Your Advice: New Orleans Shotgun

[Moon]

I got back into town yesterday (with two deputies that were packing major heat) to get my business records. I also grabbed my long guns, which I had abandoned in lieu of a speedy evacuation. It now appears that they will be letting us back in in the next week or so. Things have definitely settled down, but only to the point where the guys with the M-16s are no longer being openly shot at.

Now, to the point of the post. I grabbed two long arms that are suitable for open carry/"don't screw with me I shoot looters" use. One is a beat up old Mossberg I've been using since 8th grade. In addition to the hunting barrel, I have an 18" bead sight tube for it (which I have practiced with, but not very recently). The other shotgun is an 870 Supermag, with a standard 26" barrel. I would like to set one or the other up with some sights to use in case of any civil disorder during the "re-vacuation," or whatever our return may be termed as.

So my question is should I:

(1) Take the Mossberg to the gunsmith and have some ghost rings put on it, or;

(2) Just buy a smooth bore short barrel with rifle sights for the 870?

Money is not an issue; practical accuracy with slugs and buckshot at outdoor ranges is. I feel comfortable using either gun.

I expect to have to have to carry this gun around (certainly in my vehicle, and sometimes on my person) for a few weeks to a month until things really, really cool down. I have only a limited amount of time in which I can experiment with loads or sighting in (one range trip to my camp at the most). I thank you in advance for your thoughts and comments.

 

[wizard of oz]

I can't imagine how you must be feeling now but I wish you the very best in the times ahead. Darwin in NT Australia, was destroyed by a cyclone in 1974 but is now a flourishing city so I have no doubt that New Orleans will be rebuilt better than before in time. It is such a famous city - one place of many on my list to visit before I die.

I don't think I could offer you any advice on your shotguns except to say that I find hitting targets at self-defense ranges using a shotgun with a bead sight is easier than with a handgun and more devastating. If time is of the essence then, if it were me, I would just take the mossberg as is - which gives you the time to set up the 870 properly. Surely any shotgun (and more so combined with a handgun) is very formidable.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Your magic words are "at outdoor ranges." I like sights for that too, beads are fine on 'house guns' but if the gun goes outside I want to be able to aim it.

Find a smoothbore short barrel with rifle sights in place for the 870. Fitting ghostrings on either gun means you have to remove the rear sight every time you put on the longer barrel for wildfowling, clay games etc, AND replace it when you go back to the short barrel. With the rifle sights on the barrel, everything comes off when you swap barrels. Won't likely cost any more than GRs plus installation and you net an extra barrel for the 870.

New ones come from the factory with fixed IC chokes, they give pretty decent buckshot patterns and most seem to work well with rifled slugs (I like Brenneke KO's, the 2 3/4 inch one-ounce ones). Zero with slugs and then check where the same sight picture puts buckshot patterns, chances are it will be close bit if you have to 'hold off' you want it to be with buck, not single projectiles. Pick one load each of slugs and buckshot that works in the gun and get a bunch of them.

Be sure you shoot that long-pumping 3 1/2" sucker enough to get used to it, if you aren't already. Easy to short stroke one of those.

Best of luck to you on your return home, stay safe-

lpl/nc

 

[Dave McCracken]

I'll second Lee's recommendation. A 20" RS barrel is a thing of great utility for the purpose at hand.

Do practice with whatever you go with.

And good luck....

 

[461]

Just .02 from the peanut gallery, but I've been looking for a short barrel with no rib for a Remington Supermag for quite a while with no luck at all. I'd sure like to hear if anyone knows where to find one.

Good luck down there Moon.

 

[Jim Watson]

I'd take the one that weighed less. People are outfitting themselves like they were husky young infantrymen. I'm neither young nor husky and a heavy gun is at risk of getting left behind.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The factory- offered Super Mag combo has a 20" RS rifled barrel with a 3" chamber. See it at http://www.remington.com/firearms/shotguns/870smcmb.htm . I'd check with Remington at 1-800-243-9700 to see if a smoothbore barrel with a 3" chamber would fit as well. Of course that means no 3.5" shells but they aren't needed for defense anyway.

lpl/nc

 

[foghornl]

Hmmmm

I suggest that you use the Mossberg with the short barrel that you already have untill you can get your Remmy set up the way you want. May take a few days to a few weeks to find, buy and install the barrel for your 870.

In simplest terms:

"Run whatcha brung"

I have a Mossy (actually, a Maverick 88) that came with a 28" modified beaded barrel, and I added the 18-1/2" beaded cylinder-bore barrel later.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

put the GR sights on the mossberg.

 

[Tom C.]

I set up a dedicated gun for slugs. Ghost ring sights with a 25" barrel. I also have an extended mag I can put on if I want it. It is a Remington Model 11, set up for IPSC 3 gun matches, but it is along the lines of what you are considering. I find I like the ghost ring much better than the open sights that come with the Remington barrels, so that is why I set up a dedicated gun for slugs with sights. It shoots very well too. I have also used it for sporting clays. It works for that as well. It has removable choke tubes. IC for slugs, Mod for buckshot.

 

[Carnitas]

I think I'd just go buy a new riot SG set up how you want it with a marine finish.