considering a new shotgun,comments welcome.

S

southerngame

New member
well i am thinking of buying a new shotgun before turkey season opens.i have a Norinco 97 Trench Shotgun at the moment.but its a WWII antique.its basicly a chinese version of the Winchestor 97.story being its more for mowing ppl down in trenches,not turkey hunting.
i am looking into getting Either a Remington 870 Express or maybe a Mossberg 500 Grand Slam.another thing is i want a versatile shotgun,not just for turkey season but deer season,and predators as well.any feedback is welcome.

S.G.
 
to me 870s fit and finish and smoothness is better.....i have both and there is nothing wrong with the mossberg but it does feel "plasticy" although the 500 should be lighter ...to me it would all come down to finding the best price on one,for turkey there are alot of options offered for both so options could be a better determiner.....my 870 is just a backup to my semi's and my 500 is my 20 ga. slug gun so i dont use either a whole bunch ...i would just try and look for the best deal on either...the think the 870 is more popular meaning more versatile but ive had better AND cheaper results out of the 500 (mossbergs slug guns seem to be more accurate and they make a very nice cantilever barrel for the 870 )....mossbergs 870 slug barrel is about half the price of hastings and remingtons barrel....if you buy a 2 barrel combo gun ,just make sure you are getting a rifled barrel and i prefer the cantilever scope mounts to eliminate the scope mounted on the receiver which you would probably take off for turkey
 
Quote:
835's make questionable slug guns from what ive read is the only drawback if hes going duel purpose...



Actually with a slug barrel they make an excellent slug gun. The overbored shot barrel is not designed to shoot slugs and says do not use them on the barrel. What they do though is deliver excellent accuracy and great patterns to 60 yards plus with the turkey barrel.

I went thru two 870's before I finally ended up with the 835 turkey gun. Nice thing about them is there already drilled and tapped for scope bases and come with good fire sights already installed along with a sling and sling swivels.

Both the 870's Express's I had, a 3.5 inch super mag and a 3 inch mag were simply not the guns my older 870's were. Both would rust if left in a bucket of oil and the Super mag just beat the daylights out of me compared to the 835 Mossberg.

Here's what I'm shooting now. I still have an 870 20 Gauge Express and it's a nice little gun, though the finish is terrible compared to my old 870 lightweight I bought years ago. For a turkey gun this is one of the best I've had in years.

Mossberg835-1.jpg


It wears both the fine fixed sights that came on it and an Aimpoint 5000. This gun has killed turkeys well past 60 yards with the factory turkey choke that came with it. It's got a 24 inch ported barrel and is both well balanced and not a recoil problem with 2 ounce 3.5 inch loads.

Mossy1.jpg


Here's the factory open sights that come on it.

Mosberr835frontsight.jpg


Mosberg835-rearsight.jpg
 
I have an old 11-87, and it feels like it was built for me. I'd go for the auto any day of the week over a pump. That said, an 870 feels almost as good, it just doesn't have that featherlight recoil of an auto.
 
I would go with the Remington 870,their really good guns.
I have a Remington 870 in a 20gauge and so far its never failed to fire.I dont have any experience with Mossberg shotguns so I cant help ya there.
Another gun you might look into is a Benelli Nova.Thats what I use for turkey/predator huntin. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
For a pump gun, I'd have to take the Remington 870. I've had them for years, and still have two. I've killed a number of turkeys with both guns, but have to admit that now, I'm using an O/U for turkeys. I've shot some Mossbergs that shot well, but they just don't feel right to me.
 
I would go with what fits you best...and only YOU can tell which is best.

I have had and used both for several years. I never could shoot the 500 well. When they came out with the 870 super mag, I had to have it. That was when I was young and dumb. (now I'm older and slightly less dumb).

I noted a HUGE improvement in my shooting with the 870. At the time I attributed it to the screw chokes, my 500 was mod only. But as I learned more, I realized the just 870 fits me better. I'm a short guy, 5'7" and the 870 "points" best. My buddy who's 6'2", on the other hand, never could shoot his 870's. He switched to the Mossberg 835 and Benelli Novas and his success improved greatly.

Both guns are very durable. I wouldn't hesitate to buy either one, in a combo package. Just make sure you handle them both and see which one "points" best for ya.

bownut
 


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