Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Rem 870 Scoped - Is it worth the trouble

I have had a hankering to buy an 870 saddle mount and some kind of optic to fix up my Remington 870 20 gauge for use with slugs. The barrel is a long smooth bore and I have the proper choke tube(s) for shooting rifled and brenneke slugs.

My question is, is it worth the bother? Will my accuracy and reach be sufficient enough more than just the brass bead to justify buying the mount, rings and optic? I already have the aforementioned tubes and a decent supply of slugs on hand.

There are some shotgun/slug type deer hunts here in Oregon and in Idaho that I have wanted to take part in.

Anything is better than just a brass bead for aiming slugs. With that being said the saddle type mount has shortcomings. I've seen some people get pretty decent 100 yard groups with the side saddle and red dot or decent scope.

IMO if you are to put glass on an 870, and want to do it right, don't go saddle mount. The REAL right way is D&T the receiver and pin the barrel.

Or just run irons and call it a day

I would suggest looking for a product like this:
https://sharpshooteroptics.com/products/sun-optics-universal-rib-cantilever-shotgun-saddle-mount

A cantilever scope mount that attaches to the vent rib of the barrel and mounts the scope over the receiver.

For slugs, I would agree with passport and wildfowl, either drill and tap the receiver or go with a cantilever barrel.
I tried a saddle mount on a turkey gun one time and they suck.

I put a cantilever barrel on my 11-87 turkey gun several years ago, and it has worked great with an inexpensive 4X scope.

With the right mount, you don't have to pin any barrel extension on an 870. I've done a bunch of 'em over the years and never had a problem..

I found a saddle mount for a Beretta A390 for $10 in a gun shop. I was so excited. Imagine my disappointment when I found out how correct you are. They do suck.

I'd D&T the receiver and not attach anything to the rib other than rifle sights. Just me on that, not a fan of heavier stuff mounted to the rib. I had the receiver on my 870 20ga milled and D&T to match the footprint of my red dot sight, low and rock solid.

I used a saddle mount, maker unknown, on my son’s 870 SP with a red dot, and it worked just fine, shooting nice clusters with Black Magic Brennekes and the IC tube. How well it would hold up to to the added weight of a scope, I can’t say, and someone here said the mount he bought was polymer.

Cantilevers can flex, or so I’ve heard. My choice would be to D&T the receiver and keep that barrel nut tight, IC or Skeet tube.

A plain bead can work just fine up close, or even out a bit, IF the barrel is straight and shoots to it. Sadly, IME many barrels don’t and “holding off” in the heat of the moment can be tricky, and there’s also a good chance you won’t mount the gun properly either. People miss turkeys all the time that way. Get some sights.

That’s a very slick setup. More makers are making similar provision right out of the box.

Here in Jersey, where it's only shotguns or muzzleloaders for the week of firearms season, adjustable sights are legally required if you're using slugs. Scopes and optical sights are also legal.
Beads only ok with buckshot.

When I drill & tap an 870, I position the base so as to run the front base screw down through the barrel extension. Doing this keeps the barrel extension from being able to shift/ rotate within the receiver and enhances accuracy/POI retention.

I see what you are saying and understand the potential for that. However, does that mean that when it comes to cleaning time the optic must come off in order to remove the barrel? If I had to remove the optic in order to pull the barrel and I then wanted to hunt the next day that would be an issue.

You can easily learn to shoot minute of vitals using a smooth bore and rib with front bead out to 100 yards using foster and brennekes. You just have to practice. My Ithaca with a bird barrel will cloverleaf fosters at 50 yards. I could break bottles at 75 yards using an Ithaca with a 26" vent rib barrel and IC fixed choke.

Adding a scope may help a little.

My issue with cantilever barrels is twofold: 1) they tend to be rifled only and, 2) I've never seen one long enough to put the scope far enough back to give proper eye relief.

I had my 870 drilled and tapped many years ago for a Weaver Side Mount. It is virtually a QD set up.

Hastings rifled slug barrel has worked for me,expensive but accurate.

Another option if your barrel has a vent rib is a red dot mount from Meadow Creek Mounts. They have a whole slew of rib direct mounts that place the optic very low, no pic mount needed. I have one that is made for O/Us that also, fortuitously, fits my Browning Gold Hunter 20. They have charts to help you pick the right one.

https://www.meadowcreekmounts.com/

Might have to look your ass off to find one.but weaver made a k-1× with a no drill mount. You just push out the trigger group pins and replace them with the mount screws that go in the holes and thread into the scope Mt plate on the left side. Works on a m870 or 1100. I got 3" groups at 50 yds with ww foster slugs. Mount top bases was weaver style for weaver rings, about as simple as it gets..mb

I just had my reciever drilled and tapped for a Remington 7400 one piece base. Worked great. This being a 20 gauge gun.

I have seen a lot of problems with drilled and taped scope mounts and the typical shotgun barrel held on with the magazine cap. Take the barrel off to clean it = rezero the gun. Use the gun and realize the mag cap is a little loose = rezero the the gun. Mount a scope, move the scope, mount a scope, remove the scope, realize the receiver is aluminum (Mossberg) and the screw holes are striped.

I have helped a lot of people zero slug guns and there are a lot of things to go wrong when the scope and barrel are not securely mounted together.

Cantilever barrels do have flex when you shoot (heck, Browning installs a rubber buffer under the mount), but the return to zero is immediate between shots.