Remington 870 express 7 shot barrel swap question

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DerrickLee

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So Ive been looking at buying the remington 870 express synthetic 7 shot pump action in 12 ga. I love the gun the way it is. My problem is that the stock barrel only comes with a bead sight(not ideal for hunting? and also I would like to have a rifled barrel for shooting slugs. I have been looking at the 20 inch deer barrel that they have but I dont know if it will fit with the stock 6 round magazine does anybody have any experience with this?
 
A 20" barrel would of course be 1.5" longer than the mag tube and would be good to go. Does this deer barrel you're looking at have a rifled bore with rifle sights or is a smoothbore with rifle sights? What are you looking to use it for mainly?
 
It will fit, but what method does the deer barrel use to secure the barrel? The 7 shot express has a ball detent system while other models use the plastic spring retainer inside the magazine tube. If the deer barrel has no ball detent you will need to pick up the plastic retainer and appropriate magazine cap.
 
Rifle sights are really nice to have for slug shooting at a distance but you don't really need a rifled bore unless you want to shoot $abot $lugs or to wring a bit that last bit of accuracy out of Foster and Brenneke type slugs.

I usually run an 18.5" IC choked smoothbore bbl with rifle sights on my 870 and its more than accurate enough to any distance you'd want to use regular slugs at anyway.
 
DerrickLee said:
I guess Im kind of new to shotguns can I run rifled slugs without a choke? what is the benefit of running a choke when using slugs?
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If by "no choke" you mean cylinder bore, that's fine. Slugs are usually their most accurate with a little bit of choke, like an IC, although you sometimes see them do well out of a tighter choke like a Modified. Too much choke will deform the slug and lead to poor accuracy. A rifled bore will be the most accurate with any kind of slug but will throw incredibly poor patterns with shot.
 
Nonus said:
She will fit will just be a little longer.

Don't like the sights then upgrade them.
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+1 on upgrading the sights. If you want a rifled barrel, then by all means get one. Don't feel that you have to get a rifled barrel just to pick up sights suitable for slugs.

You can pick up good sights (XS sights or Trijicon or a pile of other manufacturers) for under $100. A quick visit to the gunsmith, and you're all set.
 
Well it looks like I will have to get a new barrel anyways if I would like to shoot slugs accurately as the stock barrel comes with a fixed cylinder choke anyways and I dont know how accurate they will be with that type of choke
 
While I recommend upgrading till your hearts content, keep in mind that a bead sighted 870 is a naturally bad-ass hunter. Birds, clays, deer, Algonquin park Mosquitos. It's all good with just a bead. Upgrades not necessary.
 
I just ran into a barrel issue with the same gun.

Since the 7 shot version has those dimples removed and uses the barrel ball detent as a method to secure the locking nut a barrel without a ball detent cannot be fully secured. I just got a barrel that has none on it, however I read that if you put an o-ring over the mag tube it will allow it to stay on instead of rattle loose. I have not tried it yet.
 
Nonus said:
I just ran into a barrel issue with the same gun.

Since the 7 shot version has those dimples removed and uses the barrel ball detent as a method to secure the locking nut a barrel without a ball detent cannot be fully secured. I just got a barrel that has none on it, however I read that if you put an o-ring over the mag tube it will allow it to stay on instead of rattle loose. I have not tried it yet.
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You can easily have a ball detent insalled on a replacement barrel. I just had one done for my 870 barrel by Casey @ tacord.
 
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