Browning Maxus 26" Bottomland

[gobble157]

Ok, I waited long enough for Browning and the NWTF to make a gun specifically made for turkey hunting in the Maxus line. So today  I went ahead and bought the new Maxus in Bottomland (my most favorite camo pattern) at a local gun shop for a good price. I saw on the website that Browning only made it in 28", but the local gun shop had it in 26". I was excited but I want to get the barrel cut and crowned to 24". I wanted to get some expert advice on whether or not its worth it. Also will this mess up the camo on the barrel? Thank you for the input! God bless!

[gatrkyhntr70]

it should be easy for a gunsmith as long as they have the tooling to rethread the bbl. in invector+ threads. Check with rob roberts.

[LBSS]

why not go 23" ? just wondering . also bottom land my favorite pattern to well i like the original bottom land . works great in hardwoods . had a h&r10 ga in bottomland . thought about ding it on a bps10.

[gobble157]

Thats what I thought. I know it's a mighty fine gun and if I cut it I lose the opportunity to use it for ducks, but I don't foresee anything like that in the mere future. Turkeys only

David

[goblr77]

I would leave the barrel alone. 26" is my favorite length on a shotgun.

[allaboutshooting]

Ok, I waited long enough for Browning and the NWTF to make a gun specifically made for turkey hunting in the Maxus line. So today  I went ahead and bought the new Maxus in Bottomland (my most favorite camo pattern) at a local gun shop for a good price. I saw on the website that Browning only made it in 28", but the local gun shop had it in 26". I was excited but I want to get the barrel cut and crowned to 24". I wanted to get some expert advice on whether or not its worth it. Also will this mess up the camo on the barrel? Thank you for the input! God bless!

That is a truly fine gun and a 26" barrel is just about the perfect length. I'd recommend that you try hunting with it for a season and see what you think after that.

Thanks,
Clark

[gobble157]

Thank you guys for the input! It's greatly appreciated. Making me think twice about sending it off

[mossy835]

Take your time like said above. You will get used to the barrel length and not even consider it when you drop a few birds.

[drenalinld]

I cut a sp12 870 down to 23" from 26". I bought a new 26" bbl two years later.

[gobble157]

Well I'm going to keep it as is I really appreciate all the input! Choke suggestions? I already have a Browning Gold NWTF (both 12 and 10 ga) with Rhino/Nitro combo and absolutely love it! I suppose I'm going to try the same combo

[allaboutshooting]

Well I'm going to keep it as is I really appreciate all the input! Choke suggestions? I already have a Browning Gold NWTF (both 12 and 10 ga) with Rhino/Nitro combo and absolutely love it! I suppose I'm going to try the same combo

I think you made an excellent decision. That gun has a lot of very desirable features, the longer forcing cone and trigger being a couple that I really like. There are many choices of chokes that seem to work well with the Invector+ barrels as you know.

Each choke designer has his own idea of what the internal geometry should be and most work quite well. The exit diameter is but one part of the design. For example, Browning recommends their "Full Strut" turkey choke (.640) for their Invector+ barrels.  Other manufacturers recommend chokes with more open exit diameters.  It comes down to a matter of how the choke is designed.

Since you're happy with your Rhino and already have that choke for an Invector+ barrel, I'd give that one a try with your new gun and see if it performs as well with it as with your "Gold".

As far as shells go, I just can't find any that perform as well (consistently) as the current products from Hevi-Shot. The 3" Hevi-13 "Bronze" shells with 2 oz. of #6 shot are very consistent performers. They are the top choice of all still target shooters for that reason. The #7 shot version of that shell is also an excellent choice.

Many shooters have switched to the Magnum Blend shell. I've shot a number of those and they do deliver but I still prefer the standard loads. I can get back on target with those loads and take a second shot very quickly. That has paid off for me several times, when I've had 2 turkey tags and an opportunity to fill both or when I've just plain missed.

Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy your new gun and get many years of great service from it.

Thanks,
Clark

[gobble157]

Clark,

Thanks all the information you have provided. I have both 10 and 12 ga Golds fitted with rhino chokes. They do perform but I'm thinking about looking else where. I had a friend that compared the nitros to hevi-blend and had similar results. My 20ga with hevi-blends is dead on. I am thinking about shooting straight number sevens this year. We will see. Take care and God bless!

David

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

When I go to buy a box of HTL, I get 7's if they have them.  If no 7's, then I get Magnum Blend.  If no Magnum Blend, then I get 6's.  I haven't seen much of a difference in POI in my 870, but check your gun to be sure.