I just received a Remington 870 today, bought it from a fellow member, and it came with a 28" and a 21" barrel. Both barrels have the Remington chokes and the stocks are the standard sizes, not youth stocks.

I was wondering what purposes the 21" barrel could be used for. It's smooth bore, VR, and bead sights. What uses could it be intended for?

Sounds like a great gauge and barrel length for a female to use as a home defense weapon.

Home defense and small game (rabbits, etc.) with shot and deer with cylinder choke or rifled choke and buckshot or slug.

It is my understanding from a book I own on shotguns and shotgunning (currently packed, so I can't find it) indicates that the charge is fully burned in about 13 inches of the barrel, so longer does not get you more velocity, and, other than giving the shot charge a bit more time to shuffle them selves around in the bore, pattern is determined by forcing cone and choke, not length. Length, is primarily for "swing" and sight plane.

Here is a Link to Wiki on it.

The 21" barrel would be a pretty good multi purpose barrel good for home defense, quail and early season dove hunting depending on the choke tube installed. I`d rather have it than the 28" unless I was goose hunting.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll let my son shoot it and see which barrel he likes best hitting clay pigeons.

I've just never seen or heard of any use with a 21" choked barrel for a 20 ga.