What can we say about the Remington Model 870 shotgun that hasn't been said? If you had to pick one shotgun to be the classic, best known American made specimen, it might very well be the 870. Thousands, no, millions of us cut our shotgun teeth on a Remington 870. We carried them in pheasant fields, duck marshes, and turkey woods. Think about it, almost any hunter living today probably has an 870 memory of some kind stored up.
870 lore
History tells us that many of the European royal families in various countries were related. It is much the same in the classic shotgun world, especially with pump guns. Firearm genius John M. Browning designed the Remington Model 17 shotgun, which influenced the Ithaca 37 and the Remington 31. Both of these shotguns swam in the gene pool of possibly the greatest pump shotgun ever made: the Remington 870. Introduced in 1950, the 870 rose from the ashes of the Model 31. Remington sought to deliver a strong, dependable, modern shotgun at a moderate price, and that is exactly what they did. The original Wingmaster version of the 870, while robust, was very aesthetically pleasing, having deep bluing and glossy walnut stocks.
In 1987, Remington introduced the 870 Express line. These shotguns featured black matte finish on the metal and hardwood laminated wood or synthetic stocks and forearms. Sales increased with the Express and, in 2009, Remington sold its' 10 millionth 870, making it the best-selling shotgun in history. Purchases of the 870 are over 11 million now, and it continues to be the go-to shotgun for many hunters.
A new little brother in the 870 family
The Remington 870 has always been a popular shotgun for turkey hunting. Recent developments in shotgun ammunition, namely the rise of Tungsten shot, dubbed Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) has changed the landscape of turkey hunting shotguns and ammo forever. The properties of this shot, much higher weight, hardness, and density than that of lead, make for greater terminal performance (See the previous article on TSS). This allows for the use of much smaller shot, which greatly increases the number of shot in a pattern.
Because of all this, the turkey hunting crowd has moved to the use of smaller gauges, especially the .410. Remington had a .410 in the 870 line for years; then it was discontinued, then brought back about a year ago to take care of some of the demand for this chambering, which not that long ago wasn't thought of like a turkey gun. The standard 870 .410 had a full choke barrel and there is nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't a dedicated turkey gun. Now all of that has changed.
The Remington 870 .410 Turkey TSS is an 870 in every sense of the word. The receiver is machined from one block of solid steel and includes the two action bars which distinguished the 870 from the beginning. A torsion bar on either side of the forearm makes for smoother and more reliable cycling of the shotgun. This and much more make for the reliability that the 870 is known for.
Having said all that, this is a turkey shotgun and has several cool features that put it in that category. The shotgun is decked out in Realtree Timber camo. This camouflage may have been developed for use in flooded timber for waterfowl, but it would appear that this camo will work equally well for turkey hunters. How are we usually situated when calling to a gobbler? We're sitting at the base of a large tree where the Realtree camo will blend right in. The shotgun comes with a screw-in full choke developed by Remington for using TSS shotshells. The screw-in choke allows for the possibility of the hunter experimenting with after-market chokes, which have many options these days. Trulock, Sumtoy, Indian Creek, Jeb's, and Carlson's are just a few of the possibilities you can try.
A new sight for a new shotgun
Normally we don't talk too much about the sights on a shotgun. But remember that we usually shoot a turkey shotgun differently from the standard wing shooting models. Generally, we are seated and aiming the gun at a hopefully stationary target, the head, and neck of a gobbler. In traditional shotgun use, we point the gun and swing on flying targets. So we are shooting the turkey gun more like a rifle than a shotgun, which calls for a sound sighting system, more like something found on a rifle rather than a shotgun.
The Remington 870 .410 TSS Turkey features a new Picatinny style rail system with a fully adjustable ghost ring sight. High visibility pins on the ghost ring work in conjunction with the bright front sight on the gun. This allows for the pins to be lined up for precise aiming and still have quick target acquisition. This sight adjusts for windage and elevation. Remington R&D engineers worked along with their colleagues at TruGlo and came up with a very cool sight for a turkey shotgun.
"We liked a lot of the concepts at TruGlo but wanted a more refined, finished product that offered some versatility. We determined that what we thought would be an ideal product was a low profile sight integrated into a rail to offer simplicity, versatility, and allow the consumer the ability to hunt out of the box," said Adam Ballard, Shotgun Product Manager at Remington.
That part about the low profile is essential. Many optics that we put on shotguns sit high up on the gun. They work, but they do not allow for the shooter to "get down on the gun" that is have good cheek weld with the comb of the stock as you should. The slanted ramp on the back of this new rail allows for just that. The ghost ring sight aligns with the eye of the shooter.
Remington and TruGlo hit it out of the park with this sight. On the Range. As I usually say, all the goodies on any gun don't mean much if it doesn't go bang every time you pull the trigger. The 870 .410 did every time, including in patterning single rounds and shooting multiple shots quickly, with no problems with feeding and functioning. The supplied choke shot adequate groups with standard Remington 3" shells; Number 6 shot and with Federal TSS loads with #9 shot. Thirty-five-yard ranges showed a pattern a gobbler would not have walked away from after the shot. Truthfully the recoil with the .410 makes you wonder about picking up a 12 gauge again.
Sighting in with the new TruGlo ramp and ghost ring combination was easy as two small set screws loosen the sight for adjustments on windage and elevation. While the ghost ring itself appears rather tiny (I have seen it called a peep sight, but it is a ghost ring), the sight picture is large looking through the ring, and target acquisition is quick.
If you have been waiting to get a .410 shotgun to join the TSS wave across the country, I think this is it, and we can continue to make memories with a Remington 870.
Remington 870 .410 Turkey TSS by the numbers.
MODEL- 870
Features- Screw in Choke, Full, Optimized for TSS shot, Fully adjustable sight and rail system, Realtree Timber Camo
GAUGE- .410 Bore
ACTION TYPE- Pump
MAX CHAMBER SIZE-3″
METAL FINISH-Realtree camo
BARREL LENGTH IN INCHES-25"
OVERALL LENGTH IN INCHES-45.5"
STOCK MATERIAL- Synthetic
STOCK COLOR- Realtree Timber camo
STOCK STYLE-Field
SWIVELS STUDS-No
INCLUDES X-FULL TUBE
MSRP-$699.00