Shotgun Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Can my Remington Wingmaster 870 shoot a slug ?

2 reading
Jump to Latest

  • Whether you're a greenhorn or a seasoned veteran, your collection's next piece is at Bass Pro Shops. Shop Now.

    Advertisement
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
R

rpnitro

· Registered
Joined
·
6 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello,
I am new to the forums ! After browsing thru these forums, I thought WOW ! this is awesome !
Ok, I have owned this Remington Model 870 Wingmaster since 1983. The barrel says "12ga for 2 3/4 or shorter shells". Now I have shot bird shot and #00 buck shot #6 thru this shotgun plenty of times. Someone told me that I could not shoot a slug with this barrel. The barrel is a smooth bore. I don't know anything about chokes, sorry, I am new to this stuff even though I have owned the gun for so long, I never persued any challenges with it, just shot it every now and then at targets. After all, it is just awesome to shoot this gun. I have kept it in excellent condition, and I don't have any idea how old it is. I bought it used in 1983. It still looks like new. So, my question is, can I shoot slugs ?
Much thanks in advance !
RP
 
#2 ·
short answer, yes you can shoot slugs out of your 870. To expound a bit if this is a fixed choke gun I personally wouldn't shoot slugs out of that bbl if it is fixed full although some do w/ full chokes and have no issues but the general consensus is use a modified or looser choke for slugs. Also typically foster type slugs (such as remington sluggers) are fired from a smooth bore although I believe it will not harm it to shoot sabots but you won't see much gain. of course it wouldn't cost too much to buy a cantilever scope mount rifled bbl to shoot sabots (don't shoot fosters out of a rifled bbl) and you will probably find you will have a slug gun accurate out to 100 yds. BTW I also want to mention although you probably already know not to shoot anything longer than 2 3/4" out of the gun.

Aaron
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Thanks for the rapid answer. I don't know if it's fixed or not. I have never removed the bbl from the gun. I appreciate the tip on not shooting anything longer than 2 3/4 shells, but I already knew that one ! lol
I assume that I need to remove the barrel and check the choke ?
RP
 
#4 ·
You can shoot slugs. They should be "rifled slug" also know as Foster type. Sabot types will not group well in a smooth bore and it is not advised to shoot them through a full choke barrel.

As to checking if it has screw in chokes, look at the front of the barrel to see if there is an inner choke tube with notches for a wrench. If it does not have any check on the barrel if there is "Full", "Mod", "IC", etc.

Does your barrel have a ventilated rib? I have seen clamp on open sights for ventilated ribs. You could just use the bead(s) but it is hard to be accurate. In my younger days since I only had one gun I got pretty good shooting slugs using only the beads, but shots were usually under 50 yards.

If you plan to hunt big game, consider getting a rifled barrel, scoped or open sights, so you can shoot Sabots. Better accuracy and range.
 
#9 ·
There are all kinds of sights and scopes that can be installed on your gun as-is. You don't need a different barrel, but it's your gun and your money! :) One of the best things about owning an 870 is there is no limit to the parts and accessories available for them.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
To Virginian,
The barrel that I have will work fine for what I need right now. The reason for this is due to the range at which I am currently limited to. I am simply needing something to protect myself in the early am hours while walking out to my truck to go to work. I know some ridicule is coming my way when this is read, but I am an honost extremely patriotic american that has never missed 1 day of employment since i graduated HS in 1981. This all started on the Tuesday morning of December 15th,2009. I opened my front door to head out to work at 5:30am. It is completely dark at that time. There were 2 creatures vocalizing to each other. I have a metal front door that looks like wood, the door seal makes a sound when it seperates from the door itself. The sound of me opening my front door caused some kind of creature to make a violent aggressive scream that lasted approx 12 seconds. This creature was huge, I could just tell by the sound of it. Then another creature vocalized back, the 2nd creature was farther away. Both creatures were much louder than a cars horn. They vocalized back and forth to each other 2 times, then nothing but silence. I listened for about 4 minutes, then decided that I needed to be on time for work and had no choice but to make the 30 foot trek to my truck. I have listened to all kinds of animals on the net, my oldest son was telling me about some yells he was hearing between 1:00 and 3:00 am, I told him that they were coyotes as I had been going out and listening whenever I woke up to use the restroom or whatever. All I had heard was coyotes, but that morning changed everything. My son and I spent so many hours listening to all kinds of animal sounds on the net. It was a daily thing to come home and fire up the computer and see if we could identify what made the sounds. We had come up empty handed until just recently when I finally decided to listen to supposed Bigfoot recordings. We both agreed that what we found was a positive match. Then we went out scouting again, this time looking for some signs that would match what some BF investigators claim to find. Bingo ! We found 3 trees that ranged between 4 and 5 inches in diameter that were twisted and bent over until they broke. 1 tree is 40 feet from the back of my house, and it looks to have been twisted and bent over until it broke about 2 years ago, by looking at the discoloration of the wood. That's when it hit me, 2 years ago, something really big grunted at me. I was walking towards my truck at 5:30 am, total darkness, and I was walking right towards some huge creature and it grunted at me in the most serious way. It was actually lowering itself towards the ground as it grunted, I could tell exactly where it was standing. It was only 20 feet away. This tree that is 40 feet from my house is about 15 feet from where the creature was standing. So to answer your question, I don't have the funds to buy a 44 magnum, so I will have to make the best with what I have. I will end up buying a better barrel because I like to do everything I do that best that I can. I'm thinking of loading my shotgun in this order:
1st shell = Remington Slugger
2nd and 3rd shell = #00 buckshot 9 pellet
4th shell = Federal Power Shok Hollow point slug
5th shell = #00 buckshot
I'm a solid Christian man, and if this doesn't stop it, may God have mercy on my soul !
RP
 
#11 ·
Interesting. I do not disagree at all with your decision to go armed. Many years ago now, I had sort of a similar experience when I arrived at a remote hunting location first in the wee hours. Only time I ever saw that particular Lab scared. I shoved three duck loads in my gun, proceeded at high port, and felt pretty sure at being able to inflict some serious damage at close quarters. Ever since that time, if I am alone, I do not go wandering around alone in the dark unarmed, and if I have to walk going hunting in the dark, the duck gun is loaded. And no, the game warden will not give you a ticket just because your gun is loaded.
Here's hoping you never need to do anything but carry the gun. With the proliferation of feral hogs all over there's now some stuff out there you know is bad news, and possibly some other stuff out there you don't know what it is. Good luck.
 
#12 ·
For self defence the barrel you have will be fine. Get some rifled slugs and shoot at 50 yards and 25 yards, practice so you can keep the shots inside of a 12 inch circle.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
I just ordered my ammo, a soft case, a sling and the swival sling mounts. Now looking at scope mounts, the Weaver No Gunsmith saddle mount, the Millet compact red dot sight, and the Sightmark laser bore sight. This should work for what I need. I want to thank you all for helping me out here with my questions, and referring me to ideas as to what may help me get my gun setup to be much improved over it's current config. I surely hope that I don't need to fire it in the early morning hours to defend myself. I'd rather fire it in the same manner as I have always fired it, at a target for sport and fun. Thanks for not ridiculing me also. I wish I didn't get thrust into this situation, but there was no choice on my part. I cannot simply continue to be unarmed each morning, it has been over 4 months and I need to feel more secure just to rest my nerves. I got my Georgia Firearms License the other day, and I am feeling much better already.
If you guys have any suggestions on a better scope or sights, let me know, I am not ordering that just yet, still looking around for what may be the absolute best for my needs.
Thanks again !
RP
PS You guys and this web site are a class act !
 
#16 ·
Virginian said:
I wouldn't bother with a scope. At close range, in the dark, I'd go for a red dot or a laser.
Click to expand...
I agree, or may be a mini mag that attach's below the barrel. I also think that you may be better off with just shooting 00 buck shot. Learn to point and shoot. If you can get some night time or a darken indoor shooting range with the laser or mag lite setup.
 
#19 ·
I have no experience in this, but from what I have read is that for protection from large game like a bear, hardened slugs are preferred (Breneke type). Most think that buckshot will not incapacitate a large bear quickly enough, while with a slug there is a better chance of penetrating and breaking bone that can stop an attack. (There are a lot of people out there that carry guns for bear protection and it sounds close enough to the creature that is concerning you). For stopping people or cougars, dogs (smaller animals, 00 buck is a very popular choice.

I also think that if you are not actively hunting, you would not need a scope. In a self/home defense situation i.e. short distance, a scope would be distracting and take longer to get on target. Red Dot optics or tridium (glow in the dark) beads seem to be favored for home defense shotguns. Accurate enough for short ranges and quick to get on target. You might want to consider a shorter barrel (I assume you have a 28" or so barrel). 18.5" to 20" seem to be preferred for Home Defense as they are less cumbersome and you really loose no velocity on the slug with modern shells. Longer barrels are preferred for wing shooting and clay games.
 
#20 ·
You are far more likely to shoot a neighbor or somebody's stray cow or horse than big foot.

Before you shoot,,,have a positive ID.

A screech owl, a horse, and wild cats make sounds at night that would curdle the blood of George Patton.;)
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
About this Discussion
20 Replies
12 Participants
Last post:
DanG
Shotgun Forum
posts
4.5M
members
165K
Since
2000
A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Shotgun Discussions Shotshell Reloading Sporting Clays Tactical/HD Shotguns Shotgun Opinions