new fan rem 870

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76shuvlinoff

76shuvlinoff

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I have been wrapped up in my sidearms or my 22lrs for most of my time here at THR so this is my post into the shotgun page.
I acquired a Rem 870 Express Magnum more than 5 years ago from a young man I worked with that needed the money. I was in the right place at the right time so to speak. With it was a smooth bore 20" slug barrel chambered in 2 3/4".
I installed the slug barrel and a two round Wilson mag extension on it last night. Took it out for some practice today. Mind you I have never fired this gun and from the looks of it no one else has very often. Also I have not fired a 12 ga in 15 years. :eek: Today I re-learned... Them SOBs kick! (Remember above?... 22lrs)
I am left-handed. Free standing at 40 yards my rifled slugs were 5" high an 3" right. Probably me more than gun, I need to try this on a bench to see. What I did like was at 20-25 feet the 00 buck put nine holes in the paper inside a 10" diameter. It still sports wood furniture and that's fine with me. A little more use and this will move ahead of the 1911 as my primary HD weapon.

Nothing you guys have not heard before, just saying hello.

Mark
 
You think that gun kicked do you? Just wait until you shoot it off the bench! Welcome to the world of shotguns. The 870 is a great shotgun.
 
yeah touched off a couple from the hip, much easier on me ... real easy on the paper ... wiff... LOL!
 
And so it begins....

If you value your free time and discretionary income, shun folks who use words like...

"Flurry".

"Report Pair".

"Chinese Trap"

"Wobble"

"#$%^&*()ing Rabbit".

And "Break 'em all"....
 
Tough to beat a good 870. If you take care of it, your grandkids will still be shooting it.

I have two ... both 35+ years old.
 
Love my 870. I agree with Jeff F. When you shoot that sucker form the bench you'll know what it's like to get kicked by a 12ga. Incidentally, you may want to try one of those Remington R3 recoil pads. I put one on my 870. Haven't shot with it yet, but it certainly feels nice!!!
 
"Flurry".

"Report Pair".

"Chinese Trap"

"Wobble"

"#$%^&*()ing Rabbit".

And "Break 'em all"....
Click to expand...


Dave,
I'm going to have to utilize the search function for those bit I'll display my ignorance and guess... they're clay shooting terms? I did read most of the sticky about fighting shotguns, even the debate is interesting for me.
When I was a kid I used a Mossberg 12 ga in heavy brush to rabbit hunt. Yeah a bit of overkill but you learned to lead the target and like I said real heavy brush was the only hunting ground in decent walking distance. I have also used a single shot 410, but rabbits on the run usually evaded my 22. I have not hunted in nearly 30 years and unfortunately I sold the Mossy way too cheap but this 870 will fill the bill.
 
Clay terms....

Flurry is a trap set on full auto with targets coming every couple seconds. A speed game that's excellent for training.

Report pair, a target is launched, then when the shot happens another is also. The following shot may be similar to the first or quite different. There are also following pairs and true pairs.

Chinese trap is a game shot by venerable gennulmen who tire of the standard stuff. See the archives on this one.

Wobble has the launcher mounted on an oscillating plate. This adds many different flight paths from statospheric high ones to weed burners. A wobble flurry is about as much fun as we can have fully dressed.

Rabbit targets bounce along the ground like rabbits. They tend to be less predictable than air targets.

And now you're doomed to spending way too much time and money slaying evil clay frisbees. Alas.....
 
DW went off to the mountains of western NC this weekend to visit her parents. Recent SITREPs from parents indicated a curious black bear had been seen looking in their living room window... from their porch :what:.

DW decided to carry one of the house guns with her on this trip. Loaded all the way with Brennekes magazine and Sidesaddle, no buckshot. Just in case. So she hied herself off to the range beside the house the day before departure, and ran two magazines full of Brennekes through the gun. She produced a fist-sized 7-round COM group offhand at 25 yards, with one centerpunched head shot on the IDPA cardboard for good measure.

It had been a while since she had been out with a shotgun, she complained that it had gained weight 8^).

B'rer Bear was conspicuous by his absence while she was there... keep in mind that DW is sixtyharumphsomething, 5' 4", about 130 pounds, and a soon-to-be-retiring university professor. House guns here are 12 gauge 870s, fitted to her, with good recoil pads. In years gone by she was a 3-gun shooter but hasn't done that for a while, her birthday present last year was taking Louis Awerbuck's carbine class. She took up shooting while in graduate school, as a way to relieve stress. 8^)

So in short- yes, shotguns kick. Physics simply will not be denied. But given a properly fitted gun, equipped with a premium recoil pad, used confidently and in proper form, shotgun recoil is manageable. It might not be fun, but it's manageable. If it genuinely hurts, then something is wrong- gun fit, shooter, technique, something badly needs fixing.

Simply managing recoil is good enough, if it means the shooter can hit what is shot at, for as long as shooting has to take place.

It takes a pretty good bit of shooting to get accustomed to running the gun properly, and to get good at hitting what is shot at. Much of this learning can take place with softer recoiling birdshot loads. There's no need to load up with 3" maggie numbs for training and practice. Nor is there any call for using 3" magnum loads for defensive use. Anything that needs to be done with a defensive shotgun can be done perfectly well with standard velocity loads of buckshot and slugs, IMHO.

Welcome to the world of shotgunning, 76shuvlinoff. Enjoy...

lpl
 
Thanks for the thread, I'm going to go look at an 12 g. 870 express magnum tonight. I have the wingmaster 20 g. and I love it. I can rack and fire fast enough to down 2 birds in a flush so I don't know that I really need the 1100 I was looking at for $550.
$210 for what I KNOW is a gun NEW gun I can depend on and shoot well with seems like the better choice.
 
You really need to try the Reduced Recoil slugs from Remington. You'd be amazed at how much less you feel them. They still poke the same 3/4" holes in whatever you shoot them into....
 
As with every other THR page I've utilized from knives to bottom feeding sidearms to shotguns and lever rifles I appreciate the help and advice.

.....now about that wheelgun and coach gun still on the list..... :D


thanks again
Mark
 
Soon as I get my 10, the 12s are for the girls. :neener:

I have a bit of an infatuation going with a little 20 gauge Remington Spartan coach gun right at the moment. I guess I can shoot lesser guns now and then. :D 870s are kinda heavy. They're not near as bad as a light weight 12 gauge double for kickin', trust me. LOL That's sorta why I got my coach gun in 20 gauge besides the fact that I just wanted another 20. I've got 3 12s already, and one's a double.
 
Ah, an 870 with a 20" Rifle sighted smoothbore barrel. My favorite setup as well.

As others wiser than me have already said, fit and form will do much to alleviate your shooting pains. Fit can be addressed by a competent smith, Form can be addressed by instruction and practice.

Welcome to the 870 club. :D.
 
Conratulations on re-discovering your 870, Mark.

I have loved 'em ever since I got my first one. IMHO they are the standard by which all other pump action shotguns are judged.

Right now I only own two. One set up with short barrel and fore end light for HD. And another with 26" VR barrel with screw in chokes for hunting and assorted clays. I had a bunch of others but got rid of them over time as they were not getting used.

Her's a pic of one of mine. (The picture makes the gun look like it has a shorter than 18" barrel. It does not, its a factory 18.5" 870P barrel)

Rem_870_Only.gif

Regards,

Rob
 
I just bought a Remington 870 Express 12-ga 18".

Reading the manual on it now -- and I don't see any evidence of a choke tube already installed, or means to attach one. Am I blind, or not looking at the right thing?

My primary purpose is home defense, but I may take it hunting, too.
 
I bought a Wingmaster with a 30" half choke barrel. Also bought a 20" remchoke barrel. Shot it off the bench with IC choke and Breneke slugs. shoots very well but it do's make you sit up and take notice when you fire it :D.
Have yet to try it with the rifled choke and Rem Buckhammer slugs.
 
Arrogant Bastard - if your 870 Express with 18" barrel was factory original it most likely will not have the screw in choke tube option.

This is not something that Remington does standard on their short HD type barrels. If you check the end of the barrel at the muzzle you will notice right away whether yours barrel has screw in tubes or not.

Here is a link to a picture of what screw in choke tubes look like installed - the example is of a double barrel shotgun.

http://www.gunsandhunting.com/Franchi/_MG_9067.jpg

FWIW - You can find used factory 26-28" vent rib barrels out there for less than $100 much of the time. So if screw in choke tubes are important to you - and they are to me on a hunting gun. You may want to consider getting one of these for your hunting needs.

Side note - Last time I checked it cost anywhere from $75 on up to have screw in choke tubes installed on a barrel.

Regards,
Rob
 
AB,

Far as I know, the 18" Express barrels are fixed CYL choke. Looking from the butt toward the muzzle, check the left side of the barrel in the area of the chamber about 3" forward of the receiver. You should see the letters CYL stamped there about 1/8" high, it might be necessary to look 'across the light' to really see them as they are sometimes faintly impressed into the metal.

That means it has a factory fixed CYL choke, and no threads for RemChoke tubes.

lpl
 
Yep.

Mine is presently fixed IC, but I will likely be swapping barrels on it soon to a remchoke version for the flexibility.
Click to expand...

Well worth it. I bought a used one from a wingmaster. Shoots Brenneke KOs into 3 shot 1.5" groups at 50yds with irons. Throws a nice pattern with a turkey choke out to 40 yds. Took my turkey this spring with it. great to have a lighter, handier barrel that preforms well in the woods!
 
Thanks for the info, all.

My primary purpose is HD -- though I want the option of it being a hunting gun, too. So, it looks like I need to purchase a new barrel to swap out when I want to take it hunting?
 
It would likely be an advantage in the field, yes. A longer barrel swings better- it doesn't shoot any harder, but it's easier to keep moving. And RemChokes is a good option IMHO.

lpl
 
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