What trap barrel for a Remington 870?

[Musketeer]

As I had posted before I am gettign into trap and right now am using an 870 Express magnum bought for HD but using a Wingmaster full choke 30" barrel I had gotten off Ebay some time ago.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what woul be the best barrel to put on an 870 for trap?

 

[Dave McC]

You have it now.

Most dedicated trap 870s have 30" barrels. The older fixed choke barrels are oft regarded as some of the best ever made.

Full choke is closer to Fuller these days, but keep yours that way. Full choke will teach you to hold on them closer. You swap a few lost birds now for accuracy further on.

Do pattern yours and see how it shoots for you. Most trapshooters like to see the bird, so you may want to raise POI a bit,depending on what the pattern board has to say.

HTH....

 

[BigJimP]

For Trap - in an over under I prefer a 32" barrel / and your 870 with a 30" barrel is about the same overall length ( butt to end of barrel ) as the over under with a 32" barrel.

For 16 yard Trap - using 1 oz of 8's - I like a Mod choke. There isn't anything wrong with a full choke but you're shrinking your pattern down quite a bit. You should try to shoot a trap target as it is still rising - so from the 16 yard line - that means the target is about 30 - 35 yards from you as you break it. Most 12ga guns will pattern a 30" pattern at 35 yards with a Modified choke - and the idea about chokes is to put a 30" pattern on the target at the kill range. To go tighter doesn't make you any better - it defeats the purpose of having a gun with a changeable choke in it.

You didn't really say if it has a changeable choke in your barrel or not - but if it isn't changeable just leave it the way it is. To really know what that gun and that barrel is doing at 35 yards - with any given shell - you should take it to a pattern board. All chokes and all barrels are a little different / and changing the load / changing a load with 8's vs 7 1/2's can open up or close up a pattern a little. So what I've told you is general info.

 

[Full-choke]

Agreed. Try some different loads or shells and see how yours patterns. I would keep with the full choke as well, I think you'll find it'll make you a better shooter. I learned off of my brothers 870 Express with a full, I even did competitions with that gun. I was either dusting them, or completely wiffing. If you get into it, I would invest in a rem-choke barrel around 30", get a nice choke tube for trap and pattern and practice. Once you get comfortable, use it along with the full choke, practice on both. It will make you a better shot but keep you from getting lazy with a wider open choke.

Full-choke

P.S. - Just because the name is so, I am no shotgun expert, that is just my 2 cents...

 

[Musketeer]

Thanks everyone. I will stick with what I have, probably for another year or so. There is some instant gratification lost with the full choke it sounds like but if it pays off in the long run it will be worth it.

I need to find a place to pattern. On Long Island that is not a simple prospect.

 

[BigJimP]

I hope you do well with it. I shoot a lot of Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays - at least 1,000 to 1,500 targets a month. It's one of my major hobbies ..... so welcome to out pastime ! There is nothing quite like shooting flying clays ......

Most of us have dedicated guns for skeet, trap and sporting - because we like different swing characteristics for different games - and then you add in the different gagues ( 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) and if you ask my wife, she'll tell you it'll become a special obsession - but what the heck ..... keeps me out of the bars .... Have a good Fall Season.