This time I'm taking the whole gun back!!!

[NYH1]

About two weeks ago (11-18-04) I took my Remington 870 Express barrel back to Remington's Ilion, N.Y. factory. Its a 23 inch fully rifled barrel with the cantilever scope mount on it. I have a new Leupold VX II 2-7x33mm Shotgun scope on it. I was getting 8 to 12 inch groups at 50 yards with five different brands of ammo. The best group was 5 to 6 inches at 50 yards and that was with Lightfield EXP slugs. I noticed a small crack in the barrel. I took it back and they gave me a new one.

I went to the range with the new barrel on and it still won't group any kind of slugs at all. I went with the 23 inch barrel so I could use the high velocity slugs like the Remington Core-Lokt Ultra or Winchester Partition Gold slugs (both 1900 FPS). Or even the Winchester Platinum Tips (1700 FPS) or Remington Copper Solid (1500 FPS). I also like the idea of the cantilever mount system. These two  barrel won't group any kind of slug! I'm still getting 8 to 12 inch groups with the high velocity slugs and 4 inch groups with the Lightfield EXP slugs. Again this is at 50 yards.

I used to get 2 to 2 1/2 inch groups with the Lightfield EXP slugs at 100 yards with a 20 inch fully rifled barrel and a B-Square scope mount and a cheap Tasco scope on this same gun. The only difference is the barrel!!!

I called Remington again today and told them the whole speel. I also told them I have a 32 year old Ithaca Deerslayer with a 20 inch smooth bore barrel on it that with foster slugs will out shoot this Remington easily! They told me to bring the whole gun minus the scope back to the factory! Here gos round two!

[Graybeard]

My only real experience with slug guns is a pair of Remington 870 Express guns I bought me and the Mrs. years ago when we did some hunting on a government installation allowing only slug guns. Mine was a rifled barrel and hers a smooth bore with rifled tube. I shot Remington Copper in mine and foster slugs in hers.

With hers I had no trouble keeping 2" groups at 50 yards and with mine I could easily match that and some times better it at 100 yards.

I had both of our receivers drilled and tapped and used Weaver bases on them to mount the scope. I'm convinced personally that's the proper way to do it rather than the cantilever base on barrels. Just my opinion and what little experience I have with slug guns.

[savageT]

NY Hunter,
Well, damnation man!  You've been around the barn on this one haven't you buddy!  You mentioned you have/had an Ithaca 12ga. Deerslayer also.........I'd put a scope on that old mule and use it my friend.

Jim

[daddywpb]

It's not just Remington barrels that won't shoot slugs. A fella shooting next to me on the range a couple weeks ago had a shiny new Bennelli slug gun that he had just ordered for - $1200. He was using Winchester Partition Gold ammo, and the groups, if you can call them that, were 10 -12 inches at 50 yards. He was leaving for an out of state hunting trip the next day, the reason for ordering the new gun, and he wasn't a happy camper. I wouldn't have been either.

[NYH1]

With hers I had no trouble keeping 2" groups at 50 yards and with mine I could easily match that and some times better it at 100 yards.

I could do the same with the 20 inch fully rifled barrel I had before I switched to this set up!

I had both of our receivers drilled and tapped and used Weaver bases on them to mount the scope. I'm convinced personally that's the proper way to do it rather than the cantilever base on barrels. Just my opinion and what little experience I have with slug guns.

Your probably right about this! I just thought it would be easier to change barrels (deer barrel to bird barrel) this way. I got sick of sighting it in every time I took the scope and barrel off to put my bird barrel on! My friend shoots a Remington 1100 with a Hastings 24 inch fully rifled barrel with the cantilever system and a Leupold scope. He uses the same gun for bird hunting. He just switches the barrels and hes all set. He puts the slug barrel back on gets 2 inch group at 100 yards using Winchester Partition Gold slugs. He never looses his zero!

I'd put a scope on that old mule and use it my friend.

I was going to put a 24 inch fully rifled barrel with the cantilever system on my Ithaca. Both Ithaca and Hastings make barrels for it. believe me, I wish I would have!!!
I found the barrel for the Remington first. The barrels for the Ithaca's are hard to get, even from Ithaca they take awhile to get! I don't have a preference between the Remington model 870 and the Ithaca model 37. I really like them both and would use either one!

[savageT]

NYH,
WHY???  For a long time I wanted a fully rifled barrel too and the more I whined the more I heard from Ithaca fans about how good the m37 smoothbore is!  Use it as is or as I said earlier, put a saddlemount on that mule and scope it or better yet, a Red Dot.  We're in Southern Zone and you don't need 100yd. to knock down the whitetail.

Jim