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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.
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.
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.
Mine has a 28" barrel. That seems a little long for home defense. Did you change out your barrel for a shorter one? Thanks for the great suggestions, so far.
Mine came with an 18.5" barrel. I'd definitely go with something shorter than 28" for self defense use. No more than 20".
A shorter barrel and a light set-up is about all that should be done.
The sling is a great idea too.
So the list so far sounds like this: Shorter barrel, a light setup, sling ( I already have one on it), and a magazine extender. That sound about right? Thanks for all of the help, guys.
One more question. I think my shotgun holds five shells with the plug removed. Is it necessary to add a mag. extender or is this adequite?
6-round Side Saddle is nice. On my 590 the Side Saddle gives me a total on-board round count of 19 rounds. Serious cartage with minimal weight.
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
Mag extension and a mount for a SureFire light.....like the high-visibility front sight idea too. Keep It Simple !!!
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.
Good info.
Mine.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...OLF/rem870.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...rem870clip.jpg
I added a sling also.
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.