Grizzly Options....Pros and Cons

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Beadwindow

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A couple of questions for board members about the different options available from Can Ammo. I already have a 14" Norc that I picked up from Marstar about 1 1/2 to 2 years ago (I haven't fired it yet) but got really interested when the Grizzlies began to show up. I was going to wait for the 8.5" models to show up (in time for Christmas?) to add a real novelty to my gun cabinet, but just discovered that CanAm is carrying the 12.5" model with Ghost Rings for $309, which has gotten me thinking again.....

Does anyone know if the 8.5" models will be available with Ghost Rings, or just a bead? Cylinder choked or with interchangeable tubes? Would such a model with Ghost Rings or screw-in chokes be able to hit anything anyhow? I suppose that the magazine capacity is two in the tube, one in the chamber, saving me the need to install a plug.

As for the 12.5" model with sights, has anyone here tried to sight one in with slugs? Do regular Rem Chokes work with it? I know that Remington has a screw-in rifled choke that adds an inch or two to the barrel length and might make it a good alternative to an SKS or other short carbines in shotgun only areas. Though I have almost the same gun with the HP9, the price of adding Ghost Rings to the latter and the added choke options in the Grizzly leave me wondering if it's worth getting one. It's already $50 cheaper than what I paid for the HP9...

So it's wait for an 8.5" that will mostly be a novelty gun, perhaps for camping/bear and home defence and the odd grouse, or get a 12.5" that could work for small game, deer, waterfowl in a pinch, camping, bear and home defence.

Living in Toronto, it's also nice to own non-restricteds of the sort that would especially piss off our mayor, which is one of the stronger appeals of the 8.5 or having the pistol grip stock for the 12.5", even if I never actually use it in that configuration.

I realize that while a good deal for the money, that these are utility guns that may or may not be the greatest when it comes to finish or machining, and weigh a bit more than more expensive models. I don't mind that, but on the other hand I don't want to rack up a thousand dollars in purchases just to fill my cabinet with three or four of these. Any suggestions from those of you who've shot or handled these as to which one I should get?

With Regards,

Frank
 
Frank,

Don't know about the 8.5"... (can't wait to get one also!)

If I remember correctly, the newer Grizzly use Invector choke tube, not the Remington kind.

The fit and machining is pretty good, the finish is on the thin side... Mine will get the duracoat treatment shortly.

The ghost ring sight work great with slugs, that's all I ever use in it.

The newer 12.5" Grizzly are heavier then a standard 12.5" remington because they have a heavier/thicker barrel... otherwise they are the same.

If your idea for getting a new SG is to piss-off mayor Miller, get the mag fed one... it looks more evil :evil:
 
Tube fed is fine for me and I already knew about the weight (sounds a lot like the difference between an Express and Wingmaster). I might just have to look up the price on an Invector Rifled Choke (which might add another 3-5 inches to the length).

The 8.5" with Ghost Rings or Red Dot and and rifled choke would be a neat little item. On the other hand, with it's capacity to take regular barrels, the 12.5' model sounds more versatile.

Pricewise, the $309 Grizz with sights is a great deal:

$40 less than HP9
Save another $25 on Shipping
Save $24 on PST
Save another $30 on sling swivels/cap,
Plus an interchangeable choke and sights!

I just wish I knew more about the 8.5" so that I could make a final decision!
 
Thanks for all of the replies. So I might be stuck with a shotgun that cannot take Remington barrels, though I could put the 12.5" on my ancient field model Wingmaster (which aside from the disadvantage of being chambered for 2 3/4" only, weighs much less than an Express). If 12.5" barrels with sights are even available as an accessory for the 870, I gather that they'd cost almost as much as a Grizzly.

I suppose that with the proper choke that the Grizzly might even work well on Turkeys.......

The big unanswered variable remains the specifications for the 8.5" models. While I can appreciate if CanAm cannot guarentee a delivery date, or even the exact price depending on the state of the dollar at time of their purchase, I still wonder if they have any visibility on the question of choke tubes, sights, etc... They've certainly done us quite the favour with the exotic combinations of rifles and shotguns they've brought us and have announced!

Cheers,

Frank
 
Beadwindow said:
Thanks for all of the replies. So I might be stuck with a shotgun that cannot take Remington barrels, though I could put the 12.5" on my ancient field model Wingmaster (which aside from the disadvantage of being chambered for 2 3/4" only, weighs much less than an Express).
Click to expand...

I've been able to exchange 3 different remington barrels into my Grizzly. Each of them experiences "tightness" when installing but did not require any modifications to fit.

The reason you have to "work" Reminton barrels to fit the Dominion Arms/Norinco 870 clones is due to the difference in the length of the barrel/magazine tube lug. Think of the barrel as a cylinder and the hole in the lug (where the magazine tube fits) as two offset circles. In essence the barrel and magazine tube are parallel cylinders held together by the front lug and receiver.

If you measure the distance between the circles you get .260" for the Remington and .180" for the Norc/Dominon. What this means is when you swap out barrels between the two receivers they are no longer parallel tubes (as they are "out" .080").

Remington's receiver machined hole for the barrel is larger than the Norc/Dominion which allows for the greater "mis-alignment" of the chinese barrel.

The Chinese receivers are slightly smaller and thus are not able to handle the mis-alignment of the Remington barrel.

There are two areas of contact in the chinese receiver. Top of the Remington barrel where it enters the receiver (due to the longer lug the barrel is "bent" trying to fit into the receiver slot. The receiver/barrel slot itself might need smoothing up in order for the remington barrel to fit.

What people are forgetting is that the mis-alignment will cause aiming errors when swapping barrels/receivers.
Make sure you pattern the gun with your favourite loads. This will be expecially important for those firing slugs at longer ranges.


L
 
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