Which ammo for Rem 870 express 12 gauge?

[Ifishandhunt]

Received Winchester's Response:Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us here at Winchester Ammunition. We are always glad to hear from our many friends and customers who share in the shooting sport.

You can use any of our Winchester Sabot Slugs. Look on your barrel and see what the chamber says. If the gun is chambered for 3" you can use any 2 3/4 or 3" Sabot slug we make. Any one will work well. Do not use Standard Rifled slugs as they will lead up your barrel.

Thank you again for contacting us here at Winchester Ammunition. If you should require additional information, do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Winchester Technical Department

[Ifishandhunt]

Thank you guys for your responses. Very helpful! Now to go spend some money (I am not participating in this so called recession)... I'm going out to stimulate the economy by buying ammo!

[Everyday Hunter]

Well, I wouldn't say the Winchester response was very helpful. At least they could have given some kind of direction within their own line.

One more comment. The new issue of D&DH (equipment guide) that just arrived has an article in it about slugs. I haven't read it yet, but it might be worth checking out.

Steve

[vipertech]

The salesman is not for real.  Both my son and I have Rem 870 12g with rifled barrel shotguns that we use for deer hunting.  My sons gun is about 2 years old.  Mine is several years old.  Last year we both used Hornady SST sabot slugs.  They are a 300 grain slug with a polymer tip.  We sight our guns to about 1" high at 50 yards.  From a rest, we were putting the rounds through the same hole at those distances. 

Both my son and I were successful last season.  I shot a great 8-point and my son shot his first deer ever.

Prior to the SST's, I used to use Winchester Super X 1oz sabots.  They shot great from my gun but I had trouble finding them last year so I went with the Hornady's.

Also, I only use 2 3/4" shells for deer.  I see absolutely no need to go with 3" shells. 

[FFKEVIN]

[font="Tahoma"]I shoot a Remington 870 12g with rifled barrel. I shoot only Hornady SST sabot slugs as well. I tried a ton of different brands, and the Hornady shot best through my gun.[/font]

[buckhunter21]

ORIGINAL: FFKEVIN

[font=tahoma]I shoot a Remington 870 12g with rifled barrel. I shoot only Hornady SST sabot slugs as well. I tried a ton of different brands, and the Hornady shot best through my gun.[/font]

 
Agreed!  Spendy, but worth it!

[vipertech]

Agreed! Spendy, but worth it!

Actually, when I bought mine, they were on sale for $9 a box.  Which is a pretty good price for sabots.  Most of the time they go for around $12-15 a box.  

[buckhunter21]

Ya, I've been very impressed with them...My only knock, being that they are for long-range shots, is that the entry and exit holes aren't as big as with the Federal slugs I use for my Smith and Wesson semi-auto smoothbore.  But, they are still great IMO!

[mag30079]

ORIGINAL: pvaccaro

Go with the White Box Lightfields

I shoot 2 3/4 Lightfields out of my 870 express and love them.  I tried the 3" thinking it would be faster and pack more of a punch but they were all over the paper.  I have 3 guys in my hunting party that shoot 870's but we all use different ammo.  Your best bet is to try a couple different types of ammo.  As stated in the previous posts you want to shoot 2 3/4 slugs out of a 3" barrel and the remington has a slower twist (1:35) so the higher balistic slugs might not perform as well.   

 
Well when your right you right.
 
I went to the range this morning, I took 6 different kinds of sabots.
 
1. Hasting sabots: 1.25oz lead 477 grains 2 3/4 1500fps
 
2. Winchester sabots: 9/10oz 400 2 3/4 grain 1450fps
 
3. Winchester partition gold: 3/4oz 2 3/4 385 grain 1900fps
 
4. Federal Premium Barnes: 3/4oz 2 3/4 300 grain 1900fps
 
5. Federal Premium Barnes: 1oz 2 3/4 1450fps
 
6. Lightfield: 1.25oz 2 3/4 546 grains 1450fps
 
The lightfields grouped the best on my gun, they kick like a mule but I can't wait to see how they put a deer down.
 
It was a great shoot, a great confidence builder. After reading this forum post over and over I gave the slower muzzle velocity a second look because my 1/35 twist barrel. I'm glad I did.
Surprisingly the second best grouping I got was from the Winchester Partition gold 385grain 1900fps. The partition gold also kick like a mule just slightly less then  the lightfield.
 
Just wanted to update you with what I learned this morning, now I'm off to go ice down my shoulder. lol
 
Best of luck to everyone

[sprcub]

I guess this is what I would do first off try regular winchester 1 oz.  slugs  they are x12rs15  they are @1600  fps  they are dynamite on deer at close range  and certainly usable to 100 yards and maybe a bit farther they shoot real well in my 870  [the guy at the counter doesnt have a clue!!!] yaba yabba  sure they will lead up the barrel  but it doesnt matter  clean it after deer season !! in reality  you wont shoot many shots out of it --ok so at the range  if you can shoot better than 4 inch groups at 50 yds you are just fine I am ssuming you have sights???  sights will cover a 4 inch cicle at 50 yds so how could anyone claim to be more accuate than that?  not only that but a stock 870 has a terrible trigger   and a tremendous recoil  believe me  if you dont have a lead sled  you be lucky to hit anything  hahahah  anyway  none of this will be noticed  when the ole white tail shows up    anyway you have a rifled barrel  heck they are all the rage  but you pretty much cant take advantage of rifling unless you use a scope , you wont do any better than a smooth bore  now my suggestion is to just shoot it with regular slugs  but if you want to shoot sabots  as long as you have a rifled barrel   you will have to drill and tap the reciever for scope mounts [never ever use one of those mounts that attach with the trigger pins]  you will find the sabots will give you  close to twice the range of a regular slug  you will also find  that a sabot wont anchor a deer at close range the way a regular slug will  but at long range they will do much better than regulars 

someone wrote this about brenneke slugs:

[Once I had a problem...shot a doe at 30yrds...bow stand....she tipped over and then got up...went into brush ...no shot....I watched her walk away tail down and feeding...[&:]...close to 200yrds away I see a tail go straight up and then disappear...I wait and then get out of stand ...no blood nothing so I walk to where I'd seen that wht flag...there she was dead as dead can be....no blood no visible hole nothing...gutted her and blood just flew out of her...long short ...slug hit her and chipped her elbow and stayed in the fat between her hide and her body...it never actually went in to her but still the impact ripped a hole in her liver...the slug and plastic wadding was still intact ...We figure it was light loaded at the factory ..or some how powder got damp...but that Brenneke still managed to kill that doe with out even cracking a rib.... ]

I found that after using them for 3 or 4 years  this was just the way they are  I had that happen many many times  I  quit using them for that reason