Scoping (or red dot) 2-3/4" 870 Wingmaster

[bandur60]

Longtime rifle hunter, never used a shotgun. I have an older (70s? 60s?) Wingmaster and thinking of setting it up with rifled/cantilever mount barrel. But everything I see is 3" or 3-1/2" chamber, will that work with the 2-3/4" receiver? My limited shotgun knowledge tells me no. I have Leupold or Ultradot to use with it. Looking at deer hunting opportunities closer to home.... Please treat me gently, first post in shotgun.

 

[eastbank]

here we can use rifle or shotgun for big game,but I prefer to use a rifle. i have used a saddle mount on remington shotguns with no problems. I do use a shotgun for turkey hunting, a TC encore with a 2.5x compact leupold and for me it makes those early shots-shots in heavy cover makable. giving me a clear aiming point on the neck-head. it has made the difference even on 25-30 yards for me.

 

[ShootAgain]

bandur60, you may use a rifled barrel marked 3" or 3-1/2" on the Remington 870 Wingmaster 2-3/4" receiver. But understand that you'll need to use shells which are 2-3/4" length only. If the Barrel is Rifled you'll need to use Sabot Slugs, such as this. Or else you can use a Smooth Bore Barrel and a Rifled Slug for Smooth Bore Barrels, such as this. Happy hunting!

 

[Scooter22]

Yes you can put the 3" barrel on your standard receiver but you can only use the 2 3/4" shells.

 

[bandur60]

Thanks all for the replies, I thought this might be comparable to trying to fire a 357 in a 38 special, now see that it would be more like a 38 in a 357. So good to go with a 3" BARREL.... TA

 

[22250Rem]

Don't feel handicapped if you are limited to 2& 3/4" shells...... The specific use wasn't mentioned but if we're talking slugs I run 2&3/4" sabot slugs exclusively in my rifled 12 ga. 870 even though I could use 3"..... Because the 2& 3/4" ones are a bit more accurate and I am convinced that whitetail deer can't tell the difference between the two so I use what's most accurate, ( don't even know if 2& 3/4" Winchester/ BRI sabots are still available because I bought about 300 a couple years ago so I'm good to go for many years yet). Thumbs up on the 2.5x Leupold compact that eastbank mentioned. I routinely zero at 100 yards and it's more than adequate plus still has a wide field of view for up close stuff.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Until this weekend I’ve only shot pump shotguns.
I loved the semi I got to use.

As others have said, pumps are mechanically more reliable and less expensive. But a semi will typically give you less felt recoil.

 

[jmr40]

Others have correctly addressed the barrel issue. I'm not a fan of dot sights, but a low powered scope could be an asset. A fixed power 2X, 2.5X or 3X would be the least expensive and lightest. I'm a big fan of 1-4X20's for that sort of thing. Not because I can go up to 4X, but because I can use it on 1X which is no magnification at all. They are very fast, faster than dots or irons, up close and are a huge asset in poor light.

But there isn't a good way to mount optics on an 870. They are my preferred pump shotgun, but if I had to have optics I'd look around for something else drilled and tapped for mounts. Mossberg 500 comes to mind. You could buy one of those for about the same cost as just buying another barrel for what you have. Or just use the 870 with iron sights. I'm good for 4" groups with mine at 100 yards with the factory irons. I won't be shooting slugs any farther.

 

[kscharlie]

I put together this Wingmaster back in '95 for hunting deer in Illinois. Hastings cantilever barrel, Speedfeed composite stock/forend, Leupold 2-7 shotgun scope (it stays on 2x). It has taken many deer since then. It is most accurate with the aforementioned Winchester BRI sabot slugs or Lightfield Hybrid sabot slugs. I have tried many others, none as good as these.

I realize that Murphy is alive and well, and a scope can come unglued. It has happened to me. But the one thing about a scope that will not fail is a battery. And if it fails, it will do so at the worst possible time.

 

[illinoisburt]

Many years of Illinios shotgun season taught me and my friends some basic lessons about setting up a slug gun. First and foremost any pump or auto with easily replaced barrels is absolutely guaranteed to shift around when handling and firing so do not attach a sight to the receiver. Always mount to the barrel. Cantilevers are the best option for scopes. Its not really required to go with a rifled barrel. Yes they are more accurate than smooth bores, but we are not talking tack driver centerfire performance. Under 5 inches at 100 yards is probably a realistic expectation, if you get better thats fantastic but certainly not guaranteed. Surprisingly your existing smooth barrel may be more efficient than you think. Most foster style slugs will make fist sized groups at 50 yards with an ic choke (yes that means pie plates at 100). Your only challenge the lack of decent irons, especially the rear sight. Front beads tend to be large and shotgun stocks are not designed for consistent aimed firing so changes in cheek weld are easy to happen. Williams firesights mounted to a rib are really good choice for using an existing barrel. As others noted the chamber length of the barrel will not effect the ability to mount it on your receiver. A 3 inch chambered barrel will work just fine with the 2-3/4 shells your receiver is designed to feed and eject. Personally I would stick with a low power fixed scope over the red dot for hunting, mostly because too many sub freezing days and dead batteries in other electronics would tell me to shy away. However you decide to go, give yourself plenty of eye relief and use a solid mount with loctite! Your wingmaster will be light and make plenty of recoil with slugs to move things around. Grab a few boxes and have fun sighting in. Keep practice shooting until it feels natural. Welcome to the big lead leagues!