Which barrel

[KUSA]

I like the longer sight radius but is it that big of a deal?

I have an Express with a 28 inch barrel that I want to swap out with a shorter barrel with sights. Opinions?

[codyphillips48]

I guess your pick will depend on what you plan on using it for. The rifle style sights will be better for the longer range shooting the XS low pro sights will be a faster to pick up and shoot. SO what are you gonna use it for hunting, home defense?

hopefully sync and his knowledge will comment on this post.

[KUSA]

I'm just going to use it for general use. I want quick acquisition with the ability to have some accuracy.

[BurstBarrel]

I would buy this one: Remington Barrel Remington 870 12 Gauge 3" 18-1/2" Improved Cylinder with XS Rifle Sights Product #: 814319
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/814319 ... fle-sights

Given it is now out of stock maybe you did!

The Tritium Rifle Sights would very nice on the other barrel but based on the reviews you will not get night sights if you can imagine that despite what the product name says.

[codyphillips48]

I would agree with burstbarrel and go with the XS barrel.

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[KUSA]

What's up with the Carlson barrels that have the choke system?

[codyphillips48]

From what there sight says

All 18 1/2" barrels are non vent ribbed and have a ramped front sight with a matte finish. Each barrel comes with a Carlson choke tube, manufactured from 17-4 stainless steel except for the rifled choke tube models which are made from 304 high stress stainless steel, installed. All of our Remington 870® replacement barrels are threaded for the standard Rem Choke system. Enhance the versatility and performance of your shotgun with a Carlson's replacement shotgun barrel. Fits Remington 870 12ga only.

Doesn't fit the 6 round mag tube 870. With the rem choke system you can swap chokes out as you please.

[KUSA]

From what there sight says

All 18 1/2" barrels are non vent ribbed and have a ramped front sight with a matte finish. Each barrel comes with a Carlson choke tube, manufactured from 17-4 stainless steel except for the rifled choke tube models which are made from 304 high stress stainless steel, installed. All of our Remington 870 replacement barrels are threaded for the standard Rem Choke system. Enhance the versatility and performance of your shotgun with a Carlson's replacement shotgun barrel. Fits Remington 870 12ga only.

Doesn't fit the 6 round mag tube 870. With the rem choke system you can swap chokes out as you please.

I wish they had more details of the barrels.

I don't know if the 18 1/2 inch barrel (87077) has a 3 inch chamber or not.

[codyphillips48]

It should I send them a question. 2 3/4 and 3" is a pretty common chambering now days

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[Synchronizor]

Codyphillips48 basically had it right. The XS low-profile sights are meant to be combat sights, quick to use, with more accuracy potential than a bead; while the full rifle sights are more of a hunting (or at least precision shooting) setup.

In addition to being quick, the XS sights are nice and low-profile, much less of a snag risk than the taller rifle sights. However, they're not going to be as precise, and as far as I'm aware, they're not adjustable (I'll point out that I've never personally used a barrel with these XS sights, I'm mostly going by word-of-mouth and pictures, here).

(click for larger images:)


The full rifle sights (I do have a barrel with a set of these) also use a dovetailed front element similar to the XS front sight, but the base is taller, and the front sight element is smaller for greater precision.






The rear is not a simple dovetail, but a two-piece element that mounts to a ramp base. This makes the rear sight adjustable for both windage and elevation, and there are even graduations on the ramp to help index the sight.



These rifle sights are based on a Remington system that's been around for quite a while, and has been used on a number of their shotguns and rifles over the years. The advantage to this is that a number of aftermarket companies offer all kinds of different options for replacement front & rear sights. Fiber optic or tritium, big & fast or small & precise, all kinds of ways to go.



On the other hand, these taller sights are a bit more prone to snagging on things, and if someone grabs a hold of your gun during a struggle, it would give them more to hang on to (though with a decent home defense plan, this really shouldn't be a likely scenario).

Honestly, either of these sight systems would probably do well if you want a HD gun with more accuracy than a bead sight. Remington offers their Police models with both systems. If you do get the rifle sights though, switching out the hunting-oriented factory sight elements for some aftermarket ones would probably improve function in a defensive role. If you want sights for both hunting and defense, I would definitely go with the adjustable rifle sights over the XS ones.

I wish they had more details of the barrels.

I don't know if the 18 1/2 inch barrel (87077) has a 3 inch chamber or not.

All Carlson's 870 barrels have 3" chambers, according to their website. The Carlson's barrels are threaded for interchangeable Rem Choke tubes - the same system used on Remington's hunting/sporting 870s. Choke tubes can be nice to have on a barrel that serves multiple roles, but if you only want this short barrel for defense, I would suggest a fixed choke. Nothing really wong with choke tubes on a fighting shotgun, but choke constrictions really don't change much at across-the-room distances, and fixed chokes are tougher and require less maintenance.