Mini Shells in 870

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  • Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    I had purchased a box of 20 Aguila Mini Slugs almost a year ago and never pulled them out.
    With all the mess going on with the "Chinese Virus" I started to do some weapons check, inventory and such.
    Just took my 870 (Purchased in 2013 I think) and put on the short cylinder barrel with rifle sights.
    Found my Buckshot and the mini shells.
    I did a bunch of cycle checks with the mini shells and it can reliably cycle 7+1 shells.

    I'm curious if anyone else has experience or problems with the mini shells
     

    slsc98

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2012
    6,746
    Escaped MD-stan to WNC Smokies
    Subscribed. No experience but, I’m curious myself!

    Over 3 decades I have somehow accumulated close to a dozen Wingmasters and regularly reload 12ga as light as 3/4oz (12ga Gun Club hulls w CB-0175-12* and Alliant ExtraLite) and even 1/2oz to 9/16oz (Win HS 12ga hulls w CB-0175-12* and Alliant ExtraLite) for skeet and such and Ive often mused buying a case (or more) of those mini shells for goofing off around the house - *IF* they feed and function reliably in Wingmaster’s ...

    *not to be confused with the gray/silver ClayBuster CB-1078 or WAA12L wads)
     

    RobbieDigital

    Active Member
    Dec 29, 2016
    125
    I remember when I got my mossberg shockwave I was interested in the mini shells but i saw a lot of youtube videos shows they wouldn't eject properly. I think mossberg actually developed and sold an accessory you put on the gun to get them to extract correctly.

    I never bothered buying the minis though.
     

    IX-3

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2018
    424
    Eastern Shore, MD
    Mini Shells tend to cause issues based on all of the videos I've watched. They extract out of the barrel but get caught trying to actually eject and get stuck in the receiver requiring you to turn the gun sideways and usually shake it a little to get it to fall out.

    I remember when I got my mossberg shockwave I was interested in the mini shells but i saw a lot of youtube videos shows they wouldn't eject properly. I think mossberg actually developed and sold an accessory you put on the gun to get them to extract correctly.

    I never bothered buying the minis though.

    OPSol makes the Mini-Clip for Mossberg 500, 590, 590A1, Maverick 88, and Shockwaves that makes them reliably function with the mini shells, unfortunately, the don't work with any other brands or models. They've tried it with all the other big brands and they have similar failures as you would without it.

    Mini shells do supposedly work very well with the Kel-Tec KSG's though.
     

    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,151
    I would get a tube extension vs. using minis if you want increased capacity
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    So, without turning on the googlefu or youtube fu, (and to some extent just carrying on the conversation here on MDS) has the problem mostly been on Mossberg and not the 870?
    I'm wondering if cycling unfired vs fired is really a good test or not in my shotgun. The weight of the fired shell will come into play maybe?
    And maybe even at different angles.
     

    E.Shell

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 5, 2007
    10,242
    Mid-Merlind
    I tried them in my 3" 870 when they first came out and they wouldn't feed properly. Might do better in a 2-3/4" gun. They are anemic, BTW...
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    I would get a tube extension vs. using minis if you want increased capacity

    Yep, this right here. If my M4 wasn't an SBS, I would have bought the tube extension for it to go along with the 18" barrel and allow me another 2 rounds of 2.75" shells in the mag. Tube extension defeats the purpose of the short barrel though. Meh, maybe I'll buy the tube extension in case I ever take it outside the house to hunt.
     

    slsc98

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2012
    6,746
    Escaped MD-stan to WNC Smokies
    This thread is a reminder to take something up the hill with me tomorrow: I gotta do a mop-up operation of clearing runner vines out of a grove of mountain laurels off a hillside out back before lunch and we’ve already seen 2 baby snakes this week (1 copperhead) so, this time I’ll do things different. (NOTHING worse than coming across a copperhead and having to run all the way back into the house, run upstairs, grab an 870, load same and then run back outside, expecting the damn thing to be in the same place ...! :mad54:
     

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