Rem 870 Barrel Question

F

FPrice

New member
My dealer just gave me a free 18.5" rifle-sighted barrel for my 870. (I'm a VERY good customer!). It is marked for 2 3/4" shells.

The barrel I got with my SG was marked for 2 3/4" and 3" shells if it is a magnum receiver (it is).

Question: Can I use the new barrel with 3" shells or just 2 3/4" shells?

Thanks.
 
Hello FPrice,

Just 2 3/4", there is not enough space for the folds of a 3" hull to open out thus increasing the pressure to potentially dangerous levels.

Regards,

UK2TX
 
As the folks above posted, only 2 3/4".
I am curious about that barrel though. Is it a factory Remington or something else? I have never seen nor heard of an 18.5" with rifle sights. I have more than a few rifle sighted Remington barrels and they are all 20"ers. I have seen many many barrels for sale online with rifle sights and they have all been 20"ers.
An 18.5" would be odd, especially if it is cylinder bore.
Just wondering.
Mike
 
Hello 9mmMike,

Mossberg make 18.5" barrels for the Remington 870, however I don't think they make them with rifle sights.

Regards,

UK2TX
 
Thanks!

Thanks for the info! I will insure that I restrict the use of this barrel to 2 3/4" shells.

9mmMike,

I think that the sights may have been added on later. It is a Remington barrel (unless it's counterfeit, which I doubt).
 
Beats me. I have, what I thought to be, a Rem-issued 18/18.5" iron-sighted IC fixed 2-3/4" barrel. A gift back in '77 or so. Rem stamps all over it ...

Sucker shoots the old BRI sabots & PMC Brenneke slugs to beat the band.

I'd wring it out with a coupla "non-rifle barrel"-type slugs & wonder why you never had one before - rejoice that you now do. ;)
 
Just by way of explanation...

Whether the receiver is marked for 2 3/4 shells or 3" shells, the BARREL actually has the chamber in it. So what matters is whether the barrel has a chamber cut for 3" shells.

Your new one does not, apparently.

That's OK. You don't want to shoot 3" slugs, anyway. They hurt.
 
Dave R...

Thanks for the info. If you can't tell, shotgun is my weakest firearm. While I have had pistol and rifle training I have never had any training, formal or informal, in this class of firearm. I am learning as I go.

For the record, 2 3/4" slugs hurt me. I'll pass on anything bigger unless I am being chased by very dangerous game.
 
Sorry, didn't see this till now....

Work up to slugs,use light shot loads to accustom yourself to the feel of the shotgun. Use a good wearable pad like the PAST one if you need to.

If your stock fits fairly well, your form is OK and your load not one of the barnburners, you'll be firing off slugs and loving them PDQ.

And, as much as I advocate benchtesting slugs for accuracy, fire your first slugs offhand. Sitting at the bench exacerbates the kick.

There's old threads about mounting techniques, slug shooting,etc. The Archives are a treasury of info...
 
Dave McC

Thanks for the advice. Having seen many of your posts here in the past I was hoping that you would answer. I will be practising as you suggest.
 
You're very welcome. A suggestion....

Fire your weapon as often as possible, but do not run up a high shell count each time. IOW, running a box 4X a week beats doing 100 on Saturday morn.

Later, kick it up to 50 rounds instead of 25.

On days you do not shoot, practice mounting an EMPTY shotgun. I do this in a room w/o any ammo. Mount a few times, leave it alone, come back later and repeat.

Give me a bit of time, maybe I should start a thread to ease the way a bit for novices...
 
Mannlicher...

"My understanding is that a gunsmith can open the chamber to 3 inch specs. Probably pretty inexpensive to have that done
"

You are probably right, but since I already have a barrel which will accept 3" shells and since I really don't shoot 3" shells, it's probably not a worthwhile mod.

But, it is an interesting idea.
 
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