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Author Topic: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues  (Read 8136 times)

Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #15 on: April 06, 2019, 03:06:15 PM »
Here are some pics for reference. That’s a 7” circle at 25 yards


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Offline DBell

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Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #16 on: April 06, 2019, 03:27:22 PM »
Here are some pics for reference. That’s a 7” circle at 25 yards


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Try a different choke and big paper. The 4s don’t seem too bad, they look like they hit where you aimed. But you should easily be able to get way better looking patterns with #5. Maybe try some 3 inch shells also. You shouldn’t need to spend too much money or time getting a 12 gauge to shoot good patterns out to 40 yards.

Idk if this helps any but I like to shoot a box or two of target loads through a new choke/gun, then clean it good, and then do some patterning.

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Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #17 on: April 06, 2019, 05:08:09 PM »

Try a different choke and big paper. The 4s don’t seem too bad, they look like they hit where you aimed. But you should easily be able to get way better looking patterns with #5. Maybe try some 3 inch shells also. You shouldn’t need to spend too much money or time getting a 12 gauge to shoot good patterns out to 40 yards.

Idk if this helps any but I like to shoot a box or two of target loads through a new choke/gun, then clean it good, and then do some patterning.

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I was running 3” in the Longbeard and the Remington, only the Federal was 3.5”. I think the big paper is the ticket seeing where the point of impact is. I aim for the caruncles, and that’s where I was aiming at the range. Good tip on the target loads, thank you.

Offline ahfox16

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #18 on: April 06, 2019, 05:46:46 PM »
My 2 cents if use nothing but the factory bead and shoot it off a bench with sandbags.  Use the factory full choke and try 3" Longbeards in size 5.  That will tell you if you have a POI problem.  Since that gun is drilled and tapped already, its easy to stick a Red Dot on it if you indeed have POI issues.  PS. Try more then one brand of shells, as I've heard that LB's do sometime shoot to a different POI then some of the others.

Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #19 on: April 07, 2019, 10:48:03 AM »
Quick update, bought a set of Williams Fire Sights with the ghost ring rear. Can’t wait to set it up!

Offline captpete

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #20 on: April 09, 2019, 06:02:03 PM »
A couple of other things for you....make sure the barrel nut is tight and not just hand tight. Wrap a rag around the nut and turn it with a pair of pliers/channel locs to get a couple of extra clicks out of it.

You also might want to deep clean the barrel and maybe even polish it. Here are a couple of links to explain how to do them. Doing both help the patterns from my 870 SM.

https://allaboutshooting.com/blogs/blog/98772615-deep-cleaning-a-shotgun-barrel

http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,182.0.html

Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #21 on: April 11, 2019, 08:19:52 PM »
Well... After another trip to the range today, I decided that this gun isn’t for me. I am  going back to my Nova. Just will not pattern for crap, the action is garbage, and every time I shoot the trigger guard hits my middle finger and it’s now so swollen I can’t close it. Pulled out the Nova and immediately felt great and I guess shouldn’t have tried to turn my back on her LOL! Really disappointed in the poor quality of the Remington. Sometimes the action would stick, and a few times the spent shell would eject like a semiauto.

Offline DoubleD

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #22 on: April 12, 2019, 10:21:21 AM »
As an 870 owner myself, before giving up on the 870 it may be worth trying a couple things.
1. As with any pump gun, pulling the gun nice and tight to the shoulder is good but don't pull it into the shoulder by using the forearm. Use the palm swell/trigger hand. Pulling the forearm will make it eject like a semi-auto and cause the barrel to swing as the load of shot is traveling down the barrel, which obviously decreases pattern density.
Try dry firing while pulling on the forearm and you'll see exactly what I mean.
As an added bonus, pulling the stock tight to your shoulder with the trigger hand instead of forearm keeps the trigger guard from banging your finger.

I'd bet the bank that if you try that your patterns will tighten right up.

Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #23 on: April 12, 2019, 03:51:03 PM »
As an 870 owner myself, before giving up on the 870 it may be worth trying a couple things.
1. As with any pump gun, pulling the gun nice and tight to the shoulder is good but don't pull it into the shoulder by using the forearm. Use the palm swell/trigger hand. Pulling the forearm will make it eject like a semi-auto and cause the barrel to swing as the load of shot is traveling down the barrel, which obviously decreases pattern density.
Try dry firing while pulling on the forearm and you'll see exactly what I mean.
As an added bonus, pulling the stock tight to your shoulder with the trigger hand instead of forearm keeps the trigger guard from banging your finger.

I'd bet the bank that if you try that your patterns will tighten right up.


I appreciate the tips. I just think I’m going to quit while I am ahead. The Nova shoots really well, I’ve killed a pile of turkeys with it, and it doesn’t beat the heck out of my knuckle. The weird part is that I have an older Wingmaster, and the knuckle getting hit by the trigger guard has never been an issue for me.

Offline DBell

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Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #24 on: April 13, 2019, 01:29:58 PM »
As an 870 owner myself, before giving up on the 870 it may be worth trying a couple things.
1. As with any pump gun, pulling the gun nice and tight to the shoulder is good but don't pull it into the shoulder by using the forearm. Use the palm swell/trigger hand. Pulling the forearm will make it eject like a semi-auto and cause the barrel to swing as the load of shot is traveling down the barrel, which obviously decreases pattern density.
Try dry firing while pulling on the forearm and you'll see exactly what I mean.
As an added bonus, pulling the stock tight to your shoulder with the trigger hand instead of forearm keeps the trigger guard from banging your finger.

I'd bet the bank that if you try that your patterns will tighten right up.


I appreciate the tips. I just think I’m going to quit while I am ahead. The Nova shoots really well, I’ve killed a pile of turkeys with it, and it doesn’t beat the heck out of my knuckle. The weird part is that I have an older Wingmaster, and the knuckle getting hit by the trigger guard has never been an issue for me.
That’s weird. I wouldn’t be into that either. Love my 20 gauge 870’s though. Never had issues with mine. Both are smooth as glass, and both are the cheap expresses that should have actions that feel like sand and can’t eject shells. Trade the supermag in for a 20. She will treat the knuckle nice


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Offline strum

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #25 on: April 14, 2019, 09:10:04 PM »
Every year I start thinking about a new turkey gun but my ole mossberg just keeps staying dependable. I was seriously looking at that gun . Its stories like this that keep me straight.

Offline Bigeclipse

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #26 on: April 15, 2019, 08:20:10 AM »
Hello all. I picked up a brand new Remington 870 Super Mag 12 gauge on Monday and took it to the range yesterday. I was really disappointed by the early results and looking for some direction. I started off at 25 yards and while the pattern was certainly deadly, it was more like I would expect at 40. But the real issue is that at 40 yards I could not get a pellet onto paper. The pattern was flying so high that I needed to aim 2 feet low to get any hits. I was using both the supplied Remington Super full choke, and a regular Undertaker choke. I was shooting 3” Longbeard #5, 3” Remington Premier, and 3.5” Federal #4. I’m still scratching my head about how the pattern could totally disappear in 15 yards. Any guidance would be appreciated. The targets were a last minute scramble, my printer ran out of toner.

stop using number 4s and get yourself a red dot. Number 4s are a complete waste of time. 5s and 6s is what id be shooting and will easily kill birds out to 40 yards and a bit further but we cant discuss that on this forum. Id buy a box of each and see what patterns best for you at 40 yards. If both are yielding over 100 pellets in a 10inch diameter circle at 40 yards, then use which ever one is better at closer yardages....like 25 yards.

Offline Longshanks

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #27 on: April 15, 2019, 08:56:19 AM »
Bought a new 870SM a few years ago and couldn’t get it to pattern with numerous chokes and shells. Looking down the barrel there were significant tooling marks and rings. Took it to my gunsmith and he took a significant amount of material out of the barrel with professional polishing tools. Started with fairly rough and worked his way down. That gun now turns my best patterns to date with lead and HTL loads. It will shoot 160’s with a Ventilator .655 and 3/2/6’s lead loads. 280’s with Hevi 3/2/7’s

Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #28 on: April 15, 2019, 09:47:59 AM »
Hello all. I picked up a brand new Remington 870 Super Mag 12 gauge on Monday and took it to the range yesterday. I was really disappointed by the early results and looking for some direction. I started off at 25 yards and while the pattern was certainly deadly, it was more like I would expect at 40. But the real issue is that at 40 yards I could not get a pellet onto paper. The pattern was flying so high that I needed to aim 2 feet low to get any hits. I was using both the supplied Remington Super full choke, and a regular Undertaker choke. I was shooting 3” Longbeard #5, 3” Remington Premier, and 3.5” Federal #4. I’m still scratching my head about how the pattern could totally disappear in 15 yards. Any guidance would be appreciated. The targets were a last minute scramble, my printer ran out of toner.

stop using number 4s and get yourself a red dot. Number 4s are a complete waste of time. 5s and 6s is what id be shooting and will easily kill birds out to 40 yards and a bit further but we cant discuss that on this forum. Id buy a box of each and see what patterns best for you at 40 yards. If both are yielding over 100 pellets in a 10inch diameter circle at 40 yards, then use which ever one is better at closer yardages....like 25 yards.
I only was running the 4’s because I had a box on hand, I think I shot 2 of them. The vast majority of shooting was 3” Longbeard #5 and Remington Supreme #5.


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Offline Escout711

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Re: Brand New Remington 870 Super Mag Patterning Issues
« Reply #29 on: April 15, 2019, 09:51:35 AM »
Bought a new 870SM a few years ago and couldn’t get it to pattern with numerous chokes and shells. Looking down the barrel there were significant tooling marks and rings. Took it to my gunsmith and he took a significant amount of material out of the barrel with professional polishing tools. Started with fairly rough and worked his way down. That gun now turns my best patterns to date with lead and HTL loads. It will shoot 160’s with a Ventilator .655 and 3/2/6’s lead loads. 280’s with Hevi 3/2/7’s
That’s not a good reflection on Remington. It’s a shame, I grew up in Upstate NY in Remington country, and had a girlfriend whose uncle worked at the Remington factory until the day he died. I’m a Remington guy, I have a Remington 700 mountain rifle as my primary deer rifle, and an 870 Wingmaster.


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