A couple years ago I bought a police trade-in Remington 870P which had some wear and the bead broken off the front sight. I want to put a fiber optic front sight and I'm wondering what my options are. I've seen a few that are magnetic and fit right over the vent rib, but I want something more sturdy and pleasant to look at. On the other hand, I've read that it's very difficult to remove the vent rib. Does anyone have any experience with removing the vent rib or attaching a new front sight to it? I'm planning on applying cerakote or something similar so I'm not concerned about marring the finish.
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How to Replace the Front Sight on an 870
- Thread starter BJ Orange
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dfariswheel
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Remington Police guns didn't have vent ribs.
Sounds like a sporting barrel that may have been cut down.
The Remington Police and Wingmaster barrels have threaded bead sights that screw on and off.
The Express barrels have pressed in beads.
It's "possible" to remove a Remington rib, but it's not easy.
The ribs are brazed on with a high temp brazing compound.
You have two choices of removal.
1. Is to start at one end and heat each pillar that joins the rib to the barrel to a red heat until the braze melts, then bend the rib up slightly so it's not in contact with the barrel, then move to the next pillar. Continue until the rib is removed.
This will leave brazing compound on the spots that will need to be ground or filed off flush with the barrel.
The down side here is a possibility of barrel damage caused by the uneven spot heating.
2. Cut the rib off.
To do this use a hacksaw to cut each pillar as close to the barrel as possible, then grind or file off the remaining parts of the pillars.
This takes time and effort, and you have to be careful not to cut the barrel.
Options:
Buy a new barrel like you want and sell the old one.
Have a gunsmith drill and remove the broken bead sight shaft and install a new fiber optic sight. This is fairly easy for any gunsmith and shouldn't cost much.
Of the choices, this is probably the best.
Sounds like a sporting barrel that may have been cut down.
The Remington Police and Wingmaster barrels have threaded bead sights that screw on and off.
The Express barrels have pressed in beads.
It's "possible" to remove a Remington rib, but it's not easy.
The ribs are brazed on with a high temp brazing compound.
You have two choices of removal.
1. Is to start at one end and heat each pillar that joins the rib to the barrel to a red heat until the braze melts, then bend the rib up slightly so it's not in contact with the barrel, then move to the next pillar. Continue until the rib is removed.
This will leave brazing compound on the spots that will need to be ground or filed off flush with the barrel.
The down side here is a possibility of barrel damage caused by the uneven spot heating.
2. Cut the rib off.
To do this use a hacksaw to cut each pillar as close to the barrel as possible, then grind or file off the remaining parts of the pillars.
This takes time and effort, and you have to be careful not to cut the barrel.
Options:
Buy a new barrel like you want and sell the old one.
Have a gunsmith drill and remove the broken bead sight shaft and install a new fiber optic sight. This is fairly easy for any gunsmith and shouldn't cost much.
Of the choices, this is probably the best.
AI&P Tactical
Member
Ferris - the P barrels these days have pressed bead sights also. The least expensive barrel Remington sells is the 18.5" Bead sight factory Parkerized I/C Choke barrel that comes standard on the 870 Police. That barrel sells for $101 from Remington. The 18.5" Matte Finish bead sight Cyl Bore that comes standard on the Express HD models cost $131 from Remington. Both have pressed on beads. This explains the sucess of the XS Big Dot as it is designed to adhere over the bead, since the bead can't be removed with out drilling it out and tapping theads.
dfariswheel
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For $101 the Op might be better off just buying a new barrel and selling the old one.
Still, the cheapest option is to have a gunsmith extract the broken off stub and install a new sight.
Still, the cheapest option is to have a gunsmith extract the broken off stub and install a new sight.
gamestalker
member
There shouldn't be any reason to remove the vent rib for front sight replacement. I've broken a several off my 870's over the years and replacement is fairly simple, as they are just threaded in.
GS
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