does anyone have a 26" 870 or 1187 that is a shooter?

[sevetts]

Last year I picked up an 11 87 camo sportsman 26" barrel. I played with it some last year and shot a jelly head and an ssx. I shot nitro blends, hevi 7s, fed 7s and fed 6s and I never found what it "liked". I LOVE this gun its the funnest shotgun I've ever shot but doesn't even come close to shooting with my 21" youth 870. It shot the hevi 7s the best which dissapoints me a lil cause I dont like the way hevi 7s kill a turkey. I no that's a dumb statement but once you shot em with nitros or fed heviwieghts its just not the same and I don't have a lot of confidence at 40 with that round. I'm prolly gonna try the ol junk chokes that seem to shoot good in whatever ya put em in. Undertaker and tightwad... just wondering if these barrels like larger shot or more open chokes? I just haven't had time or weather to shoot it yet. I'm not saying it wouldn't kill a turkey with what I've tried just haven't found what I hoped I could make it do... what are you 26" Remington guys happy with. Thanks stetson

[R AJ]

Between a SSX and a Sumtoy 562-5 and Fed HW #7s you should have a 140+ in there somewhere. What number are you getting with that set up? That barrel may like a 570 or 575 better. Both of mine are 26" in the 870 and 11-87 .

For whatever reason the 21" seems to out shoot the 26" but as for turkey killing they aren't that much better to me.

[sevetts]

I honestly haven't shot it seriously since last year. I shot some fed 6s that were junk last week but that's it. I got 1 pattern of 130+ out of the ssx with fed 7s but 3 more 100-110 but it was strips of shot and not real even rather than keep wasting shells that shot awesome out of my other guns I quit. Jelly head put up 130 with hevi 7s but I have never had a dense pretty pattern and terribly inconsistent with loads and both chokes. 21" 870 throws beautiful 140+ patterns with almost anything 7 you put down it. I'm looking for a consistent pretty pattern and it just hasn't done that for me yet...

[remmy1187]

I have the same gun (11-87)and with IC .555 it puts up crazy numbers with my handloads of #7 heavy shot.  It wasn't anything to brag about with factory heavy  shot or heavy weight.  My load is similar to a nitro straight 7.  The jellyhead out of my gun sucked something terrible with everything.

[dmc308]

Tightwad + magnum blend giving me good 40 yard patterns

[surehuntsalot]

Tightwad + magnum blend giving me good 40 yard patterns

     + 100

[bushwhacker]

I have an 870 with 26" barrel. Undertaker and heavy 7's put up 143 in ten and my tightwad with same load put up 137 in ten. Nice even patterns and those are about two of the cheapest chokes you can buy.

[surehuntsalot]

I really like my Tightwad choke,sometime this weekend,I'm going to put some Fiocchi 3" 7-1/2's through it and see what happens

[grundan]

I bought the 870 in 26" a couple weeks ago. I tried some Kent 3" 6 shot through it with a tightwad choke at 30 yards. I didn't count the numbers because I didn't bring my tape measure to the range but I guessed at roughly 100 or so. It did have a nice pattern that would have killed a bird. I haven't polished the barrel, only brushed it with solvent cleaner and patched it a few times. Waiting on some Fed heavy #7 to come in. Its like bigfoot around here...

[nothingbutlongbeards]

I have a 26" 1187 with a Hevi13 tube that is a nail driver

[shotcaller20]

My 26" 870 shoots lights out with both a sum toy 562 and a rem sf. I hunt with the rem sf most of the time due to a little more forgiveness up close