I completely understand. I am in much the same situation as you. Tests and trips to the ER for my lady, just like you. She is my world, too, though we haven't been married as long as the two of you. I can relate to the thing about shooting and guns. Same here. There are more important things in my life than having fun things and doing things I want to. One of those important things is next to me watching Home Town on TV. Prayers for you and her, blessings to you both.Everything is on hold for a while. Shooting and guns are in the back seat until we get my wife's health situation under control. Two ER trips since last Sat for a thing called vaso vagel syncope (spelling is suspect). Tests, tests, tests. One showed Civid, another, vivid related pneumonia and another a small aneurysm in one lung. She is the world to me and after nearly sixty years as a couple, my only concern right now.
Just wondering if anyone else tries to talk themselves into something superfluous like I do.
A couple years ago I was telling my wife about a friend's Kolar he just got. Combo with all the bells and whisties like unsingle, o/u, subgage tubes, special case, tools. She said, "you want one?" I said, "No" She, "If you want one buy it". No. "How much does it cost?" About $20K. "If you want it, buy it". I finally told her that I didn't think I had enough years left to grow my old body around another shotgun. I can pull the TB up to my shoulder with eyes shut and the beads are in alignment and no contortions are needed. As a matter of fact, the stock has developed some cast on from the compression of the wood after 300K rounds and my way of holding. All my other guns I have to kind of adjust my hold.
It's nice to hear from another 870TB fan. I bought mine last year or maybe it was the year before, to cut my teeth on trap. I figured it would be a good beginner gun but I have a feeling I could end up like you and just keep plugging away with the TB. I figure if I spend $2K-$5K on a dedicated trap gun I'll have alot less to spend on shells, lol . So I may as well stick with what I got. Unless I find a really nice used Citori or something.O.K. I'm 77 and my main sources of shooting fun are trap, skeet, deer hunting, small bore target and handgun short, medium and 100 yard shooting. Those who know me understand my attachment to my 1975 870TB, A gun that has helped me take home a bunch of trophies, meart, cash, and a few game animals and birds. I always go back to it. The only original parts left on it are the stock, bolt and 30" full choke barrel with its highly shot polished full choke bore. I have a couple of backup guns, A Superposed Lighting and an 870 Classic Trap. I just got started cleaning out the safe to make it easier for whoever has to clean up when I shuffle off the mortal coil. This has left my slush fund fairly healthy.
I've always wanted to shoot more skeet than just our eight week combo league and I want to shoot more trap doubles. So...I've
been thinking about either a Cynergy CX or a Citori CX. They are both set up to shoot 60/40 which is about what my 870 does. (Oh, yeah, there's A BT and a 686 Essential hiding in the safe, also).
Not really asking anything of you kind folks. Just wondering if anyone else tries to talk themselves into something superfluous like I do.
As it was just about my only shotgun from '75 to about '85, I used an old 18" riot barrel upon which I had silver soldered Remington slug sights for deer and rabbits. The 30" full I used for pheasant and ducks at Rice Lake(hated to run steel through it. Somewhere in there I found a vent rib imp cyl barrel which then had me set up for dove, quail and skeet. I figure well over 200K through the original barrel.It's nice to hear from another 870TB fan. I bought mine last year or maybe it was the year before, to cut my teeth on trap. I figured it would be a good beginner gun but I have a feeling I could end up like you and just keep plugging away with the TB. I figure if I spend $2K-$5K on a dedicated trap gun I'll have alot less to spend on shells, lol . So I may as well stick with what I got. Unless I find a really nice used Citori or something.
I'd like to know what you've hunted with your 870TB, I was thinking that if I wanted to hunt with mine I'd have to ditch the 30" FC barrel, I'm told that you aren't supposed to fire steel shot through the fixed full remington. Also, what is shot polished. I'm guessing mine is too because it's extremely bright in my bore.....
I found a nice 20" Remington Brushmaster IC barrel for mine for the deer woods and HD. Got a great deal on it. I plan on shooting this gun alot, I got it in pretty good shape but I still don't know how many rounds have been pumped through it, if I have my way I'll probably put 4K-5K rounds a year of target loads through it on an annual basis, I don't want to worry too much about this but I've wondered if I shoot out the reciever or barrel, by the time I do, will I even be able to replace the reciever or barrel??? I've been poking around online and don't find much and when I do it's crazy expensive, I doubt if it will get any better though so.....As it was just about my only shotgun from '75 to about '85, I used an old 18" riot barrel upon which I had silver soldered Remington slug sights for deer and rabbits. The 30" full I used for pheasant and ducks at Rice Lake(hated to run steel through it. Somewhere in there I found a vent rib imp cyl barrel which then had me set up for dove, quail and skeet. I figure well over 200K through the original barrel.
BTW, the only original parts are the barrel and stock and bolt. Receiver cracked about 2010, action bar broke in 2012, and I bought a great aftermarket trigger about then.
This gun is the subject of many stories at three local clubs.
I do have a few other trap guns I play with or use with the youth club. 1964 Browning Superposed Lightning, '74 BT99, A '10 Beretta 686 Essential(think "express"), and just yesterday, a sixties 3200 Trap Special. All old, all for about what a Browning XT would cost new.
Oh, yeah. Shot polished is just what it sounds like. Thousands and thousands of charges of lead shot pushed through the bore, even tough encased most of the time in plastic. Every year I take a square of worn ScotchBrite on a worn bristle brush and run it back and forth through the bore (with Group and Shooters Choice on it) to bring a mirror shine in the bore. So smooth now that I get virtually no plastic fouling.
Yer 77 freaking years old. You don't have to talk your self in to ANYTHING. Do what ever you want.O.K. I'm 77 and my main sources of shooting fun are trap, skeet, deer hunting, small bore target and handgun short, medium and 100 yard shooting. Those who know me understand my attachment to my 1975 870TB, A gun that has helped me take home a bunch of trophies, meart, cash, and a few game animals and birds. I always go back to it. The only original parts left on it are the stock, bolt and 30" full choke barrel with its highly shot polished full choke bore. I have a couple of backup guns, A Superposed Lighting and an 870 Classic Trap. I just got started cleaning out the safe to make it easier for whoever has to clean up when I shuffle off the mortal coil. This has left my slush fund fairly healthy.
I've always wanted to shoot more skeet than just our eight week combo league and I want to shoot more trap doubles. So...I've
been thinking about either a Cynergy CX or a Citori CX. They are both set up to shoot 60/40 which is about what my 870 does. (Oh, yeah, there's A BT and a 686 Essential hiding in the safe, also).
Not really asking anything of you kind folks. Just wondering if anyone else tries to talk themselves into something superfluous like I do.