New vs old 870s.

[bbbass]

.just be sure not to fire a 3 inch shell out of a 2 3/4 inch chamber....
Andy

I thought they wouldn't fit!

 

[KKG]

I guess it's time for a bit of a Safety lesson for ALL shotguners!

Be VERY careful that you DON'T EVER carry any 20ga. Ammunition while you are packing a 12ga. Shotgun. The Reason: A 20ga. Shells WILL drop into a 12ga. but it will catch the rim on the end of the Chamber. A 12ga. She'll will chamber just fine. BUT if you were to pull the trigger and were VERY, VERY, VERY Lucky you might not end up in the Hospital but you'd end up with a badly damaged shotgun because there would be a VERY noisey KABOOM.

I'd really like to see this warning on the Shotgun page but since I have not looked everywhere on the Forums, well, it just might already be there.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I thought they wouldn't fit!

A new made "light contour 20 gauge barrel" will not fit on my 20 gauge Wingmaster from 1962 due to the size of the frame.
But according to Remington a new made standard contour 12 gauge barrel will fit and work with my older Wingmasters
Andy

 

[bbbass]

A new made "light contour 20 gauge barrel" will not fit on my 20 gauge Wingmaster from 1962 due to the size of the frame.
But according to Remington a new made standard contour 12 gauge barrel will fit and work with my older Wingmasters
Andy

No, I meant that I thought 3" shells would not fit in a 2 3/4" chamber.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

No, I meant that I thought 3" shells would not fit in a 2 3/4" chamber.

I was told by Remington that a 3 inch chambered barrel will work and fit on an older 2 3/4 only gun...just don't shoot or try to shoot a 3 inch shell through it , if the gun is chambered for 2 3/4 shells....
Andy

 

[DirectDrive]

The 870 Wingmaster is a great shotgun.
Not a fan of the budget model Express.

However, for your purposes I would highly recommend a gas gun (semi automatic).
These are softer shooting than the "locked up" pump shotgun.

The 870's cousin, the Rem 1100 would be a place to start.
Many 1100's on the used market.
New you could go Benelli, Beretta etc

 

[bbbass]

I was told by Remington that a 3 inch chambered barrel will work and fit on an older 2 3/4 only gun...just don't shoot or try to shoot a 3 inch shell through it , if the gun is chambered for 2 3/4 shells....
Andy

Yah, I got that the first time.... but how does a 3" shell go into battery in a 2 3/4" chamber? I don't have my spare barrel handy but isn't there a lip there? Or is the lip far enough out to allow the shell to unfold that a 3" can go into battery? That must be it. Then when fired there would be a real problem as the shell tries to unfold into the forcing cone. Bad juju!!

OK, I think I answered my own question via stream-of-thought!

 

[KKG]

I was told by Remington that a 3 inch chambered barrel will work and fit on an older 2 3/4 only gun...just don't shoot or try to shoot a 3 inch shell through it , if the gun is chambered for 2 3/4 shells....
Andy

Shotgun Chambers - they're a Straight Through shape - are very different from Rifle or Pistol Chambers. While I have not tried it I do believe that you can put one of the Newer 3-1/2" Shells into the Chamber of a 2-3/4" Gun. Unfortunately, that's the way it is.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Yah, I got that the first time.... but how does a 3" shell go into battery in a 2 3/4" chamber? I don't have my spare barrel handy but isn't there a lip there? Or is the lip far enough out to allow the shell to unfold that a 3" can go into battery? That must be it. Then when fired there would be a real problem as the shell tries to unfold into the forcing cone. Bad juju!!

OK, I think I answered my own question via stream-of-thought!

I get ya now...finally...
I thought you were asking me if it would work...not how to make it work...
To answer how to stuff a 3 inch shell into a 2 3/4 chambered shotgun...I don't know as I have never tried it.
I think Remington told me that to cover their azz in case of .....well anything...LOL

In all of my guns , I shoot 2 3 /4 shells even out of the lone 3 inch chambered gun that I do own.
One 'cause I haven't really found a need to have use for 3 inch shell
And
Two is makes for buying and shooting a simple thing of not worrying 'bout which size shell did I buy / bring....
Andy

 

[CountryGent]

I'm a convert to Mossberg. I like the position of the safety better, the slide release can be operated without changing grip, it uses double extractors that have been 100% reliable for me.

Ditto. For all those reasons, but the safety location being a big one, was the reason we kind of "standardized" on the Mossberg system many years ago.

 

[bbbass]

I get ya now...finally...
I thought you were asking me if it would work...not how to make it work...
To answer how to stuff a 3 inch shell into a 2 3/4 chambered shotgun...I don't know as I have never tried it.
I think Remington told me that to cover their azz in case of .....well anything...LOL

In all of my guns , I shoot 2 3 /4 shells even out of the lone 3 inch chambered gun that I do own.
One 'cause I haven't really found a need to have use for 3 inch shell
And
Two is makes for buying and shooting a simple thing of not worrying 'bout which size shell did I buy / bring....
Andy

Yes well, I found out KKG is right... there is no lip to stop a shell from entering the forcing cone. (He made me look.) So that a 3" shell fits in a 2 3/4" chamber is a verified true fact now!

Do they even make/sell new barrels in 2 3/4" anymore? Enquiring minds want to know!!

As you, I rarely needed anything more than a 2 3/4" shell for most of my bird hunting. Even for ducks. However, I did use 3" for goose, and whenever steel shot was required. I reloaded a LOT of the shorter shells with various powder and shot, but never got into reloading 3" because I didn't use many.

 

[Roundball58]

FWIW, unfired 12ga shotgun shells are about .4 to .5" shorter than the fired length depending on crimp type. An unfired 3" shell will fit in a 2 3/4" chamber, a 3 1/2" shell will not. As previously stated you run into pressure issues when the shell unfolds into the forcing cone.

As for putting a 3" chambered barrel on a frame made for 2 3/4" shells, yeah, it will work for 2 3/4" shells as you can always fire a shorter shell in a longer chamber. You can't use 3" shells, though, because the ejection port won't accommodate the longer shell. May be an issue with the lifter as well, but not sure about that.

As to the OP, for bird pests like starlings, a 20ga works fine with relatively inexpensive and low recoil 7/8 oz loads (usually advertised as dove/quail loads).

 

[Kruel J]

FWIW, unfired 12ga shotgun shells are about .4 to .5" shorter than the fired length depending on crimp type. An unfired 3" shell will fit in a 2 3/4" chamber, a 3 1/2" shell will not. As previously stated you run into pressure issues when the shell unfolds into the forcing cone.

As for putting a 3" chambered barrel on a frame made for 2 3/4" shells, yeah, it will work for 2 3/4" shells as you can always fire a shorter shell in a longer chamber. You can't use 3" shells, though, because the ejection port won't accommodate the longer shell. May be an issue with the lifter as well, but not sure about that.

As to the OP, for bird pests like starlings, a 20ga works fine with relatively inexpensive and low recoil 7/8 oz loads (usually advertised as dove/quail loads).

A .410 would do the job too, with almost unnoticeable recoil.

 

[Roundball58]

A .410 would do the job too, with almost unnoticeable recoil.

Yeah, but the OP said he's never fired a shotgun so a .410 might be a little frustrating in the hit/miss category. Plus the shells ain't cheap.

 

[Kruel J]

Yeah, but the OP said he's never fired a shotgun so a .410 might be a little frustrating in the hit/miss category. Plus the shells ain't cheap.

True, but I think SHE will get the hang of it pretty quick.

 

[bbbass]

A .410 , with almost unnoticeable recoil.

My 77yr old wife might say different. She owns a Circuit Judge, but it's been awhile since she shot it. She never said it was unpleasant tho.

 

[Kruel J]

My 77yr old wife might say different. She owns a Circuit Judge, but it's been awhile since she shot it. She never said it was unpleasant tho.

LOL well a hand cannon is a bit different from a long gun.

 

[KKG]

LOL well a hand cannon is a bit different from a long gun.

Ain't that the TRUTH!!!

 

[Baseacegoku]

I wonder if I should be considering a semi-auto instead of a pump shotgun as a matter of recoil reduction. ???

Do you get a serious reduction in recoil from a semi-auto vs a pump shotgun?

Not sure where you live but I have both a 1970's 870 and a modern Semi-auto shotgun in 12ga. You are welcome to join me at ARPC and try both.

 

[User 1234]

I can tell you that felt recoil with a semi-auto, with gun weights and loads being equal, is noticeably less than a pump. But, there aren't any semi-autos that are as prolific as the 870 or Mossberg 500. Extra barrels and other accessories are much easier to come by.

That said, the Mossberg 930 can be had in a field model for around $500.

And used for less than $300.