alright, I figured I'd make one for a shotgun nobody seems to have given a shot (since i havent seen anyone with it).
Gun: Ultra 87 12ga.
what is it? It's a Remington 870 clone. Those of you who have browsed classic arms have probably seen it. Here's a pic of it:
I found one of these at my local gun show last weekend and decided to grab it to go along with my .22 and for HD/range fun purposes, since it was only going for $175. As you can see, it is not meant to impress your range or hunting buddies. It weighs in at about 8.5 pounds, which is a ways more compared to your better brands. Finish on it is plain, obviously.
shooting: After trying out my new .22 I picked up with it, I ran some 7-1/2 and some 00BK through the Ultra at 25 yds.
results:
The birdshot patterns were a little to the left at 25yds, but were radial every time; no warps or anything. I expected them to be off since I'm left-handed and not well-acquainted with shotguns (since it is the first shotgun I ever fired or owned). I'm also do not have the most steady hand in the world either.
I did not put enough buckshot through it to give a concise bit here, but the patterns were once again to the left. In fact, only about 20 of the 45 pellets actually tagged the target and grid, with the rest being as much as 11" off from the grid. However, to seem fair, it did land 38 out of 45 pellets on the paper, so at least I was not shooting horribly. I'm pretty sure my inexperience and improper habits had alot to do with it (you should see my .22 groups
)
Recoil? Yes, it is there, and my shoulder feels slightly tender after blasting 50 shells with it. However, if a 140-pound college kid can handle it without wincing or staggering about, then I'm pretty sure anyone bigger than me can without a problem. Besides, it's a 12ga. Since when were those considered friendly to scrawny collar bones anyway?
problems: The gun cycled birdshot as if it was just cycling air. No hard pumping necessary; pump nicely, aim and shoot, repeat. The 00bk was a different story. I fired one round through it, and I thought that the gun had locked up and had gotten stuck. I had to put a little 'umph' into it for each buckshot round, but it fired and cycled it fine; it just took a little bit of extra enthusiasm to make it do so.
The gun's sights on it look nice at first, but they are cheap as crap. I knew this from the get-go, but...yeesh. The sights are your basic rifle sights, with an adjustable rear notch sight on the middle of the barrel. Both are made of those "tru-Glo" inserts. To cut to the chase, the back notch would pop off of the adjusting platform after every 6-10 shots if i didnt pause to re-adjust it. The thing was simply too loose to hang onto the platform.
However, to give the Ultra 87 SOME credit, it does make a good trunk gun or by-the-bed gun. Cheap, solid, will shoot all the time, and it wont hurt your feelings if it gets stolen But, with it's stickier action on higher loads of ammo, not to mention the annoying cheap rear sight, the extra 50 bucks for a moss, or the extra 100 or so for an actual 870 is a much better deal, but this gun is not too bad for keeping in the trunk or shooting someone raiding your home through your foyer or garage back door. But when it comes to hunting, get something better. I know i will soon enough
Gun: Ultra 87 12ga.
what is it? It's a Remington 870 clone. Those of you who have browsed classic arms have probably seen it. Here's a pic of it:
I found one of these at my local gun show last weekend and decided to grab it to go along with my .22 and for HD/range fun purposes, since it was only going for $175. As you can see, it is not meant to impress your range or hunting buddies. It weighs in at about 8.5 pounds, which is a ways more compared to your better brands. Finish on it is plain, obviously.
shooting: After trying out my new .22 I picked up with it, I ran some 7-1/2 and some 00BK through the Ultra at 25 yds.
results:
The birdshot patterns were a little to the left at 25yds, but were radial every time; no warps or anything. I expected them to be off since I'm left-handed and not well-acquainted with shotguns (since it is the first shotgun I ever fired or owned). I'm also do not have the most steady hand in the world either.
I did not put enough buckshot through it to give a concise bit here, but the patterns were once again to the left. In fact, only about 20 of the 45 pellets actually tagged the target and grid, with the rest being as much as 11" off from the grid. However, to seem fair, it did land 38 out of 45 pellets on the paper, so at least I was not shooting horribly. I'm pretty sure my inexperience and improper habits had alot to do with it (you should see my .22 groups
)Recoil? Yes, it is there, and my shoulder feels slightly tender after blasting 50 shells with it. However, if a 140-pound college kid can handle it without wincing or staggering about, then I'm pretty sure anyone bigger than me can without a problem. Besides, it's a 12ga. Since when were those considered friendly to scrawny collar bones anyway?
problems: The gun cycled birdshot as if it was just cycling air. No hard pumping necessary; pump nicely, aim and shoot, repeat. The 00bk was a different story. I fired one round through it, and I thought that the gun had locked up and had gotten stuck. I had to put a little 'umph' into it for each buckshot round, but it fired and cycled it fine; it just took a little bit of extra enthusiasm to make it do so.
The gun's sights on it look nice at first, but they are cheap as crap. I knew this from the get-go, but...yeesh. The sights are your basic rifle sights, with an adjustable rear notch sight on the middle of the barrel. Both are made of those "tru-Glo" inserts. To cut to the chase, the back notch would pop off of the adjusting platform after every 6-10 shots if i didnt pause to re-adjust it. The thing was simply too loose to hang onto the platform.
However, to give the Ultra 87 SOME credit, it does make a good trunk gun or by-the-bed gun. Cheap, solid, will shoot all the time, and it wont hurt your feelings if it gets stolen
But, with it's stickier action on higher loads of ammo, not to mention the annoying cheap rear sight, the extra 50 bucks for a moss, or the extra 100 or so for an actual 870 is a much better deal, but this gun is not too bad for keeping in the trunk or shooting someone raiding your home through your foyer or garage back door. But when it comes to hunting, get something better. I know i will soon enough 