Need barrel

Tactical, combat, military, law enforcement and home defense use of a Remington 870 shotgun.
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action
New Shotgunner
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:51 pm

Need barrel

Post by action » Wed May 23, 2018 12:58 am

Well I need to get my 870 Express turned into an HD shotgun. Been thinking about it for awhile just haven't done anything.....Well I have a few parts picked out but need a barrel. Thinking about a Remington 18 1/2" with beaded front sight.....Would that be good or is there something better ?
Thanks
Jack

redgoat
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2016 5:42 pm

Re: Need barrel

Post by redgoat » Wed May 23, 2018 6:16 am

For home defense usage, any of the Remington made 18 1/2 inch barrels with bead front sight are a great choice. Remington has Cylinder, Improved Cylinder, and Modified, all fixed choke, available. These are simple and excellent choices and you will not regret choosing any one of them.

Mossberg also makes an 18 1/2 inch barrel for the Remington 870 and it typically costs $20 to $30 less than the Remington made barrels, although the bead front sight on the Mossberg barrel is not mounted on a pedestal as the Remington barrels are, making it a bit lower in height. The Mossberg made Remington 870 barrel is only available in Cylinder fixed “choke” (as far as I am aware). I have one of these and I find it works just as well for me as the corresponding Remington offering.

I recommend that you avoid barrels made by Carlson’s or other third party manufacturers (not to be confused with Corsons Barrels, a seller of used shotgun barrels). You don’t save much, if any, money with the off-brand barrels and my experience with them (a total of three barrels, for whatever that is worth) indicates that their quality control is suspect.

I believe that fixed choke barrels are preferable for “serious” shotgunning because, A) I don’t want to worry about the choke loosening at a critical time, and B) I don’t want to have to remember if I switched chokes at some point and forgot to switch back to my preferred one for defensive purposes.

I tend to prefer the Cylinder barrels because, in my mind, the phrase “home defense” evokes images of fending off an intruder within the confines of my house, and that involves distances that are well within the capability of any Cylinder “choke” barrel that I have ever fired and patterned. If by “home defense” you mean your palacial mansion and it’s surrounding acreage, then you _might_ want to opt for Improved Cylinder or Modified. However, you might also be surprised at how much variation in pattern spread can be experienced just by tinkering around with various loads. In other words, experiment with various loadings to achieve your desired shot pattern at your expected defensive distances. With the right load, a Cylinder “choke” can deliver just as tight pattern as an Improved Cylinder choke with a less than optimal load.

For shooting slugs, any of the three chokes will work fine, so that should not be a factor in your choice. You _might_ get a slightly better level of theoretical accuracy from the Improved Cylinder or Modified chokes with slugs, but with a front bead sight arrangement, I would be very surprised if the practical accuracy is any better than what a Cylinder “choke” can deliver.

Footnote: I placed the quotes around the word “choke” when associated with “Cylinder” because, technically speaking, a barrel with a fixed Cylinder “choke” has no choke at all, hence the term “Cylinder.”

action
New Shotgunner
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:51 pm

Re: Need barrel

Post by action » Wed May 23, 2018 2:49 pm

Thanks good info...
Jack

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