Shotgun barrel/sight upgrades for hunting deer w/ buckshot?

[DawnPatrol]

I have an old 870 Wingmaster with a long factory barrel with only a bead on the end, and no way to mount a metal sight or scope. I sometimes use it to hunt deer. It can testify that a load of 00 Hevishot to the head of a blacktail is instantaneously and profoundly fatal.

But I’ve also airmailed a couple easy shots. I’m not a great shotgun shooter, and I have a tendency to pick my head up off the comb when I get excited.

Would I be better off with a different barrel with iron sights, or even a small turkey-style scope? If so, any suggestions? Or should I just spend more time at the local rock pit?

I don’t want to ditch the gun; it was my grandfather’s.

Thanks!

 

[CentralFLMike]

I think you answered your own question. Work on the basic fundamentals until you can diagnose problem areas and improve your shooting skills. Get some instruction if you have to. Without perfecting your shooting skills, diagnosing equipment needs will suffer. Newer or better equipment will not make up for poor form.

But, I'm just a guy on the internet.

 

[Macintosh]

Shotgun vent rib/or no rib isnt made to "sight" like a rifle so it may be more than simply getting a good cheek weld. Many vent-rib guns are designed to shoot a little high so a rising bird hits the shot pattern (i.e. it's a little "built-in" lead on a moving target), and for me remmy stocks are very low so if I get a good cheek weld I hit low 100% of the time. If you are going to aim the gun instead of point it, then I'd want some sort of real sight, either front and rear irons or a scope. Several ways you can do this without modifying your grandfather's gun.

I find used 870 wingmaster slug barrels literally all the time at small gunshops. Buy a used improved-cylinder smoothbore slug barrel for under $100 (not rifled--everyone who is into slug hunting wants a rifled barrel), sight it in at 50 yards, and use either slugs or buckshot through it with the iron sights.

or, carlsons makes 870 slug barrels that are $200 or so.

Or, you can get one of those "saddle" scope mounts that uses the trigger-group drift-pins to attach--not good for a 200-yard scoped rifled sabot slug, but plenty good for 50-ish yards buckshot or slugs. Put a low power scope or red dot on it and you're done.

You can also get a rifled barrel with a cantilever scope mount--this eliminates movement between the barrel and action from affecting the zero on a action-mounted scope. With a good sabot slug these are accurate out to 200 yards or more on deer-sized game. Not what I would choose for buckshot though, and the stock is likely a bit low to get a good cheek weld if you go this route.

If you go with a barrel, Just make sure the barrel fits your action, there are multiple size actions in wingmasters even within the same gauge.

 

[KM5019]

I have an old 870 Wingmaster with a long factory barrel with only a bead on the end, and no way to mount a metal sight or scope. I sometimes use it to hunt deer. It can testify that a load of 00 Hevishot to the head of a blacktail is instantaneously and profoundly fatal.

But I’ve also airmailed a couple easy shots. I’m not a great shotgun shooter, and I have a tendency to pick my head up off the comb when I get excited.

Would I be better off with a different barrel with iron sights, or even a small turkey-style scope? If so, any suggestions? Or should I just spend more time at the local rock pit?

I don’t want to ditch the gun; it was my grandfather’s.

Thanks!

I’m not certain if it is available for the 870 but a cantilever smooth bore is the way to go with a pattern master choke. I have this set up on my browning gold which I bought to hunt in one place, an open swamp with high grass. I use a rifled choke for slugs while sitting and switch over to choke when cruising swamp where it is not uncommon to bump a deer out of a bed inside of 10 yards. I have a red dot aim point mounted on cantilever. I have no use for OO other wise. Do not try to use OO out of a rifled barrel or rifled choke. You will not even hit the paper.