

 

[MCgunner]

I have a friend who's half brother used to come down here once or twice a year from Gatesville (where they grew up) to duck hunt with us. He hunted everything with a Browning BPS and 20" barrel, ducks, whatever. Hey, it was a real in thing to do for a while, turkey hunting with a 20" tube. He felled ducks with it about as good as anyone with a 28" gun. Seemed to pattern just fine. I reckon you'd have to lead the bird a little more, maybe, don't know. Shotgun powders burn fast. I don't know if 8" off the barrels is enough to affect velocity much, though I'm sure it does, some. But, properly choked, it'll throw a good 40 yard pattern. I saw that with mine yesterday at the range. I need to optimise my load, but the first pattern I shot looked like it got a good 90 percent inside a 40 inch circle at 40 yards out of the full choke. Hard to do any better'n that! I fully intend to hunt doves using mod/full chokes in mine and upland birds with the i/c, mod installed when I get a chance. Another 9 months to next dove season and I'll let ya know how it works.

I'll stick with my bigger guns for waterfowl, for the 12 gauge if nothing else. I don't think this little double is exactly the tool for the duck marsh. I'm going to stick with my Mossy for geese (3" chamber) and shoot my Winchester 1400 gas gun for ducks over decoys (to save my shoulder, that thing is sweet shootin'). I bet a 20" 12 gauge double, once you got used to the whippy quickness of it, would do the job on ducks over the decoys, but mine being in 20 gauge, I'll use more appropriate arms for that. When I was a kid, I shot a 20 gauge 870 on ducks, but steel shot convinces me that 12 is the way on those birds. Geese, well, no brainer.