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Remington 870 barrel question

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  • GM.Chief

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    My wife and I just got our first shotgun, a Remington 870 Express. She was looking for one with as short a barrel as she could find, but in the end she got the 26" barrel. This is going to be our home defense shotgun and everyone I work with keeps saying to go shorter, telling I should cut it. They sent me links and videos etc etc., but I really don't feel comfortable doing that myself. After looking online though, I can't find an 18.5" barrel for 870 express model. I would like to keep this longer barrel so we can use it for hunting, etc. but right now I've got to look for what's better there.

    So my questions are: 1) would the barrels for the other rem 870 (i/e tactical, wingmaster, etc.) be interchangeable with mine?
    or 2) should I just buy another barrel and take one to a gunsmith?
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    jdh

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    Yes the barrels are interchangeable. The finish is different. I have a wingmaster 20" rifle sight barrel on my express (only because I got a very good deal on it). The shiney barrel on the matte reciever looks a little strange but function is more important than looks to me.
     

    juwaba98

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    There are too many barrels on the market for an 870 to need to cut one down. With a little research, which y'all seem to be good at, you should be able to easily find one that fits your needs. Just google "870 barrel" and you'll come up with plenty.
     

    Big country

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    check Midway USA they have some 870 barrels 18.5" all the way to 26" . I also saw a mossberg "home defence" shot gun in the Academy in ceader Park for $180, it was black, short barrel, 3" chamber and had the tube extension all put together and ready to go. and cheap
     

    GM.Chief

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    Thanks guys. I did try googling "870 barrel", but I just wasn't sure if they interchanged, and when I looked at the current Remington catalog, it only showed the two barrel lengths for the express. But if pretty much any 870 barrel will do, that makes it alot easier. And I don't have to look like a moron by asking a gunsmith to cut it down while buying another...lol.

    One more question on this subject. I saw an 18.5" Breacher barrel for the 870. Is this a good HD barrel, or should I just find a regular 18".
     

    juwaba98

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    I'd stick with a regular barrel. IMO a breacher barrel on an HD shotty is just about having that tacti-cool look. If you prefer that, then by all means, do what makes you happy. If an effective tool is what you need, plain jane is the best, again IMO.
     

    40Arpent

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    One more question on this subject. I saw an 18.5" Breacher barrel for the 870. Is this a good HD barrel, or should I just find a regular 18".

    The breacher fixture on the muzzle has the specific purpose of blowing open (i.e., breaching) locked doors with special breaching loads. For HD, it is good for taking "core samples" from the bad guy if you run out of ammo or your gun jams. ;)

    In other words, there's nothing wrong with the breacher barrel for HD, but do you want to spend extra money just to make the shotgun look cool? Nothing wrong with that either. ;)
     

    GM.Chief

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    Thanks!!! I'm not worried about making it look cool, function is what's important to me in the end...and the price difference can buy extra ammo. Although, the core samples comment strikes me as a not too bad an idea, then I don't have to worry about a bayonet...lol...

    One more time, thank you so much...I don't know what I would do if there weren't so many helpful people on this site. Well, I'd probably spend alot more money and buy a bunch of crap I don't need.
     

    Warrior108

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    If you haven't gotten an 870 barrel yet, I've done a bunch of shopping the past couple of months and the 2 best price options seemed to be Cabela's or watching GunBroker and be patient.
    Hint: On GB main page, go the the left menu and under Firearm Parts and Accessories, click on Shotgun. Once on the next page, click the Barrels link at the top. Then enter 870 18 (no quotes) into the search box and you should be able to find prices ranging between $80 and $120.

    I started with an 870 Police (18.5" barrel) and picked up a nice condition 28" for about $81 +$20 shipping. Now good to go for HD or clays.


    When you do get to ammo, here are some sites for shopping consideration and comparison. Be sure to shop "cost plus shipping" since some may not be as good as they first seemed.
    AmmoSupply.com
    CheaperThanDirt.com
    OutdoorMarksman.com
    SportsmansGuide.com


    Hope that helps
     
    Every Day Man
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