need help w/ my rem.
 

okay , im 14 years old and about 4 yrs ago i decided i wanted to start hunting so i save up all my money for three yrs. and i bought a remington 870 express. on my barell it says shoot 3in or 2 3/4 in magnum reciever in all others shoot 2 3/4 ? mine does not say that its a magnum rieciever but i shoot threes thruogh it all the time!! what shoulf i do ?know my waterfowl hunting is going to be over, youcant nock geese or ducks down as well w/ 2 3/4 in shot can i still shoot 3s through my gun !@!?

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

If you switch to bismuth or tungsten polymer instead of steel you can go to a smaller size and have as many pellets in a 2-3/4" shell as in a 3" with steel shot.For the record almost all of my ducks and a large percentage of my geese were shot with 2-3/4" shells.

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

There are, to my knowledge, two types of recievers made for the Model 870, standard 3" and the Super Mag 3.5" reciever. You have the former, which will handle 2.75" and 3" shells, but will not function with 3.5" shells.

You say you already shoot 3" shells all the time, so why do you doubt that you can use 3" shells for waterfoul hunting?

Mike

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

There were also 870's made with 2-3/4" receivers.

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

I didn't think that they made the 2.75" recievers anymore...but I could be wrong.

Mike

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

I believe they still make the 2 3/4 " and I know they made a magnum 3" because I have one . These are in the wingmaster , not the Express .

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

how mucch are those bismuth and tungsten loads ?
you say thwy have enough fir power for geese?

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

Bismuth and tungsten polymer are more dense than steel so you can use smaller shot.They perform very much like lead shot.They do cost more than steel.For the amount that most people use though the cost is not prohibitive.Unless of course you are one of those people that uses three or more shots for every bird that you take home.

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

Like I stated on the waterfowl forum, your receiver type is identified by the serial number suffix.

I just verified it from the remington website. If your serial # ends with a "V", it shoots 2 3/4" only. Ending with "M" shoots 2 3/4" and 3". A serial # with "A" shoots 2 3/4", 3", and 3 1/2". Go to www.remington.com, go to Support, and click on Help Center to see for yourself.

Also, a 3" barrel will fit on a 2 3/4" only receiver and chamber a 3" shell. This practice is not advisable and I am not saying it is okay to use in this configuration. Just that it is possible to mix the two up.

Don't worry about the bismuth and tungsten shot yet. If you saved 4 years to buy your 870, you won't be able to afford these shells.

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

Edited for colorful language

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

Wait a second. All Expresses to my knowledge are chambered for 3 inch. 3 inch chambers became standard on 870's in 1985. The barrel warning is for what Whiskeysnoot mentioned, don't put the barrel off your express on an older Wingmaster that isn't marked 'magnum' and shoot 3 inch shells.

Blast away with those 3 inchers, buddy! Oh, and edit out your message with some bleeps. ;)

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

You can ONLY shoot 3" shells if their is a "M" at the end of the serial number. If their is not an "M", you can ONLY shoot 2 3/4" shells. The "M" designates magnum receiver. Their is a reason that designation is on their. It's NOT safe.

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

Longrifle is right. But I still think all Expresses have a 3 inch chamber.

RE: need help w/ my rem.
 

You stated in your post in the waterfowl board that you got it in the used section at Gander Mnt. If you got it at a Gander Mnt why not just bring it back there and let their gunsmith take a look at it and give you a definate answer. I don't think anyone on here would be too comfortable giving you an answer without seeing the gun themselves.

Don't go buying a new gun. There seems to be nothing wrong with the one you've got , you just need to know what you can shoot out of it. If you find it only shoots 2 3/4 , so what. You are a new hunter, it may acctualy help you. Having the lighter load will force you to wait a little longer for a good shot and not push bad shots relying on the extra power of the larger shells.