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Old March 22, 2009, 09:59 PM   #1
GuyS
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New Remington 870

I recently purchased a Rem870 Express Tactical 12 guage 18.5 inch barrel with tactical rem choke. I plan to take it to the range where I can only shoot slugs of course. Two questions:
1) I bought some Remington rifled slugs (sluggers) to shoot at the range. Are these OK? Not a very good selection of rifled slugs out there. Can I use sabot slugs also?
2) We have a public trap/skeet sporting clay facility nearby. I'd like to just try out the Remington there but not really to shoot trap or skeet but just to see how it does with bird or buck shot. I doubt they would let me. WHere else would you go to practice with the Remington 870?

I just started to learn how to trap shoot f=but I use a Moss500 with 28 inch barrel for that.

Thanks
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Old March 22, 2009, 10:09 PM   #2
scorpion_tyr
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Congrats on the new gun! Excellent choice. I know nothing of chokes, but until someone who knows more comes along I figure I'll say what I know, or at least I think I know. The rifled slugs are for smooth barrels, but the sabot slugs are for rifled barrels only, or at least that's what everyone tells me. I think the rifled slugs will work with your tactical choke, but I don't know for sure.

If you do go skeet shooting with your tactical 870, don't tell some of the guys on here... just look at some of the other posts

Where are the pics?
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Old March 22, 2009, 10:10 PM   #3
hogdogs
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sabot slugs need rifling in the barrel for ideal accuracy and for better than a smooth bore at least rifled choke. The rifled slug is fine thru any choke but the ideal is IMP, MOD or IMP MOD for most guns...
Brent
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Old March 22, 2009, 10:17 PM   #4
colostomyclown
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rifled slugs only in a smooth barrel if you want to remain accurate.
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Old March 22, 2009, 11:06 PM   #5
colostomyclown
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can someone tell me the point of the "breaching choke" theyre putting on their guns? i don't understand it. what is it supposed to be used for?
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Old March 22, 2009, 11:14 PM   #6
Mr Odd Six
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The choke is for shot, it has nothing to do with slugs.

I would have gotten a rifled slug barrel, and no choke.

Also a 20 inch unrifled straight tube barrel, so you ca n load more rounds

and spread the happeness around.
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Old March 22, 2009, 11:15 PM   #7
colostomyclown
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tighter patterns then?
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Old March 23, 2009, 12:07 AM   #8
lipadj46
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They are for breaching doors so you can put the muzzle right up to the lock you want to breech. People like them because they look cool I'm guessing either that or they feel the need to breech locked doors.
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Old March 23, 2009, 08:27 AM   #9
hogdogs
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Mr odd six you are incorrect in either your understanding of general slug info or your delivery. Rifled slugs are for smooth barrels and always have been. Chokes can and do optimize accuracy of the rifled choke.
Sabot slugs need rifling to impart the needed spin but a 2 inch or longer rifled choke in a smoothbore can and does add accuracy to those. To suggest a rifled barrel for a short barrel HD/SD gun is to deny the buyer of versatility. The OP did not say he will only be going to this slug only range for the entire life span of the gun. I am thinking he wants to get familiar with the weapon using slugs since that is his local limit. I personally train with bird shot and buck shot alot but cannot look past the need for shooting slugs to learn/verify POA/POI co-ordination. Then back to buck shot...
In my description I have of a week long offer...
Quote:
Bring no less than 200 rounds of field loads per day but 500 would be better. Plan on 500 slugs and 1,000 00 buck shot for the 7 day course and triple it for the advanced course...
here...
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=346396
You will see a bunch of slugs and buck shot but I do not feel the need to use the slugs for the actual HD situation. I have never owned a rifled shotgun barrel and do not foresee it in my future.
Brent
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Old September 25, 2009, 09:23 AM   #10
rantingredneck
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1. Can you put a rifled choke on this gun?

Yes, simply unscrew that door breacher/DNA sampler thingy off the end and install any Rem Choke you like as long as it's 12 gauge. Rifled chokes are available. Opinions differ on whether they are actually very effective. The longer the rifled choke the better seems to be the consensus.

2. If so, what slugs? (foster,rifled, sabot?)

Foster slugs and rifled slugs are pretty much the same thing. Although Brenneke's are also lumped in with the overall catchall category of "rifled" slugs, which is a bit of a misnomer in and of itself. The "rifling" really doesn't spin the projectile very much. They get their stability from the weight forward design. The base is hollow and expands like a skirt to get a good gas seal in the barrel. The "rifling" allows the slug to swage down easier through a choked barrel. Brenneke's use an attached plastic wad to accomplish the same weight forward principle. They are also a bit harder lead alloy, designed specifically for thicker skinned game such as boars.

Sabot slugs can still be shot from a smoothbore barrel, but accuracy will likely be bad. They really do need spin imparted to stabilize as, much like a rifle bullet, the weight is in the rear. A rifled choke shooting Sabots is better than no rifling at all, but best results do come with a fully rifled barrel. When you are talking per round costs approaching 3, 4, or even 5 bucks you might want to stick to foster/brenneke designs if you're not using a fully rifled barrel.


3. Will tac. choke work with foster slugs?

It should, IIRC the tactical choke is either cylinder bore or improved cylinder. Never used one myself so I can't give any help on accuracy effects of the extended/ported/toothed configuration of the choke.



Of all the shotguns here in the safe that are set up for "social" purposes, most have either a fixed IC barrel or a remchoke barrel with IC choke installed. With my preferred brand of buckshot the IC choke works well to any reasonable buckshot engagement range and gives me the best option for slug usage beyond that.

The sole exception is my Mossberg 500 which has an extended modified choke as I've found for some reason that gun patterns best with the modified and slugs still do well with it within my limits with a bead sight.

Mossbergs are just wierd I guess.........

Forgot this one:

What accuracy can I expect out of slugs with this gun?

You're practical limitation on slug shooting with that particular setup is the bead sight. You can get very good with practice, but it will take practice to place slugs on target much past 50 yds. With a rifled sight setup you can more easily extend that practical range. On a good day when the Shotgun Gods are smiling upon me I can manage 4-5" groups at 75yds freehanded with a Remington with a rifle sighted barrel. I can stretch that to 100 by using field expedient rests (tree limbs, leaned against a post/tree, etc.).

I've been using rifle sighted barrels for slug shooting (and general turkey and deer hunting with shot) that I do not do so well with a bead and slugs anymore beyond social engagement distances. Out of practice....
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Old September 25, 2009, 09:38 AM   #11
hogdogs
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Ranting is correct...
Once you learn what "plane" on the rear to line up with the bead, you are basically close to hitting what you aim at with slugs out to 65-100 (my ability) yards. For deer hunting, I personally refrain from shooting to 100 yards unless my family has empty bellies. No deer is safe at 65 to 80 yards.

What he says of practice is paramount. My mossberg (like a rem 870) has a 1/4 to 3/8ths inch flat top on the receiver. Getting that and the bead aligned is what you are after.
Brent
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