I have a nice 1953 Remington 870 Magnum Wingmaster with a factory 30 inch Full Choke barrel.

I also have a Light Contour 28 inch Rem Choke VR Barrel for this.

I am wanting a 26 inch Rem Choke VR barrel in place of the 28.

Am I wrong or is the 28 inch barrel more of a compromise barrel; good for most anything, but not the best choice for woods hunting. Just a reminder I do have a 30 inch Full choke barrel for the longer range stuff.

An 870 is a longer action and a 28 inch barrel sticks out way further than a 28 inch double.

I like a 28 or 30", but most of my hunting is in very open country.. I have a 21 " special field.. I like it, but would prefer the barrel a 24 or 26..

I have gone back and forth with shotguns and have an 870 with a 26 inch light contour barrel with remchokes. It would be the last gun I sold if I were getting rid of all of them. I really like the balance of the 26 barrel and the light contour swings nice. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt any bird (goose, dove, quail, turkey) with it.

If you want a 26" barrel go for it. Everything is a compromise in some way or another.

You mention woods hunting. If all I were hunting was woods a 22-24" barrel would be hard to beat but for overall bird hunting that 26" will be fine.

What "woods" hunting do you do for upland birds?

Just know that 28" LC barrel will be lighter than a 26" barrel of standard construction and may actually balance better than the shorter 26" barrel.

My 26 Wingmaster at work Teal hunting last season.

the 26 seems to work well in my 870 for an all around bird gun.

The 26 inch I am looking at is also a light contour VR/RC barrel.

Grouse would be the woods bird. Not many pheasants in the fields around here anymore.

I am going with the 26 LC. Thanks.

I prefer a 30" for Ducks and Geese, a 28" for Pheasants, a
26" for Doves, Quail and Partridge. If I am taking only one gun and using it for multiple birds, I take my 28" with the Remchoke system and use the chokes accordingly.

26 for a Rem 870 12ga and a Grouse gun.

Try a 20ga and the 12ga will stay home. 28in on a 20ga may balance better. Haven't picked one up for awhile.

VR on a Ruffed Grouse shotgun is nothing more than extra weight.

1975 870 Wingmaster 20ga. Two barrels for it. 26" w/fixed I/C, 28" w/fixed Mod. I use 'em both. Just depends. Both work for upland birds fine.

That 26 inch deal fell through. I will use my 28" LC/VR/RC for a while longer!

No longer than 26" for anything I hunt. I'd buy a 24" barrel if they offered it. If I spent any time pass shooting for waterfowl then a 28" might make sense.

I like a 26 for quail, 30 for doves

For me, I want the balance point of the shotgun between my hands for "poke and pray" shooting like for woodcock and grouse. For swinging shots like sharpies and pheasant, I want more weight on the forearm so I like longer barrels for that style of shooting.

A 28 inch "Light contour" IMO is the best barrel remington has ever built for bird shooting....clays or feathers.

Doc

I found a 26 vent rib ic barrel for my LH 870 12 gauge to be handier than the 28 vent rib Rem-Choke for birds.

I like a 26 in barrel better than a 28 in for most uses. I keep one on my 12 gauge 870 and Ithaca 87's most of the time. I sometimes use my 20/21 in deer barrels [I have the screw in choke tube type]. also.

Frankly, for grouse I much prefer a 20 gauge. I recommend you try one.

I have a 25 in barrel on one of my 20 ga Ithaca UL's and I prefer it to any other setup.

I agree^^^^^^^^^

I prefer my 870 28ga with a 25" barrel for dove and quail.

For pheasants I prefer my 1100 Special Field 12ga with a 21" barrel.

28 inch is my favorite length.

26 or 28 for me. I used a 24 for many years and it was great for turkeys but it didn't swing as smoothly for me on upland birds. Shotguns are all about balance.

26" for me.

20 Ga.....26" here