PDA

View Full Version : Another 870 police question


meat
October 7, 2001, 11:20 PM
I went to a local gun show this weekend to check out and handle some shotguns. The primary role for this shotgun would be for home defense. I would like to do some hunting w/ it as well. I've really become a fan of the remington 870's because of their versatility and accessories. I'm very fond of the synthetic home defese model because of it's synthetic stocks and the fact that I can buy a longer barrel for hunting later. The only thing that has really discouraged me about them is their limited 4+1 capacity. After reading some posts regarding magazine extension, it seems like one has to do some modification work to remove the magazine "dimples" to add an extended magazine. I'm not really to comfortable doing that.
But lo and behold i found something that I really liked at the gun show. It was a remongton 870 police model magnum. I didn't buy it however. I wasn't sure (and neither was the salesman, which made me leary of buying from him) if it was interchangeable w/ standard remington 870 accesories and barrels. Does anyone know if it is and if it isn't, is there a way to buy a higher capacity remington 870 magnum home defense model? Thanks in advance.

lunde
October 7, 2001, 11:49 PM
The reply to my recent thread indicated that the Remington 870 Police models do not have the magazine tube dimples that prevent extensions from being added (the extensions can be added, but the spring cannot extend into the extension).

See: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83839

meat
October 7, 2001, 11:54 PM
I am aware that the police 870 does have the extension. I just want to know if it could take standard 870 barrels and accessories.

Al Thompson
October 8, 2001, 06:38 AM
Any 870 will take any 870 accessories. There is only one exception to this (IIRC) and it's an 870 Special Field model. The Special Field (may have the name wrong) has an english stock and may not take a standard stock. Oh yeah - probably can't put a 3 1/2 chambered barrel on a standard receiver.

Giz

Dave McC
October 8, 2001, 07:06 AM
According to Remington,all bbls and so on are interchangeable within gauge. And adding a short mag extension requires little effort and zero modifications.

Meat, one small thing. A stock, absolutely just as it came from the factory 870 is a weapon of great utility and massive power. All the bells,whistles, fuzzy dice and fender skirts may add 10%.

Borrowing an idea from the Technoid over on Shotgun Report, get an 870 and shoot it as is for a year. Spend the money you save from not buying the whole darn catalog of addons on ammo and range time, After that year is up, and a few cases of ammo have been used up, then you can pick what options will implement your performance, and what are unneeded or just so much snake oil.

Use this year to work on your form, and get your stock to fit. Do this, and you will be quite capable of feeding and protecting your family and community.

And yes, my "Serious" 870s come with more accessories than the Vegematic. But, it took a decade and more to get them, several that didn't work out in the real world are no longer on them, and I was pretty good with an 870 before I started adding/changing stuff.One of mine also served as a test bed for various options and mods, some of which are now more or less standard, like the long forcing cone and peep sight.Back around 1980, they were a bit radical.

Just for fun,and maybe for a little edification, try this drill. Use tombstone,silohuette, or homemade target duplicating the human torso, or maybe Osama's ugly head. A course of 5 targets is standard.

Try this a few times with light loads, and then use your "Duty" load of whatever buck you prefer.

Face the targets at 15 yards. Starting off with a cruiser ready 870(or other shotgun holding 4 rounds)at port arms, engage 4 targets once each. "Combat Load" the 5th round by inserting a round into the ejection port and fire it at the 5th target. Shoot for score and time.

Repeat at 25 yards. Check your scores and time.

9 seconds(Per stage) and 70% hits is acceptable. 90% and 7 seconds is very good. This can be done by any reasonably co-ordinated person with a little practice. And that's with an out of box 870.

HTH....

meat
October 8, 2001, 10:37 AM
Thanks. That sounds like a great suggestion. Do you think that 4+1 is enough for home defense?

K80Geoff
October 8, 2001, 01:16 PM
This reminds me about the guy who came into the range last week with a NIB 870 police model and asked if he could get a mag extension.

The shop clerk had an extension in stock and put it on for him. I was interested to learn that the Police model did not have dimples. But the gun came with a duck plug installed!!

Seems the guy wanted more capacity, but was not bright enough to know that the magazines' capacity could be increased by removing the plug!



Geoff Ross

Quartus
October 8, 2001, 01:41 PM
Since it was NIB, he might have known all about it, just wanted to have someone else do the whole thing at once.

Mebbe.

Benjamin
October 8, 2001, 01:43 PM
Do you think that 4+1 is enough for home defense?

If you can't do it with 5 shotshells, the answer isn't more shells.

The answer may be a rifle, a mortar ,or a platoon of Marines, but it isn't more shells.

Dave McC
October 8, 2001, 06:32 PM
Meat, if 5 rounds won't fill the bill, 7 or 8 probably won't either.We equip for the exceptions, but 99/100 incidents will be handled in the first round or two.

In my not so humble opinion, any reliable shotgun of at least 20 ga and of two shots capacity or more makes a good HD tool. I like pumps for their reliability and slightly greater capacity, and the pick of the litter's still the 870.