The Carlson’s Rifle Sight-Equipped 18.5-Inch Shotgun Barrel

Just to be clear, I’m a hardcore shotgun nerd. What does it mean to be a shotgun nerd? Well, I like to experiment, tune, and try to eke out every last little bit of performance I can from my shotguns. And shotguns have lots of room to experiment. When it comes to variables, there are chokes, barrel lengths, shell lengths, the barrels themselves, sights, and more.

Today, we’ll approach shotguns from the aspect of the barrel and extend the discussion to a bit about sights. The subject today: Carlson’s Remington 870 barrel, specifically, their 18.5-inch 870 barrel equipped with rifle sights and an interchangeable choke system.

Why The Carlson’s Barrel?

Changing a barrel on a firearm is fairly radical. It’s an integral part of the gun, so it’s not like slapping on an optic. On the flip side, you might wonder why you’d ever replace a shotgun barrel in the first place. And if you’re looking to replace the barrel, why would you choose the Carlson’s 870 barrel? Let’s dig into why you’d want to swap barrels.

If you want to convert your gun from a hunting model to a tactical or home defense configuration, the only real change you need to make is the barrel. Most hunting 870s have long 26- to 30-inch barrels. The Carlson’s 870 barrel trims that to 18.5 inches, which is about as short as you can legally get without the need for a tax stamp. Shorter barrels are more maneuverable and much better suited for tactical use.

The Carlson’s shotgun barrel is threaded for chokes. Most hunting barrels are choke-ready, but most tactical barrels aren’t. Chokes allow you to tailor your shot pattern, preferably creating a tighter pattern that will increase your range and put more pellets on your point of aim at the distances you’re shooting. A side benefit of a choked barrel is that you can also easily attach the SilencerCo Salvo 12 to your gun if you want to suppress it.

Finally, this barrel can be used for multiple purposes. It’s well suited for self-defense duty, and hunting. Most hunters use long barrels because they work well for deer, birds, turkeys, hogs, etc. More inches give you a longer sight radius, a better, smoother swing, etc. However, a short barrel is perfectly fine if you’re hunting medium game, like deer, hogs, bear, etc. Plus, this particular model has not only a choke, but also proper rifle sights, so it’s very hunter-friendly.

Why Rifle Sights

When it comes to iron sights on shotguns, there are a few options. The most popular type of sight on shotguns is the standard bead sight. The bead sight is like the C- of shotgun sights. It’s just good enough to pass the class. It’s fine, but it’s also not optimum. The other popular option is ghost rings. I like ghost rings, but they’re slower and more rifle-like than they are shotgun-like.

I mention rifles because rifle sights are often the best shotgun sights. When we say rifle sights, we’re talking about a set of sights that both sit on the barrel. The rear sight is an open sight that’s a bit more akin to a modern pistol sight. The front sight on the Carlson’s barrel is a blade design. This style of sight isn’t all that popular these days on rifles, but it was the bee’s knees of yesteryear.

Rifle sights have lots of benefits. First, they can be very precise. They’re great for slug work and for modern buckshot loads. The Carlson’s 870 barrel rifle sights are fully adjustable. Modern buckshot rounds like my beloved Federal Flitecontrol have super tight patterns. While bead sights are fine for old-school buckshot, they tend to suck with slugs and modern buckshot.

Being able to adjust your sights prevents problems with point of aim and point of impact. If I want to put a slug into a deer’s vitals, I want to be able to do so without having to remember Kentucky windage. At the same time, the rifle sights are quick. As quick as a bead sight. Rifle sights and their short sight radius allow them to get on target fast.

Range Time

I equipped my tactical, home defense-oriented 870 with the Carlson 870 barrel. This gun consists of a Surefire DSF light, a Magpul SGA stock, and a few other small upgrades. The Carlson barrel topped it all off. With the barrel in place, I went to the range with a mix of basic buckshot, Federal Flitecontrol, and slugs.

I’ve never zeroed a shotgun’s rifle sights, so this was a bit of an adventure. The rear sight handles both your windage and elevation adjustments. A small flathead screwdriver is all we need to adjust the sights. I zeroed the slugs at 25 yards, and I don’t know the Maximum Point Blank Range for slugs and shotguns.

After producing clover leaf-like patterns, I backed out to 50 yards, and the rounds hit about an inch high. That’s not bad. A little adjustment got me right on target. I never thought I’d break out a spotting scope for shotguns, but here we are. After that, I went all the way back to 100 yards and got some surprising accuracy from slugs. A slightly high hold put them right where I wanted them.

After that, I went back and zeroed their sights for the Federal Flitecontrol at 15 yards. This was much simpler and better suited for home defense use. While zeroing shotgun rifle sights wasn’t as intuitive as zeroing a red dot, it’s still fairly easy. With the precision of the rifle sights, I was able to get dead-on shots with tight-patterning Flitecontrol. I’d feel super comfy taking a headshot if necessary.

The Home Defense Angle

From a home defense angle, we always talk about weapon lights and how they’re mandatory, but how do your sights work under a weapon light? With rifle sights, you’ll have no problems. The sights are on the barrel, and the light is under the barrel. It gives you enough illumination to easily see the sights.

You can snap up and get on target quickly and easily under a weapon light. Even in low light, the sights on the Carlson 870 barrel are fantastic. Speaking of, the front sight of this barrel has a bright white dot that’s easy to see and easy to pick up visually.

Even with normal, cheap buckshot, the Carlson’s barrel performed quite well. I was able to snap up and be on target in less than one second against an IPSC-sized target. I could direct headshots where I wanted them with excellent precision and could quickly transition from target to target.

For close-range home defense, the rifle sights feel like overkill. You won’t need that type of sight on a shotgun. However, in practice, you still want accuracy and precision from a shotgun. You still want speed. All that comes together with rifle sights.

Beyond the Sights

The Carlson’s 870 barrel is made from 4140 steel, which is known for its strength and durability. Carlson also chrome lines the bore, so there isn’t much concern about rust. The barrel features a black matte finish also to resist rust and corrosion. It’s clearly designed to be a heavy-use item that’s well-made. It’s rugged and perfect for hunters, home defenders, and shotgun nerds like me.