scopes mounted on pump action shotgun

Tesler · June 19, 2017, 11:40 PM

Hello, Guys! I have a question that many might think it's stupid, but I don't mind being stupid just to get what I want. My question is: has anyone here ever used a rifle scope on Remington 887 Nitro Mag? what is it like? What are the recommended scopes for it?

jmr40 · June 20, 2017, 06:11 AM

I've never done it, but deer hunters in shotgun only areas do so quite often. It really improves accuracy with slugs. Not as common, but some turkey hunters do so as well. If I were going to mount a scope on a shotgun it'd likely be something low powered like a 1-4X20. Some guys use various versions of the dot sights too.

Some folks use dot type sights for wing shooting. This is much less common and I know next to nothing about this.

Mobuck · June 20, 2017, 06:41 AM

The difference between a "rifle scope" and a "shotgun scope" would be the parallax range and the amount of recoil the scope was designed to handle. Possibly, the type or shape of the reticle for short vs longer ranges. A longer eye relief would be a nice feature to prevent getting smacked in the forehead during recoil of a hard kicking shotgun load.
Once upon a time, I used a low powered scope on an 870 slug gun and had no problems.

Screwball · June 20, 2017, 07:08 AM

Not an 887, but my 11-87 slug gun has a Burris 1.75-5x Fullfield scope... mounted on a cantilever barrel mount.

Just need to be realistic with the scope. I'm not going to toss a Leupold 4.5-14x Mark 4 on a slug gun. It is at best a 200 yard gun... more realistically, 100-150 yards for the maximum hunting range. Recoil and optic clarity would be my main concerns when looking for a shotgun scope.

Now, if you are planning on shot... and must use an optic, go red dot. To toss a scope on a shotgun, I'd opt for a rifled barrel (if you don't want another barrel, then a rifled choke tube).

FITASC · June 22, 2017, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Some folks use dot type sights for wing shooting.

Not if they want to hit anything; in fact most folks remove ANY bead or sight as it takes your focus away from where it needs to be - on the bird (clay or feathered)

If you mean using a rifled barrel for shot, that is a waste of money. Rifled barrels are for sabot-type slugs, period........

Capt Rick Hiott · June 22, 2017, 06:26 PM

I have a Rem 870 slug gun with a cantilever barrel mount.
Works great with a cheap Nikon on it

Rob228 · June 22, 2017, 07:30 PM

I have a Hastings slug barrel with a cantilever scope mount, works great but I'm pretty sure Hastings went out of business a while back.

FITASC · June 22, 2017, 07:50 PM

Hastings had their barrels made by Verney-Carron in France:

http://www.hastingsdistribution.com/...oduct_list&c=1

Looks like "they're baaaaaccccckkkkk"

Bwillsonhunter4 · June 29, 2017, 10:27 AM

I have a 870 wing master smooth barrel with a scope on it for deer hunting. Ain't a rifle scope but as long as you buy a scope that can handle the recoil I don't see why you couldn't

Pahoo · June 29, 2017, 10:52 AM

"Remington 887 Nitro Mag?"

Not a stupid question at all. I have mounted a variety of optics on shotguns with excellent results but not on this particular model. All have been of lower power and longer eye-relief. As others have stated, I would emphasize the long eye-relief as that eye bell can really cause some serious damage. I hunt in one of those slug season states and I usually recommend RedDots. .......

Please;
Be Safe !!!

Husqvarna · July 9, 2017, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Quote:
Some folks use dot type sights for wing shooting.

Not if they want to hit anything; in fact most folks remove ANY bead or sight as it takes your focus away from where it needs to be - on the bird (clay or feathered)

FITASC
I see people using aimpoints on shotguns often nowadays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF1U3DFFTOk

especially older gents who have trouble with their eyes. I mounted one to my fathers shotgun and it drastically improved his clay shooting and hunting

I have one on my semi but that is mostly for slugs but it is not I remove it when busting clays or geese, it works great

aimpoint shooting course with shotguns and reddots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFg74F33lpQ

bamaranger · July 16, 2017, 12:36 AM

I am not familiar with the Rem 887, but I have mounted a scope on an 870 turkey gun for a pal, and am about to put some type of optic on my turkey gun as well.

My pal's gun was factory drilled and tapped, it was no problem to secure a base and rings and slap a 2.5x Leupold compact on it. He is well into his 70's with bad vision, but can now once again shoot his gobbler gun well. Prior that the standard beads were giving him fits (and gobblers second chances on life!!).

My older gun is not drilled and tapped. Against my better judgement, I am going to try one of the saddle mounts that utilize the trigger group holes. The saddle rigs might not be secure enough for a slug gun, but for a load of shot out to 40 yds or so on a gobbler, I suspect it will work well enough. I am not sure what optic I will use as of yet.

turkeestalker · July 16, 2017, 05:46 AM

I shot my first two wild turkeys with an old single shot 20ga that I had purchased at 15. Only shotgun I had at the time with a 3" chamber.
I decided that I loved the sport and needed to upgrade, but with a new wife, mortgage and life at that time, had no disposable income.

I wound up trading my Ruger Old Army that I purchased at 17, for a used Mossberg 835 which the previous owner had set up with a scope. I have no idea the brand of optic as it had been painted to match the old dated Realtree camo of the 835. I would guess it to be a fixed 4x that has a diamond reticle with very generous eye relief. Maybe an old Simmons or something else on the lower end.

I absolutely loved the set up, and still do. Necessary or not, I've always used 3.5" shells with it and I've never had an issue through the years, and I've been fortunate enough to harvest an awful lot of birds through those years with it.

Picked up an old Winchester 1300 turkey specific shotgun for a song a couple of years ago and decided to set it up the same way. Topped it with one of the Truglo 4x diamond reticle shotgun scopes that works like a charm, and brought a 22lb-er to the table just this last spring.

Personally, 4x may be a bit too high of power, but it's what I'm used to thanks to the previous owner of the 835, and it certainly works well. That diamond reticle is perfect for a tom's noggin to fit in when you're patterned just at the top edge of it.

June 19, 2017, 11:40 PM	#1
Tesler Junior Member Join Date: June 19, 2017 Posts: 1	scopes mounted on pump action shotgun Hello, Guys! I have a question that many might think it's stupid, but I don't mind being stupid just to get what I want. My question is: has anyone here ever used a rifle scope on Remington 887 Nitro Mag? what is it like? What are the recommended scopes for it?

June 20, 2017, 06:11 AM	#2
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	I've never done it, but deer hunters in shotgun only areas do so quite often. It really improves accuracy with slugs. Not as common, but some turkey hunters do so as well. If I were going to mount a scope on a shotgun it'd likely be something low powered like a 1-4X20. Some guys use various versions of the dot sights too. Some folks use dot type sights for wing shooting. This is much less common and I know next to nothing about this. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

June 20, 2017, 07:08 AM	#4
Screwball Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2012 Location: ME Posts: 771	scopes mounted on pump action shotgun Not an 887, but my 11-87 slug gun has a Burris 1.75-5x Fullfield scope... mounted on a cantilever barrel mount. Just need to be realistic with the scope. I'm not going to toss a Leupold 4.5-14x Mark 4 on a slug gun. It is at best a 200 yard gun... more realistically, 100-150 yards for the maximum hunting range. Recoil and optic clarity would be my main concerns when looking for a shotgun scope. Now, if you are planning on shot... and must use an optic, go red dot. To toss a scope on a shotgun, I'd opt for a rifled barrel (if you don't want another barrel, then a rifled choke tube).

June 22, 2017, 06:26 PM	#6
Capt Rick Hiott Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2010 Posts: 376	I have a Rem 870 slug gun with a cantilever barrel mount. Works great with a cheap Nikon on it __________________ Capt Rick Hiott Charleston,SC

June 22, 2017, 07:50 PM	#8
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	Hastings had their barrels made by Verney-Carron in France: http://www.hastingsdistribution.com/...oduct_list&c=1 Looks like "they're baaaaaccccckkkkk" __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

June 20, 2017, 06:41 AM	#3
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	The difference between a "rifle scope" and a "shotgun scope" would be the parallax range and the amount of recoil the scope was designed to handle. Possibly, the type or shape of the reticle for short vs longer ranges. A longer eye relief would be a nice feature to prevent getting smacked in the forehead during recoil of a hard kicking shotgun load. Once upon a time, I used a low powered scope on an 870 slug gun and had no problems.

June 22, 2017, 07:30 PM	#7
Rob228 Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2010 Location: Hampstead NC Posts: 1,450	I have a Hastings slug barrel with a cantilever scope mount, works great but I'm pretty sure Hastings went out of business a while back.

June 29, 2017, 10:27 AM	#9
Bwillsonhunter4 Member Join Date: May 30, 2016 Posts: 44	I have a 870 wing master smooth barrel with a scope on it for deer hunting. Ain't a rifle scope but as long as you buy a scope that can handle the recoil I don't see why you couldn't

June 29, 2017, 10:52 AM	#10
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Absolutely and Be Safe !!! "Remington 887 Nitro Mag?" Not a stupid question at all. I have mounted a variety of optics on shotguns with excellent results but not on this particular model. All have been of lower power and longer eye-relief. As others have stated, I would emphasize the long eye-relief as that eye bell can really cause some serious damage. I hunt in one of those slug season states and I usually recommend RedDots. ....... Please; Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

July 16, 2017, 12:36 AM	#12
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,312	scopes I am not familiar with the Rem 887, but I have mounted a scope on an 870 turkey gun for a pal, and am about to put some type of optic on my turkey gun as well. My pal's gun was factory drilled and tapped, it was no problem to secure a base and rings and slap a 2.5x Leupold compact on it. He is well into his 70's with bad vision, but can now once again shoot his gobbler gun well. Prior that the standard beads were giving him fits (and gobblers second chances on life!!). My older gun is not drilled and tapped. Against my better judgement, I am going to try one of the saddle mounts that utilize the trigger group holes. The saddle rigs might not be secure enough for a slug gun, but for a load of shot out to 40 yds or so on a gobbler, I suspect it will work well enough. I am not sure what optic I will use as of yet.

July 16, 2017, 05:46 AM	#13
turkeestalker Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2015 Location: Cottleville, Missouri Posts: 1,115	I shot my first two wild turkeys with an old single shot 20ga that I had purchased at 15. Only shotgun I had at the time with a 3" chamber. I decided that I loved the sport and needed to upgrade, but with a new wife, mortgage and life at that time, had no disposable income. I wound up trading my Ruger Old Army that I purchased at 17, for a used Mossberg 835 which the previous owner had set up with a scope. I have no idea the brand of optic as it had been painted to match the old dated Realtree camo of the 835. I would guess it to be a fixed 4x that has a diamond reticle with very generous eye relief. Maybe an old Simmons or something else on the lower end. I absolutely loved the set up, and still do. Necessary or not, I've always used 3.5" shells with it and I've never had an issue through the years, and I've been fortunate enough to harvest an awful lot of birds through those years with it. Picked up an old Winchester 1300 turkey specific shotgun for a song a couple of years ago and decided to set it up the same way. Topped it with one of the Truglo 4x diamond reticle shotgun scopes that works like a charm, and brought a 22lb-er to the table just this last spring. Personally, 4x may be a bit too high of power, but it's what I'm used to thanks to the previous owner of the 835, and it certainly works well. That diamond reticle is perfect for a tom's noggin to fit in when you're patterned just at the top edge of it. __________________ Vegetarian... primitive word for lousy hunter!