Newbie, some questions

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weknowhowtolive

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Ive been looking to start shooting and or waterfowl hunting. When I was a kid I shot BB guns, pellet guns and .22's, and still do from time to time. Ive shot shotguns, rifles and handguns but not regularly and I've never owned any.

I'm thinking of getting a shotgun for Christmas... I've been looking at Remington's line of 870's and am seriously contemplating getting the 870 Express Super Mag Synthetic.

I've shot pumps before with 3" turkey rounds, so I'm not really worried about kick and recoil. Would this be a decent gun to start with for around $350 or so, or would there be something comparable for the same price that would do better in the field?

I liked that the Express Super Mag would shoot 2 3/4's, 3's and 3.5's, and has changeable chokes. And all the reviews I read said it was very durable. So...opinions?
 
Its hard to beat the Remington pump guns. They run well, last a long time, it is easy to get parts and someone to work on them. I guess my only question is whether you really need the 3.5" capability. If you do, sounds like you are on the right track.

Most folks I know do fine with a gun chambered for 3" shells.
 
Weeeelp....like I said, I'm kind of new to all this. All the specs I've said I've pulled from different sites. 3.5"s are turkey rounds, correct? There's lots of turkey hunting around here...but would i be fine using 3" rounds for turkey?

If I went the 3" way, what would I step down to in the 870? Just the Express Synthetic?
 
Most shotshells are 2 3/4" for most purposes. Then they came out with the 3" shells which work pretty good for most hunting applications. Of course, the recoil went up dramatically. The 3 1/2" shells do offer some pretty hefty payloads and velocities,, but also some pretty painful recoil. I have fired 2 rounds out of a 3 1/2" gun so far,, I don't see me shooting a 3rd round. You ever wonder how we got by with the 2 3/4" shells for so long?? The 3" is fine for turkeys. if you need a 3 1/2 ".. you are simply shooting too far away
 
I've managed to avoid shooting ANY 3.5" rounds over the last 50s years or so of shotgunning.

I fired maybe 7K of shells in the last year, maybe 10 were 3" Maggie Numbs. IIRC, all those were Hevi Shot 2s at geese.

As for the 870, it's the standard to which all other pumps are held. Two of the six here were made in the 50s. Still as reliable as a crowbar.
 
Rem. 870 is the poster child of pump shot guns. There are very good deals on combos of all selection. The combo, full camo turkey barrel / cantilever deer barrel sounds like what you need. 3 1/2" shells????? Unless your sea duckin or taking long shots at geese, 3 " for turkeys is plenty of power.

If your hung up and on 3 1/2", look into Mossberg. There 3 1/2" chambers are more reliable than anyone else.

Just my opinion.
 
Since i don't really plan on shooting anything bigger than a turkey, which 870 would be the best? Does the 870 Express Synthetic (not the deer or combo) do 3", or is it only 2 3/4"?
 
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