Wilderness carry shotgun

MauserMike

MauserMike

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SW Ontario
Hey gang.

I've been on the fence about putting together a compact, rugged, tactical type shotgun for the last while. Yesterday kind of set me down this path definitely.

I was up in Renfrew county (Ontario) and was running my English Setter "Molly" on some crown land on the opposite side of a lake we were staying at. She ran off on me quite a distance and with the wave action I couldn't hear the bell. After a few minutes I heard her coming back to my call.

My girls were about 10 yards behind me not far from the boat when I hear my oldest shout "Wolf". I see Molly come barreling in with 2 wolves hot on her heels. I immediately "whoa'd" her at my feet, thankfully she didn't ignore me. The lead wolf was maybe about 15-20 yards away, staring at me with those amazing eyes. I snapped the leash on Molly and shouted "HEY"! The two wolves tuck tailed and ran the other way.

Found the girls already in the boat (scared) and got out of dodge. We didn't even have the single shot .22 that was left at the cottage. Who knows how many more might have been out there.

So the thought of me getting into a wolf brawl armed with a swiss army knife got me definitely thinking about a shotgun that I can pack around in the woods. Thinking about it, budget wise it should be an 870 or clone.

I have quite a nice '70s vintage 870 Wingmaster with a fixed modified 2-3/4 barrel without vent rib and a fleur de lis wood stock that my uncle gave me and likely won't see much use. I could use that as a starting point. I'm thinking 14-18.5" barrel (obviously >18" if I start from the factory barrel), fixed or collapsible (AR-type) shoulder stock with a pistol grip, ghost ring sights and extended mag. I'd like to have choke tubes for it - thinking it would be a good wild turkey rig too with those sights.

Do you think I'm better off doing a build from the old 870 or just buying something like a Norc HP9, Mossberg or Remington tactical gun? As much as I'd like a non-restricted length Benelli M4 that's not in the budget LOL

Thoughts?
 
You could go with a custom built 870 with a 6.5 inch barrel. They come with full stock. You could just add a side saddle on the receiver or stock. They are non restricted with the full stock on them and restricted with the pistol grip since they are under 26 inches.

BL-6-1, $799
12Ga x 3"
6.5"


Note its the one on the bottom but they come with the stock attached like the one on the top
bl-6.jpg
 
That #### will get all tangled up on ya with the foregrip.

Get something like a plain old Wingmaster with no frills, maybe an 18 inch barrel. The first one Blueline posted without the foregrip would be a decent choice.

The mirror commando stuff is great for what it's designed to do, not so much when it's caught in your dog's leash by the foregrip.

6.5 inch barrel is good for what.. 10 feet?? If the wolves are out there a bit, where they will be, cautious as you stink like one of those nasty human creatures, you'll want to be able to reach out and touch one and fire for effect. 14" barrel would be a minimum in my books.

Just my 2 cents and I'm sure many here will have plenty to disagree with.. LOL :D
 
Indeed yes - 14" is about as short as I want to go. I need some sight radius and BTW I do want to put a sling on it too. Doesn't have to fit inside a pack or anything like that - needs to be READY.
 
sounds like you pretty much got it figured. FWIW I'm not a fan of frills on a defense weapon of any kind. Plink made some good points. Another is the muzzle blast with a short barrel, if youve got damaged hearing like mine than you may want to consider that as well. A single round will destroy the hearing in my left ear for days and leave the right ear ringing badly. NOT good if you cant see your target. Muzzle flash is also much more prominent, and can leave you unable to see infront of you in low light conditions. Now as for shorties in general, shotguns use very fast burning powder in most loads, some faster than pistol powders so you dont lose a ton of velocity with bbls down to 12" or so but muzzle blast and flash are increased significantly. I like 18.5" w/ full length mag tube. Bead sight is fine for short range and you can get quite good with practice, GRS is quick and easy so it gets my vote for adrenaline fueled situations. Tritium GRS is the s**t. Keep it fairly simple, lightweight and most of all comfortable, then practice practice practice until you know without a doubt that you can handle any situation with it. Dont be afraid to try stuff and change what you dont like, I go through accessories like a fat kid goes through sweet cakes, but you will find most guys who actually carry their guns on a regular basis have simple clean rigs that work and tons of practice. Good luck!
 
If you're only carrying for wolves, you might be better off thinking of a semi-auto carbine. A 12g is a great choice if you're worried about predators that demand that sort of penetration i.e. large bears, but imo has excessive recoil and weight for something that is generally smaller than most adult male humans. I'm personally not really comfortable with the thought of trying to work a manual action firearm against cougars or wolves- worst case scenario I need at least one hand to protect my vitals.

Wolves are small enough to be taken with .223 or 7.62x39. If you can grab an SU-16 when they start being imported, that wouldn't be that bad a choice. Light, and 10 round detachable mags will give you the firepower you want. Or you could pick up a CZ858 if you prefer, or a bargain bin bubba'd SKS with a folding stock if you're on a budget.
 
There are tons of bears in Renfrew. A shotgun is going to be way more versatile as a survival tool than a rifle IMO.

I'll recalibrate my question. It seems the barrel is the toughest part if I do a build. Does anybody sell an 870 barrel that is (a) short 14-18.5" range (b) doesn't have the crappy express finish and (c) threaded for rem chokes?

I'm looking through the dealers and not coming up with a lot.
 
you could pick up an 870 Express Compact Jr.
M870ExpressJrCompact_81161-LR.ashx

20 gauge, 18" barrel, threaded for chokes. nice and light/compact - and more importantly so is the ammo. it has the Express finish but who cares if its a camp/wilderness carry gun? its going to get dinged up anyway, and regardless of the finish youll get some surface rust unless you plan on bringing gun oil along on all your camping trips and religiously re-oiling it. it comes with a short LOP stock that you can extend with the included spacers, or you can just sell it on the EE (mine sold very quick) and replace it.

a fully loaded 12ga w/extra shells is heavy. the 20ga retains all the functionality but in a slimmer, lighter package. after hiking with it all day you really notice that extra couple pounds.
 
supernova said:
but you will find most guys who actually carry their guns on a regular basis have simple clean rigs that work and tons of practice. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Exactly, simple is key. Don't want it getting hung up on anything. I like the 870 for reliability and it's easy to maintain, tough and parts are plentiful should you need to repair it.
Can't go wrong with one if you are looking for a versatile shotgun.

I also agree that a rifle would be a better choice for killing wolves or coyotes, but if you are looking to use it for bear as well, then maybe some sabot rounds will knock the sh!t outta any wolf :D :D Overkill?? Mmmmm yep! LOL

Oh, one more thought, maybe you might want to consider rifle sights on a slug barrel or something like that? That way you can aim it like a rifle when you need to make it count.

I have an 18" barrel with rifle sights and it's deadly accurate with slugs.
 
if you can go telescopic rather than folder - you spend far more time locking/unlocking that fool stock than on a conventional- and chances are you'll NEED it NOW, NOT 10-15 seconds from now, after you have the stock deployed-
 
Whatever makes you feel safe. The chances of a wolf attack are almost nil, but I'd hate to be that spike on the statistics graph. Bears are another story. If you feel safe, your body language will keep most predators away. You'll feel a lot safer if you've had enough practice to believe you can use the firearm effectively. Practice.
 
Plink said:
That s**t will get all tangled up on ya with the foregrip.

Get something like a plain old Wingmaster with no frills, maybe an 18 inch barrel. The first one Blueline posted without the foregrip would be a decent choice.

The mirror commando stuff is great for what it's designed to do, not so much when it's caught in your dog's leash by the foregrip.

6.5 inch barrel is good for what.. 10 feet?? If the wolves are out there a bit, where they will be, cautious as you stink like one of those nasty human creatures, you'll want to be able to reach out and touch one and fire for effect. 14" barrel would be a minimum in my books.

Just my 2 cents and I'm sure many here will have plenty to disagree with.. LOL :D
Click to expand...

Wolves arn't affraid of people.. they just tend to not know how to deal with them. If they were hungry they would hunt people as wolves have done in europe in the past. (think middle ages) Dire wolf ect. I don't really like wolves they are very nasty and mean animals I've seen them kill cows for fun and just let the meat rot... They went down on my list of animals I like after that..

and if a wolf decideds to attack you distance wont be a big diffrence.. a 6.5 inch shot gun with slugs or buck shot can reach further then you think..
 
I carry my mossberg 590 with a 18" barrel, it suits me fine. Sure it's slightly heavier than most shotguns but the weight doesn't seem to bother me. Really I think any 12 gauge shotgun would do the trick for you, just get something with a solid stock. Oh yeah and to echo boxcoach, practice.
 
MauserMike said:
I'll recalibrate my question. It seems the barrel is the toughest part if I do a build. Does anybody sell an 870 barrel that is (a) short 14-18.5" range (b) doesn't have the crappy express finish and (c) threaded for rem chokes?

I'm looking through the dealers and not coming up with a lot.
Click to expand...
Anyone know if Dlask is doing such short barrels for the 870?
I know canam has their 12.5", idk if they carry longer ones.
 
handy shotty

I would use the 870 you have as the base gun. Worlds better gun than an express or Norc...and it is proven.

Keep her simple for sure. I wouldn't go less than 14in either unless it has to live stored or packed somewhere and shot very little.
A conventional stock is far more snag proof, shoulders faster and carries easier than any folder/pistol gripped thing.

A shorter lop conventional buttstock and a 14in barrel is the best balance of shootability and easy carrying and still makes a viable all around hunter too if the chokes are setup for the purpose.

For the stock you can pop for a synthetic or keep the budget in line and refinish the one you have. A lil elbow grease and time and the wood one you have will look great and be perfectly suitable. Cut it down and install a decent pad while yer' at it.

As for barrel's again it's all about what yer' willing to spend. The big decision is if you want/need choke tubes,then barrel length. If you can live with 18in and are just looking to protect with it then cut the one you have down to 18 and reinstall a nice big brass bead and you're good to go.
If you want tubes you'll have to either pony up for a Dlask or other commercially made tube or buy a Remmy express or other barrel that is thick enough to thread for tubes as your old barrel is prolly too thin.
Threading a remmy barrel is the cheapest route.

Why not start with cutting your 870 pipe and refinish your stock....it'll be free and you can get a feel for whether the 18in full stock gun is too much too cart around. The other cool part about the 870 platform is you can buy some parts and mix/match to suit the outing. Slap on a 12 or 14in barrel for slingin' around for security and then for days when yer' more hunting than hiking an 18 or 20incher with tubes and a VR would work better.

Have fun
 
Get a Mossberg Maverick 88 .12ga( $250-$270) ... Then spend the rest of your cash on ammo to practise with! They are a good solid gun that you won't mind beating up a bit camping, and they have been tried, tested and trued over the years as a good old camp gun. Some come with combo kits giving you a choice of barrel lengths and and stocks, and you won't breeak the bank to have a peice of mind in the bush.
 
terez said:
I would use the 870 you have as the base gun. Worlds better gun than an express or Norc...and it is proven.
Click to expand...

while a Wingmaster certainly has much better fit & finish and a smoother action, none of my 870s - Wingmaster, Police, Express or Grizzly - have ever failed to go BOOM when i pulled the trigger.
the 870 is not exactly a marvel of modern engineering - its down there with the Mosin M44s in terms of complexity.
 
My vote- go to dlasks website and buy a 14" barrel

Then go to seals action gear and buy a shotgun scabard for convenient carry, maybe get a sidesaddle or a butstock saddle so you always have some buck and slugs on the gun- its less to remember. Bada-bing.
 
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