Quoted: ... If this was your REM 870 w/ 26" barrel.. What would you buy to get yourself out to 50-100 yards with nice groups? As far as type of ammo or any gunsmith work that needs to be done. |
If you want your shotgun to be effective beyond 50yds, you will have to use slugs. Slugs basically turn a shotgun into a crude smooth bore "rifle". They are not a particularly elegant solution, and they kick a little harder than typical shotshells, but they are functional. However, if your
primary application is to shoot at things in the 50-100yd range, then you may have chosen the wrong gun... you might consider trading in the 870 for a rifle.
Some custom work, such as back boring, can be done on shotguns to incrementally improve their pattern uniformity and range. However, this improvement is only incremental, and will not increase the effective range by more than maybe another 10yds. A gunsmith will not be able to significantly improve this situation, no matter how much $$$ you throw at the problem. Back in the 70s and 80s the US military tried to develop a combat-worthy shotgun to replace the assault rifle and improve hit probability in combat. They tried all kinds of exotic ammo, including flechette rounds, but in the end they concluded that the M16 remained a superior all-around infantry weapon. Google "caws shotgun" for more info.