Cheap Shots

   Times are tough. Ammo—when you can find it—is priced in the stratosphere. Black guns are flying off the shelf, and you too might be wondering if it is time to pony up for a tactical-style firearm. But with the economy still south of the Mendoza Line, one might be a little anxious to start swinging for the fences. If only there was another way to get a new shotgun.
   How about a brand new Winchester Super X3 for around $500? Could you believe a new Benelli Super Black Eagle II for nearly a third of the retail price? No one could find a new-in-the-box Remington 870 for slightly more than a C-note, could they? Well, we all can—if we use our imagination.
   This is a concept diehard AR-15 shooters have understood for decades. A new barrel, or in the case of our AR brethren, a new upper, can be just as sweet as a brand new gun purchase. For a fraction of the cost of a new gun, new barrels give shooters the ability to convert a general-purpose gun into something that performs a specific task very well. When matched wisely with a gun we already have in our safe, a new barrel can completely transform that old shotgun.
   If one firearm company epitomizes the idea of new guns through accessory barrels, it’s Mossberg. That might have something to do with the relentless popularity of the Mossberg 500 pump shotgun over the years. Coupled with the fact that the 500 is pretty inexpensive from the start, you have an excellent platform for acquiring extra barrels to breathe life into that old smoothbore.
   Mossberg lists 16 different accessory barrels for the 500, including all-purpose, security, slug and even a muzzleloader model—a 24-inch, iron-sighted .50-cal. barrel that mates to the 12-gauge frame. All-purpose barrels are available in 24 and 28 inches, with varying finishes and the option of barrel porting. Security-style barrels are available in 20 and 181⁄2 inches. The former includes a ventilated rib; the latter does not. The 20-inch version also sports Accu-Set chokes, again lacking on the shorter model. But the 181⁄2 inch barrel retails for approximately half the cost, listed at a smoking $81.58. Deals abound, as the entire line ranges in price from around $113 to $170.
   Mossberg also manufactures accessory barrels for the one pump gun that has outsold the 500, the Remington 870. With four slug and three security models to choose from, ranging in price from approximately $113 to $187. Along with the two most popular pump guns, Mossberg also offers barrels for its 535 and 835 Ulti-Mag, 935 Magnum and 930s.
   Remington, of course, also offers aftermarket barrels for the ubiquitous 870. With production numbers approaching the unfathomable 10-million mark, the 870 enjoys an accessory market normally reserved for service rifles. As such, shooters can turn that tactical shotgun into a nice bird gun with a 28-inch, blue barrel supplied with full, modified and improved cylinder Rem Chokes for $235. Or, get that duck gun ready for an Illinois deer season with a fully rifled Express barrel with rifle sights for right at $200.
   Remington offers a full line of accessory barrels available in various lengths and finishes, with choices in vent rib, cantilevered or with rifle sights, built for specific usage, including target, field, waterfowl, turkey and deer. Like the 870, the 1100 and 11-87 semi-automatics are fully supported through Remington’s barrel program, giving shooters plenty of smoothbore options.
   Mossberg and Remington aren’t the only companies producing accessory barrels. Major shotgun makers such as Winchester, Browning, Charles Daly, Beretta and Benelli all manufacture and sell barrels for a fraction of the cost of a new gun. On higher-end guns such as Benelli, expect to pay up to $350 more for a barrel than you would for a Remington 870. A steep price by contrast, but when you consider a new Super Black Eagle II has a suggested retail from around $1,550 to $1,750, a $600 barrel represents a good alternative when you’re getting a new 24-inch turkey gun out of your 28-inch goose getter.
   Depending on the shotgun model, there are a lot of options available, and different companies have differing approaches to getting accessory barrels to market. In some instances, the best value can be found directly through the company; however, online dealers such as MidwayUSA, Brownells and Cheaper Than Dirt often have great deals as well.
   “We sell shotgun barrels two ways,” said Remington’s Jason Spradling. “We sell them as ‘accessory’ barrels through our accessories division that are individually packaged, bar-coded, boxed and ready to go on a dealer’s shelf or display rack. These are typically very generic, all-purpose barrels that sell pretty well for us. The other way we sell barrels is through our parts department. These barrels are not really packaged for easy retail sale like the accessory barrels. We usually have parts barrels on hand for just about any configuration of shotgun we’ve built in recent years.”
   Consumers themselves offer a worthwhile alternative. Gun shows and gun shop bulletin boards are ripe with guns and parts for sale. At press time, Gunbroker listed a whopping 994 shotgun barrels. Those looking for oddball variants or out-of-production models can do well here. So, if you’re in the market for a new shotgun and money is tight, you might want to consider an accessory barrel. At a fraction of the cost, the right new barrel can breathe a tremendous amount of new life into that old smoothbore. The money you save can roll right into that new AR-15 or semi-automatic pistol you’ve been dreaming of. Then you’re really rockin’ the cheap shot.