870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

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Malpaso
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870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

Post by Malpaso » Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:06 pm

I have just started shooting trap, using an old Stevens 311 SxS. I just saw a used 870 Magnum with a 30" full choke barrel for under $250. Every "trap" 870 I see is much more expensive. Any reason this gun could not be used for trap?

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Synchronizor
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Re: 870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

Post by Synchronizor » Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:34 am

An 870 is an 870. With the right barrel, choke, furniture, and other accessories, any 870 will be equally viable for trap shooting. I would, however, recommend an 870 with a Rem Choke barrel, so that you can change chokes to adjust for ammo and handicaps.

Actually, if you want to use an 870 for trap and you have budget limitations, why not just get a 28" or 30" Rem Choke barrel for your current 870?
Image
Assuming this is still your current build, you don't have any add-ons like a sidesaddle, receiver-mounted optic/rear sight, or poor-fitting "tacti-cool" stock that would make the gun particularly inconvenient to reconfigure for sporting applications. And since you started out with a standard Wingmaster, you probably still have the original magazine cap & 4-round magazine spring.

Just take that flashlight off the fore-end, drop the trap barrel on, maybe pop in a light sear spring, and you'll be good to go. A barrel, a few choke tubes, and a light sear spring will be a lot cheaper than buying a whole separate 870 (especially if you get the barrel used), and you'll be shooting with your preferred furniture.

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Re: 870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

Post by Malpaso » Wed Nov 19, 2014 1:01 pm

My defense guns are just that, dedicated defense guns. Just as I wouldn't modify my carry 1911 to shoot Bullseye, I wouldn't modify my house 870 for trap.

The reason I asked the question was to find out if 870s such as the Wingmaster Classic Trap were radically or specifically different than the Magnum, or even the standard Wingmaster. For instance, you mention the lighter sear spring. Those were the nuances I was looking to understand. Are there other details that make the "Trap" model?

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Re: 870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

Post by Banshee » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:01 pm

The main differance in the normal 870 and the trap model is the barrel. The trap barrel is lighter weight, 2-3/4 only,has a higher rib, differant sight beads, target choke tubes and the bore is an over bore. The trap models also have longer forearm and a monte Carlo stock.Well at least my TC Trap does. No reason why you can not change the barrel and use it.
The devil danced as he went down, in the hail of arrows comin' Out on the wild Montana ground, Custer died a-runnin'.

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Re: 870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

Post by Synchronizor » Thu Nov 20, 2014 4:54 am

Like Banshee said, it's really all about the barrel. 28- or 30-inch, vent rib, interchangeable choke tubes. I don't think the current-production Classic Trap 870s have over-bored barrels (though some past models have featured them), since they use Rem Chokes rather than the Pro-Bore tubes Remington currently uses on over-bored shotguns like the 1100 Competition Synthetic. I don't much believe in over-boring anyway; if I want lower velocities, I'll just use slower ammo.

Anyway, while there are some other very minor differences, they really don't amount to much. Like I said, an 870's an 870. With the right barrel and good-fitting furniture, any model can serve as a trap 870. That's why I suggested just getting a barrel; assuming that Magpul furniture fits you well, it's about all you need to have a trap 870. With your setup, changing barrels requires no tools and only about a minute of your time (maybe two minutes of you swap in a lighter sear spring too). You don't have to re-engineer the entire gun like you would to convert a carry 1911 into a competition 1911; this is like swapping uppers on an AR or barrel assemblies on a high-end over/under skeet gun, it's something the 870 was specifically designed to do to make it more versatile.
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870 barrel change ad_C1.JPG (205.18 KiB) Viewed 9742 times
But if you really want a dedicated trap 870, I'd say just look for a used hunting model or budget Express with a vent-rib barrel and interchangeable choke tubes. With a few cheap tweaks like a light sear spring and a comfortable recoil pad, one of those will send shot down-range just as well as any $1000 Classic Trap.

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Re: 870 Magnum 30" for Trap?

Post by BwBrown » Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:26 pm

The beauty of the 870 is that you can, in just a few minutes, change the configuration in any direction you wish, and nothing is permanent.

No matter what you start with, if you have the right accessories, barrel, stock, choke tubes, you can always "dance with the one you brung."

As pretty as they are, I will never afford a fancy over under. But I've been shooting 870's for nearly 50 years - I own four - still hittin' most of the things I aim for.
Bob;

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