New Remmie for home defense

[Deputy276]

Recently picked up a new Remmie 870 Express with 5 shot cap and full stock. Cost was $391. I installed a Vang Comp 2 shot extension and Knoxx Breachers grip. Been shooting 3 inch magnum 00 buck and rifled slugs in it. No problems so far Here's a pic:

[Slugo]

remind me to knock if I ever come to your house!!!

[Deputy276]

LOL...it does look just a tad intimidating

I have to do some work on the original mag tube. Two dimples are interfering with me being able to make use of the extension. Not a big deal. It's a common mod and relatively easy.

[anonymousFolk]

Very nice! Mag extension staying put good? I wonder if that's a better config than the remington stock express 7 round...because of the @#$@#$ clamp from barrel -> mag wears off finish

[Cheapshooter]

I took my 870 a little farther. Started with a 18" 7 shot, and ended up with this!

[Gehrhard]

Cool enough. Lotta leverage on that extension if you knock in to something!

My clamp keeps my extension and barrel on -- the bead and spring in the barrel-ring rusted the hole and popped out so nothing else keeps the extension from unscrewing and losening the barrel.

[Deputy276]

WOW! Some nice gun pics posted! I used a Dremel to remove the two bumps in the mag housing. I tried one suggestion of pounding a socket into the housing to get rid of the dimples...waste of time. It did nothing. Dremel and about 2 minutes the bumps were smooth as silk. Now I can really "fill her up". With 3 inch I get one less capacity than with 2 3/4. Still, 6 in the tube and one in the chamber is pretty formidable.

anonymousFolk: So far the mag extension has been staying put just fine using 3 inch magnum ammo. Doesn't unscrew at all. And yes, not having the forward clamp was a factor in choosing the Vang Comp. I had read about how the clamp tends to wear off the finish. If the extension ever does start loosening up, I will just use a touch of Blue LocTite on it.

Cheapshooter: Cool!! I like that pistol grip forend.

Gehrhard: If your extension is threaded on, you can use blue LocTite to keep it from un-threading. Don't use a ton of it. Just a smidge on a few threads should do the trick. Blue LocTite is removeable with normal hand tools. I wouldn't use a pipe wrench to take it off, though. That would mar and groove the heck out of the extension. A leather strap wound around a T-handle wrench would probably do the trick. If it got really stuck on, you could use a propane torch to heat up the threaded area and it would come right off. Just a thought.
And yes, that Vang Comp is so sturdy I think I could use it as a club if necessary

[chack]

Nice setup, but I think you paid too much.

[Deputy276]

There is always someone who posts they can "get a better deal" without knowing the circumstances and situation of the person who bought the gun. I am happy with the price I paid and the gun I got. That is ALL that matters.

[Gehrhard]

Paid too much? By how much are we talking in your opinion? $5, $10, $20!? LOL No matter what it is still an 870, so I know what you mean, but still...

REALLY wanna pay too much? Spend $114 on a brand new Marlin 795 .22 LR!

All Remingtons seem on the decline IMO.


Now, how about RED Locktite?

[chack]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...ducts_id/95077
$321 for a new gun.

Shotguns seem to have the worst resale value of all firearms though. I understand some folks are willing to pay a premium to be the original owner of a gun, and there is a justification for that with a rifle intended for extreme accuracy if you are obsessive about breaking in and seasoning a barrel, not so much for a scattergun.

I just got an 870 express recently too:

$140 for a used 870 with synthetic stock and a 28" barrel
$20 for the tube extension
$160 total

I am shortening the barrel myself to 20". Even if I bought a 20" barrel for it for $100 I'd still be into it for $260 plus I'd be able to use the long barrel for hunting.

[Dave McC]

Get a clamp. An unsupported mag extension is just waiting for a bump to bend the mag tube and mess up the threading on same.

Second, I learned in an armorer's segment of an instruction school long ago that a clamp acts to stiffen up the barrel and oft halves slug group size.

[zippy13]

And, you can be even cooler if your barrel/mag tube clamp has a rail, or two.

[TheKlawMan]

Think about whether or not to get a barrel clamp with a swivel fitting for a sling. Most say a sling only gets in the way for HD, but it is needed for tactical combat training. Some hate the rattling of a sling swivel.

[Deputy276]

Gehrhard: Red Loctite is made to be permanent. You HAVE to heat it up to break the seal. If you never want to dissassemble the gun, then it would be okay. Otherwise, a big pain in the butt to take it apart

chack:As to gun price, you could spend the rest of your life hunting down a lower price and then I could find another lower price to beat that. So it's kinda silly to tell someone they paid too much. Besides, I am also restricted to ONE small gun dealer in my area. I don't live in a big city with numerous dealers, I live in a small town. My dealer only buys from certain wholesalers and if they don't have what I want (as was the case for the 870P), I have to take what I can get. Online and other sources simply aren't an option. That's why I said you have to know the circumstances and situation. I got the best price I could get on a gun that I wanted. I prefer to shoot the gun, rather than hunt down the lowest possible price. I couldn't care less about resale as I don't plan on selling it. And used is out of the question.

Dave McC: No thanks on the clamp. You really need to check out the Vang Comp extension. It's not flimsy like other extensions. It's made out of bar stock and is very rigid. Look around and you will see many shotguns with extensions and no clamp. And it's a fact that they mar the heck out of the barrel. Now if I could find a clamp like on the old 870 Mark 1 that the Marines used to use, I would use that in a heartbeat.



But all of the current ones I've seen looked flimsier than the extension they were trying to support. I don't mount flashlights and doodads on the end of the barrel so there is no other use for it. And honestly, I don't see myself giving it the kind of abuse that might bend it or screw up the threads. It's a home defense shotgun. I won't be going through any shotgun courses or doing any combat activities that would put any stress on it. Again, this is NOT the flimsy pot metal extension with thin threads that you normally see on shotguns. This thing is built like a tank.

TheKlawMan: I actually removed the sling swivel that was included with the extension. I have a nylon Molle scabbard with a sling/strap on it that I use for transporting it to the range. I had enough tactical combat training when I was with the sheriff's department. I'm 62 years old. Don't think they can teach this old dog any more new tricks



zippy13: LOL...I don't think me looking cool is possible any more

[Cheapshooter]

I think you paid too much.

My 870 Express synthetic 18" 7 shot was $359 when BPS matched Cabella's sale price. Minus gift cards, and rewards points total out of my pocket $0.00
I love free guns!!!

[Deputy276]

My 870 Express synthetic 18" 7 shot was $359 when BPS matched Cabella's sale price. Minus gift cards, and rewards points total out of my pocket $0.00
I love free guns!!!

LOL....now there's a deal that can't be beaten!

[Dave McC]

Hans and the Vang Gnomes make good stuff, Deputy, but it's not the extension that's at risk It's the mag tube. Few are perfectly straight to begin with,note the wear marks on older pumps and how they show minor bends in the tube. Adding an unclamped extension is like using a cheater bar.

Once the mag tube is messed up, it's a factory job to replace it.

But, it's your gun and self on the line here. Do as you will.....

[Deputy276]

My rounds feed smooth as silk. So I doubt very much there are any bends in the tube. Both FN and Mossberg sell shotguns with 8 round extensions and no support. So it would seem that the worry of bending the tube may just be marketing hype to sell those barrel clamps.


Mossberg 930


FN SLP Mark 1

Like I said, if the 870 Mark 1 barrel clamp was available, I'd grab it. What I see so far in the form of barrel clamps is just a waste of money.

[Dave McC]

Examine most older pumps that have a few rounds through them. Note the wear marks on the tube that indicate minor un-straightnesses.

Kuhnhausen has a section in his excellent 1100/870 shop manual on how to straighten out these.

My old agency had no armorer, just me. We sent out a few bent mag tubes and one that had been forcibly crossthreaded. They can be screwed up by abuse, and Correctional weapons see plenty of that.

That Milspec Mark 1 clamp is so beefy because the Military saw a need for a bayonet on Military shotguns. Without it, barrels AND mag tubes bent like bananas.

Yours will almost certainly see that level of punishment. So do as you wish.....

Finally, this old dog is staring down the barrel of 65 and still learning new tricks.....

[Deputy276]

Look back at post #15 and read it more closely. This is a HOME DEFENSE shotgun. I retired back in 2002 from the Sheriff's Dept. This gun isn't going to see ANY "level of punishment". It is going to reside in a gun safe in the scabbard unless it is being laid on the seat of my truck to be brought to the range or pulled out to blast a home intruder. I am NOT in the military. I am a RETIRED LEO. I am NOT going to be smashing boulders with it or going through all kinds of tactical training courses. Been there done that and got the arthritis to prove it. Stop with the inappropriate generalizations and assumptions already.

The clamp on the 870 Mark 1 is the ONLY clamp I would ever consider, and they are going for outrageous prices if you ever see one on E-Bay. I am NOT going to install a flimsy POS on the end of my barrel that does nothing but rub off the finish.

[Deputy276]

Here's a better look at the 870 Mark 1 version...



This mount grips the barrel and tube like a vice. It is the ONLY way I would go IF I wanted to reinforce the tube extension. As to wear marks inside the tube, I don't see how you WOUDLN'T get them from shells sliding back and forth over time. Those brass bases aren't really brass at all. They are brass plated STEEL. Don't think so? Put a magnet against them and see what happens.

[TheKlawMan]

I have an 870 similar to yours, only mine came with no dimples, a 2 rnd extension, and an LE slide. I understand that yours will be subjected to little if any punishment; probably not as much as mine which currently serves as a trap gun at the range but afer a barrel switch adopts the HD role at home.

I also wish that I knew before firing the gun how easily that dang barrel clamp can loosen and mar the finish. Still, if occasionally checked and tightened it is fine; at least mine is.

Actually, I don't even use the barrel clamp since it is a PITA as frequently as I change barrels, which is usually twice a week, and it is easy to further mar the finish when sliding it off and on. Some would use it without the clamp, but I think that is foolhardy for the reasons Dave mentioned.

The Vang may be different, but if the factory extension is slightly off you can develop feed trouble.

If you haven't done anything about the dimples in your tube, you may wish to take a look at this. http://www.aiptactical.com/How-To_Videos.html Look at the one on installing a 2 rnd extension kit. JD advocates drilling the dimples out and then using a dremel for deburring.

Anyhow, Dave knows infinitely more than me and you seem to know everything, so enjoy your retirement.

[oneounceload]

Those brass bases aren't really brass at all

THAT depends on the ammo being used

Personally, I have no need to add that much weight at the end of a gun and completely throw off any semblance of balance that gun might have had. However, if I felt it necessary, the extension would have a clamp, whether by the factory or by the likes of CDM Gear or similar to support it. Cantilevered devices tend to get bent and snagged very easily on the slightest of things

[WW2]

Some time ago I bought an 870 with an 18.5" barrel and a 7 round extension ($350).
My local range does not allow pistol grips so I bought a synthetic stock from eBay (NEW $30)
My local range does not allow any barrel shorter than 22", so I bought a new 28" barrel ($199).

So, for a total of $579, I now have a gun that can be put in multiple configurations from a short pistol grip 18.5" barrel to a full stock and 28" barrel for Sporting Clays! At home I keep it in the configuration you see in the right hand column center picture. Have a look: