Rem 870 Express Super Mag or Marine?

Burninator

Burninator

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Okay so I'm saving up for my second shotty. I know in my heart of hearts that I need an 870 Express (possibly the Super Mag [combo?]).

But just look at that Marine Magnum! :dancingbanana: The wow factor is big for me. :D

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I guess just a quick question for you Marine owners out there, I'm guessing its hard / impossible to get different sized nickel barrels but just want to throw the question out there.
 
I think you are right about limited to the short barrel. What exactly do you plan to use the shotgun for? These are two guns meant for very different uses.

If short barrel is your fancy, also consider a law enforcement 870 with the Parkerized finish. Long barrel - the Wingmaster is so much nicer than the Express.
 
Quite frankly, I believe that 3"1/2 shotguns are not that useful nowadays. First, the cost of 3.5" shells is prohibitive, and second, you can now have similar performance with 3" magnum shells.

But, as MauserMike said, it all depends on the purpose of the shotgun, if you plan to use it to hunt waterfowl and shoot clays, then a Magnum Xpress with a 28" or 30" barrel is the way to go.

If you're looking to shoot 3 gun matches, or hunt deer with your shotgun, or it the LCF ("Look Cool Factor") is important to you, then the MM is the way to go. Just remember that you'll have no chokes, and a much shorter barrel.
 
Remember the supermag barrels aren't interchangeable with 2&3/4-3" only barrels. You're pretty limited in that sense.

I have both a supermag and an express magnum. I'd take the Express mag/wingmaster/police over the supermag.
 
I wish that I had the means to pattern shotguns with a moving target. My feeling is that 3.5" is just too long relative to the diameter of a 12 ga. shell. When the charge goes off, you get a lot deformation of the pellets closest to the charge. The softer the pellets, the worse this problem becomes.

This deformation can cause stringing, i.e. shots that appear within the pattern on a non-moving target, but are in fact behind the main column of shot which really hurts your pattern on a real, moving target.

I think 3.5" shells were really conceived with steel shot in mind. It is very resistive to deformation but you need a longer shell to stuff enough of the lighter, larger pellets in order to get them downrange to that big goose. With new non-toxic shot, e.g. the Hevishot, I think 3.5" may be obsolete.

There is an excellent book from the 1970's called "Shotgunning: The Art and Science" by Bob Brister that I highly recommend any avid shotgunner should read. Keep in perspective its age but the work presented was really done top notch IMO.
 
Burninator said:
I'm guessing its hard / impossible to get different sized nickel barrels but just want to throw the question out there.
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It's impossible but the combination of a blued barrel and the stainless is not unattractive.

If you don't NEED 3-1/2" capacity then get the MM and a nice blued barrel.
 
I love my marine magnum.
ya you cant get longer nickle barrels, but i dont hunt water fowl any way. it works great on grouse, and i belive is you wanted to you could get it threaded for chokes.
then you could hunt what ever you want.
 
pc9 said:
You know you want the Marine Mag so just get it:)
I will bring mine up on sunday and let you shoot it:dancingbanana:
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:runaway: :dancingbanana: :runaway: :D

Thanks guys, didn't realise about the 3.5", was going to get the super mag in case I needed it down the road, but it sounds like even if the 3.5" is not totally out of date, I could easily get by with the 3" if needed.

Uses will be mostly trap, skeet, & L.C.F. I think the stainless reciever might last a little longer than the express, so it's going to come down to looking at blued barrels and seeing what's available, especially ala chokes. I think it's better to go for something with full functionality than L.C.F., but they make it hard.

MauserMike, i'll try to find that book, sounds good. Not bad to have a good shotgun referance book.
 
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I love the marine magnum but in this case I'd advise against it. Buy a regular parkerized gun and save yourself some money. The finish on the longer barrels will match the gun too.
 
MauserMike said:
18" for trap, skeet and LCF? Bad advice.
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Who advised using an 18" barrel for trap and skeet? I suggested the 18" Express and then just buying a longer barrel for it instead of the Express combo he had linked to.
 
I agree the MM is a great gun, it'll treat you right.

BTW, I shot a case of skeet this afternoon with my 18"... If you like the gun, get it. You don't need a fancy OU to break clay. The most important thing is that you get what you like and enjoy it, don't let other people's opinions interfere with what attracts you.
 
I own both models....if I had to choose one it would defenetly be 100% the Marine Magnum....HANDS DOWN!!!

But, for $349.00 at LeBaron...I bought the Express supermag 30" barrel just for sporting clays up north....also a great gun (For the $$$)
 
Burninator said:
Hey guys thanks for all the imput, I think that's what I needed... now the money! :)
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I have one of each and am quite happy with both. The Super Mag was the combo variant (which gives you a slug barrel at a signficant discount). I use the Super Mag on deer, grouse, rabbit and clays and the Marine Magnum on grouse, rabbits, and clays, and now that I have some Wilson Combat ghost ring sights on it, probably deer too.
 
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