Remington 870. Help

dang 5 bucks a shell?! haha thats an expensive pull of the trigger.

Ive been looking into the choke and trying to understand it. Im probably going to go with a 26 or 28 in barrel. Im not sure if i can justify spending 75 bucks more to be able to shoot 3.5". I'm not going to be hunting turkey for a while.

 

you should be able to find an older 870 wingmaster with a standard reciever pretty cheap, like 150-200. i would just check the pawn shops and ask around.

 

walmart sells a brand new Mossberg 500 for about 207$ and then you can just buy your stock etc and customize how you want....

 

Kinda late to this post but I bought my 870 from big 5 for 320 I think.

 

how does it hold up? Ive heard big 5 quality is crap but im thinking thats just a myth, all the guns are made the same no?

 

lol there are 3 shotguns for sale in california

 

im just super impatient haha. Im doing good though, i normally buy on impulse and ive been looking for over a month now without buying

 

It's help fine. Got mud splashed on it the first week I had and cleaned it in the field and it shot just fine. Still have it and love it. And ya it's still a remington firearm

 

Yep, 3.5 shells are way over rated man. I have seen some pretty extensive pattern testing done first hand, fugedaboutit. I thought I needed a 3.5 gun a few years back. Ended up getting a Browning BPS 3.5. That was 7 years ago and I have yet to use 3.5 inch shells in the field. When steel was the only game in town I think it was more warranted, but with all the lead alternatives now that are heavier than steel and in some cases heavier than lead not so much.

 

If you buy a Remington or Mossberg from Walmart, Big 5, or Bass Pro guess what, they are the same gun built by the same company. Big 5 doesn't take it out of the box and make it a piece of shit somehow before they sell it to you.

That being said I have hunted with a 28" barreled Mossberg 500 for over 14 years in the winters and springs in Iowa. I have used it for pheasant, dove, duck, and turkeys. Never had a problem with it and I beat the crap out of it. After all that time it doesn't have any rust spots but the stock is not as nice as it once was. My long time hunting partner did most of the same hunts with me with a 870 with no problems either so I would say that you would be safe with either one.

Take your gun to the shooting range and see what patterns you get out of each choke/shot combo and find out what works for you. 3" shell with a turkey choke will take the bird down from a respectable and responsible range.

 

Awesome! thanks man!
I went to big 5 tonight to check out the 870 and the manager was a complete jerk. They had it advertised at the "870 express magnum" but when i looked at it, the gun was just the regular express. so i asked him if i bought it would i be getting the magnum that i would be paying for or just the express. And he rudely said they dont sell the magnum so i left.
I think i might just pay the extra 50 bucks and buy it at a local gun shop, the people there are super nice and respectful.

But i have my heart set on the 870.

 

I doubt the guns are different from the big box stores, but it's possible if they are buying enough to convice the maker to produce special runs that meet the big box's lower price point demands.

But anyway if you see used Expresses in great shape, try to find out how old it is. It is my understanding that the first Expresses, say from the late 80s or so were actually almost the same as the Wingmasters, just plane janed and with allow receivers. And they sold for $175 back then, so the used prices should still be pretty good.

But I don't believe that is the case anymore. They really should remove the 870 name from it from what I hear, because there is no comparison anymore quality-wise to the Wingmasters.

But I will add that the Express, Wingmaster, BPS, even the Mossberg would be fine for the uses you are planning.

 

Im thinking I'm going to buy it from big 5. Its 70 bucks cheaper for the same product and i could use that $70

 

Buy a standard 3" 870.
You can mod the hell out of them, if you feel the need.
Nobody shoots 3.5" shells, they just buy a supermag to fuel the ego.
BTW, 3.5 inch shells do not pattern differently, they just have a longer shot column.
I'd shoot 5's out to 50 yds...Turkeys aren't Kevlar armored here.

 

The gun is made by the manufacturer. It doesn't matter who you buy it from.

I ended up pricing out my 870 express at Dick's or Gander Mountain (I want to say they said $300, but it was a couple years ago) and then a local shop ended up getting it to me for less than that.

Try telling a local shop how much Big 5 will sell for; since they're small they can negotiate. And that beretta could well be a much nicer gun than anything else you're looking at, but I wouldn't buy used unless you bring somebody who knows shotguns.

Lastly, they let you hunt in California? I thought you had to keep your guns locked up at all times for fear you might actually use them for something...

 

Surprisingly... x2! I forgot to mention, the super magnums are also a BITCH on your shoulder. No thanks!

 

Forgot to mention: IMO, for most of what you'll do with a shotgun (birds, clays) the most important thing is how well it fits your shoulder.

In the store, (facing the wall, lol), swing the gun up and see how well you can track with it and point on a random light or something else on the ceiling. If you can shoulder it and move it smoothly, it'll fit well and perform better for you.

To me, my 870 happens to fit my shoulder way better than some of my dad's more expensive 12 gauges, including a very nice Beretta, and so I shoot better with it.

 

Sweet! thanks for the advise! im going to go look at it one more time tomorrow and probably buy it. I have to check and make sure the barrel they are selling with it has interchangeable chokes.
The used barretta was being sold by the guy who used it. He said he used it for one hunting season and only shot about 50 rounds through it before he got the higher version. I just love pump shotguns so much more. Just seems like there is less that can go wrong, and its more skill.