Need some advice for a homemade sling on Rem 870

Crit · March 1, 2010, 12:42 AM

I've recently picked up a 26" 870 express. I've removed the magazine nubs, added a 3-shell mag extension, and have a cylinder choke on order for the sake of the shotgun's new HD role. The only other thing I'd like to do is incorporate a sling, as this is likely to be my only shotgun, and I've got buddies who want to go hunting and another that wants to go shoot clays. I have no idea how much I'll pick up and how much I'll do with it, so well-rounded is the goal.

I've been blessed with the fact that this is the first gun purchase that the Dear Wife has actually approved of, and she's happy to have it under the bed. She offered to make a sling (knit, actually) from 550 cord. It sounds dumb, but if it doesn't work out we won't use it, and if it does she'll be very proud of it and I'm happy to win points. What I don't know is how to put it all together.

I don't care for the two bent sheetmetal clamps and single screw that guys sometimes use for a front mount, but the GG&G front left-side mount looks pretty slick. I'll sandblast it at work and powdercoat satin black for the sake of getting rid of the logo! For the rear mount, I'm not sure if I can use the little lug that comes stock on the Express synthetic stock, or if I need to add a lug. If I keep the stock one, which I'd like to do, what hardware do folks use to attach to it? I'm likely looking at some combination of the following hardware:

Snap Hook

GG&G Front static attachment

GG&G Rear static mount (ordered as a left)

Sling Swivel (perhaps fits the original stock mount)

In the end, I can also just buy a conventional sling and take it apart for parts. What do you guys thing? I think I'm commited to the GG&G front mount, but everything else is up in the air.

Incognito · March 1, 2010, 02:40 AM

Good to hear the wife is enthused about your new purchase. Although personally, I wouldn't want a para-cord sling, if it floats your boat, then go with it. Like you said, you can always replace it if it doesn't work; maybe make a belt out of it, lol. The only issue with that would be in making it adjustable for length. But that's the nice thing about constructing stuff, is that it's only limited by your imagination (and physics I guess). Definitely post pics if you go through with it; it'd be interesting.
As with the GG&G mounts, they make good solid parts. I used to have the front static attachment one, and it was a good fit. The lettering on it was hardly noticeable, unlike the picture (fyi). For the rear stock, you could use the rear stud, and simply pick up a sling swivel (Uncle Mikes is good). If you want to get fancy, use the stock/receiver attachment (pictured), though it's not really necessary, unless you like the looks. Also, forget about the HK hook; you don't want that.
For slings, I've always liked the Plain Jane 1" nylon types. You can pick up buckles for them readily if need be, they're durable, cheap, and can be easily customized. For example, on your application, you could loop the sling through the front attachment, then use the stud on the rear. It might actually be cheaper to buy the sling with the swivels, and cut off the one you don't need. Just my $.02

Crit · March 1, 2010, 02:50 AM

Thanks for the quick reply. One shortcoming I came across with the Uncle Mike's Sling Swivels is that I can't find any references for what they fit. Is the original feature on the 870's stock an industry-standard thing that everything will fit?

Incognito · March 1, 2010, 02:56 AM

If it's the standard Remington sling studs, you should be OK with Uncle Mikes, they're pretty much standard, imo. They worked on mine... just keep the receipt though

scorpion_tyr · March 1, 2010, 11:39 AM

Quote:

She offered to make a sling (knit, actually) from 550 cord.

That doesn't sound dumb at all to me. 550 cord is some amazing stuff. I say let her have a shot at it, and the sling will add some personal value to the gun. Also please post pics to show off how it turns out!

hogdogs · March 1, 2010, 11:43 AM

Have her make it a bit short to begin with as the cord has quite a bit of stretch factor to put in play as well as the knit weave will stretch in too...
I prefer the cheap padded slings for well under $20 from walmart though.
Brent

oneounceload · March 1, 2010, 11:47 AM

Unless I'm hiking in somewhere and carrying lots of other stuff, I do not want a sling - it catches on everything (not good in HD), and it tends to ffset any balance the gun has

YMMV

hogdogs · March 1, 2010, 11:54 AM

I am with OOL on this... For HD, all you need is for a swinging sling to snag a knick knack and making racket...

For clay sports, even the lightest sling is going to initially delay the swing and then at the end of swing (you are supposed to "swing thru the shot" but many start to slow trhe swing) it continues to try to move. I think even an ounce not securely fastened to the gun or yourself will inadvertently affect your performance. I have said in other recent posts... The ONLY time I snap the sling on a rifle or shotgun is when I expect to cross streams by shimmying across downed trees. Otherwise, I carry the gun, If I need my hands free, I lean it on a tree (empty chamber of course) and do what I need.
Brent

Rem870Fan · March 2, 2010, 04:23 PM

In case the paracord strap doesn't work out, Botach is running a combo special on slings and adapters together. They sometimes have trouble keeping items in stock but Dan in their customer support group is pretty responsive.

A single point sling might help with retention while staying out of the way.

Let us know how it works out!

R1145 · March 3, 2010, 02:12 AM

We used the GG&G Front Static Attachment on our guns, but the extended mag tubes tended to pop off (not enough threads left with the added thickness of the attachment plate to hold the extension tube securely). What I do now is run a loop of 550 cord around the clamp that holds the tube.

Be careful about loose ends: They can jam at the front of the forearm/slide assembly, keeping the weapon from going fully into battery.

I agree about the sling being basically a "tacticool" accessory, at least on a shotgun used for home defense.

Tenshi · March 3, 2010, 11:11 AM

I was in the same boat as you last week... looking to put a sling on mine and I came across the same parts that you have...

my problem with this:

or this:

is that it will, in effect, make your stock a little longer (something to think about) increasing your LOP. And I don't know how I'd feel about the back attachment point for a sing being at the reciever rather than further back on the stock. It would be good for a single point sling, but with a two point, I'd think that it would allow the shotgun to move around more than you'd want it to when you have it on your back or chest.

if you have sling swivel studs on your shotgun (which is what was stock on mine):

then any sling swivel will fit it, including the ones from Uncle Mikes. It is indeed a standard thing. I looked at various brands and finally settled on the Talon brand myself:

they're solid, look cleaner, and are easy to open if you need. I'm assuming the Uncle Mike ones open by unscrewing the one post. On the Talon ones, they are spring loaded, so you just press really hard on that button on the side and the steel plate on the other side pushes out and you can rotate it towards or away from you to push the top post through the swivel studs.

I had planned on ordering them online, but I came across them on a sling at Wal-mart for less than anywhere I had found the swivels online after shipping is added. I just removed the Wal-mart sling from them and now I have some nice swivels. They were cheaper than the Uncle Mike ones after shipping as well online.

Once you have those swivels on the studs, you can connect whatever sling you want, be it home-made, hk clips, or just a sling itself.

March 1, 2010, 12:42 AM	#1
Crit Junior Member Join Date: June 21, 2005 Location: Smyrna, GA Posts: 6	Need some advice for a homemade sling on Rem 870 I've recently picked up a 26" 870 express. I've removed the magazine nubs, added a 3-shell mag extension, and have a cylinder choke on order for the sake of the shotgun's new HD role. The only other thing I'd like to do is incorporate a sling, as this is likely to be my only shotgun, and I've got buddies who want to go hunting and another that wants to go shoot clays. I have no idea how much I'll pick up and how much I'll do with it, so well-rounded is the goal. I've been blessed with the fact that this is the first gun purchase that the Dear Wife has actually approved of, and she's happy to have it under the bed. She offered to make a sling (knit, actually) from 550 cord. It sounds dumb, but if it doesn't work out we won't use it, and if it does she'll be very proud of it and I'm happy to win points. What I don't know is how to put it all together. I don't care for the two bent sheetmetal clamps and single screw that guys sometimes use for a front mount, but the GG&G front left-side mount looks pretty slick. I'll sandblast it at work and powdercoat satin black for the sake of getting rid of the logo! For the rear mount, I'm not sure if I can use the little lug that comes stock on the Express synthetic stock, or if I need to add a lug. If I keep the stock one, which I'd like to do, what hardware do folks use to attach to it? I'm likely looking at some combination of the following hardware: Snap Hook GG&G Front static attachment GG&G Rear static mount (ordered as a left) Sling Swivel (perhaps fits the original stock mount) In the end, I can also just buy a conventional sling and take it apart for parts. What do you guys thing? I think I'm commited to the GG&G front mount, but everything else is up in the air.

March 2, 2010, 04:23 PM	#9
Rem870Fan Junior Member Join Date: June 29, 2009 Posts: 3	Botach Sling Combo Special In case the paracord strap doesn't work out, Botach is running a combo special on slings and adapters together. They sometimes have trouble keeping items in stock but Dan in their customer support group is pretty responsive. A single point sling might help with retention while staying out of the way. Let us know how it works out!

March 1, 2010, 02:40 AM	#2
Incognito Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 370	Good to hear the wife is enthused about your new purchase. Although personally, I wouldn't want a para-cord sling, if it floats your boat, then go with it. Like you said, you can always replace it if it doesn't work; maybe make a belt out of it, lol. The only issue with that would be in making it adjustable for length. But that's the nice thing about constructing stuff, is that it's only limited by your imagination (and physics I guess). Definitely post pics if you go through with it; it'd be interesting. As with the GG&G mounts, they make good solid parts. I used to have the front static attachment one, and it was a good fit. The lettering on it was hardly noticeable, unlike the picture (fyi). For the rear stock, you could use the rear stud, and simply pick up a sling swivel (Uncle Mikes is good). If you want to get fancy, use the stock/receiver attachment (pictured), though it's not really necessary, unless you like the looks. Also, forget about the HK hook; you don't want that. For slings, I've always liked the Plain Jane 1" nylon types. You can pick up buckles for them readily if need be, they're durable, cheap, and can be easily customized. For example, on your application, you could loop the sling through the front attachment, then use the stud on the rear. It might actually be cheaper to buy the sling with the swivels, and cut off the one you don't need. Just my $.02

March 1, 2010, 02:50 AM	#3
Crit Junior Member Join Date: June 21, 2005 Location: Smyrna, GA Posts: 6	Thanks for the quick reply. One shortcoming I came across with the Uncle Mike's Sling Swivels is that I can't find any references for what they fit. Is the original feature on the 870's stock an industry-standard thing that everything will fit?

March 1, 2010, 02:56 AM	#4
Incognito Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 370	If it's the standard Remington sling studs, you should be OK with Uncle Mikes, they're pretty much standard, imo. They worked on mine... just keep the receipt though

March 1, 2010, 11:43 AM	#6
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Have her make it a bit short to begin with as the cord has quite a bit of stretch factor to put in play as well as the knit weave will stretch in too... I prefer the cheap padded slings for well under $20 from walmart though. Brent

March 1, 2010, 11:47 AM	#7
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	Unless I'm hiking in somewhere and carrying lots of other stuff, I do not want a sling - it catches on everything (not good in HD), and it tends to ffset any balance the gun has YMMV

March 1, 2010, 11:54 AM	#8
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I am with OOL on this... For HD, all you need is for a swinging sling to snag a knick knack and making racket... For clay sports, even the lightest sling is going to initially delay the swing and then at the end of swing (you are supposed to "swing thru the shot" but many start to slow trhe swing) it continues to try to move. I think even an ounce not securely fastened to the gun or yourself will inadvertently affect your performance. I have said in other recent posts... The ONLY time I snap the sling on a rifle or shotgun is when I expect to cross streams by shimmying across downed trees. Otherwise, I carry the gun, If I need my hands free, I lean it on a tree (empty chamber of course) and do what I need. Brent

March 3, 2010, 02:12 AM	#10
R1145 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 351	We used the GG&G Front Static Attachment on our guns, but the extended mag tubes tended to pop off (not enough threads left with the added thickness of the attachment plate to hold the extension tube securely). What I do now is run a loop of 550 cord around the clamp that holds the tube. Be careful about loose ends: They can jam at the front of the forearm/slide assembly, keeping the weapon from going fully into battery. I agree about the sling being basically a "tacticool" accessory, at least on a shotgun used for home defense.

March 3, 2010, 11:11 AM	#11
Tenshi Member Join Date: January 28, 2010 Posts: 50	I was in the same boat as you last week... looking to put a sling on mine and I came across the same parts that you have... my problem with this: or this: is that it will, in effect, make your stock a little longer (something to think about) increasing your LOP. And I don't know how I'd feel about the back attachment point for a sing being at the reciever rather than further back on the stock. It would be good for a single point sling, but with a two point, I'd think that it would allow the shotgun to move around more than you'd want it to when you have it on your back or chest. if you have sling swivel studs on your shotgun (which is what was stock on mine): then any sling swivel will fit it, including the ones from Uncle Mikes. It is indeed a standard thing. I looked at various brands and finally settled on the Talon brand myself: they're solid, look cleaner, and are easy to open if you need. I'm assuming the Uncle Mike ones open by unscrewing the one post. On the Talon ones, they are spring loaded, so you just press really hard on that button on the side and the steel plate on the other side pushes out and you can rotate it towards or away from you to push the top post through the swivel studs. I had planned on ordering them online, but I came across them on a sling at Wal-mart for less than anywhere I had found the swivels online after shipping is added. I just removed the Wal-mart sling from them and now I have some nice swivels. They were cheaper than the Uncle Mike ones after shipping as well online. Once you have those swivels on the studs, you can connect whatever sling you want, be it home-made, hk clips, or just a sling itself.