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Remington 870 Home Defense Modifications?

32K views 28 replies 21 participants last post by  Superhouse 15 
#1 ·
I have an extra Rem. 870 Express Super Magnum that I would like to turn into a more tactical home defense shotgun. Any suggestions as to what accessories and where to buy them from would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to spend more than a couple hundred bucks if possible. Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
A plain 870 will be sufficient for home defense, but maybe a fiber optic front sight and some sort of light set up wouldn't hurt, especially if you don't keep any lights on in the house after going to bed. The best mod you can do to any gun is buy ammo and train with it.
 
#3 ·
I recently bought an 870 Express HD. Here's what I did to mine:

  • XSSights 24/7 Big Dot - Much more visible than a plain bead, and has a tritium insert that glows in the dark for low light shooting. It's really easy to install, it just epoxys on over the front bead. About $65.
  • Light mount - A light is vital for home defense. Way to many people have shot friends or realtives in the dark when they misidentified a target. It's possible to run a pump action shotgun with a handheld light, but it's definitely not my first choice. This is one area where you can spend a lot of money (Surefire forends run $250-300). I didn't want to spend that much (and I don't like pressure pad switches for lights anyway) so I bought a light mount from Brownells and attached a LED Surefire 6P that I had laying around. I do wonder how well the Surefire is going to stand up to recoil (no way I would do this with a regular, non-LED light) but I haven't shot it enough to really know. The light mount is about $35. If you don't have one available, the cheapest LED Surefire is around $60.
  • Sling and sling mounts - This is more of an option for a home defense gun. It's good to have a sling in case you need to transition to pistol. If you're going to take a tactical shotgun class, then a sling becomes a must have. My 870 came with sling swivels on the bottom of the gun, but I prefer side mounted slings. I got a GG&G adapter that goes on the end of the magazine tube and a Midwest Industries sling adapter that goes between the stock and the reciever. The adapters were about $40, plus the cost of the sling if you don't have one lying around.

That's the extent of the modifications I did to my gun. My 870 came with a magazine tube extension, so I didn't have to add one. If yours only has the standard magazine, an extension would be an excellent addition.
 
#10 ·
My suggestion are:

18.5" barrel with detent on the barrel lug ring
Tube Extension
Vang oversize safety
Vang Stainless follower
Nordic Mag clamp with side sling stud
Speedfeed or Hogue forend
XS big dot sight - It epoxies over the bead sight
Two point side mounted sling


I don't like receiver shell carriers. They add too much weight and throw the balance off.


GC
 
#11 ·
Mag extension and a mount for a SureFire light.....like the high-visibility front sight idea too. Keep It Simple !!!
 
#12 ·
My set-up I'm working on is 18.5" barrel, mag extension, and 5 round stock sock. I can now have 13 rounds of 2 3\4" anything on board. I also bought a 25 round belt that I can grab and go. All I need now is a clamp set-up and a good light, and I feel I'm good to go.
 
#15 ·
MAX100 I've seen you arround the basement in SGW.

I have an 870 supermag that I use for HD. I like the wilson combat oversized safty especialy if you have a j-lock type. Light mount, extended tube, and sling = good idea. I recently got a 4rd side saddle made by tac star which I like. The added weight goes between your hands so it doesn't change the balance. The best part is I can have it ready for turkey hunting in about 5 min.
 
#17 ·
MAX100 I've seen you around the basement in SGW.

I am here, there and anywhere shotguns are discussed.

If you go with a receiver side saddle you will need a short LE forend. The Vang oversize safeties are nice because they are very fast to disengage. Nordic makes a nice mag tube clamp. You can attach a rail for mounting a flashlight & there is place for a sling stud.

Rail mounted flashlights are nice because they are compact & fast and easy to remove.


GC
 
#18 ·
My "basic" for a Home Defense/Duty Use Shotgun is:

Oversized safety
Mag Extention
Light with Pressure Pad Activation Switch


I like my extra ammo off the gun and on my Belt. I also like Ghost Ring Tritium Sights, but that's me. :22a:

I haven't added a sling, yet, but I most likely will for the home defense shotgun. The most important piece of equipment, IMHO, is the Light. It makes identifying your target easier, and in my mind that's the first rule.

KNOW YOUR TARGET!

Biker
 
#21 ·
That's about it,

A short barrel is about all that you need. If you are going to take a shotgun class I would get a sling, if you are not going to take a class then don't worry about the sling.
 
#22 ·
A short barrel is an advantage indoors. A high-quality magazine extension is not a bad idea, and while you are at it, make sure the magazine spring and follower are of high quality, too. Not much point in adding something that gives you more rounds, if those rounds won't feed.

A light is a mixed blessing, and not as vital as some make it out to be. It depends on how much ambient light you will typically have. Ghost-ring sights are another mixed blessing. At home defense distance, a bead sight is adequate, and it may well be the fastest to use. (We all have different eyesight; what works for me may work otherwise for you.) A bigger/brighter/tritium bead may be a very good idea.

I like the Vang-comp big-head safety.

One of my duty/HD/SD shotguns is a very plain-jane parkerized 870P. I added a Vang-comp barrel to get smaller buckshot patterns at distance, when patrolling the streets, and the barrel wears a plain bead. I added the Vang big-head safety button, too. No magazine extension.

My other 870 is a custom from Scattergun Technologies. Ghost ring front sight, tritium front sight, Vang-comped barrel + porting, threaded for choke tubes/breacher attachment, big-head safety, mag extension, sling mounts, custom black finish, the works. I bought it to use as a designated slug gun for policin', not really for HD. It could certainly do double duty for HD, of course.

Know which shotgun I actually like the best? The basic, bead-sight, parkerized 870P, of course. Basic is good.
 
#25 ·
Hey MAX....How's that Nordic clamp working. Thought about swapping the OEM for that causes it's "beefier". Thanks!
 
#26 ·
My home shotgun I like to have the 18 inch barrel, a tube extension, and sling. Thats it. No need for extra fancy stuff. Anything else you're just adding extra weight that you don't need. I like to have a synthetic stock as well.

DeltaForce.com

Something interesting you may want to look into. Bean bag rounds and the rubber ball rounds.
 
#27 ·
Like you, ATM, all I have is a hunting shotgun (I use as back-up). I took the stick I used to limit the capacity for hunting out. A shotshell is not in the chamber, but I've got 5 XX buck in the mag tube.

A home SD / riot shotgun has been one of my top three "next" buys.

For HD, I would go with a pump, I think an 18.5 ish barrel, mag extender (something to allow 8 or so shells, but not longer than the barrel). If I were to get a sling I would get one that would hold a few shells. I've seen a few HD shotguns, and I think having an attached light is the way to go. You can always choose not to use the light, but most of the time it would help to aim, identify, and even blind BG.

I think the only thing I would consider adding, that is not a must have, would be a shotshell holder.
 
#29 ·
You don't "need" a bunch of stuff hanging off the gun. Good light, maybe a better sight, ammo carrier are nice, but you don't "need" them. If you plan on holing up in a safe room and covering the door from a position of concealment or cover, you might not even need to change out the barrel. Some extended magazine tubes need a little gunsmithing done to work, depends on the model.

Some links to good 870 add-ons:


BARREL, 18", IC BEAD SIGHT, PARKERIZED at Brownells
BARREL, 18", POLICE W/RIFLE SIGHTS, PARKERIZED, IMP CYL at Brownells
SHOTGUN FOLLOWERS at Brownells
SHOTGUN MAGAZINE EXTENSION at Brownells
"SPEEDFEED" STOCK at Brownells
RECEIVER MOUNT SHOTSHELL HOLDER at Brownells
SHOTSHELL HOLDER at Brownells
MAGAZINE SPRING PERFORMANCE PACKAGE at Brownells
REMINGTON TRITIUM NIGHT SIGHTS at Brownells
TRITIUM SHOTGUN SIGHT at Brownells
TACTICAL SHOTGUN SIGHTS at Brownells
 
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