Barrels and Ammo questions

[ddec1123]

Hi I have 870Express magnum .got it when my brother died he used it for deer hunting and had to use slugs where he lived. The gun came with a few boxes of Hornady XTP Shotgun Slugs. The Barrel is 20inch So I presume its a rifled barrel. I want to use this gun for personal/home defense I am not a hunter

Question:
As it is this gun can only shoot slugs?
If I change the Barrel to a shorter barrel..can it shoot both regular 12 gauge shells and also still shoot Slugs ?
If so is there a special barrel that you would have to have to use both ?
What is the preferred shell for home defense?
Would the regular vs magnum shell really make any difference for fairly close situations ?

Thanks

[Scorpion8]

Hello and welcome. First off, never assume it's a rifled barrel, as there are rifled and un-rifled (sabot) slugs. Just take it off and look, and if it has rifling, you'll see it. Yes, any shotgun barrel can shoot slugs as long as the choke isn't too tight. You can swap to a shorter barrel, and all you'll lose is longer-range accuracy. But if it's HD, then shooting minute-of-hallway will be achievable with either. And NO, for HD you don't need the magnum, any intruder will not argue with any 12-ga short range loads at hallway lengths. Just check your (new) and (old) barrels for rifling, as that determines what slugs you want. It's odd, but for a rifled barrel you want smoothbore slugs as the rifling will impart the spin. For a smoothbore barrel, you want rifled slugs as they need that rifling-on-the-slug to impart the spin.

[gWebber]

The Barrel is 20inch So I presume its a rifled barrel. I want to use this gun for personal/home defense I am not a hunter
What is the preferred shell for home defense?
Would the regular vs magnum shell really make any difference for fairly close situations ?

Thanks

Here’s my two cents on your questions.

1. I have a 20” barrel on my HD gun, I had considered going shorter, but can’t really see the need to as if there an intruder I’d rather he come to me where I’m ready for him VS my going looking for him not knowing where he will pop up.

2. Lots of HD articles I’ve read suggest the shorter “Low Recoil” Double 00 buck shot and NOT magnums. Reason being the Low Recoil 00 buck Should be more than enough to stop a man at short length of a house (mine is maybe 50 end to end) and your really don’t want a Magnum load possibly blowing through a wall and entering the house across the street or next apartment.