Choice of Forends for a Remington 870

TheKlawMan · January 1, 2011, 12:09 AM

It looks like may have a choice of forends for the 870 express 7 shot I bought. One is what I believe is called the short forend and supposedly is only sold for LE guns. See the first picture below.

The other is shown in the lower picture. It is longer with some of the upper part cut back so as to allow the forend to clear the ejection port.

What are the benefits of either. I believe the short LE stuyle permits the use of a 6 shot shell sidesaddle. Is there any other reason to prefer one type over the other. Personallly, I could do without a sidesaddle.

lamarw · January 1, 2011, 01:03 AM

I would take the second one, but it would have to be in walnut.

At one time, the Remington 870s were beautiful guns with a nice warm wood glow to them. They were just absolutley magnificient on rising quail, and it was not difficult to get a double.

Although, I doubt the furniture guns would handle 7 rounds unless it was a retired prison gun from a few years back.

Cruncher Block · January 1, 2011, 01:50 AM

The short forearm does allow use of a full-length sidesaddle.

It also allows easy access to the loading port with the action open. You can fully load a magazine and also drop a round into the ejection port. This way, you get full mag +1 in the shortest time possible and you're ready to fire as soon as you close the action.

The long forearm is easier if you have shorter arms or the length of pull is too long. If this is the case, I would humbly suggest a better solution might be a shorter stock.

TheKlawMan · January 1, 2011, 01:37 PM

lamarw. Wood furniture is beautiful but I am going for ease of maintenance and reduced weight; not to say I would turn down a nice deal on a used 870P with wood if the deal in purgatory were to fall through. (It possibly could since there is some question if the one being delivered Moday is equipped the way it is supposed to be,)

zippy13 · January 1, 2011, 02:01 PM

I prefer the second because its longitudinal concavities aid the "pointer finger" grip, the corncob doesn't. Some will argue that it isn't an appropriate grip for a pump gun, but it greatly assists natural pointing. IMHO, a quicker pointing gun trumps a large sidesaddle mount.

TheKlawMan · January 1, 2011, 02:05 PM

Cruncher Block. I see what you mean. That being the case, I think I won't unwind my buy even if the gun doesn't come with the long forend as advertised. I think the long is purtier but see where the short forend adds a dimension of utility.

TheKlawMan · January 1, 2011, 02:22 PM

Zippy13. Happy New Year. Different strokes for different folks. Personally, I don't want a side saddle for HD having opted to keep it simple and avoid anything that can snag things. For a dedicated combat gun, I would go with the corn cob but I am not planning on having to defend a mud soaked foxhole in a monsoon with a bloody hand that may be have a few fingers shot off. However, I want this buy to go down and the gun I paid for might come with the cob, even though the fun buyer said it should have the long forend. If so, I think I will take it and try to find someone two swap forends. I may be wrong but since Remington only wants them sold to LE (supposedly), I hope there is a ready market for them. Also, if I unwind the deal because it comes with the cob, I lose out on the Remington rebate. (Wanna bet I talk Big 5 into giving me a special price if the gun comes with the cob since I lose the $30 Remingoton discount if the deal is unwound or I have to buy another forend if I want what was promised?)

Damn. I just looked on Ebay and saw all the Remington 870 accessories for sale (some I realize are junk replica).

January 1, 2011, 02:22 PM	#7
TheKlawMan Junior member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 2,149	Zippy13. Happy New Year. Different strokes for different folks. Personally, I don't want a side saddle for HD having opted to keep it simple and avoid anything that can snag things. For a dedicated combat gun, I would go with the corn cob but I am not planning on having to defend a mud soaked foxhole in a monsoon with a bloody hand that may be have a few fingers shot off. However, I want this buy to go down and the gun I paid for might come with the cob, even though the fun buyer said it should have the long forend. If so, I think I will take it and try to find someone two swap forends. I may be wrong but since Remington only wants them sold to LE (supposedly), I hope there is a ready market for them. Also, if I unwind the deal because it comes with the cob, I lose out on the Remington rebate. (Wanna bet I talk Big 5 into giving me a special price if the gun comes with the cob since I lose the $30 Remingoton discount if the deal is unwound or I have to buy another forend if I want what was promised?) Damn. I just looked on Ebay and saw all the Remington 870 accessories for sale (some I realize are junk replica). Last edited by TheKlawMan; January 1, 2011 at 02:29 PM.

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January 1, 2011, 01:03 AM	#2
lamarw Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2010 Location: Lake Martin, AL Posts: 3,311	I would take the second one, but it would have to be in walnut. At one time, the Remington 870s were beautiful guns with a nice warm wood glow to them. They were just absolutley magnificient on rising quail, and it was not difficult to get a double. Although, I doubt the furniture guns would handle 7 rounds unless it was a retired prison gun from a few years back.

January 1, 2011, 01:50 AM	#3
Cruncher Block Member Join Date: December 11, 2008 Posts: 63	The short forearm does allow use of a full-length sidesaddle. It also allows easy access to the loading port with the action open. You can fully load a magazine and also drop a round into the ejection port. This way, you get full mag +1 in the shortest time possible and you're ready to fire as soon as you close the action. The long forearm is easier if you have shorter arms or the length of pull is too long. If this is the case, I would humbly suggest a better solution might be a shorter stock.

January 1, 2011, 01:37 PM	#4
TheKlawMan Junior member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 2,149	lamarw. Wood furniture is beautiful but I am going for ease of maintenance and reduced weight; not to say I would turn down a nice deal on a used 870P with wood if the deal in purgatory were to fall through. (It possibly could since there is some question if the one being delivered Moday is equipped the way it is supposed to be,)

January 1, 2011, 02:01 PM	#5
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	I prefer the second because its longitudinal concavities aid the "pointer finger" grip, the corncob doesn't. Some will argue that it isn't an appropriate grip for a pump gun, but it greatly assists natural pointing. IMHO, a quicker pointing gun trumps a large sidesaddle mount.

January 1, 2011, 02:05 PM	#6
TheKlawMan Junior member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 2,149	Cruncher Block. I see what you mean. That being the case, I think I won't unwind my buy even if the gun doesn't come with the long forend as advertised. I think the long is purtier but see where the short forend adds a dimension of utility.