Rem 870 20ga for wife HD

[Deadcenter45]

My wife bought herself a nice little Remington 870 Express in 20ga . I wanted to set up an extra barrel for her for use in Home Defense. I know all the stocks for the 12ga 870 will fit the 20ga, but I don't see a lot of choice for barrels - my question is will a Wingmaster barrel fit on an Express reciever ? This looks like the best bet for what I have in mind:

Wingmaster Deer Barrel w/ Rifle Sights, LW-20 20 20" RS Imp. Cyl. $169

Please don't scoff at 20ga for HD/SD if that is what you are thinking, it will push 473gr of projectile at just over 1300fps

Thanx,
Ron

[Buck]

my question is will a Wingmaster barrel fit on an Express reciever ?

Yes... The only difference is the finish...

[austinN4]

See Remington web site at http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/original_factory_barrel_selector.asp for information on barrels and interchangability.

I know that Remington currently makes a 20 gauge Express HD model in 18.5" and the barrel for that should work on your existing Express, it just isn't listed on the link above. You may need to look at the full parts list, or simply just call Remington.

[Deadcenter45]

Thank you guys :)

[Ross]

A good friend of mine built a 870 for his small statured wife. It is a 20ga youth model, which is slightly scaled down. The stocks were already short, even for her, so it allowed him to add a recoil pad to it in order to fit her perfectly. He cut the barrel down and added a mag extension.

It's a fantastic set-up, being very light, handy and fast-handling. Being a 20ga, it's not much in the recoil department, and sure, it's not a 12GA but I wouldn't want to be on the other end of it with slugs or even buck. It has a poly-choke on it's bobbed barrel, and I've shot trap with it.

I liked it so much, I bought it from her when she bought an auto. Anyone who shoots it asks if they can buy it from me.

You've made a good choice. The most important thing is to make sure it fits her. Do everything you can to make it fit correctly.

[Gutshot John]

I know this might be a little late since the purchase has already been made.

I'm certainly not knocking the 20 ga, especially for a female shooter it's more than adequate as a defense gun. My issue more revolves around the pump-action. As a personal preference a handgun is a much better home defense choice than a longgun IMO.

I've not experienced this personally (since I'm not female) so I'm going out on a limb, but I've spoken with a smaller-statured female shooter whom I trust who says that under stress the pump-action can be problematic for her due to the reach and length of the action. If there are any female shooters in the know on this forum, please speak up if I'm wrong.

Another LEO/competitive shooter I know has repeatedly recommended a Stoeger Coach Gun for a home defense gun especially for a smaller woman. They are available in 20ga and the fact that it has no action means it's significantly shorter and quicker handling in confined spaces. Despite only two shots they can be reloaded quickly.

I know people like the sound of that "rack" and think it's going to make the BG s$!t himself (maybe...maybe not) but a gun is for making much louder noises....and much larger holes.

Just my $0.02.

[austinN4]

....., but I've spoken with a female shooter whom I trust who says that under stress the pump-action can be problematic due to the reach and length of the action.
Not just a female issue - guys have been known to short stroke a pump action under stress also; sometimes not even under stress, and even with a SG that fits! Don't get me wrong, I am not putting down pump actions. I like pumps and are the only SGs I own, but without proper fit and training they can be problematic for male and female alike.