Pickerel

My friend has an old 870 Wingmaster I use, and I'm probably gonna get an 870 Express myself as I need a left-handed gun. If I buy a slug barrel, will I be able to use it on both guns?

Soilarch

If they are both left handed models yes. If one is regular/right-handed and the other is left handed, no.

younggun308

Why does that make a difference?

Soilarch

Well, on a right handed model the shells eject on the right side of the reciever. On the left handed model the shells eject of the left side of the reciever. Take the barrel off an 870. Look at it. I don't know the proper name for it but there's a "tag" on the left side of the barrel where it fits into the reciever and nothing on the right side (to allow the shells to eject). Its the opposite way on the left-handed guns.

I guess the short answer is because "they won't fit".

Pickerel

Damn! I guess I'm just gonna have to wait till next season to shoot slugs. And his gun is an old one without a removable choke, so I don't think I could shoot slugs out of it the way it is. And then there's the bead sight, so that would be a no-go for slugs too. Ah well, I might be able to borrow another friend's gun if I want to use slugs this season.

Oh yeah, one other question: would I be able to replace the stock on his rifle with a new one from Cabela's? I was thinking of doing this when I borrow it as a sort of Christmas gift, but I don't know if a new Remington 870 stock would fit on a Remington 870 that's about twice my age!

Soilarch

Im a little confused on what you are wanting to do. You friend has a right-handed (normal) 870. You want to buy a LH 870...and use them both for slug hunting?

I dont think theres any difference between old and new 870s as far as buying stocks...except that they dont make them as nice as they use to.

You you really need a LH, if youve been shooting a RH I guess youve decided you do? Im left handed and have never shot nor needed to shoot a LH shotgun or rifle, but thats completely personal.

pintailhomes

I wouldn't bother putting a slug barrel on a Wingmaster. My old man has more deer with 30" barrel smothbore Wingmaster with a bead on it than I'll ever get with my 870 21" rifled barrel.

I don't get it.

uncle matt

Obviously.

Pickeral, a rifled slug barrel should increase your effective range and accuracy.

I suggest you take a look at what Mossberg offers for the 870. For roughly $175 you get acantilever scope mount barrel that is fully-rifled, ported and fit with a 3-9 X 40 scope that is factory laser bore-sighted. That there is a HECK OF A DEAL!

My friend put one on his 870 and it was accurate right out-of-the-box. Got his first deer with it last year, too.

I put one on my Mossberg 500 last year also and it, too, was pretty much right on out of the box. A couple boxes of slugs and a couple little clicks and it was ready to hunt with for sure.

By the way, both of these set-ups loved the Remington BuckHammers.

Pickerel

The reason I want a slug barrel now is that eventually I'm going to get a LH 870. I don't have my firearms purchasers card yet (New Jersey, don't get me started) and won't until this spring. So I figured if I was gonna get a slug barrel for the 870 I'm gonna get (as I don't see a combo available from Remington for lefties), I might as well get that barrel for this season and use it when I'm going for deer, then next season put it on my gun for deer hunting. Also, I'm getting a left-handed gun because although I am right-handed, I am hopelessly left-eyed, and have been shooting left-handed since I realized I was left-eyed. Granted I can shoot right-handed, but I'm just more accurate and it's more comfortable left-handed. Although using a right-handed bolt is not. Hell, I haven't shot a left-handed gun before, but just from handling them at Gander Mtn. and extensively comparing LH and RH bolt rifles, I couldn't possibly buy a RH gun.