Choosing A Pump-Action

drvrage said:
+1 for 870 Express combo. Just watch water as the finish is like paint. Get it parkerized and you'll have a gun for 4 maybe 5 generations of hunting everything that moves.
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Your other option is to actually oil it once in a while? the 870 express is powder coated. it's a tough enough finish. mine gets totally stripped and cleaned once a year.pull the bore snake through once and a while.wipe it with oil soaked cloth once a week when i'm hunting. No rust! the only down fall to remington is they don't send the choke tube's with there shotguns. you have to buy them seprate.Well that's not totally true. they send one with it.love my 870. But there are lots of good scatterguns out there. Go to a few gun shop's. pick them up,shoulder them,cycle them. We can debait and advise what you should buy. Buy the one you like and the one that will suit your needs. learned this the hard way not to long ago. Happy shopping!
 
Btdt

I went thru this a year ago. the Mossberg was topping the list for a long time until I considered that I still wanted to handload for my pump as I do for my double. That changed the list to Ithaca 37 and Browning BPS, both of which feature bottom eject and easier recovery of hulls. Side ejectors and semiautos just toss 'em too far, especially if you are in a boat. (My double has extractors, not ejectors.) The Ithaca has the panache, but the BPS is easier to come by. So that's what I bought. I couldnt find a 26in barrel in stock, so I got the 28inch. Don't notice the difference anymore. Skeet, trap, sporting clays, waterfowling.....works well for all.
 
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870 express combo...12 ga
liked it so much went out and bought an 870 in 20 ga
will let you know about that one when it gets here

best part about the combo is I can take one gun both barrels and be at the range all afternoon.

Though I looked at the Mossberg combo and was impressed by the flexibility and value
 
870 20 gauge arrived today....great service from Gary and Brad at Chilliwack Dart and Tackle who shipped it to me in one day and gave me a deal I couldn't refuse
I will let you know how it does at the range next week but great firearm, nice balance and smooth action and not very heavy at all.
will try to get pics up later this week
 
I know it's too late now but I would like to put in a vote for any other people reading this to form an opinion.

I own an 870 express and this year decided to buy a new all-purpose gun and after trying a few, ended up buying a Browning BPS Stalker.

Got to say it's been a great gun so far. Have put quite a few boxes of shells through it with no issues whatsoever. Action is very smooth and it swings well. However, tear-dpwn is not as easy as the 870.
 
Camper Greg, there is nothing on the North American continent that cannot be killed with a properly loaded 12 gauge,
 
Thanks for the input folks. Guess I am now officially looking for a Dominion Arms Grizzly (or a proper Remington 870 if the price is right).

Are the 12.5" barrels completely useless? I was on CanadaAmmo looking at what they have available. The shortest I wanted to go was 18~ inches.
 
Remington 870 express with 18'' barrel (Model 870™ Express® Synthetic 7-Round, 25077).
I bought a 870 for the same reason I bought a 10/22, and a 1911, because of the ease of getting after market accessories and replacement parts, and they are dependable.
 
EightSeven said:
Thanks for the input folks. Guess I am now officially looking for a Dominion Arms Grizzly (or a proper Remington 870 if the price is right).

Are the 12.5" barrels completely useless? I was on CanadaAmmo looking at what they have available. The shortest I wanted to go was 18~ inches.
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no theyre not useless at all. the second gen ones you get now even come with chokes which make them semi-viable for hunting. if i bought one now id get one with ghost rings.

the one problem i see with the Grizzlies is that - at least on the first gen ones like mine - the barrels do not index the same as an 870 barrel. so if you want to pick up a cheap 870 Express barrel off the EE for hunting, your sights are going to be offset a few degrees.

also there is a slight dimensional difference between the two. other than stocks, 870 parts dont really fit: my Grizzly wont take my Wingmaster triggergroup (without modification), bolt, etc.

the Grizzly is a great gun, i love mine. theyre built even beefier than the 870 Express. BUT it doesnt have the true versatility of one. If you want versatility, get an 870. if you want a fun short-barreled shotgun or mag fed, get a Grizzly.


*edit
i should add that if you are only going to be hunting small game, upland, etc with this then there are some great deals to be had on old 2 3/4" Wingmasters. you could pick one up dirt cheap (couple hundred bucks), and 2 3/4" is all youll need. theyll often come with 30" fixed choke plain barrels, you can cut one down to 18.5" for an HD barrel and pick up a cheap Express barrel off the EE. altogether it will cost you the same as a Grizzly.
 
manbearpig said:
no theyre not useless at all. the second gen ones you get now even come with chokes which make them semi-viable for hunting. if i bought one now id get one with ghost rings.
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Oh goog God, I could only imagine a 3 inch, 1 1/4 ounce waterfowl load out of a 12.5 inch barrel. Anyone who would suggest that obviously doesn't hunt and I can say nobody sharing a blind with me using one of these would be welcome. Putting a blast 30 inches in front is one thing, blasting a 12 inch gun next to your partners ears will never go over well.
 
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