dads 870 express combo

[tobiast]

My dad (HE'S 85 NOW and doesn't go out doors too much anymore) gave ME his 870 express combo a few years ago while visiting me in Texas he used it mainly for protection while fishing in Canada and always kept the slug barrel on it, he lost the vented long barrel to a moose attack while fishing. They were casting into some shallow water full of water lilies for pike when a Moose appeared on the shore my dad said it stared to paw the ground and fake attacked 2-3 times before charging the boat he and his friend manged to jump clear but after the moose had capsized the boat he charged them and my dad put two slug into the moose and killed it. Everything in the boat that was not tied down or stored was lost including his canvas shotgun case with the extra barrel. While in Canada he always carried the shot gun slug over his back because of the bear activity,wolf and feral dogs. They especially liked hanging around the fish cleaning station near the docks.

I want to convert this to a home protection tactical gun with ATI Tactical Shotgun Adjustable Side Folding Stock and Forend with Scorpion Recoil System so I need to know if the current barrel is good for this project? can I shoot buck shot through this barrel? or do I only use slugs in it? the current barrel is ribbed and has rifle sights on it very similar to my Remington 700 .30 .06

I do a lot of camping in New Mexico and I normally take my .30 .30 lever action and a 357 magnum or my ruger 45 LC but I would like to start taking this shotgun and make it compact enough to strap it to my pack and or keep it handy at night at the camp site, since we take our horses with us they attract cougar,wolves and coyote at night and there are also blk bear around and a occasional jaguar. I know nothing about shot guns and that is why I never payed to much attention to it until recently. Modified it would make for a nice light weight protection gun. Please help with advise on the barrel issue. Should I replace the barrel with a regular 18 inch barrel? and what would the limitation be if I did?

[Bastard File]

Is the barrel fully rifled? If so it will not work well with buckshot as it is intended for use with slugs, rifled or Saboted style. If it is a cylinder bore or has screw in chokes then buckshot will work very well. I'm a fan of the 20" rifle sight barrels. Can't recall if the Express combo shotguns came with a rifled slug barrel or open choke. I want to think they were offered both ways?

[Synchronizor]

My dad (HE'S 85 NOW and doesn't go out doors too much anymore) gave ME his 870 express combo a few years ago while visiting me in Texas he used it mainly for protection while fishing in Canada and always kept the slug barrel on it, he lost the vented long barrel to a moose attack while fishing. They were casting into some shallow water full of water lilies for pike when a Moose appeared on the shore my dad said it stared to paw the ground and fake attacked 2-3 times before charging the boat he and his friend manged to jump clear but after the moose had capsized the boat he charged them and my dad put two slug into the moose and killed it. Everything in the boat that was not tied down or stored was lost including his canvas shotgun case with the extra barrel. While in Canada he always carried the shot gun slug over his back because of the bear activity,wolf and feral dogs. They especially liked hanging around the fish cleaning station near the docks.

Cool story (shame about the barrel, though). Reminds me of when I lived in Alaska as a kid, we'd have the occasional run-in and "border dispute" with wildlife there as well. 12ga slugs are pretty darn effective for the larger stuff.

I want to convert this to a home protection tactical gun with ATI Tactical Shotgun Adjustable Side Folding Stock and Forend with Scorpion Recoil System so I need to know if the current barrel is good for this project? can I shoot buck shot through this barrel? or do I only use slugs in it? the current barrel is ribbed and has rifle sights on it very similar to my Remington 700 .30 .06

I do a lot of camping in New Mexico and I normally take my .30 .30 lever action and a 357 magnum or my ruger 45 LC but I would like to start taking this shotgun and make it compact enough to strap it to my pack and or keep it handy at night at the camp site, since we take our horses with us they attract cougar,wolves and coyote at night and there are also blk bear around and a occasional jaguar. I know nothing about shot guns and that is why I never payed to much attention to it until recently. Modified it would make for a nice light weight protection gun. Please help with advise on the barrel issue. Should I replace the barrel with a regular 18 inch barrel? and what would the limitation be if I did?

Is the barrel rifled or smoothbore, and how long is it? A 20" or so smoothbore barrel with rifle sights and a light fixed choke or interchangeable chokes would be a good all-around choice for HD and field protection. Rifled barrels, on the other hand, are meant to be used with a specific type of slug; shot will pattern like crap out of them, and results with more traditional types of slugs will be mixed. Going from a 20" barrel to an 18" (or 18.5", as many actually are) won't make a much of a difference in length or weight, probably not enough to justify the cost of a new barrel. Something like a 14" barrel would be more of an improvement, but then you're getting into more money and time cutting through NFA red tape. If you have a good 20" smoothbore barrel, I'd stick with that.

You may want to think again on that stock. For a camp gun, a recoil-reducing stock is probably just going to add more things to go wrong. You're not going to be machine-gunning this thing, so a good recoil pad should be all you need. A plain folding stock might be nice if compactness is really a major requirement, but you may want to try carrying and shooting it some with the stock it has now, and see how you like it. In my hands at least, a traditional semi-grip stock is faster-handling than something with a pistol-grip, especially if you need to run with the gun, or swing it around at something.

A lot of folks also go with magazine extensions and weapon lights for HD. Extensions are good for HD, but would probably just be extra weight for camping (you can always switch between the two for different roles, if you want). A flashlight could be nice to have for both roles, though. There are a couple light options out there that replace the magazine cap. With a sling plate, that might be a nice, compact setup for a camp gun.

[tobiast]

I'm more confused now than ever I called my dad and asked him about the shot gun and all he remembers is that the barrel with the sights is the one he used rifled slugs in and buck shot, it's very hard talking to him because his hearing loss and it just frustrates him so I cut the conversation short, hes an ornery old coot born and raised in southern Texas and he still wears his colt 1911 in 38 super ( best round in the world according to him) around the ranch and he still brags on taking his first deer with his fathers 1894 Winchester .30 .30 from the Mexican revolution. sorry to get off topic here.

I broke the gun down and from what i can see the barrel is smooth it has no rifling at all, and the muzzle end of the barrel is open no choke tube or threads for a choke... the barrel is 20 inches long. so not knowing anything about shot guns what can I fire from this thing?

I had my sights on that AMI package because the forend had picatiny rails and the stock was collapsible and folding plus I like the contrast look of the desert tan. thank everyone for all the great advise and I look forward to your sagely advise on y dilemma.

[dharbert]

I broke the gun down and from what i can see the barrel is smooth it has no rifling at all, and the muzzle end of the barrel is open no choke tube or threads for a choke... the barrel is 20 inches long. so not knowing anything about shot guns what can I fire from this thing?

If the barrel does not have any rifling, and there are no threads at the end of it for a choke, then it is a cylinder (smooth) bore barrel. You can fire anything from a smooth bore, except sabot slugs. You can fire buckshot, rifled slugs, and a multitude of other specialty rounds that are available for shotguns these days.

Technically you can fire a sabot slug from a smooth bore barrel, but it won't be accurate at all. It will just start tumbling as soon as it exits the barrel.

[Synchronizor]

If the barrel does not have any rifling, and there are no threads at the end of it for a choke, then it is a cylinder (smooth) bore barrel.

Actually, it's probably a fixed Improved Cylinder choke, not a cylinder bore. The deer barrels on the old 25571 Express Combos had fixed ICs. The choke should be stamped on the side of the barrel, if you want to confirm this.

I broke the gun down and from what i can see the barrel is smooth it has no rifling at all, and the muzzle end of the barrel is open no choke tube or threads for a choke... the barrel is 20 inches long. so not knowing anything about shot guns what can I fire from this thing?

If it's rifled, you'll be able to easily see and feel the rifling. This sounds like a smoothbore barrel with a fixed IC choke. An IC choke is a very popular constriction for closer-range hunting and sporting with both birdshot and buckshot, and tends to work well with Foster ("rifled") slugs. It's also very common in police and military shotguns. A 20" rifle-sight fixed-IC barrel is a good choice for all-around short- to medium-range defense from both 2-and 4-legged threats.

In case you're confused, Foster slugs - also called "rifled slugs" - are meant to be used in a smoothbore barrel. The rifling on the slug was supposedly an attempt to make the slug spin itself as it flew through the air, but that never really worked. Foster slugs fly stably due to their hollow bases and forward center of mass, kind of like small lead shuttlecocks. The "rifling" is kept today because it reduces the bearing surface in the barrel, and helps the slugs pass through tighter chokes more easily.

Rifled shotgun barrels are designed to shoot sabot slugs, which are solid, sub-gauge projectiles encased in a plastic sleeve that falls away after leaving the barrel. These are built more like rifle or muzzleloader bullets, and so have to be spun to fly stably.