First I already know I am rotten with clays. Have not tried it for 23 years. I bought an 870 police SG for a class I am taking in a few months. In addition to slugs and 00 I need to be able to shoot at some clays. It has rifle sights. I do great with the 00 and slugs but missed 24 of 25 clays hand thrown today. It has an 18 inch barrel. Any hints that will help me out? Will a mechanical thrower be better for learning. BTW I was using 2 3/4 #8 shot. I don't know if it is too tight a pattern or just me...I am leaning toward ME. Help.
870 Police and Clay shooting Question
- Thread starter kcdreamer
- Start date
Focus on the bird, not the sights. More than likely your choke is quite open on a police model, but do pattern it to see where it is shooting..high, low, left,right. Pace off about 21 yards and set up a paper grocery sack or cardboard and POINT at the center, do not aim the sights. You'll understand once you start beaking moving clay discs.
Until I got my '55 Wingmaster, my clay gun was a 20" rifle-sighted 870. In fact, I have a gaggle of rifle-sighted 870's. They are my favorites. They all bust clays (hand thrown or with a spring-loaded tosser) just fine.
Mine all have fixed IC chokes though and yours may be CYL which would throw a pretty wide open pattern that a clay could travel through safely.
I thought that the newer police guns all came with an IC bore but who knows.
If it's CYL, you'll need to be quick to get on target.
Most likely though, you just need to pattern the gun and see where the pellets are hitting.
I do use my sights when I practice mounting as they really helped me with the mechanical memory of placing my cheek in the same place every time.
I doubt that I use them when I shoot.
Were I you, I'd pattern and adjust the rear sight until it is hitting where you wish then go from there.
Good luck. Great gun.
Mike
Mine all have fixed IC chokes though and yours may be CYL which would throw a pretty wide open pattern that a clay could travel through safely.
I thought that the newer police guns all came with an IC bore but who knows.
If it's CYL, you'll need to be quick to get on target.
Most likely though, you just need to pattern the gun and see where the pellets are hitting.
I do use my sights when I practice mounting as they really helped me with the mechanical memory of placing my cheek in the same place every time.
I doubt that I use them when I shoot.
Were I you, I'd pattern and adjust the rear sight until it is hitting where you wish then go from there.
Good luck. Great gun.
Mike
Everyone knows you need an over & under to shoot clays! What are you thinking? 
One thing to think about, Remingtons are plenty, and so are extra barrels. You can find a 28" barrel with the Rem-choke system on places like Ebay for around $100. This would let you experiment with different chokes, and give your shotty a bit more reach by tightening your pattern size.
If you want a little practice, click on the link below.
http://www.richsalter.btinternet.co.uk/
One thing to think about, Remingtons are plenty, and so are extra barrels. You can find a 28" barrel with the Rem-choke system on places like Ebay for around $100. This would let you experiment with different chokes, and give your shotty a bit more reach by tightening your pattern size.
If you want a little practice, click on the link below.
http://www.richsalter.btinternet.co.uk/
I shoot skeet with a mossberg 500 with an 18.5 inch barrel and cylinder bore. I am going to detroit tomorrow for the youth skeet shooting nationals (no, i'm not THAT good. It is the first year for this program in my area so we got invited to go) The cylinder bore choke work just fine, even on stations 3, 4, and 5 (the longest shot you take on a skeet field ~20 yards.
If they are going at an angle (not straight out) FOLLOW THROUGH! If they are going straight out, get on em' quick.
If they are going at an angle (not straight out) FOLLOW THROUGH! If they are going straight out, get on em' quick.
Thanks Guys!
It has an IC which is why I went with the police model over the straight 870. It looks like it is just me. I will hang my head and return to the range for more practice. I was actually pretty sure it was me as we collected all the unbroken clays and shot them unmoving on the ground at about the same distance they were in the air. Stationary they were an easy break
I will take all the advice and try again...Thanks.
It has an IC which is why I went with the police model over the straight 870. It looks like it is just me. I will hang my head and return to the range for more practice. I was actually pretty sure it was me as we collected all the unbroken clays and shot them unmoving on the ground at about the same distance they were in the air. Stationary they were an easy break
I will take all the advice and try again...Thanks.