The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Dave McCracken Memorial Shotgun Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old July 27, 2006, 09:36 PM   #1
mr00jimbo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 23, 2005
Posts: 175
Just got my first shotgun!


870 Express Magnum! I am a handgun guy and just got into long arms so I'm a novice to this gun, havent even shot it yet. got it a few hours ago...

what does the magnum mean on this gun? Pardon my ignornace. Also should it be ready to shoot outta the box, or should I clean it? Last Q, can I clean it without taking the barrel out, or do I have to take it apart to do so, seems a bit hard to take it apart all the time..
thanks!!
mr00jimbo is offline  
Old July 27, 2006, 11:15 PM   #2
LSU12ga
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 13, 2006
Posts: 407
congrats

i have a 870 super magnum.

magnum means you can fire 3'' loads.

i'm not to sure if you can fire it right away, i dont see why not. removal of the barrel is a peice of cake, simple unscrew the magizine cap, open the chamber 1/2 way and remove the barrel.
LSU12ga is offline  
Old July 28, 2006, 07:45 AM   #3
Dave McC
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 13, 1999
Location: Columbia, Md, USA
Posts: 8,811
Please read the manual and follow the directions.

870s are as easy as Lego sets to take apart and put together. The modular design is great.

To start, use the lightest loads you can find. Trust me on this. A good choice would be 7/8 oz loads. The heavier stuff needs to be worked up to.

It'll take about 250,000 shells to wear that out.

Better get started....
Dave McC is offline  
Old July 28, 2006, 07:54 AM   #4
Lee Lapin
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 7, 2004
Location: SE NC
Posts: 1,239
Congratulations- use it in good health.

DEFINITELY clean it before you shoot it. Especially the barrel/bore/chamber. Remington coats new guns with a preservative before they leave the factory. If you leave the stuff in the chamber it can in some cases help cause fired hulls to stick, and cause difficult extraction. Sometimes on rare occasions hulls will stick even in a clean chamber, and changing ammunition brands is the solution to that one.

870s are among the easiest repeating shotguns available to field strip and clean. The directions are in the owners manual. Learn how to do it, and get familiar with how your shotgun works. Learn to manipulate the gun properly by reading the owners manual before you ever put the first shell in it.

First thing to do as far as shooting is concerned is to determine which eye is your master eye, and make sure your master eye and your 'handedness' are on the same side. Make a circle with your fingers and thumb on one hand, hold your hand out at arms length with both eyes open, and center a small object (doorknob etc) in the circle. Close one eye, then the other, alternating left-right. The eye that's open when the object is still centered in the circle is your master eye, and ideally you should shoot from that side also.

Remember- safety first. It's a bad thing to have an accident with any firearm, but shotguns at close range can be tremendously destructive. Be careful.

Start out with light birdshot loads as you're learning, 7/8 ounce or 1 ounce shot loads are likely to kick less. Learn the basics of gun mount, get someone to teach you if you have no experience at all. Proper form will do a lot to reduce the punishment of recoil.

Now, go wear it out- dare you!

lpl/nc
Lee Lapin is offline  
Old July 28, 2006, 12:08 PM   #5
mr00jimbo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 23, 2005
Posts: 175
Thank you for the replies! Is it true that you can clean one through the open action going down the barrel like that, or should I always take the barrel out?
mr00jimbo is offline  
Old July 28, 2006, 12:31 PM   #6
9mmMike
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 6, 2000
Location: SE PA
Posts: 1,049
If you have a flexible "snake" you can clean from the chamber but really, why bother? It's so easy to pull the barrel and in my opinion, it's more of a hassle to handle the assembled gun while cleaning than it is to handle the barrel and receiver seperately.
As LSU12ga said, just unscrew the mag cap, open the slide half way and the barrel comes right off. Assembly is reverse of that.
__________________
"Freedom is not free"
Visit TheRallyPoint.org
TheRallyPoint at LRGC- Saturday August 26th
IF YOU LIVE IN PA AND DID NOT VOTE, YOU DESERVE TO LOSE YOUR GUNS!
9mmMike is offline  
Old July 28, 2006, 12:55 PM   #7
LSU12ga
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 13, 2006
Posts: 407
take off ther barrel

if your 870 is synthetic, then TAKE OFF THE BARREL

mine is sybnthentic and now has some lovely stains courtesy of gun scrubber.
LSU12ga is offline  
Old August 1, 2006, 09:31 AM   #8
Keegster
Member
 
Join Date: July 22, 2006
Posts: 44
Congrats! Have fun with it.
Keegster is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.03833 seconds with 10 queries