Pump Action Shotgun

[chemist308]

I'm looking for a pump action shotgun that I could easily find different barrels for. Ultimately I want something that I could interchange a long turkey barrel, a shorter game bird barrel and a slug barrel. I hate plastic stocks and camo painted barrels--I much prefer wood. Does Remington and Mossberg still make anything wood?

Also, for taking longer shots and holding tight patterns (turkey) am I on the right track wanting a longer barrel or would a short barrel with threaded choke work well with the right chokes?

 

[DaleCooper51]

Both Remington and Mossberg can be had with wood and barrels aren't too expensive or hard to find. Replacement barrels for Benellis tend to be scarce and expensive. I am not sure if they come in wood. The BPS is a nice gun, but I am not sure of barrel availability.

Barrel length really doesn't have much of anything to do with the patterns. That is the choke. What barrel length does is change the sighting plane and how the gun swings. It is just a matter of personal preference.

Beside Turkey, what kind of hunting and shooting are you planning on?

 

[chrome_austex]

barrel length doesnt affect choke performance (or velocity for that matter), so yes, you can run a shorter barrel with a tight choke for turkeys.

Frankly, if you're not using a long barrel for a consistent swing, you can do all-of-the-above with a good shortish choked barrel.

Either a remington or a mossberg would work. I use a Rem 870 with an 21" vent rib w/ remchokes like this one. Boring old "rifled" slugs do pretty well out of an Improved Cyl choke, and I can put in other chokes for other uses.

 

[dprice3844444]

get 1 barrel that uses interchangeable chke tubes.make sure threads are clean and lubed when changing

 

[oneounceload]

If all you want to do is use it like a rifle for turkey or deer, a short barrel is fine - if you also want to use it for clays or upland birds, then a longer barrel is your friend - (28"+)

 

[allaroundhunter]

All you need is 1 barrel. A 26" or 28" barrel that accepts chokes. Just use rifled slugs for deer.

Sent from my HTC One X

 

[MCgunner]

My answer is multiple shotguns. I NEED these choices, ya know.

 

[One_Jackal]

The combo's made by both Remington and Mossberg are great all around choices. The 28' vent rib with screw in chokes and a 20" rifled slug barrel will serve you well for many years.

 

[MCgunner]

Recent pawn shop find, a 170 dollar GREAT condition Mossberg 535. I couldn't resist. Someone cut the stock by an inch, but fits fine with a slip on limb saver. It has a 28" vent barrel and the 3.5" chamber. My camo 500 duck gun only handles 3". 3.5 is an option for geese, though I have a 10 gauge for that. But, the gun is fantastic for 170 bucks and I just couldn't find the logic to pass on it.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Both Mossberg and Remington can provide what you're looking for.

Traditional turkey barrels run to the short end of the spectrum - 21" to 24" or so. The shorter barrels will pattern just as well (with properly matched choke tubes and loads) and shoot just as hard as the longer barrels.

Try one of these, and see if you really think you need any other barrels after you shoot it a bit. You will want some other choke tubes however...

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-turkey.aspx

 

[PonyKiller]

i bought a mossberg 500 last year and have been very pleased with it. was a combo from dick's sporting goods. came with a 28" shot barrel with a selection of chokes, and a 24" rifled barrel for slugs, with a cantilever mount for a scope. Mine even came with a compact scope with the set. it's not top of the line, but it's held it's zero. i even like the wood.

my friend liked it so much he bought one for duck hunting, all black and coated, four pulls of the trigger three geese and a duck down.

 

[One_Jackal]

Chemist308, the length of your birdshot barrel is really a personal choice. I prefer long barrels for the sight plane. Others are happy with the short barrels. If you have shot a lot of skeet or were raised shooting a long barrel you won't be happy with a short barrel for turkey. The screw in chokes make all barrels equal.

People say the turkey chokes provide a tighter pattern but that is not true. They string the load of birdshot much like an over bored trap barrel. The turkey chokes also deform a lot of shot. You might find that in the end you just want a plain ole full choke.

I mentioned a combo in my earlier post. Almost all the combos have a 28" barrel with a full set of screw in chokes. The slug barrels are 20" rifled. I own a mossberg combo. It has served me well for almost 18 years. Davidsons has them for $340 delivered to your local shop - that price is totaled with 7.5% sales tax.