barrel question

[pw24]

I'm lucky enough to have been left a Remington 870 Wingmaster from the early 60's that looks brand new. I'm new to shotguns and learning as much as I can. At this point, I'm not a hunter so I would not use the gun for that. Having it around the house I'd like to have it useful for HD purposes. It has the long 30" I believe barrel in full choke (I think, it's stamped "full" on the base of the barrel). My question is, should I look for a shorter barrel to use for HD purposes? I assume the longer barrel is for hunting, clay, etc. Again, I'm a newbie....

So, do I need a new barrel? This thing is long and seems unmanageable maneuvering in close quarters. Do you guys have those shell holders that attach to the butt and sides of the gun? I've been watching a few youtube videos and they all have those.

Thanks for the help...

[BigDogatPlay]

You can get a replacement barrel, they come in a range of lengths. For pure HD, think a 20 inch with a bead sight and a Cylinder choke. See this link for an example.

Once you do that you could trick it up with a magazine extension or any number of aftermarket parts. Or you could just leave it as is and have a perfectly fine tool for the job.

The long 30 inch barrel with full choke is largely for waterfowl hunting; ducks, geese and the like, where longer range shots are the norm. That length is definitely not suited for HD.

Good luck with it and welcome to the 870 family.

[tpuig]

You don't NEED a new barrel, but a shorter one will be easier to use in more confined environments. Take a look in the for sale section here and other lists. There are tons of the 870 barrels out there, it's one of most popular shotguns around. You'll find just about any add on for that gun with a little research. Enjoy.

and hang on to your longer barrel, you may take up bird shooting someday.

[Katana]

I would go with an 18" for HD. Barrels change out in a matter of seconds, so you can always go back to your 30" for other uses.

[sirgiles]

shell carrier by mesa tactical.

[eccvets]

crap, that barrel is so freaken expesnive you might as well buy another shotgun.

[SPE]

I'm lucky enough to have been left a Remington 870 Wingmaster from the early 60's that looks brand new.

So, do I need a new barrel? This thing is long and seems unmanageable maneuvering in close quarters. Do you guys have those shell holders that attach to the butt and sides of the gun? I've been watching a few youtube videos and they all have those.

Thanks for the help...

Look for a used 18" bead sight barrel here on the Want To Sell forum, or post what you want on the Want To Buy forum (just make sure to read the rules first).

Besides the longer barrel being cumbersome, I have been told to try and avoid shooting buckshot and slugs from a long barrel if I want to take care of it.

You don't need a brand new barrel, and there are ton of used 870 barrels floating around that are bought and sold constantly, so if you are patient, you'll be able to find something.

As a prior post said, it takes seconds to change an 870 barrel, so just watch a few youtube videos on the subject and you'll be good to go.

Depending on the capacity of the gun, you may want a mag tube extension to hold a few more shells, but it is not "required". The side saddles as you've noted are popular, but again, not required.

If you plan on taking a shotgun training course, which I would recommend, the "tactical" / defensive courses often encourage you to have the mag tube extensions and side saddle so that you can shoot more and reload easier while doing a 10-12 target course of fire. Otherwise you'll be constantly digging shells out of your pockets.

Welcome, and enjoy!

[pw24]

Thanks for the info! I did order the manual and learned that I could remove the wood dowel type piece inside the magazine to increase the capacity. I'll search around for some used barrels. Am I seeing correctly that some have a different finish, more of a matte? Or is that just an illusion in the photo? And trying to match the finish would just be a personal preference?

[Rob454]

just cut off the 30 incher you got now No just kidding. Go buy a used short barrel for 60-80$ and use that. I woudl get used parts and dont screw up any of the original parts. Not saying that it will be worth a ton of money but dont bubba it up without being able to bring it to factory condition easily IMO

[aippi]

You can buy a factory new Remington 20" blued wingmaster barrel with bead sight in a blued finish for $118 plus shipping. IM me and I will give you the web page. That is a great bargin as it is made for the blued 870 police models.

[NorcalGSG]

Agreed with aippi. Whatever you do, if its cherry still (sounds like it is), you'll want to keep it nice. either buy a 2nd barrel, take out the plug, and leave the rest alone, or just save this one and buy an Interstate 982 when they're on sale at big5 for like $199 for beater/HD. If you're interested in selling to get a more suitable HD gun, I might know someone who would be interested...