Modifications to Rem. 870

[lewis]

I'm planning to spend a little Christmas money to up grade my plane jane 870 express. So far, I'm planning on an extended mag tube and sling swivels. If anyone here has a gun with a side saddle type shell carrier I would be interested in knowing how the affect the overall handling of the gun. What ather Mods have people here done to the 870 and how have they worked? Thanks.
Lewis

 

[Rob Pincus]

Lewis,

I had a side saddle on my Benelli for a long time (until the screw that holds it on broke). In fact I had it on there for about 3 years, of constant use. I use this gun not only for tactical type shooting/training, but also for trap, SC, 5-stand, etc.... it was in and out of a lot of cases and on and off a lot of racks. It had been dropped a time or two to boot! I was surprised with its durability.
The side saddle is preculiarly useful on the Benelli,which aloads a tactical reload whiel the tube is still full. (eg- you can load a slug fro mthe side saddle without havinbg to empty your buckshot out of the tube first...).

for more ideas on the 870, search the archives here and read the post in this forum entitled "Shorter barrel for my 870"



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[4V50 Gary]

I've a side saddle on my Rem 870. If I pick it up righthanded, there's a slight tendency for it to lean to the right because of the saddle. In a stressful situation, I don't think a right hander would even notice it. As a southpaw, it's undiscernible.

My extended tube has been removed because Remington warned us of spring fatigue. Better check Rich's entry in the Smithy section about springs. I also removed the Rem folding stock because it hurts to shoot it (I admit that I dislike pain) and it didn't handle well for me.

One last modification was the addition of the Speedfeed stock with 4 extra shells in it. My gun loaded has 14 shells altogether. More than enough for a one house stand.

 

[Marcus]

I have one on my 870 and it`s central location doesn`t cause any problems for me. I recomend the extended mag. mainly so that it can be kept partially loaded without undue spring fatigue but also to give extra room in case you wish to switch ammo in mid stream. It`s a good idea to use springs made to work with your extention and change them from time to time. Sling and swivels are very handy both for carrying and in case you need to transition to handgun. You might also want to look into sights of some kind. Mine had factory slug sights on it which work just fine although I`m thinking of getting a tritium dot front sight for better low light aiming. I`m really happy with the performance and handling of mine outfitted with the accessories I mentioned. Any mods I do from now on will be "just because". Marcus

 

[snoman]

I agree with Erick but would have to say that I would use sights by Sage instead of MMC, have them on an 870 and they are built like a brick sh**house.




---snoman---

 

[EricO]

Snoman/Erick/Lewis: Regarding ghostring sights - I had Sage ghostrings recently applied to my 870 as well, and although I do like them, I experienced something I was told about that can happen. I was shooting my first 3-gun match (shotgun/handgun stages) and primarily due to some nervousness, I brought the shotgun up from high/outdoor ready, and sighted my first shot with the right protective sight blade! Not the actual front sight! I believe my smith (or perhaps I read it on the forum, I can't recall) told me of this possibility. In that respect, the MMC rear/single front post is better. I don't; however, expect this to reoccur with more practice and familiarity. Additionally, I do like the functioning, appearance, and apparent sturdiness of the Sage sights. In summary though, if I did it again, I'd go with the MMC/single front post setup (I hear ya, Erick!) EricO

 

[Rob Pincus]

I know a guy who painted his "wings" a light brownish color and the actual site post day-glo orange to avoid that problem.

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[4V50 Gary]

Practice, Practice, Practice.

Better to err under the safety of the range than to suffer mishaps when it counts.

 

[Art Eatman]

John Satterwhite once showed me his 870, modified as follows:

Converted to operate like a Model 12 (Holding trigger to rear allows gun to fire as it locks into battery.)

7-round magazine tube, with barrel cut off to just in front of the tube.

Barrel threaded for screw-in chokes.

Half-size front bead sight.

Vented rib.

Dovetail cut in forward part of chamber area of barrel, through rib, and a Williams folding rifle-sight installed.

Either side of the rib, and just behind the choke, were two rows of (as I recall) eight holes of about 0.060 inches, serving as recoil compensator. (32 holes in all.)

Stock fitted to YOU!

His thesis was that the balance of the gun, with only three shells loaded into it, was the same as a 26- or 28-inch upland gun. With cylinder-bore choke installed and the sight erect, you had a slug-gun for deer--or whomever.

He commented that the stock is the rear sight, and you shoot a shotgun much as Jeff Cooper shoots pistols from the Weaver stance. (I never was worth a hoot with a shotgun until after I took up IPSC in 1981. My bird-scores jumped up tremendously!)

Satterwhite can throw seven claybirds at once, by hand, and shoot them all before they hit the ground. He was a PanAmerican Games Skeet/Trap winner a time or two, and on the US Olympic Skeet/Trap teams a couple of times. When a fella like that tells me something, I tend to believe him...

Anyhow, some points to ponder. Good shooting!

 

[dundee]

After starting to shoot ipsc I modified my 870 by adding a 10 round extender and a Chote pistol grip buttstock. This was good. I later added a pistol grip foreend. The 2 pistol grips were 2 much. I removed the buttstock and just left the pistol grip fore end. This really helps when shooting high recoil loads "slugs" in 2 ways. I seem to hold down the gun better and the front grip help spread the recoil force into my left hand instead of all into my shoulder.

At home I leave the mag only loaded with 7 rounds, none in the chamber and hammer down.
I only have to rack the action to be in business-safety is left OFF at all times.

 

[Rob Pincus]

Remember that Pistol grips and Extended magazines can only exist together on semi auto shotguns if they were put together that way before the magic date in 1994.

I don't know if that applies to Pumps, but I am pretty sure that it does not.

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[lewis]

Thanks to all for the info, I'll post after I decide exactly what to have done and get the gun back and shoot it.
Happy Holidays
Lewis