Remington 870 sportsman field sight options?

[saxsaxsax]

Hi all,

I bought a Remington 870 sportsman field with a 26" barrel to do some trap/skeet shooting...maybe a little hunting later on...I've been told that it's not the best barrel etc etc for either sporting or hunting...but I'm broke and it was on sale ( )

It comes with twin-bead sights..which doesn't work for my face at all...I can't get into a position without putting my cheek bone right against the wood...every time I shoot (especially slugs) it hurts my face...

So I know a simple solution would be to replace the sights, but the barrel isn't tapped or drilled to mount a sight, anyone got any good and cheap solutions?

Thanks!

 

[ninepointer]

Sax,

The good news is that your 26" barrel is ideal for hunting and will do just fine for recreational clay sports. The bad news is that if you wish to continue using it for clays or wing shooting, replacing your "sights" will not help. The stock does not fit you and Remington stocks are not adjustable. Often as easy fix for a comb that is too high is to add length, such as a slip-on or permanent recoil pad or spacers. This has worked for me several times, as I'm tall and tend to climb the stock. Too start, try taping a 3/4" or thicker piece of wood to the butt of your gun and shoulder it to see how this changes your sight picture. Of course, you will have to learn to adapt to the increased length of pull. Good luck.

 

[saxsaxsax]

Sax,

The good news is that your 26" barrel is ideal for hunting and will do just fine for recreational clay sports. The bad news is that if you wish to continue using it for clays or wing shooting, replacing your "sights" will not help. The stock does not fit you and Remington stocks are not adjustable. Often as easy fix for a comb that is too high is to add length, such as a slip-on or permanent recoil pad or spacers. This has worked for me several times, as I'm tall and tend to climb the stock. Too start, try taping a 3/4" or thicker piece of wood to the butt of your gun and shoulder it to see how this changes your sight picture. Of course, you will have to learn to adapt to the increased length of pull. Good luck.

That's certainly good news! I got a friend of mine who goes hunting all the time and he said the 28" barrel is what everyone uses....to be honest...I really don't see how 2 inches can make a difference out of an already-long-barrel.

I tried it (with a pillow) and it does work! Balance is of course a little different but I'll get used to that. I'll look around and see if there are stock extension pads or recoil pads available.

Thanks again!

 

[ninepointer]

Glad its working for you. Ideally you want to get it so that you can naturally/comfortably shoulder the gun with your eyes closed, the open you eyes to find the sight picture aligned. Once the fit is right, the sight picture eventually becomes irrelevant because you'll not need to look at the sight picture, focusing instead on the flying target, but that's another topic entirely.

All that longer barrel length does is put more weight out front that has the effect of smoothing out one's swing. More length gives more momentum and centrifugal force to the motion of your gun. The difference between a 26" and 28" will have no impact on shot range, velocity or energy. If its the only gun you shoot, you will adapt to its handling characteristics.

BTW, I hunt waterfowl and shoot skeet with an 870 Wingmaster with a 26" barrel. It has plenty of front end weight. The words "balance" and "pump action" rarely go together unless your talking about an Ithaca Model 37. I also hunt and shoot skeet with a SxS with 26" barrels and the SxS amounts to a far shorter gun because it does not have the 870's seven inches of receiver.

If you can get the fit right, you've got yourself a very versatile gun.

 

[VLT79]

Take note that your cheek is actually suppose to be in firm contact with the stock at all times, from swing to firing to follow thru. Most times, if you are getting your cheek "slapped" when you pull the trigger, it is because you are lifting your head off of the stock. Add some shims as suggested to lengthen the LOP but remember to keep your face well planted into the wood or it will slap you everytime...especially when you are shooting heavy loads!

One other thing...make sure the shoulder you are shooting from is on the same side as your dominant eye! My cousin complained about getting a sore cheek when shooting...turns out he was left eye dominant and shooting off the right shoulder...the problem went away after he switched to the left shoulder!