My favorite gun is the classic old Remington 870.
I’ve got one just like this one… And it’s my personal favorite. An old Police trade in. Very basic. Mine has a two shot extension, but otherwise identical.
Here it is… that one is mine. And out of all of my 870’s, this one is my favorite. With the rifle sights, I was able to nail a zombie twice in the same eye, holes overlapping, with Remington 3″ Sluggers at 50 yards. I’ll take that level of accuracy with a smoothbore any day.
That accuracy is why we recommend rifle sights on our Crusader shotgun builds. This allows for greater accuracy without sacrificing target acquisition speed. Ghost Ring sights are great with buckshot and okay with slugs… but slugs don’t give you the degree of accuracy you have with Remington’s standard Irons.
Here’s the thing though about the 870. It does everything. Other than long range sniping, the 870 gets the job done. And it can usually do it very well. Especially if you selected your load correctly. It just works. Very boring.
Reliability is having the same gun work the same way over and over again. Very boring. I had a very exciting SKS once, it taught me to like boring guns.
On my favorite 870 I have a shortened Skeet barrel, two beads & vent rib, which I love for buckshot. My first shotgun shooting was skeet so it just feels right to me.
My favorite weapon would still be my oldest 1903 Springfield . Was rebarreled in 42, have owned it since I was 18. I enjoy it’s fit,and accuracy. I know its obsolete but it is battle proven.
I have the identical gun pictured. I bought an 870 Wingmaster in October 1980, and put a slug barrel on it shortly thereafter. When I bought the 870 Express a few years ago, my wife asked why I needed a second shotgun. I told her it was because I now had a second grandson.
Amen CATM: Love my ’03 Springfield! It is my “one” rifle. If anything happened to my other rifles, it would be sad, but this is my rifle. My 1903 is not for sale at any price — not now — not ever. Mine is a SPringfield High Number ’03 (i.e., no stamped parts.), made in 1931 according to the serial # — it is also my lowest cost center fire since it was butchered (drilled and tapped….), and rebarreled with a non-original sporter profile barrel, that was said to be a Shilen barrel by the seller I got it from, but there are no marks on the barrel, so I can’t tell for certain. Whelen cheekpiece stock with decent wood, it is a totem of power and classic beauty that well deserves it’s place above my mantle, and is my first choice in the woods, at least when a rifle is what is needed. If 30’06 is not the best option, then, my custom stocked 870 Wingmaster Magnum 12 with a genuine Remington factory 20″ FULL CHOKE barrel, and a Rem 2 round mag extension. Very slick boom stick — made in 1956 2 months after I was born. (And in far better condition than I am for certain…) This one goes on the other side of the fire place across from the Springfield. There is nothing so esthetically satifying as a well polished, deep blue steel action, in some nice looking walnut. I still like my HK-91, ARs, Ak Yugo, and several others, but those 2 “ol Timers” are the ultimate rifle shot-gun set I have ever owned, and always will own. A thing of beauty is a joy forever, and I hope my grandchildren, and great-granchildren enjoy being boring with them as much as I do.
VAX, The boring ’03/870 fan (attic).
Nice thing about a shotty just like that, when a cop or DA looks at what you used to drop Johnny Lowlife that broke into your place to finance his meth habit with a knife and rope in hand it looks threatening, but not over the top “I really was looking forward to my first confirmed kill” threatening if presented to a grand jury…
Which is why you don’t put skulls all over it.