Remington 870 Fieldmaster Deer

[giggitygiggity]

I am looking for a shotgun with a rifled barrel for slugs. I am looking at the 870 Fieldmaster Deer.

What is the quality of current-production 870s like?

 

[JO JO]

Mine is nice , good fit and finish and seems to be good quality to me
Have not had any issues

 

[dh1633pm]

Same here. My current 870 was much better built than my 90’s version. Nicer finish as well.

 

[243winxb]

Mossberg Combo-

While looking- The slug barrel, with scope is very accurate. The cantilever mount hold zero well. The shot barrel has screw in chokes.

https://www.mossberg.com/500-combo-fielddeer-54243.html I have a 12 ga.


https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1017959284Hard to find, this time of year.

 

[Hookeye]

500/835 stocks have a thick wrist.
Some may not like that (compared to the Remington stuff).

 

[Hookeye]

Killed deer w 500/835 and 870s.
They all worked fine.
But I preferred the Remingtons.
Am right handed.

 

[d2wing]

I have a Mossberg 500 combo. It's much cheaper than an 870. I think the 870 is a little more solid and I don't like the Mossberg safety since one failed. I haven't shot it for a long time as I prefer to rifle hunt. Also I picked up an 11-87 Remington combo a few years ago and I like it better. It is more accurate and has softer recoil.

 

[243winxb]

The Mossberg rifled sabot barrels were the first ones produced.

Others followed. Remingtons rifled slug barrels had a different twist rate then others. Only the Remington ammo was accurate in their barrels, back then.

Things may have changed now? Do a search on current slug barrel twist rates.

Do buy a cantilever model.

 

[Riomouse911]

I bought a 20 GA 870 about eight months ago. The gun is a good looking, well made piece. I have several older Remingtons, including a Ducks Unlimited 20 GA 870, and Browning BPS shotguns to compare it to. The newer guns aren’t high polish blue and Du Pont shiny wood finished like the older guns were, but I have no complaints about the feel, fit or finish of this RemArms made shotgun.



Sooner or later it will be going to my son as his first shotgun.

Stay safe.

 

[vanfunk]

I bought a 20 gauge Fieldmaster combo with the 26” smoothbore and 20” rifled barrel about 6 months ago. It was about $550 and I was pleased as punch to get it; it was a birthday present for my son and he absolutely adores it. The impressed checkering is good, the satin-finished hardwood has decent figure and the matte-finished metal is very even and of high quality. It’s definitely more rust-resistant than the old express finish but I do keep it slathered in RIG to be sure. The action was a bit stiff at first but it has worn in well over the last 1000 rounds. It patterns perfectly in my opinion, with a 55/45 well centered pattern with 7.5 to 9 shot. That’s just about as good as my Benelli. It has eaten everything we’ve put through it. I can’t really imagine a better shotgun for the price. I’m really glad these are out there again, and they’re much better than the expresses of old. Hope this helps!

 

[giggitygiggity]

That’s all good to hear and see that the current 870 offerings are of good quality.

From what I gather, Remington tried to compete with the price of the Mossbergs in the recent past and sacrificed quality in that pursuit. As such, new leadership determined that they needed to discontinue the Express line and introduce the Fieldmaster line with the goal of offering a quality product that was not intended to directly compete with Mossberg pricing.

It’s good to hear that it wasn’t just talk and that the current 870s are of good quality.

 

[vanfunk]

Exactly, and if my son’s shotgun is typical, Remington has succeeded handily. Oh I forgot to mention the slug barrel. My son hasn’t tried it at anything greater than 50 yards but at that distance, with his 20/20 vision and stock sights, he can put slugs into 2” offhand.

 

[Hookeye]

The Mossberg rifled sabot barrels were the first ones produced.

Others followed. Remingtons rifled slug barrels had a different twist rate then others. Only the Remington ammo was accurate in their barrels, back then.

Things may have changed now? Do a search on current slug barrel twist rates.

Do buy a cantilever model.

FWIW I got an early run 835 Cantilver bbl. It had a rough bore and fouled badly. Also being an 835, it had a 3.5" chamber........and 2 3/4" and 3" sabots shot like crap.
After polishing the bore it did shoot OK w 3" WW fosters, but still would lead up. The Cantilever also did not converge w bore so it shot low (wasted a few Remington sabots learning that). Had to tweak that.

Lightfield came out w 3.5" slugs and the new owner of my bbl said it liked em.

My rifled 870 barrels LOVED the WW Hi Impact Supreme sabots in 2 3/4".

 

[Hookeye]

IMHO cantilever bbls suck on a field stocked gun.
Even with a high comb stock, I find some cantilvers too high.

I get economics and utility, but take my deer hunting kinda serious.
Slug guns IMHO should be dedicated pieces of equipment.

Proper fit makes things better/easier.

 

[Savage30L]

I have an early 80s-vintage 870 left hand which came with the old 20" smoothbore deer barrel with rifle sights, for shooting Foster-type slugs. It's a fine gun and I've shot a couple of deer with it, but at my age now, iron sights are a gamble.

I also have a Browning BPS pump that I bought new in 1978. Almost 30 years later I put a Hastings rifled slug barrel, with the cantilever scope mount, on it, along with a Leupold scope. I wouldn't trade that gun for anything. I've killed at least 15 deer with it...(and 7 or 8 with buckshot using the original barrel)...it's a deer-bagging machine. Maybe the last gun I'd ever get rid of.

 

[jmr40]

I bought one of the new production 870's in 20 ga just about a year ago. No complaints at all.