Rem 870 advice?

[paradis1142]

I have a 870 express magnum(3inch chamber)the barell length is 26 or 28 whatever comes on your run of the mill 870 and was wondering if anyone here uses one for turkey hunting. What choke and shell combos have worked well for you out of one of these. I would rather just get a choke for this one this year as opposed to buying a dedicated turkey gun. Can I make this work well or am I fighting a losing battle? I notice that most of the turkey guns have shorter barells on them, is there any benefit to this other than being more manuverable? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[bvoss]

Some say a turkey gun with a longer barrel will hold the pattern together better because it holds the wad together a little longer. I've also heard velocity can play a role in barrel length, but with todays high powered shells, that really isn't an issue. Manuverability is the main reason the short barrel was designed. My Mossberg barrel is a 24", sort of middle of the road, and it patterns great.

I started turkey hunting with the exact gun that you have. I've killed three toms with it, and several buddies of mine have used it when I took them and they have killed 4 with it. It just has the factory turkey choke in it and I have 3" Winchester shells for it. If I was going to the gun full time for myself though, I would put a Kicks choke on it and shoot Winchester Extended range through it (or at lest try this set up first).

 

[turkeyhunter64]

I have a 870 express magnum(3inch chamber)the barell length is 26 or 28 whatever comes on your run of the mill 870 and was wondering if anyone here uses one for turkey hunting. What choke and shell combos have worked well for you out of one of these. I would rather just get a choke for this one this year as opposed to buying a dedicated turkey gun. Can I make this work well or am I fighting a losing battle? I notice that most of the turkey guns have shorter barells on them, is there any benefit to this other than being more manuverable? Any help is greatly appreciated.

best advice I can give is....buy a Benneli and shoot the best.

 

[bvoss]

I have a 870 express magnum(3inch chamber)the barell length is 26 or 28 whatever comes on your run of the mill 870 and was wondering if anyone here uses one for turkey hunting. What choke and shell combos have worked well for you out of one of these. I would rather just get a choke for this one this year as opposed to buying a dedicated turkey gun. Can I make this work well or am I fighting a losing battle? I notice that most of the turkey guns have shorter barells on them, is there any benefit to this other than being more manuverable? Any help is greatly appreciated.

best advice I can give is....buy a Benneli and shoot the best.

Or spend half that on a Mossberg 835 and shoot a gun that patterns just as good

 

[paradis1142]

I have a 870 express magnum(3inch chamber)the barell length is 26 or 28 whatever comes on your run of the mill 870 and was wondering if anyone here uses one for turkey hunting. What choke and shell combos have worked well for you out of one of these. I would rather just get a choke for this one this year as opposed to buying a dedicated turkey gun. Can I make this work well or am I fighting a losing battle? I notice that most of the turkey guns have shorter barells on them, is there any benefit to this other than being more manuverable? Any help is greatly appreciated.

best advice I can give is....buy a Benneli and shoot the best.

Or spend half that on a Mossberg 835 and shoot a gun that patterns just as good

I had a 835 turkey gun with a kicks choke in it for a couple years. Got rid of it after last season due to my frustration of not finding any birds, kinda goofy I guess but I was ticked off at the time and decided I wasnt going through the frustration again. But here we are and Im itching to go again, just a sucker for punishment I guess.

 

[muddyboots]

That gun will be fine. If you are gonna shoot regular ammo i would buy a tru glo choke. They pattern very well out of every gun i have seen them used in.

 

[buckmaster 320]

Try the Nitro 4x5x7 shot in it with a jelly head choke

You will be amazed at how many shot you get in at 40 yards

 

[Thunderroost]

Winchester hi velocity 5's and a Kick's .665 choke in an 870 are an awesome combo for me and a few people i know.

 

[paradis1142]

The jelly head was one I was looking at. I have heard good things about them.

 

[paradis1142]

Try the Nitro 4x5x7 shot in it with a jelly head choke

You will be amazed at how many shot you get in at 40 yards

Frankie, how have you guys been doing?

 

[Lawrence]

No need to buy a new 870
The old one you have will work fine
I have 3 870's and they all shoot good
choke and shell combo is something you will
need to figure out
by spending some money

 

[buckmaster 320]

Try the Nitro 4x5x7 shot in it with a jelly head choke

You will be amazed at how many shot you get in at 40 yards

Frankie, how have you guys been doing?

Doing great,waiting for it to warm up and start listening for some early gobbles

 

[paradis1142]

Heard that. Ill stop in and drink a cup of coffee next time im that way.

 

[paradis1142]

What size jelly head do you use?

 

[WingNut]

I have the exact same gun. I shoot Federal 2oz #6's out of the Remington Xtra full extended choke. Killed a jake at 48yrds this past fall. I have killed 6 turkeys with this gun and I hope to kill 4 more in a month or so.

 

[paradis1142]

Just ordered a jellyhead from bass pro, got to love those gift cards. Now to get some different shells.

 

[buckmaster 320]

Heard that. Ill stop in and drink a cup of coffee next time im that way.

Stop in any time and we will shoot the bull

 

[make'em strut]

Winchester HV #4

 

[superdeerhunter]

I have the same gun and love turkey hunting with it. It has killed quite a few birds, longest shot was at 50 yrd. I use a primos Tight wad choke and WIN HV #6 and have a great pattern out of it. Used this load and choke combo for a few years and it is the best I have seen.

 

[paradis1142]

People really like them nitro's and hevi 13 huh.

 

[buckdead]

i got the same gun. there is no need to buy a diffrent gun as a dedicated turkey thumper. You can turn the express into a turkeys nightmare with the right load and choke. With some hevi 13, winchester extended range, or nitros you will be able to take a little longer poke at em.

 

[paradis1142]

I ordered the .665 Jellyhead, thats what bass pro had and I wanted to use my gift card. Ill probably order some of those hevi 13 magnum loads and see what they are all about. Them buggers aint cheap are they.

 

[buckdead]

They aint cheap, but you will be able to tell where the extra money went when you shoot em. The jellyhead .660 is hard to find, but the .665 will get the job done.

 

[Gobblrgttr]

I have a Benelli but I have been shooting my 870 for 14 years. I use a Remington Super full, not the extra full, factory choke with Winchester Supreme Double X Magnums #6, 2oz, 3 inch. Patterns as good as any gun I have ever seen. Never even tried to pattern the Benelli. The Win Supreme High Velocities don't do near as well as the Double X for me.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Winchester hi velocity 5's and a Kick's .665 choke in an 870 are an awesome combo for me and a few people i know.

This combo works great for me, my 870 SM has the 26" barrel.

 

[bvoss]

Nitro's are the baddest mama jammas that I've ever seen. I love mine. I killed a bird at 48 steps last year and it looked like i shot him at 25. Tore up....from the floor up

 

[Stoner]

I have a 870 specialty turkey shotgun that I have been using for a few years. Great shotgun, I like the shorter barrel, easier t swing in thick stuff and I like the way it looks. My shotgun is chambered for 3.5 shells and I use Remington or Federals in #5's. I would not buy a new shotgun until you know you are a hard core turkey hunter. Your other shotgun will still kill a turkey. I justlike that3.5 inch shell.The only down side to a pump shotgun with 3.5 inch shells is the length of the pump. If you are not use to the long pump you will have shells hang-up in the breech from time to time.

 

[wkyhunter]

If your main reason for a dedicated turkey gun is the short barrel, check out the remington web site. There is a 20" replacement barrel with rifle sights and camo(can't tell type) for $75, I think that includes shipping.
The 3" is plenty of shell to kill turkeys, and while I prefer a 26" barrel over a 28" either will do a real good job. I have found the really short barrels to be less forgiving as far as consistant patterning. You'll find the folks that are shooting the NWTF target competions using a longer barrel.
Good luck this spring.