The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

jaysouth · November 29, 2001, 07:00 PM

A friend of mine worked for the FL department of corrections. He relates a story about a rack of 870s used for training non-correctional personnel. Every employee, whether dentist, teacher or secretary has to do a firearms famaliarization course which includes 5 rounds of bird shot and 5 rounds of buck. The five guns used for this particular course were purchsed in 1959. Despite thousands and thousands of new employees firing their ten rounds, as of 1988 or thereabouts, not a part had been replaced on any of the five. He went on to relate that failures from tower and guard guns were mostly related to unauthorized tinkering or outright abuse.

I am proud to tell you that I was a lifelong fan of 870's long, long BEFORE my friend shared this story with me. My hunting gun is an 870 that my father won in a duck calling contest in 1955. It has been abused frightfully but keeps on ticking. Some years ago some mud got in the muzzle, then the gun was fired. A local smith cut the barrel back to 19 inches and silversoldered a Cutts on the end. The shorter but heavier barrel seems to swing smoother for me. My pride is a TC with a straight trap stock. To make it a skeet gun as well as a trap gun, I added a 26" skeet barrel. I have powdered many, many(and missed many) clay birds at skeet and trap with this combo and 1 oz loads of #8 shot.
As I got more into the skeet shooting culture, I bought a fancy Beretta over/under with a set of barrel tubes. It sure was pretty but I never hit more birds with this rig than my 870.

With as many 870's as I've got now with numerous extra barrels and stocks, I never worry about an 870 letting me down.

November 29, 2001, 07:00 PM	#8
jaysouth Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2001 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 787	Dave Mc A friend of mine worked for the FL department of corrections. He relates a story about a rack of 870s used for training non-correctional personnel. Every employee, whether dentist, teacher or secretary has to do a firearms famaliarization course which includes 5 rounds of bird shot and 5 rounds of buck. The five guns used for this particular course were purchsed in 1959. Despite thousands and thousands of new employees firing their ten rounds, as of 1988 or thereabouts, not a part had been replaced on any of the five. He went on to relate that failures from tower and guard guns were mostly related to unauthorized tinkering or outright abuse. I am proud to tell you that I was a lifelong fan of 870's long, long BEFORE my friend shared this story with me. My hunting gun is an 870 that my father won in a duck calling contest in 1955. It has been abused frightfully but keeps on ticking. Some years ago some mud got in the muzzle, then the gun was fired. A local smith cut the barrel back to 19 inches and silversoldered a Cutts on the end. The shorter but heavier barrel seems to swing smoother for me. My pride is a TC with a straight trap stock. To make it a skeet gun as well as a trap gun, I added a 26" skeet barrel. I have powdered many, many(and missed many) clay birds at skeet and trap with this combo and 1 oz loads of #8 shot. As I got more into the skeet shooting culture, I bought a fancy Beretta over/under with a set of barrel tubes. It sure was pretty but I never hit more birds with this rig than my 870. With as many 870's as I've got now with numerous extra barrels and stocks, I never worry about an 870 letting me down.