Basic Remington 870 Express questions

[forge]

Hi folks,

I used to be an active rifle hunter.  I now have more free time on my hands and I'm now living in an area that only permits shotgun hunting.  I could use your help in picking out/setting up a Remington 870 12 gauge.

Should I just settle with the Express Magnum, or is it worthwhile to get the Express Super Magnum?  I plan on using the shotgun to hunt a variety of game, including ducks, geese, pheasant, and deer.  

Secondly, what would you recommend for deer barrels?  I would prefer to mount a scope, so I'm thinking of getting a cantilever barrel.  Do they work well, and would you recommend a slug barrel or rifled barrel?  I'll be hunting in a variety of terrain.  Any recommendations on scopes?

Basically, this will be my multipurpose, travel shotgun.  Sorry for the rather basic questions.  Thank you in advance for any feedback and advice.

[Markus]

I intend to shoot a deer tomorow with my 870. I have for the last 10 years used a cantileved hastings barrel with a cheap simmons 4x32 scope. I use the same gun for waterfowl with a 28"vent rib barrel usually with a modified choke tube since I usually use hevi-shot. The super mag is unnecesarry and the recoil is nuts.

[fffffg]

ive heard of guys shootin nice groups with shotgun and scope..  not a good idea for close running deer tho. my sone has shot two deer at over 50 yards with his express,.  and shot geese, ducks etc.. hes 18 now. and has been at it for about 4 years..   soif your going to stand hunt or hunt large fields from a sitting possition the scop will be nice..  if your going thru thick underbrush and bustting them out on the run then ditch the scope idea..  i cant imagine haveing a scoped gun for deer and taking the scope off to hunt ducks and putting it back on for deer. you may need two guns.. the 870 barrel is not fixed to the reciever that waould not be good for scopes, and im not knowledgeable aobut that..  the rib is on the barrel and could be more accurate that way..  youll of course need more info on shotguns on scops than i have.. good luck and youll get the anseres on the internet for sure. lots of good guys here..  also try accurateloading forum..
  http://www.accuratereloading.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=    good luck , dave

[ButlerFord45]

Not much use for the super magnum, personally; if you can't get it done with a 3" 12, get a bigger gun, but that's just me.
There are a half dozen or more ways to mount a scope on an 870, I believe they will all work.
I'll leave the rifled/rifled choke/smooth bore suggestion to those who've tried them all.

[Flash]

I would go with the Express Magnum receiver. Too many reloading components available for the 3" to choose otherwise. The rifled barrel will pleasantly surprise you. It's as close to a rifle as it gets, especailly with sabot slugs. A cantilever barrel is acceptable but in my opinion, only with a red dot. Quality long eye relief shotgun scopes aren't abundant enough for me to advise that route.

[NYH1]

I have a Remington 870 Express 12 ga. For deer I have a factory Remington 23 inch fully rifled barrel with the cantilever scope mount and a Bushnell Banner 1.5-4.5x30mm scope on it. I'm going to put a Leupold VX II 2-7x33mm shotgun scope on it next year. I'm gonna try the Winchester Partition Gold 2 3/4 inch sabot slugs.
I have also have a 28 inch vent rib barrel with the Remchoke system on it. My gun will shoot 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells.
 I wouldn't get the "Super Mag.". If I was going to shoot 3 1/2 inch mag. shells, I would get an 11-87 or some other semi-auto to "soak up" some of the recoil, and even they still hurt!