finding old 870 barrel

[BullpupBen]

Hi guys,

I bought an old (1976, X-series) 870 20 gauge but it has a bead sight on its 28" barrel which I've been told is no good for hitting clays.

Do you think the bead sight is sufficient? I'm not all that serious about it so it just has to work decently, not perfectly.
If not, where can I find some aftermarket barrels or sights that will fit my shotgun?

Edit: The other problem is the barrel has a full choke

 

[rcmodel]

There is absolutely no reason at all you can't hit clays with a bead front sight.

Whoever told you that is full of it!

Bead sights worked perfectly on shotguns for hunting & clays a couple hundred years before vent ribs were even invented!

And even if you buy a vent rib barrel, it is still going to have a bead front sight on it!

rcmodel

 

[41magsnub]

IMHO you will be fine as is. You point a shotgun, not aim so the sight is not that important. Personally I shoot a bead sight (which happens to be on a vent rib just because that is what the guns came with) and do just fine. I ran a hunting season on upland game without a sight at all since it fell off one day and frankly it did not really make a difference. I only had it replaced because it looked weird.

upland game.. not big game.. what the crap was I typing...

 

[BullpupBen]

Thanks for that, I'll definitely need to test it out before rushing to buy another barrel.

I've never shot a shotgun before and more than anything its the lack of a rear sight that has me worried.

How much of a problem do you think the full choke is going to be?

 

[rcmodel]

You don't use rear sights to shoot clays, upland birds, ducks & geese, rabbits, etc. or much of anything else.

Front & rear sights are used almost exclusivly on turkey & deer guns, and tactical shotguns used with slugs.

They are never used for clays or most hunting.

Full choke is what is used for trap shooting.
It will make it difficult when used for skeet.

rcmodel

 

[BullpupBen]

You don't use rear sights to shoot clays, upland birds, ducks & geese, rabbits, etc. or much of anything else.

Front & rear sights are used almost exclusivly on turkey & deer guns, and tactical shotguns used with slugs.

They are never used for clays or most hunting.

Full choke is what is used for trap shooting.
It will make it difficult when used for skeet.

rcmodel

OK thanks it all makes sense now.

What would be a fair price for a 90% 28" modified vent rib barrel for this gun?

 

[machinisttx]

I've got bead sighted barrels and vent rib barrels, one of which has a mid rib bead. I can't tell any difference in my ability to hit between them.

Barrel price? $70-$110 for a used barrel.

 

[Virginian]

If you are wanting one barrel for everything, 28" is the length I would choose, but to be really effective it should have RemChokes (changeable choke tubes). Serious Sporting Clays shooters usually have either several extended tubes you can switch with a twist of the wrist or several flush tubes and a quick change wrench. You can defray the cost by selling your existing barrel. The full choke won't help that much, but many years ago when I was the terror of the local skeet league, I shot a plain barrel with an Improved Cylinder choke because I proferred that feel for skeet. It was good enough for the most straights and high average.
Look here-
http://www.barrelexchange.com
and here
http://www.corsonsbarrels.com/
and here
http://www.cabelas.com

 

[Jerry M]

Definitely shoot it before you buy another barrel. It may be perfect for you and the way you shoot.

Good luck