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Big Ken
October 10, 2001, 11:48 PM
as I stated here while back I'm gonna try my hand at duck hunting this year,& trying to be economical & still have good stuff, I put a mossberg 12 ga. on layaway at wal mart, up to 3" chamber, 28" barrel, 3 chokes, etc. $199.00 now some of my hunting buddies are frowning on me cause this gun happens to be ported, hell I don't know much about this stuff, is this bad ? one says it has blowback from ports, the other says it's too loud for the dogs. thinking about going back to wally world & see if they can order one without the ports. any opinions on this ? anyone out there hunt with a ported barrel ? thanks for any responses............:)

Dave McC
October 11, 2001, 06:59 AM
I don't have a ported bbl, but I do have lots of recent experience shooting near folks with them. This is the latest fad in the trap world.I've been stung with ejecta, and over on trapshooters.com a thread dealt with a guy who darn near went blind.

I did a thread not too long ago on porting, maybe I'll bring it up again.

Short answer, tho, is that porting increases blast and flash, some kinds of porting nore than others.

Big Ken
October 12, 2001, 12:18 AM
Thanks Dave, from what I gather from the friendly people at wal mart & on the mossberg website currently this gun only comes with a ported barrel. C'MON DUCK HUNTERS GIMME SOME INPUT :)

Will Beararms
October 12, 2001, 09:49 AM
Big Ken:

Do a search and see the plethora of bad experiences with Mossberg. Do yourself a favor, cop up an extra $25.00 and go with a Remington 870 Express. Parts are everywhere and I guarantee you it will give you years of service. Get someone to drill the butt stock and put yourslef a sling on it for wading into the blind or hunting in the timber. There is a forend cap on the market with a sling swivel attached.

I have a left-handed 870 and have nothing but good to say about it.

ENC
October 12, 2001, 11:40 AM
I personally hunt with 870 super-mag.

i do have an 835 ulti-mag and I think it a little heavier than I like. I have hunted with people who use the ported barrel with dogs present. However the dog was about 10 feet behind us and leased to a tree until retreive time it was to hyper to let it off the lead.

I know one thing ... people won' t be as inclined to sit right next to you. But it shouldn't get you shunned completely

Big Ken
October 12, 2001, 06:43 PM
I appreciate you guys weighing in on this for me, the gun is just on layaway, so I'm not married to it yet, but it just sounded like a good deal & I lept. & at the pawn shops around here the used guns are priced right up there with the new ones almost
but I will check around on the 870 Express & see what kind of deal I can find. I'll post what I find............thanks

(never realized how good I was at run-on sentences:D)

biganimal
October 13, 2001, 08:09 PM
stay away from the express as they are the cheapest built P.O.S. going today. I own several older 870 wingmasters and the new express doesn't hold a candle to them. If you can't get a WINGMASTER then get a mossy 500 with a vent-rib 28 inch bbl with full choke but not ported, this works well on duckies.

johnbt
October 13, 2001, 09:20 PM
What's changed about the Express Magnum? I bought one in '93 and it is not a POS. Works good and looks good in the bottom of the duck boat. I did change the recoil pad.

Now, if I wanted a nice old shotgun, I think I'd get a Winchester Model 12.

John

Big Ken
October 13, 2001, 11:56 PM
I have seen plenty of guns around with a fixed full choke & at cheaper prices but I was told not to shoot steel shot in a full choke, & the law says steel shot only. the gun I have on layaway is a 500, but I can't find one that is not ported even on the mossberg website. did see a remington express today at walmart for $245.00

appreciate the input.........:cool:

Will Beararms
October 14, 2001, 07:56 PM
I have had great luck with an 870 Express and I will tell you mine will probably outlive my Beretta 390. I had a friend who abused an 870 Express pheasant hunting in Kansas and it never missed a beat nor does it now. Just keep it oiled down and you will be in good shape.

Dave McC
October 15, 2001, 06:09 AM
Expresses are still 870s,with the same durability and longevity. QC seems to be a prob with all Rem products these days, so most shotguns need a bit of cleanup and tweaking.

Bbls seem to be the sore point right now. More horror stories of choke threads so off that they comes through the metal of the muzzle have surfaced. I'm wary of testimonial evidence, but there's been lots of this on the grapevine.

And,tubes oft shoot to widely differing POIs.This is not new, it's been around for years. Pattern with each tube in a set to make sure they match.

'Nother sore point is the trigger weight. I've handled a couple lately that had decent slap triggers, and one that broke clean at just 3 lbs, right from the factory. But, IMO there's more 6 lb triggers out there than 3 lbs, and creep seems to be more common.Many smiths can do a good job on these, local price runs about $35.

Getting an 870 or other good shotgun, is just the start. For best results, one has to go over it and get a few things right for the individual.