Finally Finished my 870 HD Shotgun!!!!!!!

Well, it's taken forever but I FINALLY finished my 870! :danceban:

I wanted one defensive shotgun for my small collection. It was on my short list of the "last guns I'm ever going to buy". I researched until I drove myself crazy. At one point I wanted to get a side by side stoeger. But in the end I went with the Remington 870 Express that comes with 6 round extended magazine and 18.5" barrel. I wanted to keep it simple and reliable but highly functional.

I'm on the small side at 5'7" and 160 so recoil was a big deal. I tried a KnoxOps recoil reducing stock. It worked well for recoil reduction as promised but I didn't like the movement in the stock (necessary to absorb the recoil) and I just didn't care for the pistol grip that much. It just didn't seem comfortable.

In the end, here's the mods/parts I changed or added:

-12" youth stock with R3 Limbsaver recoil pad; the short LOP helps the handling of the gun in an amazing way. I read about that here and what they say about a 12" youth stock on a defensive shotgun is TRUE and the R3 pad that came on it does a lot to tame recoil.

-XS Bigdot front night sight; I used JB weld to mount it. It sits over the oem bead sight. I LOVE how visible it is during the daytime. I've fired it a lot since installing and it's rock solid.

-Surefire light with a surefire holder that has a thumbscrew so it's easy on and off. I used a simple angle bracket that fits on the mag tube. I can unscrew the light and move it to my AR-15 or back again in 2 seconds. I spent weeks researching light options and settled on this set up. It's high quality, very reasonable priced and very very simple.

-4 rd Tac Star side saddle; I wanted to keep the weight down and the balance good. The 4 rd fit with the forearm perfectly. The forearm is also a youth stock forearm. I have shorter arms so I didn't like the short corn cob style forearm the gun came with. The youth stock extends rearward enough to allow my grip to be far enough back to allow for a natural bend in my left elbow.

-removable sling; I tried a one point and a few two point slings until I stumbled on this inexpensive sling at a local gun store. I like the wide width and the wide part of the sling is made out of some stretchy material but it's not really elastic per say. I leave the sling off at home; it's mainly just for the range

-S&J Hardware (out of Canada) follower. The OEM follower is orange plastic that you can bend with your fingers. This one is machined from a solid piece of material and has a protruding nipple in the end so you can "feel" if there's a round in the mag or not.

-S&J Hardware oversized safety; it's smaller than a vang but still pretty big. Makes it easier to click on. I painted the "ring" with red enamel that shows when the safety is disengaged.

I bought a case of low recoil Fiocchi (sp?) 00 buckshot; it's day and night different than regular buckshot. I've patterned it and shot a lot of bird shot and it's simply fantastic. I got a great deal on the gun and the parts aren't bad so it's perfect for an HD shotgun as far as I'm concerned.

Of all the mods, the XS bigdot front sight and the 12 youth stock have made the biggest difference I notice when shooting it.

I've attached a few pics. Sorry for the poor quality.

I really think this is the ideal configuration for this gun and it's especially suited for smaller folks or those who don't like recoil. the R3 recoil pad with the youth stock and okay form makes 00 buckshot recoil just like #8's.

From when I bought the gun to now, it's been 6 months or so.

God Bless
Gideon

-

Good job. There's various ways to set up a HD shotgun and you made smart choices.

Quote:

---

I leave the sling off at home; it's mainly just for the range

---

In my case, it's the opposite. I've got a case that's used for range duty, the sling is for the house. So give that some thought. Weapon retention and portability. If you have to transition to a handgun, shotgun goes on your back.

good point shockwave, I'll hae to give that one some more thought! :rolleyes:
Gideon

Very nice job on a great shotgun!

Very nice....simple , well thought out, and practical. Everything you need without being a billboard for tacticool companies.

With regards to the sling, it may be handy to have AFTER you have a home-defense shooting. If you need your hands free (call 9-1-1, or anything else really) but don't want to set your shotgun down, it'd help to have it on you.

Excellent modifications! You have a genuine fighting shotgun there, no doubt about it! :hand10:

Like your mods. I put a 12" Hogue stock on my 870 Tactical..great stuff. Like the JB weld idea for the new sight..may steal that from you. The mount for the SureFire is practical also. Good Luck with it!:smile:

Very nice setup. You're right about Vang stuff. Its high quality, but way over priced.

thanks for the tip about S&J Hardware. I'm going to give them a look.

You made it work for you, Great Job....

Hello Gideon, I was surfing the web for 870 flashlight mount options and I found this, a very nice looking firearm! I am looking to set an 870 up much the same as you have but I had a question about your angle mount. Before I order the mount from YHM, would you mind telling me how the angle mount fixes to the mag tube? It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks as though it would be best to pick up the 5 slot mount that has two screws for a sturdier mount considering the vibrations of firing a 12 guage. That said, I am still unsure of how the mount will affix to the mag tube itself. Do the screws float above the mag tube and use the flat parts of the mount to keep pressure on the rounded outsides of the tube? Or does the top of the angle mount basically sandwich itself between the barrel and the tube with little help from the plate and screws? Any clarity you can provide would be greatly appreciated! A more detailed picture of the assembly would be more than I could hope for if the explanation isn't so simple or if the assembly requires modification. Thanks so much!