About either get an 835 or 870 for not just my turkey gun but also my duck, goose, and dove gun. That being said if I get the 835 I want the 24" and 28" barrels. If I get an 870 I want the bottomland patter with a 26". Which would make a better all purpose shotgun? Also would it hurt to put a rail on the mossberg in the spring and take it off for the fall?
im a Mossberg fan so I say 835 28" not a problem removing rail just sighting in every spring can get a little expensive... thought about a speed bead?
The Benelli Nova isn't on your list of options but I love mine!
Those are both good guns for what you want to do. Being your going to a lot of waterfowl and dove hunting with it in addition to turkey, I would pick the one that swings and fits you best. You might also want to take a look at the win SXP, Nova/supernova and the bps stalker. Try a bunch and one will stand out to you. Good luck in your quest and....... :wagon:
Just my :z-twocents: but I'd go with the Mossberg.
All great choices...I love my SuperNova...I grab that out of the safe as much as I grab my SBEII
If you're using it for wingshooting too I'd go 870. 870's for the most part are nice swinging shotguns and I haven't found one yet I couldn't shoot well. Mossbergs by comparison feel like throwing a 2x4 to your shoulder. No offense to 835 fans for they are great turkey guns. I had one back in the day and really liked it. But then again I had a different gun to use for wingshooting. Just my opinion.
Either one will serve your purpose well. There are some things about the Mossberg you will need to know for it to be an all purpose gun.
There is no Speed Bead mount for the mossberg. The location of the tang safety makes it not possible to put a Speed Bead on it.
Both shotguns have aluminum receivers. Screws for the base are steel. Every time you put a steel screw into aluminum threads you eat the aluminum out a bit. It is not advisable to put a base on and off each year because of this. A open lens reflex sight like the Fast Fire can be used for all shotgun sports including wing shooting. Just mount it as close to the eye as possibe and shoot with both eyes open. Otherwise, go with a set of removable barrel sights. Leave the bead on the barrel and mount the removable sights behind the bead. Or go with two barrels like you mention and put barrel sights on the dedicated turkey barrel.
The Mossberg is overbored to 10 gauge bore size, .775. The nominal 12 gauge bore is .729. This makes the Mossberg shoot large shot charges, 2 oz and larger very well. It makes the gun shoot low shot charges as if the choke were more open than labeled. The industry standard for improved cylinder, modified and full are -.010, -.020, and -.035. So the standard Improved cylinder, modified, and full chokes for the 835 or a 10 gauge are .765, .755, and .740. However the Mossberg is not shooting a 10 gauge shell so with shot charges less than 2 ounces you do not get the expected patterns. To make the Mossberg shoot light field loads the same as a standard 12 gauge you must shoot tighter than standard chokes. This means buying some aftermarket chokes. For light field loads in the 835 use .755 as improved cylinder, .745 as modified, and .730 as full.
I am partial to the 870's, so that is my pic I have the 870 you mentioned and love it. Good luck what ever you choose.
My 835 pump throws great waterfowl patterns for ducks and geese
Not a duck hunter, but I have an 835 and 870. I don't think you can go wrong either way. Both throw great patterns and you could paddle a boat and bust ice with either!
BPS. Often forgotten but excellent gun and usually shoots lights out.
My 870 has shot enough ducks and geese to sink a big duck boat. I think it is the #1 selling shotgun for a reason. If your motor conch's out, you can use it for a paddle. Tough gun.
It is now a turkey only gun for me. Has 26" barrel. My son uses it for duck hunting because he prefers the 26" over his 28" 870 for duck hunting.
The world of Choke Tubes as well as other shotgun accessories caters to 870 owners. Every choke company has options for the 870, and every store keeps something in stock for an 870.
I really like the BPS. The Invector Plus bores shoot just as good, or maybe a shade better than RemChoke bores do.
If you want a lightweight gun, the 835 has an advantage over both of the above choices; but it kills on both ends. Some people get great patterns with 835's.
Mossberg 835 all the way
870.. Ton of accessories and chokes for them....
Rem 870 no doubt..I have three and the one I hunt with the most.. I have had since I was 12.. I'm 46. Replaced one spring the whole life of the gun. Have had a number of mossbergs and sold them. I have a new 870sm 26" in a duck camo. Turns the my best Pb patterns with a $12.00 ventilator .655 choke. Awesome patterns with Hevi 7's and Win LB's as well. Better gun for me and wing shooting than the mossbergs. The accessories are unlimited for these guns as well.
My gunsmith has told me over the last 25 years that the mossbergs are not the best quality metal and he works on them more than any other shotgun. He works on rem 870 the least. Although the mossbergs pattern really good with turkey chokes the fore arm rattles and trying to keep my gun quite while moving through the woods or shouldering the gun on a turkey was not something I wanted to worry about.
My experience with 870's and Mossbergs is all. Don't mean to offend anyone.
I would go with the 870 out of the 2 you mentioned, but when you mentioned waterfowl too I would go with the browning bps I have both use a 21 inch 870 for turkey and a 28 in. 3.5 bps for waterfowl. I have better pattern performance with steel out of the bps not because of barrel length because my 870 has a 28 inch barrel also. If I were going to pick one as universal gun it would be the bps hands down.
Another vote for the 870.....I own three currently, an express supermag turkey and two wingmasters. The wingmasters are my upland bird and skeet guns, while the supermag is a dedicated turkey slayer. I've killed plenty with a wingmaster tho before getting the supermag. The only experience I have with a Mossberg is my best friend had one for a season and he sold it to get an 870 like mine. His kicked like a mule and rattled in the forend.
You can't beat a Benelli in the duck blind! works great for turkeys/dove too! I'd go with the super nova
Both are great, but I personally own two 870s so you know how I feel.
Quote from: ccaldwell on March 30, 2014, 11:30:11 PM
You can't beat a Benelli in the duck blind! works great for turkeys/dove too! I'd go with the super nova
Benelli's and Beretta's are great shotguns but you can buy 3 Rem 870's for the price of one Benelli/ Beretta. Have one 870 with a long barrel for wing shooting and a short barrel for turkey, 3" for wing shooting and 870sm for turkey. Allot of options with the Rem 870's. Beretta/ Benelli with an extra barrel would put you over the 2 grand mark.
Welcome back to Pumps, by the way. :icon_thumright:
There is nothing more american than being able to buy and hunt with a shell shucker.
Quote from: Longshanks on March 31, 2014, 05:52:16 PM
Quote from: ccaldwell on March 30, 2014, 11:30:11 PM
You can't beat a Benelli in the duck blind! works great for turkeys/dove too! I'd go with the super nova
Benelli's and Beretta's are great shotguns but you can buy 3 Rem 870's for the price of one Benelli/ Beretta. Have one 870 with a long barrel for wing shooting and a short barrel for turkey, 3" for wing shooting and 870sm for turkey. Allot of options with the Rem 870's. Beretta/ Benelli with an extra barrel would put you over the 2 grand mark.
In all due respect you ain't priced a Nova have you.
Those are the only two pump guns I would own. You can't go wrong with either. Pick the one you like best
Quote from: Gooserbat on March 31, 2014, 07:50:29 PM
Quote from: Longshanks on March 31, 2014, 05:52:16 PM
Quote from: ccaldwell on March 30, 2014, 11:30:11 PM
You can't beat a Benelli in the duck blind! works great for turkeys/dove too! I'd go with the super nova
Benelli's and Beretta's are great shotguns but you can buy 3 Rem 870's for the price of one Benelli/ Beretta. Have one 870 with a long barrel for wing shooting and a short barrel for turkey, 3" for wing shooting and 870sm for turkey. Allot of options with the Rem 870's. Beretta/ Benelli with an extra barrel would put you over the 2 grand mark.
In all due respect you ain't priced a Nova have you.
Sorry I was thinking about the automatics..apologize for jumping the gun there.
I have hunted all my Life with a Remington 870 but IMO, stay away from the new ones especially the Wal-Mart specials called Express; if you shoot alot like I do, the older 870 Wingmasters are hard to beat; if you look around long enough, you can find them that were made in the middle 70's thru the late 80's, those are the ones that are made to last; one other shotgun to look at is the SXP Winchesters, real nice pumps for the money;
IF you really want a gun that will do EVERYTHING you mentioned, from dove to ducks to Turkeys and clays, then you should take a look at the Browning Citori; I know that they cost almost as much as a car...LOL.. but they will close up as tight after thousands of shells as they did when they are new; it will be the last shotgun you buy if taken care of. Talk to some Citori owners and they will quickly tell ya that they are one of the toughest guns around; you pay ALOT up front but you get what you pay for.
Quote from: Longshanks on March 31, 2014, 11:09:42 PM
Quote from: Gooserbat on March 31, 2014, 07:50:29 PM
Quote from: Longshanks on March 31, 2014, 05:52:16 PM
Quote from: ccaldwell on March 30, 2014, 11:30:11 PM
You can't beat a Benelli in the duck blind! works great for turkeys/dove too! I'd go with the super nova
Benelli's and Beretta's are great shotguns but you can buy 3 Rem 870's for the price of one Benelli/ Beretta. Have one 870 with a long barrel for wing shooting and a short barrel for turkey, 3" for wing shooting and 870sm for turkey. Allot of options with the Rem 870's. Beretta/ Benelli with an extra barrel would put you over the 2 grand mark.
In all due respect you ain't priced a Nova have you.
Sorry I was thinking about the automatics..apologize for jumping the gun there.
No problem and I wasn't tying to be a know it all either.
Quote from: tomstopper on March 30, 2014, 07:33:23 PM
870.. Ton of accessories and chokes for them....
Very true. The 870 will last a lifetime. If you ever get tired of it being a turkey gun, then you can easily convert it with everything that is available for them.