Dressing up an 870...

[dwenslen]

I'm pretty new to shotguns and have an older/battered plain jane 870 with a 26in barrel. I was thinking of getting a 18" barrel for it, pistol grip, mag extension and a side saddle.
are there any good suppliers out there for this stuff, aside from Midway and Brownells?
any parts I should avoid?
also, were is the best source for 18" barrels? Is OEM my only/best choice?
this will just be something to mess around with and keep under the bed/etc...
thanks in advance
cheers
Derek

 

[Regolith]

Avoid pistol grips unless they also have a butt stock attached to them. Pistol Grip Only (PGO) stocks make the shotgun difficult to control and aim and painful to shoot.

Besides Brownells and Midway, Cabela's sometimes has better pricing. Sometimes not.

If you want an 18" barrel but don't want to shell out for OEM version, Mossberg makes a nice 18 1/2" for the 870 for something like $99.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

My choice for an 18" barrel is the Police Model Rifle-Sighted Improved Cylinder choke Parkerized model.

I think this is better that the usual 18" bead-sight cylinder model in that it has Rifle-type sights on the barrel itself, and the tighter choke could possibly improve your shot pattern for greater B-Zone effectiveness. The Parkerized part is just a plus.

You'll find that pistol grips sorta suck. About the only utility they have is in tight quarters where ease of handling might be important. Otherwise they just promote early degenerative joint disease (DJD) in your wrist.

You'll also find that the 870 is one of the most easily customizable firearms ever created - the aftermarket for it is immense - all it takes is money.

I have seen some mag extensions that were not Remington brand that would rust just sitting there - the off brand stuff is less expensive for a reason.
You don't need to spend the premium price for Remington brand parts, that's why there is an "aftermarket", but you need to figure out what your comfort level is on quality - because some of the stuff out there is pretty shoddy - buyer beware.

 

[Cavalier Knight]

This should help with the recoil.

The Knoxx SpecOps Stock

 

[sm]

Dress up the shooter first, not the gun.

I run'em stock, even with a fixed choked 26" barrel , which will be Improved Cylinder.

I would not mess with that old barrel, as that barrel is made better than new barrels today.

All I would do is get someone to show and share correct basic fundamentals with
that stock gun, with light target loads.

Pattern that gun, each gun is an entity of its own, still try 2 3/4" , nine pellet standard 00 buck by Federal or Remington. If the old Western was still around I'd suggest them.
I run slugs by the way, just regular 2 3/4" Forster slugs.

Now keep watch for a shorter bbl, either OEM, or one someone busted shooting it with mud in the thing out duck hunting and have a qualified smith shorten it to 23, 21, or 19 inches.
Those numbers are special in regard to how this Art & Science works with shotguns.

If you were to do a search for Awerbuck, one will see reviews of his defensive classes.

About the only thing I keep seeing from those that take his class it is the shooter and not the shotgun,
Basic is better, with the only suggestions knowing that gun like a body part, a sling, and if your situation dictates, a light.

Less is More.

BA/UU/R

 

[Fred Fuller]

Hi, Derek.

I like an 18" or 18.5" barrel on a 'house gun' too.

Folks have asked about barrel shopping before. Look at gunbroker.com for starters. Several places with web presence specialize in barrels- see:

http://www.barrelexchange.com/index.cfm

http://www.corsonsbarrels.com/

and search around some with your favorite search engine- might be some more out there.

And don't forget Remington- might be a better price there from the factory than you find elsewhere, call them at 800-243-9700 during business hours and ask about availability and prices.

Be sure you get a barrel with a magazine cap detent in the barrel ring, assuming that's how your 870 is set up now.

As to bolting on a whole bunch'o'stuff, I'm an oldphart like sm- better you shoot it in plain Jane form for a while, then add stuff after a bit. I like having a shortened stock with a good recoil pad, a Sidesaddle, a white light source and sling swivels on the gun personally but that's just me- doesn't mean it HAS to be that way.

lpl/nc

 

[rantingredneck]

If you decide to go with an extension, Rem factory and choate are good choices. Tacstar and ATI are not.

 

[Deer Hunter]

I tossed around the idea of dressing up an old 870 I found at a pawn shop as well...

It was a long, slippery slope.

 

[Cavalier Knight]

You can try Vang Comp

 

[madcratebuilder]

I like the looks of a 20" in wood with just a mag extension and sling.

 

[MarcusWendt]

I'll second the Knoxx Stock

Knoxx[URL="http://www.knoxx.com/index2.html"]http://www.knoxx.com/index2.html[/URL]

 

[kingjoey]

We can derib your barrel, shorten it, and D&T a new bead if you want, it runs about what a new barrel does though. If you can't get one in the size you want though it is the best option

 

[Darthbauer]

Im also going to say knoxx for the stock. As for everything else, check out wilson-combat and mesa tactical.

 

[kingjoey]

+1 on the Knoxx stocks as well, they are a little wierd when you first shoot them, but they do take the punch out of the recoil

 

[Cavalier Knight]

Mesa Tactical