Moving from open to limited - same 11/87?

[mike45]

I have an 11/87 SPS with a 28 inch tube kitted out in open spec and am thinking of switching to limited class. I feel the gun would be much easier to handle with a shorter barrel. So I have a few questions about performance!

1. Would changing from a 28' to a 24' barrel significantly alter the velocity of bird/buck at PSG distances, and would changing the choke to full, improve things. (24' is the shortest barrel length allowed by law)

2. Does the '7 in the mag' mean 7 x 3 inch cartridges, or the cartridges you actually use. I may have this confused with 'you are only allowed to put 7 maximum in' as compared to being only physically able to put 7 in the magazine due to its length.    

3.  On reading the 11/87 Premier thread, does / have Remington ever made 24 inch barrels for the 11/87, the UK importers only quote 26 inches and above and they retail for about £280 ($400). Having a barrel chopped and threaded here would probably cost about the same. A gunsmith told me Mossberg used to make cheap replacement 24' barrels for the 11/87 but no ones heard of that at the Mossberg importers.

4. Would any of this make a difference to the guns handling or am I worrying about nothing.

Lastly, can anyone explain 'the slide' reloading technique mentioned in the Front Sight PSG article, the photo looks confusing!

Cheers and DVC

(Edited by mike45 at 4:35 pm on Jan. 9, 2003)

[ErikW]

1. No, velocity will be sufficient even with shorter barrels. (I use a 21" barrel and I started with an 18"... lots of people use 18" Benellis.) A full choke will tighten the pattern so much you'll have to aim carefully.

2. I don't know about the UK rules, but seven in the mag probably means just what it says.

3. Mossberg makes/made replacement 870 barrels, but I haven't heard of any 1100/1187 bbls from them. I think there was a factory Remington SPS or turkey gun at 24" but the barrels are hard to find. (Only take-off bbls from owners desiring longer ones.)

4. Some people think the shorter barrels handle better. For sure, they're more handy if you have to stick them through narrow ports and whip them around in close quarters.

[deke]

Mike45

Hi Mike45. I started the other thread about 1187 premier barrels. I found that Angleport will chop and thread an 1187 barrel for about $100. If you rally wanted it done, I don't think it would cost $300 in shipping the barrel both ways, so you might save a buck (or a pound) or two. Good luck.

-deke