a couple general shotgun questions

[BAB]

Hi all.

I'm a soon-to-be shotgunner (thinking about purchasing a Rem. 870 Express in the next month or two), and would like to ask a couple of basic questions.

I've never quite been able to shed my slight confusion over the use of smoothbore vs. rifled barrels. Correct me if I'm wrong, but generally isn't pellet-type ammunition used in smoothbores, and slugs in rifled barrels? If so, what happens when one switches them, using buckshot in a rifled barrel (is this hard on the barrel?) and/or slugs in a smoothbore? Also, what is the purpose of rifled slugs and in which type of bore are these used?

Thanks very much for your replies, and please forgive my ignorance. I'm really looking forward to my first shotgun.

Edit: Sorry...one more question. In thumbing through the Remington catalog, I failed to see whether the basic 870 Express handles both 2.75 and 3 inch shells or just 2.75 inch. Can someone fill me in?

Thanks.

[This message has been edited by BAB (edited September 18, 2000).]

 

[old hawk]

i have a black matte 870 express mag with a smooth bored 26" barrel that shoots the 3" mag and 2 3\4" shells,now dont take this wrong, the black mattes a great 12 ga. i just like mine smooth and didnt wanna shoot no 500 rounds or so to get it smooth as i like either, mine needed some cleaning up of the balck matte stuff out the inner reciever and chamber lapping tho, with the help of various grades of emery paper on a dowel and some lapping compounds it came out nice,also some work on the pump rails to get them to feel smooth without binding,ie: cleaning flash off the corners of the pump rails and on the guides.its now smoother than my older 870.the other one trick is take the bolt out and clean the matte crap out of the guide for the ejector then polish it so it doesnt wear out the ejector faster due to the compounds grittyness and make it smoother feeling.now for the next one,get the 4 inch rifled choke tube for the barrel.after shooting tite 3 inch groups at the range against some freinds fully rifled barrels we found no difference really at 100 yards between the 3 tested against my 870 with the rifled choke tube in 4" when compared.infact all groups from all were 3" or less and all 4 were scope mounted .the best slugs are the wasp sabot style,brennekes or the sauvestre's which look like a ww2 areial bomb, i use them on deer hunting and bad guys,they usually drop on the spot with a well placed hit.with buckshot same deal out to 50 yards or so with a full choke tube or 40 yards with a modified choke tube should get you a 3 foot pattern on paper but when tree stand hunting ill make a 20-30 yard shot the norm just for the sake of a denser pattern hit on them,or just use a slug,in a self defense situation buckshot is a great little alley sweeper and we all know a shotgun can keep more lead balls in the air covering a wider hit area than any semi auto assualt gun anyhow.my feeling on this is get the smoothbore and then buy a handfull of choke tubes one being the 4 inch rifled one.check out brownells or the cabelas poeple online for good choke tubes and deals,once saw a dealer try to snooker me into paying 75 bucks for a tube i could get for 34$,so be careful who you choose to deal with after taking a good look out theyre,just cause they tend to be buddy buddy dont mean that they will always give ya a break,my 870-express mag was 244$ at wally world,my dealers 354$,
i got the scope (a simmons 3x9 variable,b sqaure see thru scope mount and a choke tube for around 100$ or so, look carefully when getting the extras for a decent deal, if i got it at my dealer (im your buddy,ya aint mad cus my gunny screwed up your 19111 are ya?)it wouldve ran me a touch over 500$........



[This message has been edited by old hawk (edited September 18, 2000).]

 

[Dave McC]

First,BAB, all newer 870s are chambered in 3 inch, which means they'll take 2 3/4" shells also.

Shot in rifled bores has terrible patterns. It won't hurt the bbl tho.Slugs can be fired in either rifled or smooth bores. While there's no absolutes here, as a loose rule sabot loads do best in rifled bbls and either Brennekes or the older Forster type slugs do best in smoothbores and with rifled tubes.
Slugs are used most in deer hunting, especially in areas where human populations are dense enough that the greater range of rifles cartridges are a safety hazard. In Eastern deer hunting, shots are usually short enough that slugs work well. Effect on a deer is oft awe inspiring.
Slugs also have some limited tactical usage. Not in HD, but in civil unrest,etc,

If you are brand new to shotgunning,or even just newer than most, I highly recommend some lessons from a qualified instructor. As an instructor, I know it's lots easier to learn RIGHT the first time, and not build bad habits or a flinch.

And there's plenty of old threads about these matters, a little research will give you input that may help you greatly.

And, feel free to ask questions....