Well guys a little background first. I had put a BPS 10 on lay-a-away (I shot one and toted it around a good bit) and now that ain't going to happen. I don't think I could tote the thing around! The patterns are impressive, but not that impressive. So I swapped over to an M2 20 gauge on the lay-a-way. Got it home a couple weeks ago and my FIL fell in love! What can I say, he lets me hunt prime real estate - I gave it to him. I already had him an 870 20 gauge compact on lay-a-way for Christmas at the same place so I just rolled that money over to my lumber bill that month. Now to present...
I have always hunted with an 870 20 gauge youth model that my grandfather gave me for my twelfth birthday. This year, he went on blood thinners and can no longer shoot his NWTF 1300 laminate 12. So we swapped. I hunted with the 1300 this year and killed two coyotes and no turkeys. Well I got to looking at it this weekend and noticed I had added a fair amount of small scratches to it. Normally my T-gun gets a beating and I don't mind, but the 1300 is worth far too much sentimentally to me to do that to it each year. So the wife, sweet thing she is, gave me the go ahead to buy me another turkey gun (remember I just bought an M2 and gave it away).
Well I have been looking at the patterns posted here and on other boards. I had completely decided on a 935. Well went into Academy today to look at one and all they had was a 535 Turkey Thug and an 835 Turkey. I looked the 835 over.
Mossy Oak camo, 24" ported barrel, fiber optic sights, drilled and tapped, sling swivel studs. Best of all it was LIGHT!!!!! I mean it felt like a 20 gauge compared to the BPS I held it against. I loved that gun! I did not buy it since turkey season don't come back in until November here and I want to keep looking, but at $370 I think I may have found the one for me!
Okay now the fun part. I will be shooting Hevi 3-2-6's or Xtended range 6's, maybe 3.5-2.25-6's if I can't get the 3" to pattern. I want to run probably a .690 to .710 choke. Either IC or Sumtoy. I plan on mounting a FFII maybe or Eotech if the good graces and honey do's hold out. So what do you guys think about this? Will I be able to have a good 20 yard comfort zone pattern and a 200+ 40 yard pattern with the above mentioned chokes and loads? Also what are your preferred setups with this gun?
Daman
They got that exact gun at Walmart and I am going to be picking it up real soon. It is light but I do not think it is going to be too bad with kick. May change my mind when I throw some 3" Mag blends with it, but it feels so good. It shoulders great. I held the 870SM and the 835 back to back and then one in one hand and the other in the other hand and did not see a big difference in the too. I am going with the 835. Going to throw my star dot in it and try some mag blends. Going to mount my Simmons Pro-diamond 4 x 32 mm and head to the woods next April!
Not real concerned with the recoil. Also not hung up on the 835/935, but I am hung up on lightweight and moderately priced. I will not shoot the gun more than 10 times per year after getting it zeroed and I have a sled for that. We have a 5 turkey limit per year, combined fall and spring season. So I figure a couple coyotes, 5 gobblers max, and 2 shots to check everything preseason is at max 10 shells per year. I shot 3 or 4 this year through the 1300, but walked about 50 miles combined on the 12 hunts I went on. So with a gun that will be toted so much more than it will be shot, recoil doesn't bother me too much.
That said, I do love the 870SM Bottomland and plan to look at it before I buy one. I am just very, very impressed with the pattern ability of the 835/935 if I decide to try to break 300 in a 10".
The 835 won't kick any harder than a 870 if you put a Simms recoil pad on it. The 835 is the better shooting gun over the 870. I do think the 870 is the better built gun. But I got money that my 835 will out shoot a factory out of the box 870 with dang near any load you care to shoot. And I mean that on a consistent basis and not you beat it one time out of 100. But I am a 870 man when it comes to my favorite.
I shoot a Star Dot and Pure Gold for Hevi-13 3.5" #7 loads. If I am going to shoot 6's, I like the MAD Max .680.
But the 835 is a very good turkey shotgun if you are wanting optimum pattern performance.
And since you said you want to shoot 6's I'll show you why I like the MAD Max .680 choke with the Hevi-13 3.5" Hevi-13 2.25oz #6 load.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/526/DSCF00693.jpg)
I think you will be pleased with the 835. I've owned several and had zero problems out of any of them.
Regarding your comment about the SP10. My son had one and he took it spring turkey hunting in Nebraska and after two days of carrying it up and down the Pine Ridge he said "Never again". Those SP10 are not for the "run and gun" hunter. Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.
Thanks guys. I appreciate the pattern pic ILH13. That is what I am hoping to see. I move a lot and spend daylight to dark in the woods when I have a day off to hunt, so I need light.
WyoHunter, that is what struck me off the BPS 10. I could not tote it in the 70 degree to 80 degree heat we have some days down here. I also hope to start hunting North Alabama and those hills/mountains are steep!
Has anybody tried the .690-.710 chokes from IC?
I have recently aquired an 835 and added a .690 JH and limbsaver recoil pad.
I wouldn't look any further than the 835 for a turkey slayer. Nothing shoots like them with that overbored barrel!
My experience with the .690 chokes is that you won't get the denser patterns you will with the chokes say .670 to .680 in the 835's. They will still shoot a very good overall 20" pattern and the 10" will still be very good. But it won't compete with the tighter chokes. That's with 6's or 7's in Hevi-13. Now some may argue, but I'm going on what I have seen in my gun.
Quote from: chatterbox on May 31, 2011, 07:38:39 PM
I have recently aquired an 835 and added a .690 JH and limbsaver recoil pad.
I wouldn't look any further than the 835 for a turkey slayer. Nothing shoots like them with that overbored barrel!
That is my finding through research! I am in process of a deal for a Mad Max .695 for when I get the gun. That seals the deal on it being an 835! I believe I am going to try and get a Realtree version instead of Mossy Oak. I hope the ported barrel helps the barrel flip as Mossberg states.
Daman
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on May 31, 2011, 07:43:51 PM
My experience with the .690 chokes is that you won't get the denser patterns you will with the chokes say .670 to .680 in the 835's. They will still shoot a very good overall 20" pattern and the 10" will still be very good. But it won't compete with the tighter chokes. That's with 6's or 7's in Hevi-13. Now some may argue, but I'm going on what I have seen in my gun.
That is what I am looking for. I have a few 3" 4x5x7 Nitros and am going to try some Mag Blends as well through the .695. If it don't work out for the turkey loads, it ought to rock buckshot for predators.
I got a pattern I shot with the Jelly Head .690 but it's with the 7's. I'll see if I can't find it to show you. It's a 10" 40yd pattern. Less desne than the Star Dot. But pattern is more open too.
Here ya go. I wished I would have kept the 20" pattern.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/526/DSCF0075_Small_.jpg)
Thanks ILikeHevi13. I really do appreciate the help.
No problem. And if you ever decide to go the Hevi-13 #7 route which is what I like to shoot, you may want to try and find a Star Dot choke. Then you will have the ultimate choke for that load. That choke will sing with them loads.
Well the deal has been made on the .695 Mad Max. I will be also be getting a SumToy and maybe a Pure Gold .670. I plan on getting the gun sometime this summer. I really like to buy my guns from my local place instead of big box stores so I am going to wait on him to get me one in.
ILIKEHEVI-13, I do not intend on shooting 7's or smaller unless they are handloads (then they will be TSS 9's). I just feel more comfortable with 6's or blends. Now I am not knocking 7's performance and I have two boxes myself, but after shooting the coyotes with the Nitro 4x5x7's and seeing the performance I want to keep some biger shot in the air for MY peace of mind.
That MAD Max choke will do you well. It should give you a pretty good pattern from 20-40yds anyway and still probably kill a lot farther if you need to. And I understand your load choice. I always say if you don't have confidence in what your shooting, then by all means change to what you do. Good luck and let us see some patterns when you get time. Enjoy your new gun.
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on June 01, 2011, 02:44:41 PM
That MAD Max choke will do you well. It should give you a pretty good pattern from 20-40yds anyway and still probably kill a lot farther if you need to. And I understand your load choice. I always say if you don't have confidence in what your shooting, then by all means change to what you do. Good luck and let us see some patterns when you get time. Enjoy your new gun.
Will do. Again thanks for the help and advice!
Daman
Daman,
You are gonna LOVE that 835! Best upgrade I ever did!
We 835 guys love them for a reason! Welcome to the club. Good Luck!
Quote from: davisd9 on June 01, 2011, 08:11:43 PM
We 835 guys love them for a reason! Welcome to the club. Good Luck!
Thanks! I am itching to get my hands on it and put some H13 down range!
I have an older 835 that I shot Hevi #6s out of this past season. Planning on getting the exact same gun as you soon and trying the #6s and some Mag Blends. The 6s were the 1-5/8 oz loads. I am really hoping the Mag Blends work cause they just seem like the best choice logically to me and the way I hunt. Also, know a great hunter that really likes them and that makes me want to try them more. Good Luck again!
Quote from: davisd9 on June 01, 2011, 08:29:56 PM
I have an older 835 that I shot Hevi #6s out of this past season. Planning on getting the exact same gun as you soon and trying the #6s and some Mag Blends. The 6s were the 1-5/8 oz loads. I am really hoping the Mag Blends work cause they just seem like the best choice logically to me and the way I hunt. Also, know a great hunter that really likes them and that makes me want to try them more. Good Luck again!
I believe you will like the new 835 a lot better than the old one! I had an old one for about three days one time. I bought it and shot it twice - kicked the hell out of me at 16, but I have beefed up since. My step-dad traded me for it and he shoots it with a Rhino and Nitros. He loves it, but the old style just did not do it for me! Love the new ones though.
Quote from: Bad Grizzly on May 31, 2011, 01:10:28 PM
That "light" feeling won't be so nice when you start shooting heavy turkey loads through it.
I have a similar Mossberg 500 that's even lighter. I shoot 3" 2oz #4s through it. I sight it in from a standing rest while wearing a PAST pad. No problem there.
Once it's sighted in, I'll shoot it a maximum of three times in the spring and maybe once or twice in the fall. I will however carry it all day, every day I hunt. Actually the recoil isn't really so bad, just a big push you can roll with and the Mossbergs come with a nice cushy pad. I did shoot it with my back resting on a tree
once. Won't make
that mistake again! Ouch.
Quote from: Bad Grizzly on May 31, 2011, 01:10:28 PMUnless you are hung up on the Mossburg brand, I would suggest an 870sm... you can get the right gun already drilled and tapped..... never was a fan of ported barrels as they are just that much harder on the ears....
Mossbergs have come D&Ted for several years. Ported barrels don't bother me because I wear electronic ear muffs when I hunt. So should you.
http://www.amazon.com/Peltor-97044-Tactical-Hearing-Protector/dp/B00009363P
Quote from: Bad Grizzly on May 31, 2011, 01:10:28 PMI know to each their own.... personally I am just not a fan of the Mossburg's.... had too many good experiences with my 870's.... mine get mid 200's with Hevi Mag Blends & IC.665 and 200+ with the Hevi 3.5/2.25/6's (@ 40 yds).
Best of luck with your new gun....
Nothing wrong with an 870 as long as you don't mind the excess weight.... ;D