Rem. 870 barrel?

[joneb]

I'm thinking about getting a barrel for a older 12 ga wingmaster w/a standard receiver for slug use.
I think 18.5 - 24" length is fine with rifle type open sights, I'm not sure if I should get a fully rifled barrel or a smooth bore?
I plan to reload for this casting round ball at first with a rolled crimp.
Has anyone gone down this road and what are your thoughts?
Thanks

 

[troy fairweather]

I'd go smooth and 18 to 20 do t think the extra few inches will help much. Could do some Lee key slugs to.

 

[joneb]

I'd go smooth and 18 to 20 do t think the extra few inches will help much. Could do some Lee key slugs to.

Common sense tells me a rifled barrel would be more accurate at longer ranges, I think round musket ball accuracy improved in rifled barrels?
I am totally ignorant in this area.
thank you for your reply.

 

[George P]

I believe that Remington made a 20-21" smoothbore with rifle sights which would be perfect for standard slugs, buck shot, etc.

 

[Armored farmer]

Smoothbore can be accurate out to 60yds or so. I feel you start covering up too much deer with iron sights.
When you try to go much further than 75 or 80yds, you would be better off with a rifled barrel and a scope, imho.
On the other hand, a 20inch open choke , rifle sight barrel makes an excellent home defense gun when loaded with buckshot .

Choose wisely!

 

[cdb1]

I’d get a rifled barrel if I were going to shoot past HD distance.

 

[dfariswheel]

If you have an older 870 you'll need to be sure to buy a barrel with the old style magazine cap retention plunger in the front of the barrel ring.

An Express barrel uses a totally different retention system and an old style barrel will allow the magazine cap to unscrew under recoil.

Other options are to buy an Express barrel and a rubber "O" ring that is the same diameter as the magazine tube, or buy a wave-type washer that fits over the mag tube.
Until recently, Brownell's was selling this type of wave washer.

 

[PapaG]

I found a 21" barrel in a Walmart once during scratch and dent sale, bead was broken but had the rear sight and front ramp. Choke tubes. I got it for $45, put in a rifled choke tube and a new bead front. Worked great. So, they did make them.
Heck, you can find an old plain barrel of any length, cut it off and have at it.
For round balls to have any effect by the rifling they'd have to either be in a tight wad or patched somehow and also the rifling would have to be really slow, like one in 72". I've had best luck with the Lee key drive slugs in both smooth and rifled barrels.
I have a lyman Foster slug mould, a Lee, the 12 and 20 Lyman sabot moulds and none will match up with a cheap Federal TruBall.

 

[EIB0879]

I have a a 21" rifled barrel on my 870. I put a Nikon 2-7x on it and it shoots sabot slugs like a rifle. Interestingly enough the barrel came from Mossberg and I got it on sale.

 

[joneb]

I've been considering some other options, one is getting a rifled 20 gauge barrel for a Ithaca for my model 37 featherweight but they are $300.
Another option would be finding a used H&R Tracker II in 12 or 20 gauge.
I'm not sure if CVA is still making a 20 gauge single shot w/a full rifle barrel? but these were around $260 and then there is this unicorn, https://www.rossiusa.com/product-details.cfm?id=41&category=8&toggle=&breadcrumbseries=SFS it was offered in 12 and 20 gauge.

 

[jmr40]

To be honest my work with slugs is limited. But I do have a 21" cylinder bore barrel for my 870 with rifle sights. Off a bench I've been able to shoot 4-5" groups at 100 yards with standard slugs. Even with just a bead I can do that at 50 yards. For want I will do with slugs that is good enough. I want the versatility to be able to use buckshot so no rifled barrels for me.

But for a dedicated slug hunting gun the rifled barrel is an asset. With the better sabot rounds and optics there are guys getting accuracy capable of taking game beyond 200 yards.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I have 2 of the blued rifle sighted 20in Wingmaster barrels---12 and 20

The 12ga barrel came threaded for Remchokes and included a rifled tube and an IC tube---Foster slugs and sabots plus buckshot

The 20ga barrel came fixed choked in IC-----Foster slugs and buckshot

 

[d2wing]

Between smoothbore and rifled slug barrels the rifled is way more accurate. I have tried several. However claims of rifle like performance or accuracy beyond 100 yards is pretty much baloney for regular hunting guns. Only specialized equipment on a bench is accurate beyond that. Ballistic charts only go to 125.. Anyone is welcome to come to my range and prove me wrong.

 

[MAKster]

Smooth bore if you are going to shoot mostly buck and bird shot but occasionally slugs. Definitely get a rifled barrel and sabot slugs if the main purpose is to shoot slugs. Accuracy of slugs out of a smooth bore beyond 50 yards is not good.

 

[alsaqr]

Scoped rifled bore shotguns are very accurate with sabot slugs to about 100 yards. Use of rifled slugs in those bores can lead to a horrible leading problem. Last fall a friend went through three boxes of sabot slugs sighting in his Mossberg rifled barrel shotgun. That gets expensive fast at $3.00 per pop.

For slug use at 50-60 yards purchase a smooth bore barrel with sights and use plain old rifled slugs.

There's a bunch of Model 870 barrels on ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Remington-Shotgun-Barrel-Parts-for-Gun-Model-870/73954/bn_42762533