870 magazine question

[peetee32]

i took out the plug that limits the number of shells in my 870, do i still need to have that little spring retainer in there too, or should there just be a spring in there now? (well the spring and that little orage plastic piece that goes between the shells and the spring)

also i was curious...
say you have an empty shotgun, you rack it and pull the trigger. is there a name for the state the gun is in at this point? where the forend is kind of jiggles and is not locked forward or backward? do you ever keep a gun in this state or you always rack it and then have to use the release button to rack it again to load a shell from the magazine? after emptying the mag do you always rack it again to lock the fore end forward.

sorry for the newb questions...my first shotgun

 

[jordan1948]

The retainer still needs to be in it.
And I normally pump it again when it's empty manely because I don't like dry firing any firearm

 

[MrCleanOK]

Keep the retainer. It will keep the spring from coming out when you take off the barrel for cleaning, etc. If you ever want to put a magazine tube extension on the gun, the retainer will have to go.

FYI, the little orange plastic piece is called a "follower".

I call the condition you describe "hammer down" or "decocked". Other people may call it something different. I like to leave my empty guns cocked, actions closed. I just prefer that the slide not be free to move around the next time I pick the gun up. It doesn't hurt the gun one bit to leave it in one condition or the other. The slide release is there for a reason, it's just fine to use the crap out of it, and as you get more familiar with your new gun it will become second nature.

Enjoy the new piece

 

[peetee32]

so with the spring retainer in place (pushed in then turned 90degrees and released so it slides back up), the little plastic "teeth" on the top of the retainer meet the little metal "teeth" on the bottom of the magazine cap so when i screw it down i get a little clicking sound. is that right?

 

[dfariswheel]

Yes.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I've always thought it was more a clacking sound myself 8^). And yes, it's best to keep the spring retainer in there- it helps keep the magazine cap tightened on the newer Express guns, as well as retaining the magazine spring when you take the magazine cap off.

And some cheeeep advice- early on, get into the habit of checking both magazine and chamber visually AND tactilely (that means stick a finger in it) before you assume the gun is empty and drop the hammer, to make double sure the gun really really is empty. Otherwise you are sooner or later going to blow a great big honking hole in something you'd rather not have holey.

Some folks refer to the condition of a shotgun with an empty chamber (some say hammer down, some say hammer cocked) and a loaded magazine as "cruiser ready." IMHO frequently dropping the hammer on an "empty" chamber is an invitation to eventual disaster even for careful folk, and I personally prefer not to do it, at least at this point in my declining years. Sudden unexpected loud noises are too hard on my aging system, you see.

And since I like to keep the magazine loaded with buckshot (one round short) and the Sidesaddle loaded with slugs on the house guns here, I prefer keeping the chamber empty and the hammer cocked/action locked. That makes it much easier to load a slug into the magazine for the first round up if required, as 870s with unlocked actions do not usually take too well to having shells loaded into their magazines. Many other folk have different preferences, YMMV too.

lpl

 

[jordan1948]

Mmmm you got a newer one, the old ones like my first 870 have a magazine spring retainer that has to be pried out with a screwdriver,

 

[peetee32]

I prefer keeping the chamber empty and the hammer cocked/action locked. That makes it much easier to load a slug into the magazine for the first round up if required, as 870s with unlocked actions do not usually take too well to having shells loaded into their magazines.

thanks for the great info...i totally get what you're saying. by keeping the gun 'cruiser ready' and one short of a full mag, gives you the ability to instantly
1. rack and load the first shell from the tube
or
2. easily put your shell of choice into the mag then rack it.

thanks again

 

[jakemccoy]

I prefer hammer down, empty chamber, magazine full, safety on, muzzle down, propped in corner.

I think the most important thing is getting to the point where all the controls are second nature.

Also, I recently removed the mag extension on my 870P. The weight of the gun feels better without it. I remember awhile ago a more experienced shooter telling me the same thing. I ignored him thinking I just had to have the extra rounds. Now, I view the feel of the gun as being more important than having the extra rounds. Plus, the gun without a mag extension is a simpler configuration. I highly value simplicity.