What kind of ammo to use in a Remington 870 Express Magnum Shotgun?
November 23rd, 2009 by eranio
I got a remington 870 express magnum shotgun with the shorter barrel on it for deer hunting. How do I determine if it is rifled or not? Are they usually rifled. I opened chamber and looked down barrel and it looks pretty smooth but I am not sure.
Tell me if I am correct. If gun is rifled then you want sabot slugs.
If gun is smooth bore than you want rifled slugs.
thanks for helping me out folks.
Posted in remington shotguns
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:28 am
If the inside of the barrel appears to be smooth, then you probably have a smooth bore barrel.
Do a websearch on the different types of slugs and it should tell you if they are rifles slugs or not. You WILL want to shoot rifled slugs out of your gun…since it does not have rifling. The rifled slugs are made of lead and have a twist pattern to the outside edges of the slug itself…so, as it travels down the smooth inside of the barrel, the slug imparts a spin on itself.
I suggest scoping-out the Remington, Winchester and Federal ammunition websites for more information.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:28 am
If you cannot tell from looking whether or not a shotgun is rifled, you need to take a hunter safety program.
Rifling is a series of grooves deeply cut into the inner surface of a "rifled" barrel to impart stabilizing spin to a projectile. It should be VERY clear.Looks like a barber pole.
With the action open, gun cleared, and checked again for unloading, shine a small flashlight up the bore to see.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:28 am
yes, only use a sabot in a rifled barrel. Generally foster slugs aka rifled slugs are used in smooth bore barrels
Now there are some ‘hybrid’ slugs that are designed to give good performance in either one. Remington Buckhammer is one, Brenneke K.O. slug is another
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=529539
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=970922
You can use regular foster slugs in a rifled barrel, you just won’t get terribly good results
you should be able to fully remove the barrel, go to the remington website and download or request that they mail you a manual. Once you have the manual, remove the barrel fully and hold it up to the light and look thorugh it. It should be extremely obvious that you have a smooth barrrel or a rifled barrel. I am not sure how good you managed to look down the barrel before, but that should clear up any question
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:28 am
Look here for the answer to your questions…….
http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_slugs.htm
Short answer…. a Smooth-bore barrel can fire foster type slugs, but not sabots….
With a rifled barrel you can fire sabots or foster type slugs….. I think sabots are over rated…. Keep shots under 100 yards and your good….. Use foster (rifled) type slugs…. Like These…
http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshell/slugs/slugger_rifled.asp
If you have a smooth-bore barrel and theres a choke on the end make sure its an "improved cylinder" or more open shoke….