Rem 870 Barrel Swap

Millar

Millar

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I have a Rem 870 Wingmaster chambered for 2 3/4" shells.
If I get a new barrel which accepts 3" shells, will my gun be able to shoot 3" shells? Or is the receiver and/or magazine on my gun too small or too short to accept shells longer than 2 3/4 inch?
Thanks :)
 
Instead of buying a new barrel you can have your barrel taken out to 3" and then have a new 3" ejector installed as well. This does not harm the gun in any way and makes it more versatile.
 
thanks for the info. the gun is an older 870 so it is 2 3/4'' only.
I didn't know the receiver could be altered to handle larger shells, is this expensive to have done?
The reason i wanted a new barrel is because I wanted to use choke tubes, and 2 3/4'' seems to be non-existent with new shotguns.
The barrel on now has a modified only choke. Can a barrel with a fixed choke be modified so choke tubes can be screwed into it?
 
Provided too much meat has not been taken out of the barrel already you should be able to have the gun fitted for a screw in choke. You can also have the chamber reamed to 3", though it is a good idea to have the forcing cone reamed as well to help keep your shot pattern pretty. You will need to get new extractors fitted to the bolt as well. This will require some minor fitting of the bolt but you will then have a bonnafied 3" 870 shotgun.

Other than the M stamped on the "magnum action" show me the difference in the gun. Take it go shooting, i have not heard of one coming apart yet that has this work done by a competant smith. But that is just my 2 cents.
 
It's not the extractor that needs work, it's the ejector.

By the time you have a choke tube installed, lengthened the forcing cone, and replaced the ejector, you may as well pickup a new or gently used Express.

FWIW only on the very first 870's were the receivers different, in that the ejection port was smaller.
 
I have seen 3 870's that were converted to "bonnafied 3" guns" when steel first became law. By the middle of the second season all three of them had the receiver crack at the back of the ejection port. I don't know why they cracked there as there is no visible force on that part of the gun but all three of them did. Like RePete said by them time you spend the money to "afro engineer" the old gun into a 3" you will have spent as much on it as you would on a new or used gun. BTW, why do you want a 3" gun?

Tim
 
I don't necesarily want a 3" shotgun, I really just wanted to be able to use choke tubes and the extra barrels that you can buy for the 870 are all chambered for 3" and I just figured that'd be a bonus if that would make my gun capable of shooting 3" shells.
 
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