Remington 870 vs Mossberg 835

[John L. Smith]

Second grandson is big enough that he is soon going to take over Grandpa's Maverick 88 so I either buy a new shotgun or I fall back on my old Monkey Ward's pump ( Stevens 520 ).

Tell me the good and bad points of a Remington Model 870 Super Mag vs a Mossberg 835 Ultra Mag. If I am doing my research right both of these guns will handle all 12 ga. shells from 2 3/4" thru 3 1/2". Will be buying a rifled slug barrel for whatever I buy. Want to take grandson back next year to the land of my birth ( Pike County, IL ) to let him shoot at a big deer. We have deer in FL but not nearly as big or plentiful.

Does anybody make a 3 1/2" slug?

Thanks,

[oneounceload]

Does anybody make a 3 1/2" slug?

:eek: the deer may be bigger in IL, but they aren't armored plated.....:D

[John L. Smith]

Just asking if someone makes a 3 1/2' slug. I am to old to chase a deer up and down those hills and bluffs anymore. Just want to hit him and put him down where he stands.

[oneounceload]

Remington lists a slug in a 3" hull at 1760 FPS, good for accuracy (so they say) to 150 yards..you might look into that

[zippy13]

midwayusa.com lists the 1 3/8-oz, 12-ga, 3 1/2-inch Lightfield Commander Impact Discarding Sabot designed for rifled bore barrels.
It claims to deliver 3728 ft.lbs. at 1900 fps at the muzzle. I imagine it would be quite an experience shooting one.

[BigJimP]

makes my re-built shoulder throb --- just thinking about shooting those things ....:)

[dgludwig]

Tell me the good and bad points of a Remington Model 870 Super Mag vs a Mossberg 835 Ultra Mag.

Whether they're on the good side of the ledger or on the bad or whether same matters to you at all, "points" you may want to consider regarding pertinent differences between the Remington and the Mossberg include: the Model 870 has a steel receiver, the 835's is alloy; the Mossberg has a sliding, tang-mounted safety, the Remington has a more conventional cross-bolt safety. Imo, all other differences are pretty darn subjective-and,yet, ironically I suppose, these subjective differences (how the gun "feels", points and handles) are potentially of a greater consequence to the individual shooter than are the aforementioned "objective" differences.

[NYPD13]

I've got a bunch of those Lightfield 3 1/2 slugs. Lets just say....OOUUUCCCCHHHHH!!!. Sounds and feels like a cannon when fired.

[sheepman]

Can't comment on the 3 and 1/2" slugs, but had a 835 and 870 and they are both about equal, the 870 just fits me better. Pick the one that is best for you as they are both good guns. :)

[chewie146]

You'll like that 870 a lot, I believe. It's hard to beat. The 2 3/4" slug should work fine, but if you want something nastier, try a buckhammer.

[Smitty in CT]

The 835 has an "Overbored" barrel, so you can't shoot slugs out of the 835 unless you get a dedicated "slug barrel" that isn't overbored.

The 535 uses the standard bore barrel but it's also lighter than the 835... Lighter just means more pain, when shooting 3-1/2" shells....

Have him try as many as he can get a hold of, your bound to find one that fits him better and feels right...

Good luck,