A shotgun for waterfowl, deer, and bear hunting

bigrevolver

bigrevolver

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Hi Folks,

I am looking for shotgun for waterfowl, deer, and bear hunting and plan to get one "basic" shotgun for waterfowl first and buy more chokes and even barrels later. Are those 2 good choices? What's the difference between 3" 28" and 3" 26"?

http://www.reliablegun.com/en/remington-870-express-synthetic-pump-action-shotgun-12ga-3-28-matte-black-synthetic-4rds-mod-rem-choke

http://www.reliablegun.com/en/remington-870-express-synthetic-pump-action-shotgun-12ga-3-26-matte-black-synthetic-4rds-mod-rem-choke

Thanks
 
Without clicking the links, it looks like they both accept 3" shells and one has a 26" barrell and the other has a 28". The longer one might give you a little more range before your group spreads out much. I'm sure either of them will suite your needs.
 
The 870 has tons of aftermarket parts available, so if you wanted to get barrels and such at a later date it would be a good choice. Also check out a Mossberg 500, also tons of aftermarket support, slightly different setup (you may like it more or less than a 870) and generally slightly cheaper than a 870.
 
bigrevolver said:
Hi Folks,

I am looking for shotgun for waterfowl, deer, and bear hunting and plan to get one "basic" shotgun for waterfowl first and buy more chokes and even barrels later. Are those 2 good choices? What's the difference between 3" 28" and 3" 26"?

http://www.reliablegun.com/en/remin...3-28-matte-black-synthetic-4rds-mod-rem-choke

http://www.reliablegun.com/en/remin...3-26-matte-black-synthetic-4rds-mod-rem-choke

Thanks
Click to expand...

FLYBYU44 said:
The 870 has tons of aftermarket parts available, so if you wanted to get barrels and such at a later date it would be a good choice. Also check out a Mossberg 500, also tons of aftermarket support, slightly different setup (you may like it more or less than a 870) and generally slightly cheaper than a 870.
Click to expand...

I have the Mossberg 500 myself, which will do everything the 870 will do. If you are set on the 870 as i know many people who wouldn't dream of owning anything other than a remington, read some reviews about the 870 express and make your decision as i have heard of people having problems with the lower end express models, but that if you go up a bit in quality to the wingmaster most of the issues with the express models dissapear. That's not to say there aren't hundreds of people who have never had a problem with their express shotguns, just something to keep in mind.
 
I have a Rem. 1100 semi-auto. The full choke vent rib smooth bore barrel is my duck and goose choice. I bought a fully rifled Hastings barrel for it for shooting sabot slugs for deer. There is a problem switching from one barrel to the other. With the slug barrel I use a B-Square scope mount. It attaches to the receiver with two bolts that replace the two pins through the receiver.

If the bolts are too loose the mount moves as does the group size. If the bolts are too tight the receiver is pinched and the action does not cycle. So I put some epoxy between the receiver and mount and tighten and then back off the bolts a bit when the glue is set.

It will shoot 2 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards when set up for the slugs but it is a bit of a process to switch barrels.
 
Thanks for all the comments. it is my first time to hear that Rem Exp low end may have issues - thanks for the reminder and will check with the sales person.

The only thing I'm concerning now is Duffy's comments on switching barrel - is that same problem for a pump action 870? or just for semi-auto action only?

FLYBYU44 and dand883 - For Mossberg 500 or 500+, I did take that into considerations even before Rem - however, I checked some online video and it seems Mossberg has more moving parts and more difficult to di/re-assemble and clean up, and Rem is easy to clean and works well with minimum maintenance - is that correct?
 
bought an 870 (28" express magnum) first for the same purposes, never had any issues. Then i realized what i really wanted was a semi. bought the benelli m2 and i will never look back! buy once, cry once!
 
bigrevolver said:
Thanks for all the comments. it is my first time to hear that Rem Exp low end may have issues - thanks for the reminder and will check with the sales person.

The only thing I'm concerning now is Duffy's comments on switching barrel - is that same problem for a pump action 870? or just for semi-auto action only?

FLYBYU44 and dand883 - For Mossberg 500 or 500+, I did take that into considerations even before Rem - however, I checked some online video and it seems Mossberg has more moving parts and more difficult to di/re-assemble and clean up, and Rem is easy to clean and works well with minimum maintenance - is that correct?
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Realistically i only take my pump shotgun apart if i am out on a real wet day, if i drop it in the mud, or maybe every year or two just for the hell of it, so it's not much of a factor for me, and just about any pump gun regardless of the brand will outlast any of us as long as it's not abused. I have never taken down an 870, so i can't comment which is easier.

Switching the barrels on ay pump is pretty straight forward though, unscrew the retaining nut on the end of the mag, open the action, pull off the barrel.
 
dand883 said:
Realistically i only take my pump shotgun apart if i am out on a real wet day, if i drop it in the mud, or maybe every year or two just for the hell of it, so it's not much of a factor for me, and just about any pump gun regardless of the brand will outlast any of us as long as it's not abused. I have never taken down an 870, so i can't comment which is easier.

Switching the barrels on ay pump is pretty straight forward though, unscrew the retaining nut on the end of the mag, open the action, pull off the barrel.
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thanks dand883 - sounds like I will get a 870 express as the first long gun.
 
I've had a 870Express (super magnum, with 28" barrel and 20" rifled barrel) and replaced it with a Mossberg 535 because I like the safety better on the latter. I don't find one noticeably easier to disassemble/reassemble or to clean than the other.

In Remington, the Supermagnum has a 3.5" chamber, but you can put any 870 barrel on a Supermagnum 870 receiver (just remember if the barrel doesn't have a 3.5" chamber.) With Mossberg, 535 means a 3.5" chamber version of their model 500. 535 and 500 barrels are not interchangeable because of the way they attach to the magazine tube.

Both the 870 and 500 (and variants) are fundamentally sound designs and except for the occasional lemon that all manufacturers throw up from time to time, they work very well. Handle, and if possible shoot both and pick whichever you like better, you probably won't ever regret it. And if you do change your mind, someone will be glad to buy your used shotgun and you can go get the other brand.

Clean the 870 and keep it oiled. The Express finish is not rust proof, it holds oil to prevent rust. It can hold moisture instead if you don't displace the moisture with oil and then you'll get rust.

The advantage of a 26" barrel over a 28" is that it is slightly more compact and lighter, though the reduced weight may be not noticeable. You may shoot more accurately with the slightly longer barrel because the weight and length may smooth out your swing when tracking a moving bird. Or the shorter one might be right for you in that aspect. You'll only know for sure by trying both.

Both the Remington and the Mossberg are available in multiple barrel combinations like the 870Express I had. This is cheaper than buying the accessory barrel later. Mossberg barrels are usually a bit cheaper than Remington's, and that holds true for barrels Mossberg makes to fit the 870. Most barrels for each come threaded for changeable chokes, Remingtons usually include one choke, Mossbergs usually come with several. Remington's rifled barrels for slugs are 20", Mossberg's are 24".
 
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if you do alot of waterfowl hunting you may finis to want a semi auto , i know some people they beginned with pump and ended with a semi after 1-2 year
 
Check out Cabelas website and search for Mossberg 535 ATS. This gun comes with a 28" barrel with 3 chokes and a second 24" rifled slug barrel. It takes 2 3/4, 3, and 3 1/2 inch shells. Just under 400$ before tax.
 
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