Barrel Questions

[mark40]

I own an 870 Express 20g. with 18.75" barrel and want to purchase a longer barrel, 26" or 28" for sporting clays.
I've been looking around for a barrel in a variety of places. However, since I'm newbie I'm unsure of myself when it comes to the nomenclature/descriptions.

In my introductory post, I briefly asked this question and Synchronizer replied:
First, some early 20ga 870s were built on the same large receivers as 12 & 16ga models, and their barrels won't be compatible with your gun. Second, some 20ga barrels only have 2.75" chambers. They'll drop onto your gun and function fine, just be sure not to use 3" shells in them.


And in his You Tube video T&T #10 refers to the manual which says:
NOTE: All barrels (same gauge) are interchangeable without adjustment.

With those two things in mind, now I'm at the next step, looking at this website and don't really understand the descriptions:
http://www.barrelexchange.com/srch_1.cf ... mit=Search

870 LW
870 LH
870 Standard
870 LW Standard

So help would be appreciated so I can make a educated purchase. Also was told an IC would be a good choice for a novice shooting sporting clays.
Are ya out there Synchronizer?

[Synchronizor]

The manual oversimplifies things. Saying that all same-gauge barrels are interchangeable is true for the vast majority of 870s, but there are a handful of exceptions for 12ga models (12ga Special Field, MCS, Left-Hand, and some Tactical models use special barrels that won't work on standard 12ga receivers), and 20ga barrels can get confusing since 870s chambered for those shells have been made in two different sizes.

Your Express should be built on a modern small-frame or lightweight (LW) 20ga receiver. You'll want to avoid barrels meant for large-frame or heavyweight 20ga receivers (12/16ga-size), and barrels meant for 20ga Special Field models (which use small-frame receivers, but a shorter magazine tube). Both large-frame and Special Field 20ga 870s are long since discontinued, so if you're buying new (not counting new old stock from specialty parts sellers, of course), you should be good to go. It's only the used market where these incompatible 20ga barrels might pop up.

"LH" refers to left-hand-ejecting 870s, which have special barrels with extensions & extractor notches that are flipped around. I'm not sure Remington ever made left-handed 870s in anything other than 12ga, though.

Chamber lengths are pretty self-explanatory. They don't affect compatibility, just which shells you can safely shoot.

[mark40]

THX Synchronizer, that makes it crystal clear.