870 defense barrel

[cjm2022]

Im looking to get a shorter barrel for my Remington 870 Express and don't have a lot of extra funds as usual.

I was looking at the 18.5 Mossberg barrel for around $115

then i found a 20 inch barrel made by Target Sports Tactical for around $70
I couldn't find anything about them and i an skeptical of the price.

Has anyone ever used one or at least seen one in real life?

[CJB]

For a defense barrel - it doesn't matter. This akin to wondering about the upholstery on a car to be used in the "Demolition Derby"......

Go with cheap! What, you're worried about the "pattern" at 15 feet?

Barrels on shotguns are measured from the breech face (front of the closed bolt) to the end of the muzzle. You may even want to shorten the 20 inch barrel to 18-1/2 or so. Re-mounting a front bead is not hard, _if_ you absolutely need to have one there. Most use a 3-48 tap, & Brownells has a few kits with drill, tap, and bead to make it easy.

[cjm2022]

thanks CJB.

So I don't think i would want to cut the 20 inch down to 18.5 myself and would have to pay a gunsmith to cut it and replace the bead?

Approximately how much do you guys think that would cost? I don't want to buy the longer barrel because it is cheaper and end up paying more overall to have it cut

[Planedude]

Midway has this one in the flyer for July:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/242...ght-parkerized

Kind of splits the differance on price but a better front sight.

[CJB]

Cutting a shotgun barrel is about like cutting a section of pipe.... just need to keep it square, and smooth the rough edge with a bit of fine sandpaper (like 400/600 grit).

The bead... if you want one... is more tricky, only because the placement is the key to making it look right when you're done. There is a jig for that from B-Square (and others) or if the smithy has a XY table on his drill press (or Bridgeport), then he can just indicate the barrel to get it centered (with his Interapid dial indicator). He'll still need to keep it "square" with things - which I'd do by assembling the barrel on the action, barrel in the vice and square against the action - which is doable with the long table on a mill, not on a drill press.

I cant see that costing more than $50, and probably much less. Its an easy thing to do really, and takes almost as much time to describe as do.

[Barth]

I don't know that going from a 20" to 18" barrel will make much difference at all in a SD shotgun?
Switching to a pistol grip on my Mossy 500 was the game changer for me.
Federal make some Tactical low recoil 12 gauge rounds for LE that work great.

[wyntrout]

Dang! if you want to save money, just buy the 20". if you buy that and have a gunsmith cut and re-install the bead, you will spend more money than buying a cheap 18.5" barrel and the choke may not be uniform... the shot pattern, which is no biggie for a close-defense shotgun, but could give you a pattern that will have large holes in it and miss game.

JMHO

Wynn

[CJB]

Maybe I read too much into the original post - for self defense - home defense - the shorter barrel is an aid to maneuverability, not having two more inches to bang on door frames, furniture, staircase railing, etc etc.

If you wanna hunt with it.... totally different setup. Not sure if thats what was needed/desired.

Any 20 inch barrel will have cylinder, or improved cylinder choke, and if so, the latter will be lost if shortened. Makes zero - absolutely zero - difference at any range you'll encounter in a house smaller than Graceland.

At fifteen feet - my cylinder bore barrels "pattern" under 3 inches or so, with a very few fliers. Thats with #8's, which I suggest for inside the house shooting. At room distances, a well placed shot of #8 in a hunting load.... will be devastating to any BG.

[wyntrout]

What I was trying to say was just buy a cheap 18.5" barrel. You'll save money and it will look good.

Wynn

[CJB]

well yah, that too!

[jocko]

when I was heavy into dove hunting back in my home state I used to reload my 12 gauge with #9 shot and I never told anyone what I had in it. I was just deadly on doves, amazing. People actualy thought I could really shoot. Most I hunted with used 7.5 shot. I HAD OVER DOUBLE the amount of shot coming out the end of my barrel as they did. oh yes quantity helps--sometimes..

[Barth]

I personally like slugs for SD.
I know some think that's weird.

Federal's 12 Gauge Tactical® TruBall® Rifled Slug provides an amazing accuracy improvement for smooth-bore shotguns.

It hits like a cannon ball too!

[josp]

Whatever you decide, pattern it yourself at the distances you expect (and hopefully never) use it at. My 11-87 shoots a nice 6" pattern at 20' with cheapo buckshot, but one holes at the same distance with newer tactical buck. Good to know what it will do.

[Planedude]

Yeah a pattern board is good to use here. When I picked up a 20ga single shot for my Son to use as an apartment SD gun we did this. The gun was sawed off and the stock shortened by a previous owner. In his apartment we found the longest shot possible was about 15ft. On th patten board we found it would put every pellet from a 7/8oz load of #8 shot inside a 9" round target. This from a gun with NO choke. SD buckshot loads were even tighter.
Figure how you plan to use it and what your max distance is expected to be and go try. A little butcher paper and sharpied point of aim will tell you what you need to know.
Good luck.

[Barth]

This thread forced me to buy a brick of slugs for my Mossy 500 - LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3mkF0V2LHM
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