New 870, what more to do?

[hogdogs]

The need to "cram" your head speaks of a possibly low setup. If you said you were always gettin' a welt under your eye i would say too high... But that, AGAIN, is just my uneducated take on it.

You really need a pro or at least a very experienced shotgunner of the wing sports or clay sports to watch you... it could be a fine stock setup with poor form... Happens to the best of us...

Brent

[myshoulderissore]

I started getting a welt under my eye, but didn't want that to be my first experience with the 870, so I was hovering about an inch off the stock, sighting about an inch above the bead. Worked out for pumpkins, squash, and watermelons, but I'd like to be doing it properly.

[hogdogs]

BTW, It is "turkey shoot" season... take the gun to the local shoots and find the guy who has a knack for winning turkeys... Have him watch you... best of both worlds... "turkey shoot" shooters are aiming but they know shotguns... Might be of great help since you are practicing with stationary targets like produce...

Brent

[myshoulderissore]

I would just like to say, this is seriously the most fun I have had shooting since the MK19... I am a serious shotgun lover now.

[Scattergun Bob]

I'd like one with an 18" LOP please

I didn't know they made 4.00" extension pads , guess that must mean a PACHMAYR 1.5 pad with a whole bunch of spacers.

Aw come on Bob .........I can hear your teeth grinding way over here

Can't grind my teeth anymore, not much of them left, tried pulling my hair but as you may remember from our last meeting not much of that left either. Jim, guess I am just in a world of hurt!!!!!!

You elitist Trap guys, 870's are Beautiful! Why I have a special field that I would hold up against most anybodies, ah well not your shotguns.

Nice to chat with you again, my BEST to you and yours, Bob

[Bones]

Best thing to do to your 870 is to shoot it, and clean it. I bought my first 870 with a 20" IC with rifle sights. I used it to shoot steel at your local club shoots. After about a half of dozen 2nd places I tried a 18" IC with a regular bread, and started to win. After I moved, I started to shoot skeet with the 18", well to say the lease that didn't work out very well. Found another used barrel that was an old skeet barrel (26' and Rem Chokes) with a vented rib. I soon was able to run the 25,50,75, & 100, in no time. As luck would have it that club lost its lease, and had to find another club. I found a trap club, so I started looking around for something a little longer. I found a 30" fixed full choke with a solid rib, by the third match I won my "belt buckle" and now I take the cash. Did I mention, I still use the original stock and the one receiver. After +25K rounds its still sits in the front of the safe...

[Snakedriver]

I understand the principle behind the 13" LOP gunstocks, but I'm 5'-9" tall and wear a 32" sleeve in my shirts and am not large by any stretch of the imagination, yet I find that the 14" LOP that comes standard on the 870 is just right for me. In my part of Florida we don't have to wear heavy coats or body armor.

I'm wondering if different sights might not help with your sight picture. Look at the second picture I posted earlier in this thread and notice that the XS Big Dot sights are epoxied over the factory bead and is raised up some above the factory sight. I like the sight picture this gives me and doesn't require that I scrunch down so tight on the gun to get a good aim. Ghost ring sights as mentioned in other posts might also be something that would help.

[BigJimP]

You're calling me a "Trap shooter" Bob ....thems fighting words my man ...

( Skeet, Sporting Clays, 1911's, S&W Revolvers, some Sig Sauers ... but just because I have 3 dedicated Trap guns ...please don't call me a Trap shooter)....

I was only kidding about the 18" LOP guys ... My guns are all setup at
14 3/4" ( most of my Browning O/U's - XS Skeet, XT Trap, BT-100 ...all came out of the factory at 14 3/8" ...) so I only had to add about 3/8" to them with some spacers and a different recoil pad. I'm 6'5" and 290 lbs ...and I think about a 32" sleeve length ... A lot of field guns have LOP's around 14 1/4" ... but before you mess with LOP - get someone to help you / watch you mount the gun / take it to the pattern board - changing it 1/4" is a pretty big deal -- and its hard to judge on your own unless you have a lot of shells downrange under your belt ...

Its more important - on an angled comb gun ( a field stock, or a "sporting" stock ) to figure out the drop at comb and drop at heel that you need to fit you ....and Length of Pull ( LOP ) comes last in the equation, in my mind. Taking these guns to the pattern board is the only way to figure out whether you need a parallel comb - or how much drop you need / and then drop at heel ...

[Scattergun Bob]

Jim,

You're calling me a "Trap shooter" Bob ....thems fighting words my man ...

I only do that to help keep you blood pressure high (blame it on that #$#%# Bob) Many moons ago our first REAL conversations were over me calling you a trap shooter, heck you posted so many times since then you may have forgot. If you would like I will cease, but it does make me smile thinking about my early days here on the forum.

My best to you and yours, Bob

[BigJimP]

That's about what I figured ....no problems ...

[zippy13]

IRRC, Bob said that in his area he shot some trap because it's more convenient that going to a club with skeet or clays. For the newbies we should make it clear, shooting some trap doesn't make one a trap shooter. I shot a few seasons of ATA targets, and never considered myself a trap shooter. It has little to do with ability: I know some folks, who can barely hit a paper bag after they stick their muzzle it, who consider themselves trap shooters. IMHO, Being a trap shooter is a state of mind and has little to do with actual shooting.

[Scattergun Bob]

For the newbies we should make it clear, shooting some trap doesn't make one a trap shooter

X-ring Pete

Bob said that in his area he shot some trap because it's more convenient that going to a club with skeet

Now, just to set the record straight. Several years ago we could use our trap fields any time the overall range complex was open, we had a machine on a cart and you could drag it out and shoot away.

I would steal out to the fields when no one else was around and quickly set up and blast away. There is PITA and ATA, however, I belong to the KAGTA a more ecologically friendly trap association. The Kinder and Gentler Trap Association believes it is better for the ecosystem to NOT hit the target causing trauma and potential wounding of the poor thing. We believe as many educators do that the simple act of shooting into the sky should be reward enough, however (50 misses straight) or the "0" patch is much coveted. I got so good at this field sport that I could actualy fire two rounds missing with BOTH.

Basically, it's pull the bird, shoot and miss, let out a long string of curses and do it again. Since form is everything, shooters who coin new strings of curses receive the sought after (i got to write that one down) rocker to wear with pride.

Since then the trap range is closed to individual shooting because of the actions of a few pin heads, Ah I miss the good times.

(warning - for those new to shotgun sports, disregard the above story, it is simply a load of BS, to cover the fact that I suck at going away shots,now passing shots (skeet) is whole different story, well kinda sorta)

Hope you all had a smile or two, Good Luck & Be Safe

[zippy13]

Bob,
Thanks, I'm glad you cleared that all up. I'm assuming the KAGTA uses biodegradable targets and all the bios were treated humanly while being harvested as target fodder. Now, all you have to worry about is the anti global warming folks complaining about you shooting too many holes in the sky.
Cheers, Pete

[ET.]

Crap! After perusing this thread I have come to the conclusion that I like wood furniture on an 870 (like the 870p pictured). I just purchased an 870 Express several months ago with a synthetic stock. I no longer like it. I want an 870p with wood. Or better yet, I want a chromed marine model with wood furniture. This is going to cost me, isn't it?

[zippy13]

>I want an 870p with wood. Or better yet, I want a chromed marine model with wood furniture.
Good choices. I wonder how many folks get a syn stock on a whim only to want wood later.

>This is going to cost me, isn't it?
Most likely, yes. How good of a horse trader are you?

[Fifth Wheel]

Steel and wood are nice.

[Dave McC]

ET, there's lots of wood takeoffs out there, I've heard of near new sets of police wood for as low as $35 recently. I like wood myself.

[myshoulderissore]

So, regarding a light for possible home use...

I bought an action mounted rail system on the cheap...
http://www.amazon.com/UTG-MNT-RM870A...5074535&sr=1-4

And an offset flashlight mount also on the cheap, which fits a nice, but also cheap flashlight from Walmart that we already had laying around.
http://www.amazon.com/1inch-Picatinn...pr_product_top

Figured I would post these as cheap alternatives to the Surefire fore-end that was previously suggested in case anyone else is after an HD shotgun.

[Dave McC]

The long standing prob with flashlight mounts on shotguns is the bulb oft fails after a few shots. Tried this a while back with a Mini Maglite and pressure switch. The bulb lasted maybe 20 shots, the second one less.

Since you have yours, hook it up and go shoot say, 50 rounds and see if it still works. If not,cuss and move on.

[nefprotector]

Upgrade to Wolff springs and replace the orange plastic follower with an aluminum or stainless steel one.

[Bones]

To put a flashlight, on the end of a barrel, I would try using a LED fist...