Poll: How should I mount a scope to my wingmaster?

[ImARugerFan]

I have an 870 wingmaster with a 21" smoothbore rifle sight deer barrel on it. I picked it up last year because it was a steal, but am considering making it my primary deer gun this year, in which case I'd like to scope it. I see five options:

- Buy a fully rifled cantilever barrel. This would be nice, but I don't really think it's in my budget right now if I want to put a decent scope on it.

- Saddle mount. Ugly, and can wear the finish off the receiver. I'd like to avoid this approach.

- Drill and tap. I think this is the best idea, but it can take value away from the gun. Do you guys see this as an issue?

- Leave it with the rifle sights. This would be nice, but I'm not exactly a good shot, and scopes tend to help me.

- Sell the gun as is for a profit and continue to hunt deer with my Mossberg 835. The reason I want to get away from this is that it is also my turkey/goose gun and I'd like to leave it dedicated to that and avoid changing barrels twice a year.

edit: I don't plan on shooting over 75 yards with it. I'm too shaky to shoot straight at that range anyway.

 

[Gordon]

I really like the Weaver side mount with the detachable sub mount and rings so you are only left with a small plate held on by screws replaceing the pins when the scope is detached with the thumbscrews. This is the happy system I have on my 1100RS.BTW you can still use the rifle sights! , and it leaves a Waever rail to attach various optic devices!

 

[Gingerbreadman]

I voted to just use irons, but maybe you should check this out: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20805&hasJS=true

 

[moooose102]

drill that puppy and get it over with. if this was a special edition / limited production gun, then you might take away from its value. but a standard gun, don't even worry about it. 1/2 the people will think it takes from the value, and the other 1/2 will say it adds. make yourself happy. you are the one who counts.

 

[Virginian]

Paint the receiver with a couple of good coats of anti rusting black enamel paint, let it dry good, and put on a saddle mount. If you are the least bit careful, it will not leave a mark when you take it off. I know, I have used those, and I also still have an old one-side mounted Weaver Aimpoint I used to use for long range wingshooting. I would not contemplate leaving a mark, and it didn't.
I think drilling and tapping a shotgun is illegal, or if it ain't it's immoral !

 

[Six O'clock Tactical]

drill and tap. like it has been said, unless its a rare version/edition, it wont take any real value from the gun. Ane really, whos going to sell an 870? theyre great!

 

[chas08]

The cantilever barrel whether rifled or smooth is the best choice (IMO) because the barrel and scope become as one. Even if the barrel is removed from the action the scope stays zeroed. I had a good friend miss a deer in Illinois a few years ago with an 870 and a saddle mount because the barrel retaining nut had loosened up a little and allowed the barrel to move around a very small amount. When we shot the gun on paper to prove our theory we found that a little loosness means a lot down range. I however used the same setup on my 870 and was sucsessful in getting my deer. If I lived where you had to use a shotgun only for deer I would go the extra expense of a cantilevered rifled barrel. (just my .02)

 

[dagger dog]

B-Square makes a saddle mount, they come in black or cammo, ,they also make a fixed power long eye relief scope pacakage deal for under a 100 bucks, the cammo's just over the c note.

 

[jdh]

Would you be interested in trading your rifle sighted smooth bore for a rifled cantilever?

 

[Der Verge]

Buy a fully cantilever. It is the ONLY viable option here. It does not alter your reciever, the POI will not change when the barrel is removed, and you can still use the gun as a bird/clay gun.

 

[redneck2]

Would you be interested in trading your rifle sighted smooth bore for a rifled cantilever?

Uhhhhh.....you just found the perfect answer.

I have a dedicated 870 that has a saddle mount and rifled barrel, and a 1.5x6 scope. Makes as close to a perfect deer gun (in slug only areas) as you can get IMO. If you don't use a scope, you probably won't fully use the capabilities of sabots. You think you'll never need something over 75 yards, then you see that 10 pointer stop 120 yards away in an open corn field.

 

[lefteye]

Best solution for scoping my wingmaster

There is only one best solution: a Remington cantilever scope mount fully rifled barrel. Over the last 30 years I've tried all of the options you suggest except the 835. I tried a saddle mount-didn't particularly like it and the machine screws holding the saddle mount could easily be over-tightened, thereby interfering with the pump action (too tight). I had a receiver drilled and tapped on another 870. Used Weaver mounts and laminated a piece of walnut on the buttstock to raise the comb enough to see through the scope without raising my head. Put a fully rifled Remington slug barrel on it. Accuracy was pretty good, but the zero would change too easily because the scope was on the receiver and the barrel was held in place by the coarsely threaded magazine cap. Finally bought an 870 SP with synthetic Monte Carlo stock (the gun identified in the first line of this post.) It will shoot better than 2 inch groups at 100 yards with the right sabot loads. I use only 2 3/4", usually Rem. Core Lokt. I've taken two nice Iowa bucks at more than 100 yards with one shot each, and quite a few at lesser ranges. It is a single purpose gun and definitely the best solution (unless one prefers an auto loader similarly set up.)

 

[Husker_Fan]

I lived in Iowa for three years and bought a hastings cantilever bull barrel with a 1-4x20 scope. It looked good on a wingmaster, but I never got around to using it. Now I can use a rifle.

It was the right choice for me at the time because I wanted to be able to switch between the deer setup and the 28in barrel for birds.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Use the money saved by not getting a new barrel or scope and buy ammo.

A couple hundred rounds from now you'll be deadly with your slug gun and with any others you may acquire.

75 yards is well within reasonable range of open sights with a modicum of practice.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

1. Don't drill and tap. Reason being, the barrel can move a bit back and forth even after fully attached, and throw off your shots. That's why you see the cantilevered mounts - they are always true to the barrel. For the same reason a saddle mount is not desirable.

2. I would simply buy a cantilevered barrel, and then sell the existing iron-sighted barrel, or just sell the gun and then shoot the 835 until you can buy the exact gun you want - the one with a rifled cantilever-mounted barrel.

 

[ImARugerFan]

Would you be interested in trading your rifle sighted smooth bore for a rifled cantilever?

PM Sent.

 

[jdh]

Reply on the way.