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This was certainly a good omen for a new shotgun. With a well-grouped pattern of double-aught buckshot from a three-inch magnum shell on his ribcage, the buck didn’t go far at all, as I soon heard him crash down in the brush. The 870 Express 12-gauge flew naturally to my shoulder and discharged in a fluid movement, and there was time for only one shot before the deer suddenly disappeared into the heavy cover. I managed to be less than 15 yards from the buck when he finally sensed my presence and exploded up out of his well-concealed bed right in front of me. The last thing I needed to do was flush a grouse or break a twig at this point to alert the buck of my presence (when chickadees land and perch on your shoulders and gun barrel, you know you are moving just right). And when I moved, it was done with ever-slow, painstaking care for each and every step. I knew he was close, most likely bedded down, and it took me more than three hours to cover the next 100 yards as I still-hunted along his tracks, remaining motionless more than I moved. His pungent rut-scent hung heavily in the still, moist air, and his large, deeply-sunk hoof prints in the damp, black muck were just filling in with glistening water. I had picked up the buck’s track at first light near a well-tended scrape in a grouse-infested, large thicket. This is especially so when the range being fired can be measured in feet instead of yards and the shot is taken through a maze of twigs, branches and vines that would otherwise soak up or derail a solo slug.Ī vent rib with a bead is not a hindrance at all in this up-close and personal atmosphere, where in fact it can be a quick-to-use asset. However, when properly applied in the dense environment it is intended for, buckshot can in fact be very effective. The firearms deer season was on the horizon, and the first game I bagged with it was an 11-point buck, using buckshot in extremely heavy cover.īuckshot tends to be misunderstood a bit by some hunters who believe it is next to useless and pretty much a deer crippler. I tossed a couple tickets into the raffle bucket and automatically assumed that was the end of it, as I never seem to get drawn at such events.īut much to my surprise, my ticket was drawn for the 870 Express 12-gauge, and thus would begin my strong affection for this particular brand of shotgun. I was also very impressed with the Express’s low-luster finish and a dull, stained hardwood buttstock that, when scratched up in the brush, would only gain in character. One of the items on the raffle table was a 12-gauge 870 Express with a vent-ribbed 28-inch barrel and screw-in chokes.Īll of my shotguns up to that point had fixed-chokes, and I liked the diversity being offered by the new (at that time) screw-in choke version.
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It was during this timeframe that I attended a local Ducks Unlimited banquet.
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There are many “870” variants, and the first Remington 870 “Express” hit the market in 1987. The Wingmaster’s high-gloss finish also put me off a bit, as I’m not into pretty guns and much prefer that my shotguns blend in and not reflect like a mirror, especially in regard to hunting waterfowl, wild turkeys, varmints and whitetails. Remington 870 Wingmasters were a bit pricey for my wallet at the time, and I had shotguns of other makes I was quite satisfied with. Needless to say, folks, I was impressed, but not enough to go out and buy one right away. I was standing near the silo when a pair of pigeons careened overhead, and I dropped both with two shots from the fluid working pump. I liked how the 870 felt in my hands and the way it shouldered. If a gun doesn’t fit you well, you will never be able to hit much with it. I was immediately loaned a 16-gauge Remington 870 equipped with a 30-inch full-choked barrel. Pigeons, by the way, make quite good table fare. This entailed flushing the birds out of the barn and shooting them on the wing with shotguns, later followed by a pigeon fry. I had stopped to visit a friend, and he and his brothers were just getting ready to do a pigeon harvest at a neighbor's barn. I handled and shot an 870 for the first time about 50 years ago. I can remember pump 870’s being in the hands of quite a few visiting pheasant hunters on our farm when I was a kid.