Building an 870 - what would be 3-gun friendly?

[M. Sage]

Watching a 3-gun video on here has me wondering about it.

An auto is out of the budget, and I've already got most of an 870 sitting here. All I need now is a barrel, some mag parts (including an extension) and maybe some better sighting.

Mostly I'm wondering about the barrel. What would be a 3-gun friendly barrel length and choke to run? Also, what kind of shells get used most?

I was thinking about running a 20" improved cylinder barrel on it. I'm actually considering one with a vent rib and run a HiViz on it (I'm not a huge fan of ghost rings because IMO they don't offer a huge advantage inside 50 yards and put you at a disadvantage on moving targets).

What do you say?

I'd probably want to invest in a 9mm eventually, too. 8 round magazines suck in competitions. Got the rifle covered, even if what I've got isn't quite as quick to reload as an AR, I'll make it up with rate of fire.

 

[gerritm]

I shoot a 28 inch barrel with a Briley mag extension. The most you will need in tactical division is 8 plus 1. The shells shot most are 7 1/2 or 8 with a few slugs shot out to 60 - 80 yards. A good fiber optic front sight is a plus. A vent rib gives you a better sight picture, but is not necessary. Improved cylinder is a good choice, you want it to spread fairly quickly as most shots are less than 20 yards and you can shoot slugs out of it. The shorter the barrel the less accurate. Lots of guys shoot the 870. Auto is the best if you can afford one.

9mm is good choice with as many rounds as the mag will hold. My 9mm will hold 13 rounds.

 

[M. Sage]

I shoot a 28 inch barrel with a Briley mag extension. The most you will need in tactical division is 8 plus 1. The shells shot most are 7 1/2 or 8 with a few slugs shot out to 60 - 80 yards. A good fiber optic front sight is a plus. A vent rib gives you a better sight picture, but is not necessary. Improved cylinder is a good choice, you want it to spread fairly quickly as most shots are less than 20 yards and you can shoot slugs out of it. The shorter the barrel the less accurate. Lots of guys shoot the 870. Auto is the best if you can afford one.

9mm is good choice with as many rounds as the mag will hold. My 9mm will hold 13 rounds.

Thanks! One reason I'd like to go with the 870 is that I have one as soon as I get it all put together - someone gave me a receiver.

Next, I need to save up for a P226.

 

[jasont]

An 870 with a 20" barrel would work great. All you really need to be competitive in 3-gun with a shotgun is 8+1 capacity. The 21" barrel on my Benelli is exactly even with the 8 round tube. I use an Improved Cylinder choke on my shotgun 95% of the time. If you have a fixed choke bring some high brass shells if there are any tough to knock down or distant targets. It all depends on the rules at the match where you shoot if the targets can all be knocked down easily. At USPSA and most IMG ruled matches they will set steel targets so they can be knocked down with a normal 7.5 shot loading out of an 18" barrel. Other matches purposely set steel heavy so you have to switch to a heavier load or tighter choke to knock them down. I have used the cheap 7.5 dove loads and low recoil slugs for all the matches I've been to the last few years. Full power slugs will slow you way down and tear you up on a stage that requires more than a few of them so look for low/managed recoil slugs.

For sights I just use a HiViz on a vent rib. Some people think they need a rear sight but I don't see the use. Make sure you bring the shotgun to the same position every time looking straight down the rib and you'll be plenty accurate with this setup. With a rear sight you may be able to shoot more accurately at first but a rear sight in my opinion will slow you down on the vast majority of your targets. Most of your shotgun shooting will be close range at clays and steel targets anyway. There will only be a very few long range slug shots if any at a match.

 

[M. Sage]

I agree with you on the rear sight. I grew up hunting with a shotgun, and never had trouble putting an ounce of lead where I wanted it at 50 yards. A bead sight on the front lacks rifle precision (but then shotguns in general do to begin with), but I think it's about the fastest sight setup imaginable.