870 18-20 inch Barrel in 12 gauge Express 2 3/4 and 3 inch...vent rib?

S

stonewall50

New member
I am looking desperately hard to find a shorter barrel in this length range for my 870. I cannot seem to find one that has a vent rib. I know it seems unnecessary to some, but I have grown accustomed to using them. Why change what works? My normal length is 28 inches, but it is a hair too long for being an indoor gun and I am looking for a way to reduce that. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look?

I couldn't seem to find what I wanted on the Remington website.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Cut off the barrel you have. Either you do it or have a gunsmith do it; preferably the latter. Should be cheaper than buying a new barrel, even if
you can find one.
 
Ya, what he said. The turkey gun will be your best bet, or find a good used barrel and have it cut. There are not alot of vent rib short barrels.
 
Cutting a barrel is fine for the length. But by the time you pay to have it threaded to accept choke tubes it is not an economical move. If someone wants to use it for HD that is a good option. I've done several for myself and others. It is a 10 minute job and works fine if you don't want any choke.

You can't get exactly 20" though. If you cut right at the vent rib post you can cut at 23", 21", or 19". I chose to cut mine at 21". I figured that was close enough and if I messed up I had one more try at 19" and could keep it legal.
 
common but........

You see the barrels lopped off shotguns all the time, in the pawn shops, propped up in the corner of somebody's shop or house. It's done.

My thought is why give a civil lawyer, or a criminal prosecuter another legal toehold in the legal fallout following your shooting? The stigma attached to using a "sawed off shotgun" in a shoot is not worth it. Buy a barrel, either dedicated to a home defense gun, or a slug/turkey barrel which comes from the factory. You did not modify it from its original form, for it to become a "murderous device" and thus demonstrate any type of intent which can be twisted against you in the courtroom.

Better to have to testify you used your home security shotgun, or your deer slug gun, than to have the fact that you employed your "sawed off" against the opposition.
 
"...Cutting a barrel is fine for the length. But..." Lotta ribs are not metal and some are not connected to the barrel over the whole length.
When you cut a ribbed barrel, you need to do so where there is one of the wee connector post. Really best to have it done by a smithy who knows how. Primarily because he'll hopefully do it on a lathe(or should) vs using a hack saw that will not cut even remotely square and doing that with a file is a nuisance.
Absolute best is a rifle sighted, slug, barrel and forget a ribbed, bead sighted, barrel altogether.
 
Stonewall since you are looking for an "indoor" gun I respectfully suggest you reconsider the vent rib. A vent rib helps dissipate heat and (possibly heat mirage), and provides a visible line for sighting (although it is not used for sighting like iron sights on a rifle or shotgun.) Neither of these factors are relevant to an indoor home defense shotgun. It is extremely unlikely that an indoor shotgun would be fired so many times that heat mirage would occur. It is also unlikely that there would be enough time to use the rib as a sight during an in the home self defense incident. Remington make several short barrels that would serve you well. I have several 870 shotguns for hunting waterfowl, upland game and deer. I also have the Home Defense model simply because I could afford it.
 
I "second" Left eye, I don't see the utility of a vent-rib in an "indoor" situation. Despite the fact that you are used to it, please give some serious consideration to a short, conventional barrel......with an oversized front bead.

Two very different applications, which require different approaches, and equipment.
 
There's nothing wrong with a short barrel vent rib for self defense. I use a Mossberg 500 for my HD shotgun. I picked up an OEM 20" vent rib barrel with accu-choke, and it makes a pretty slick set up.
I sometimes visit the shotgunworld forum, and I've seen a few home defense guns there made with shortened vent rib sporting guns.
Vent ribs also give one the ability to easily attach fixed sights if desired.
 
Of course there is nothing wrong with a short barrel with a vent rib for self-defense, however a vent rib is useless on a short barrel for self-defense and Remington does not make a short barrel with a vent rib.
 
If you want a short barrel with a vent rib just buy a used barrel and cut it or have it cut. I don't know about you, but I want what I want for MY money, period.
 
If you are looking down the rib, you are not looking at your intended target - that is a formula for a miss - in a HD scenario, that could be dangerous. FOCUS on your target, regardless of barrel length, and learn to point your gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top