What about 870 Barrels?

Z

ZeroJunk

New member
I have a 870 Wingmaster with a 2 3/4 chamber made before they started putting recoil pads on everything. I know some of the 3 inch barrels will work as long as you use 2 3/4 shells. But, will they all interchange? Seems like some are marked LW or such. And, does the long chamber mess up the pattern since the forcing cone is further out if using 2 3/4 shells?
 
Most 870 barrels are interchangeable. The exceptions are the ones made for the Special Field and MCS models which have a shorter mag tube.
 
I may be wrong here nut what I have always been told is that a 3 in shell may feed and fire just fine but you may have a problem with extraction and ejection on an 870 not set up for 3 in shells. There may not be enough room to pull it out and toss it.
 
Drail is incorrect! DO NOT FIRE A 3 INCH IN A SHORTER CHAMBER!!!

The pressure will be too high as the shell will open into the bore too far and the wad and load will be too restricted as such.
Brent
 
I just want to shoot 2 3/4 shells with a fixed IC or interchangeable choke barrel. No interest in 3 inch, just don't want to buy a barrel that doesn't fit my 2 3/4 receiver.

I understand the part about not shooting 3 inch in 2 3/4 chamber amd having ejection problems with a 3 inch shell with 3 inch chamber in a 2 3/4 receiver.
 
ZJ, Dave McC may have that info as will a few others that have monkied with the 870's a bunch... Stay tuned;) Wish I could help but I am a Mushburg fella:D
Brent
 
Thread veer... Zero don't want to run 3's thru his gun but any modern readily available barrel is going to be a 2.75/3 inch and he just wants to be sure it will fit and function properly... I doubt an opened 3 will readily eject from a 2 3/4 inch gun's port... just too short.

As for safety, it is NEVER advisable to fire any round not intended and that goes for barrel and receiver/action. The Firing Line doesn't allow members to suggest that it is okay or safe etc. to do so...
Brent
 
The 3" shells will chamber just fine in a 2 3/4" chamber. They may in fact fire, but don't do it. The length marked on the box is for the length of the shell after firing and the crimp has opened. If you load a 3" shell in a 2 3/4" chamber it will fit. But when fired the extra length of the crimp has no place to go but into the barrel ahead of the chamber resulting in much higher pressures.
 
For instance. There is a 26 inch 3 inch "light contour" on Gunbroker right now. Will a "light contour" work on a 1970'ish 2 3/4 870?
 
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I have two newish(Post 2000) LC barrels that go on divers 870s here. One was made in 1955 and is a 2 3/4" only gun, the other handles 3" and is so marked.

Both do well with 2 3/4" loads of all kinds. Both are 3" chambers.

Total shells through them has to be over 5K, maybe 10K. Zero probs.

A 3" marked LC barrel will go on the older,2 3/4" receivers, but only 2 3/4" shells should be used.

HTH....
 
If your shotgun was built for the light contour barrel and you put a thicker standard barrel on it you might have problems with the foreend rubbing on the barrel. Going from a standard barrel down to the thinner light contour will be no problem. This is probably more of an issue on the 11-87 than the 870 since the 870's have more clearance on the foreend anyway.
 
Just to clear up a few things all 870 (express/wingmaster) will fit all 870's with the exception of the Special Field models as noted in the first reply to this post. Of course within the same gauge. Wingmasters have a detent ball in the barrel lug where the Express use a grooved end plug to retain the magazine tube nut.

As per Remington there is no difference in the receiver between a Magnum(3") and a non Magnum (2-3/4"). There is however a difference in the ejector. It is located further back in the cycle range on a 3".

We all know the difference in 2-3/4 and 3 inch barrels.
 
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