Just picked up a Remington 870 express

[distra]

Well I've been shooting for a while now, but have never had a shoot gun before. One of my shooting buddies had an 870 express for sale and I picked it up for ~$250. I have a few questions,

1) can the 870 be used for skeet/trap/bird hunting? (Most guys at our club are using double barrels)
2)what type of mods/accessories would be one add for deer hunting?
3) As a HD weapon, would a high vis front sight/pin be worth it?

 

[Mannlicher]

you can use any shotgun for any use. Your 870 Express just might not be the optimal choice for some uses.
What sights are on your Express? Front bead only? If so, thats fine if you are going to use buckshot or slugs. You can extend your accuracy if you mount a scope, or rifle sights. HiViz sights are always a plus.

 

[Starter52]

1) The 870 will break as many clay pigeons as the most expensive European O/U shotgun. For a casual shooter the 870 is perfect.
And for bird hunting, the 870 is the most common bird gun in America.

2) For deer hunting you should buy a barrel with an adjustable rear sight. If you want to get fancy you can buy a rifled barrel. A rifled barrel is worth the price in the long run.

3) Hi-vis sights are useful on a HD gun. Whether or not they are "worth the price" is up to you. I don't have one on my shotgun.

 

[kmrcstintn]

To reinforce what is said about how a shotgun serves as a multipurpose platform...

I recently got a Remington 870 SPS-T from Gander Mountain for $299.97; the SPS-T is a monicker for Special Purpose Shotgun-Turkey; it came with matte finish, black synthetic furniture, sling mounts, 22" barrel with Hi Viz sights (fully adjustable on rear), sling, extra-full extended choke, 2 keys for integrated lock, paperwork, etc.;

I bought several used Remington chokes for $10 each--improved cylinder, modified, and full; the primary purpose is as a smoothbore slug gun using Brenneke/Kent 1 oz K-O slugs; other purposes will include home defense, small game hunting, sabot slug gun (need to get a rifled choke), recreational trap gun (remove rear sight insert from ramp & use front sight); I am looking to get a Bagmaster buttcuff shell sleeve so I can keep extra shells on the gun (the Bagmaster brand is velcro adjustable and offers a tighter fit than elastic or neoprene slip-on types);

Even a basic Remington 870 Express setup with 26" or 28" barrel with modified choke and bead front sight can become a multipurpose platform...ideas

sling...get the sling that has the new magazine cap built in that slides on the buttstock;

improved sights...get the slip-on type or screw-on type of hi viz sights that give you a front and rear to aim better for slugs/turkey loads;

chokes...many brands and configurations to choose from; you determine your needs by your imtended purposes;

many, many, many accessories for a very versatile platform...good luck and have fun!

 

[Falcontech]

I use my 870 with the 28" barrel for trap and it works great.

 

[distra]

Thanks guys for the info. My 870 has an 18" barrel with an extend magazine, 5 rds, a pin front sight and ~1" thick pad on the stock. There is a little surface rust on the receiver, any ideas on how to clean that up? It looks like a sling, a longer barrel with sights and buttcuff are in the near future. No wonder all my shooting buds have been telling to pick-up a shotgun. Very versitale firearm indeed.

 

[1911JMB]

Steel wool and gun oil is the solution for the rust.

 

[Anteater1717]

it is perfect and there are alot of acsseories like slug barrles and sights

 

[Dave McCracken]

1, Yes. More birds are killed with 870s than any other shotgun. Also quite common for clay sports.The 870 is adjustable to user and mission. Mine are setup for everything from trap to geese to WWIV.

2, None, really. See how you can do with some slugs and the beads. Most folks can do good work out to 50 yards with slugs. My average deer taken was shot at 32 yards over the last 15 years or so.

3,Spend a whole $2 on a tiny bottle of Testor's Bright Yellow enamel, the kind used by model hobbyists. Drip a dab, let dry and see how it works for you...


HTH....

 

[rugerfreak]

A word on the Testors---might not be so much a factor on a shotgun----but on my rifle it definitely is----I painted the leading edge of the front sight on a Mini-14 with Testors red---one magazine(not dumping the mag but rapid single fire) is enough to heat things to a temperature that melts the paint off my sight blade.

 

[sm]

Humm,
Ya'll got beads on shotguns? I always found beads to snag the cloth when wiping down a barrel...

Called "smoothbore" ya know for a reason.

I suggest running the gun stock, making sure it fits, learning the correct basics and all. Get training, let the instructor advise on any additions.

Of course I am the same one that shoots a youth model .410 single shot, plain barrel and no beads...shooting low 7 and breaking it with slugs, and then still gets a kick out of lobbing slugs at a coffee can out yonder- and hitting it.

Less is More.


Steve

Edit- oh, FWIW, them Express Guns with Combo barrels will run as is. We made sure there was a choke in it, the choke was snug, and run the gun right of the box. Which it did with no hiccups.

Just testing something for someone that said a new gun would not run out of the box. It was cleaned some 150 or so rounds later for the first time...

...them clays sure do dust nice when hit with a Mod choke on a skeet set up...all 25 in a row too...

sm