New Shotgun + Accessories

[mgood]

Feb. 18 I bought a new Remington 870.




I posted those pics in the Pictures of your "Black Guns" thread.
It has an 18.5" barrel and magazine tube extension to make it as long as the barrel for 6+1 capacity.

I stand 5' 7" in shoes (5' 6.5+" when barefoot) and no one's ever accused me of having really long arms, and I have a fairly thick chest. Most factory stocks are a touch too long for me. Most long guns seem to have a length of pull of about 13.5" or a little better. I like about 13" or even a little shorter, down to 12.75"
My new 870 was, by my measurement, 13.75" LOP, way too long for my comfort.
I bought a shorter SpeedFeed brand stock through Scattergun Technologies (Wilson Combat) and installed that.



You can see that the SpeedFeed short stock (bottom) is considerably shorter than the Remington factory stock (top).




On the gun, it's about a 12.75" LOP. That's almost too short, but it's almost the exact same length as my old Mossberg 500 20 Ga which I hunted with as a teenager and with which I'm still very comfortable.

Today I received an XS tritium sight. I ordered it off their website: http://www.xssights.com/index.php?nID=s ... ID=shotgun" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Bottom right corner of that page, "Big Dot Tritium Remington pedestal barrel."
It epoxies on over an existing bead sight.

Before:



After:



The bright dot near the top of that last pic is the sight. Low light photography is not my forte, and it's hard to get a pic that shows a tritium sight glowing in the dark (or it is for me).
XS uses Trijicon brand tritium tubes.

Tomorrow, more goodies from Scattergun Technologies are expected on the brown truck.
This, in particular:



So, stay tuned for updates.

[mgood]

Thanks.
I'm outfitting it along the lines of the Scattergun Technologies Standard Model. Theirs has a ghost ring rear sight and tritium blade front sight while I chose the simple big dot with tritium up front and no rear. Theirs also has the action worked over by Wilson . . . maybe some day.

[mot7981]

Looking great. That's a very slick tact light set up. Will you be adding a shotshell holder and sling as well? It's fun to watch a plan come together

[mgood]

Yes, shotshell holder.
Maybe, sling. I got it today. I'm gonna try it and see if I like it.

[mgood]

Wilson magazine follower (left) fits up into the mag spring rather than being a cap over it (stock follower on right). It's supposed to be slicker and prevent hangups in the mag tube. We'll see.



Wilson safety button (right) has a larger head than the stock Remington button (left) to make it easier to flick it off in a hurry.





I can say that's one very bright light.
With my eyes accustomed to the well-lit room, I shined it in my own face and about blinded myself. Being hit by that in the dark, would at the very least mess up anyone's night vision for a while.
The strip on the right side of the fore-end is a momentary switch for the light. The rocker switch on the left is a steady on/off switch.
The pins that held the trigger assembly in were replaced by Allen screws that go through and thread into the shell carrier to hold it on.

[RECIT]

That is a nice progression from bone stock to tricked out. But not over the top with gizmos either. I like it a lot and I'm sure you saved some cash over getting one from Wilson Combat too.

[mgood]

Thanks, I like it.
The big expense was the SureFire forend/light which cost nearly as much as the shotgun. (But dang it's cool And I'm usually not a fan of weapon lights.)
Yeah, I saved a little over getting a similar gun from Wilson. Their action job is probably worth it and I may still end up getting an actual Scattergun Technologies shotgun from them. It would be nice to have nearly identical shotguns in two different places.

[mrmagnum]

That's a good looking setup, just picked up an 870 myself. Where did you get that shotshell holder? Forgive me if I didn't see it further above.

[RPB]

That's a good looking setup, just picked up an 870 myself. Where did you get that shotshell holder? Forgive me if I didn't see it further above.

I think that's a TacStar Sidesaddle
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/SHT002-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/410025 ... 1-87-black" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=5SCad3MknWw[/youtube]

Another Install vid
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=85g_cQZdhrw[/youtube]

[mrmagnum]

Thank you, will order one this weekend

[mgood]

That's a good looking setup, just picked up an 870 myself. Where did you get that shotshell holder? Forgive me if I didn't see it further above.

I think that's a TacStar Sidesaddle
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/SHT002-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes, it is. Looks like I might have gotten it cheaper from Cheaper Than Dirt.
I ordered mine through Wilson just because I was getting a bunch of stuff at once from them.
http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Side-Saddle ... /SGSS-U-6/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mgood]

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=5SCad3MknWw[/youtube]

Another Install vid
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=85g_cQZdhrw[/youtube]

I installed mine pretty much the way the second video shows.
If I was to do it again, I'd do more like the guy in the first vid. He uses the screws to drive out the pins, so they're automatically lined up rather than having to fight to get the holes lined up to insert the screws after removing the pins like I did and the second guy did. Also, I and the second guy both started the big screw first. The first guy started the little screw first. You can't see the hole to start the little one if you've got the big one in already. Starting the smaller one first might make it slightly easier.
Minor points, but after having done it once, I see how I might be a little smoother a second time around.

Also, someone on a competition forum said that the little screws - not the one that holds the trigger group in, but the six little screws that look like they hold the thing together - tend to vibrate out with heavy use and could use some Loctite. I haven't tried that but I'll keep an eye on them.

[LeonCarr]

Nice shotgun...everything you need and nothing you don't.

Blue Loctite is your friend on a shotgun...I even blue loctite the threads on the stock bolt. I also advise Blue Loctite on the bolts replacing the trigger group pins and also the little screws that attach the plastic shellholder to the backing plate. Good insurance to make sure it does not prematurely fall off.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[mgood]

If it ain't broke, tinker with it.

I decided to try a collapsible stock from ATI.
(I believe ATI is toward the cheesy end when it comes to tacticool gear, but no other brands are available locally where I can actually handle them. And this was there when I was in the mood and had money.)

Six-position adjustability.
From here:

to here, for people with really long arms, I guess:

The other side, adjusted about right for me:


They had several models. One would fold around to make it just a pistol grip. I've never had a burning desire to shoot a pistol-grip 12 gauge.