What shotguns have interchangeable barrels?

[aarondhgraham]

What shotguns have interchangeable barrels?

Either pump or semi-auto in 12 or 20 gauge.

I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of shotguns is very minimal,,,
99% of my shotgun experience has been with old single-shots.

I have friends who have started playing at shooting clay pigeons,,,
The single-shot 12 gauge I have is punishing to shoot.

So I was thinking of buying a pump that I can change the barrels on,,,
One short barrel for a home protection gun,,,
And a longer barrel for clay pigeons.

I don't want to spend a ton of money on this,,,
It will be a range toy that gets fired a few times a year.

I'm asking for some recommendations to look at,,,
What would be a few makes/models that would work for this.

Any suggestions will be very helpful.

Thanks in advance,,,

Aarond

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[T. O'Heir]

Nearly all of 'em. Decide exactly how much you want to spend, first. Decide on 12 or 20 too.
"...is punishing to shoot..." So will any pump gun. A semi uses some of the gasses to operate the thing just like a semi-auto gas operated rifle. Semi's are more expensive though.
A BNIB Mossberg M930 'Tactical'(stupid marketing term) semi, runs $499.99 at Cabela's. A Mossberg M500 Combo(18.5" slug barrel and a 28" bird barrel with changeable choke, that'd be your best bet.) runs $379.99. (Don't even think about using the useless pistol grip that comes with it. Nothing on this planet is more useless than a shotgun with no stock.) A Remington 870 Combo(20" rifled barrel and a 28" bird barrel) is on sale at $479.97.
A Maverick M88 is exactly the same thing as a Mossberg M500. Barrels are 100% interchangeable. An 88 runs $279.99.
"...don't want to spend a ton of money..." Think used. 'Used' isn't an ugly word in Firearms Land. Best to wait until after hunting season for the best prices. Think gun shows. The assorted auction sites' prices tend to be very high(some more than Cabela's BNIB price for the same thing.), but most of the sellers on 'em are dealers anyway.

[aarondhgraham]

Thanks for replying,,,

I'll do the reading on the ones you mentioned,,,
I knew that there were some that came with two barrels,,,
I just didn't know any makers/model numbers to start reading up on.

I think I've fired a Mossberg that might have been the 500,,,
It's recoil is a heckuva lot less severe than my old H&R single-shot.

I'll read up on the ones you mentioned.

Thanks again,,,

Aarond

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[Rifletom]

As T. O'Heir mentions, the Maverick 88 will get you in the door just fine. Two barrels, fun to shoot. You win.
Edit: Just saw the 88 only is one barrel. Opps! Then a Mossberg 500 combo would fill the bill with two barrels. Sorry about that.

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Rifletom.

I went to Buds website and saw the Mossberg 88 combo,,,
Less than $250 and it does have two barrrels.

Is the Mossberg 88 and the Maverick 88 the same gun?

But then there was a Mossberg 500 combo with a wood stock,,,
It was very affordable being right at $350.00.

I could afford that.

Aarond

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[FITASC]

Mossberg pump guns do; Remington pump guns do; NO O/U or SxS do; SOME semi guns from the same maker do.
In your scenario, go with either the Mossberg 500 or the Remington 870.

[kymasabe]

I have a Mossberg 12 gauge that I bought in excellent condition at a pawn shop for $200. I've also found extra barrels for it at pawn shops for as little as $40 each.

[2damnold4this]

+1 on the Mossberg or Remington pumps. Extra barrels are widely available in the aftermarket. I picked up a Mossberg 500 with two barrels in a pawn shop for $200 and it runs great. The 870 I bought used has also been 100% as has the aftermarket cylinder bore barrel made by Mossberg I bought for it.

[Doyle]

FITASC, there are some O/Us with changeable barrels - even some that interchange to multiple gauges. However, they are likely far outside the OP's price point - certainly far above mine.

[FITASC]

There are some that claim that - Blaser is one, even Kreighoff, but in reality, there is always just a little fitting necessary to be perfect

[aarondhgraham]

It looks like the Mossberg 500 or the Remington 870,,,
Will fill the bill for me very nicely.

Thanks again.

Aarond

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[jmr40]

MOST Remington 870 barrels will interchange with MOST other 870's. There are a handful of exceptions and in some cases some minor tweaking may be needed. The fore end caps have changed over the years and a barrel designed for older guns may require some tweaking to work on newer guns. Or a different cap.

Also be aware. Some 870 receivers and/or barrels are rated for 2 3/4" only, some 2 3/4 and 3", and still others 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2". When buying extra barrels you have to be careful to only use the correct ammo. If the barrel is 2 3/4" only a 3" shell will fit and fire in it. But you create a dangerous over pressure situation. A 3 1/2" shell will fit in a 3" chamber too. Even if the receiver is stamped for the longer shell, you can only use shells designed for that barrel.

And it can work both ways. A receiver made for 2 3/4" shells mated to a barrel stamped for 3" shells may not feed and eject 3" shells reliably. Although this combo isn't dangerous.

They also made some 870's with "Light Contour" barrels a few years ago. A standard barrel on a Light Contour receiver will require a bit of wood be removed from the fore end for the barrel to fit.

They also made a few labeled as "Special Field" that uses a shorter 3 round mag tube instead of 4 round. Those will not interchange at all.

The Mossberg 500 is offered with a 5 round magazine and 6 round magazine. Barrels made for one will not interchange with the other.

[T. O'Heir]

"...there are some O/Us with..." Yep, but not if you're on a budget. A set of O/U barrels can cost you more than any BNIB Remington or Mossberg.

[aarondhgraham]

Well I did a bit of reading,,,
And decided to look at Mossberg 500 and Remington 870.

When went to Academy to hold a Mossie 500 but they were out of the combo,,,
They did have the Mossberg Maverick combo,,,
At a very affordable price of $219.99.

This might be the shotgun for me,,,
Cheap and utilitarian,,,
Kinda like me.

Anyways, I am far from making a final choice,,,
Other than the choice of Mossberg over Remington.

I have no idea what I didn't like about the Remington,,,
It's just when I shouldered one it just felt "a bit off".

The Mossberg 500 and the Maverick 88 both felt fine to me,,,
So Now I have to figure out if changeable chokes and a wood stock,,,
Would be worth the extra cash outlay of about another $140.00 smackers.

Aarond

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[FITASC]

If you intend to do more than HD duty, as in hunting or some informal clay targets, you will want the choke tubes. Unless the gun is destined for the salt marsh after ducks, I would opt for the wood, just because it is a lot nicer looking than more black plastic.

[AFK]

If you are just gonna play around at the clay games a few times a year, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in chokes. If you were to buy a fixed choke gun, find a 28" modified or IC barrel and call it a day. You can't go wrong with either Remington or Mossberg/Maverick. If you shoulder both properly, you will decide which is better for you. Although the fit of either one will not be perfect, one of the two will "speak" to you.

[kymasabe]

Originally Posted by aarondhgraham

Well I did a bit of reading,,,
And decided to look at Mossberg 500 and Remington 870.
Aarond

I've owned both the 870 and the Mossy 500. I shot trap with a Rem 870 Wingmaster almost every Thursday night for over 5 years (x200 rounds per night, is over 50,000 rounds). Loved and hated that gun. Had adjustable comb and LOP, fit me perfectly, but I always disliked the location of the safety and the slide release on the 870.
The Mossy 500 I have now is wearing a Magpul stock which fits me nicely and has a much better slide release, and I installed a Vang Comp Big Speed safety and it works great.
Either gun will suit your needs, some just fit some shooters better than others.