Well I thought I knew what I was after...(shotgun buying advice)

Provided I don't use a 3" shell am I able to use 870-express barrels on the supermag? (I was told the barrels are near impossible to find for the super mag and theyre expensive)
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While you may not NEED the 3 1/2" as a lot of guys say, the extra punch can help to reach out there for a goose/duck or turkey at long range. You certainly don't need it most of the time.

I assume in the question above you meant to say 3 1/2" shell. You can run a 3" chambered barrel on a Super Mag receiver and shoot 2 3/4' or 3" shells in it.

Good Luck
 
I have a 870 Wingmaster in 20ga., and just bought an 870 Express Youth/laminate 20ga. for my daughter. I took the Express out for a test shoot last weekend (about 20 shells) and it ran like a top, INCLUDING the cheap-o Winchester white box target loads. I inspected the chamber when I tore it down for a complete clean before using it~and it was SUPER smooth, no polishing req. I mention this because lots of people complain about rough machining causing the empties on cheap loads to stick~not a problem with mine. Makes me wonder about about the internet hype about how crappy 870 Express guns are. I think it's a function of how many there are out there. Like the study I heard about what dogs bite the most. If I remember right, the answer was "labs". Not because they're an aggressive dog...it's a question of odds-so many out there!

To your question~Wingmasters ARE worth the extra money, but both will go "boom" reliably. Expresses require a little more TLC, but if you take even 1/2 decent care of your guns...it'll likely last forever. When I'm grouse hunting, I see more Expresses out there, and on ATV gun racks, than any other shotgun. They are popular for a reason, not simply the low price. (in my opinion)

Browning BPS~lovely guns, but read-up on stripping them down for cleaning. If memory serves, Browning recommends owners do NOT attempt to disassemble a BPS. Not simple like an 870. I wanted to like them, almost bought one in 20ga, but find they just don't come to the shoulder and point like a Remington does. Everyone is different though.

Camo~great if your're duck hunting, I find the camo a little distracting though. Don't let anyone tell you have to have it...countless ducks have fallen to walnut stocked, blued-barrel shotguns. Probably millions. Yes, manufacturers ding consumers for the camo dip, be it on shotguns, ATVS...whatever.

3-1/2"~I have zero desire to shoot a 3-1/2" shell from a 12ga. I'm not overly recoil-shy, but that sounds like an entirely unpleasant experience. If you're hell bent to shoot the long shells, I'd urge you to consider a semi. A friend of mine just bought a Browning Maxus and says it's the softest-shooting 12 he's ever used.
 
Benelli Nova tactical beat them all for one and only one simple feature....the little push button under the handguard to cycle the action without ejecting a new cartridge. It make swapping to slug so much easier!
 
tg07lq said:
I looked on the EE to see if I could stretch that same money a bit further used and didnt really see much.
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Tough time of the year to look. Prices on the EE are always a bit high and just before hunting season any bargin will be tough to find.

One other poster mentioned considering a semi-auto. Good advice if you can afford it. Lot less recoil which is good for trap and hunting. I also echo that 3-1/2" is not really needed.

Pick whatever gun you think will work, but don't worry much about it being your only gun that you will hand down some day. If you stick with shooting, odds are this will not be your last purchase. You will end up with specialized guns for each sport or species. In the short term you can flip whatever gun you buy now if you discover it's not what you really wanted.
 
Well of the 5 Wingmasters I saw this weekend, 1, and only 1 did NOT have play between barrel and receiver. This has me a little bothered. I want a gun that feels solid in my hand, not after a "nerf gun" feel. Im starting to wonder if at my price I may be expecting too much. that said I found the PA08 seems to fit the bill
http://www.weatherby.com/product/shotguns/pa_08/pa08_upland

I like the wingmaster and the idea that it serves almost as a swiss army knife in that it can be adapted to most uses. But the more that I think about it, aftermarket, although great to have, really doesnt offer much in the way of what Im after. at $2-300 a barrel I wont be buying them just to have them, and yes I can get a combo up front and have some versatility, the bottom line is a good vent rib will do most of what I plan to, trap waterfowl, deer.

Talking with the owner of a LGS I was told that he doesnt stock the 870 anymore because of poor quality as of late and equally poor customer service. As he said, the mossberg is a much better buy. Ive yet to found these claims but interested what people have to say about it.

I like the idea of buying new to avoid getting ripped off, but to be honest it seems as though they just dont make em like the used to, as cliche as that sounds, what Im after is something that looks and feels as beautiful as it shoots; something built of quality that will last
 
First ya gotta start narrowing down what you are after. Do you want synthetic or cammo or walnut? If you want walnut and bluing, then you can eliminate many of the choices out there which narrows the field.
 
870 interchangeability is impressive , aftermarket parts fit no problems & there are a lot of aftermarket parts & accessories available.
The supermag 3.5 " has only been useful to me when turkey hunting, (try finding a 3.5"slug )
Improvements between models are similar to the police models, twin action bars, extracter etc.
870 police model is my go to, never fail, takes a licking , etc. etc. very good value & everyone should have at least one, IMHO .
A basic rule of thumb- if they've been making it forever- they probably got the bugs out
 
id be looking at a wingmaster or the pa08. i like the idea of blued and walnut. just something about synth I dont like; not to mention the new 870s feel just horrid in my hands.
The weatherby I shouldered today seemed solid and well built, no play, no rattles. wood stocks, matte black finsih (which isnt all that bad) and was 499 as a combo with a canti
 
went with the pa and I love it, built rock solid, feels great, its not heavy but it still feels solid and sturdy. exactly what i was after.
shes only had a few slugs through her but this weekend will be some trap. im expecting to fall harder for her haha
ill report back with any pos/neg feedback
 
Browning BPS is the way to go.

Only reason I would buy 3.5" is to help with resale if you want to upgrade to a nice semi.
 
shot some trap today and I tell you she's a gem! absolutely love it.
I was after a pump so semi will be an addition down the line. for now Ive found just what I was after
 
Good to hear, solid guns, one of the lesser known ones, and ive also heard that not many LGS that know there stuff stock many remington 870's, they just sit there most of the time, i bought my mossburg 500 before i had my licence in hand, put a down payment to hold it and went back 3 days later and all the other mossburgs were gone that they just got in, they had about a dozen or so there. Ive bought my SA08 a month ago and already put about 300 round through it and shoots well duck hunting too.
 
That's a really nice looking pumpgun. Give us all a good review when you get used to shooting it. And also take it down, and send pics of all the internals.
 
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