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Howdy guys I am need of some assistance with my Remington 870 express Super Magnum.

For the last 10 years it's been my duck/dove gun and I recently got a benelli super Vinci so I'm going to keep the 870 as back up in hunting season but it stays beside my bed for home defense duty in the off season. I would like to do several things to it over the next few months. I would like to upgrade my magazine, Pump, add side saddle, possible sights. I would like to be able to load it quicker and it really become a bad to the bone home defense weapon but still be able to use it as a good back up during huntin season.

You can do a lot, or a little, and turn a great gun like that into a self defense shotgun.

You might consider a Remington factory 18" parkerized barrel.

For sights, I like the XS Sight 'Big Dot' tritium sights you can install pretty easily right over the existing bead sight. They have versions for plain barrel or vent rib barrels.

Ghost ring sights are great, but that's a lot of work to retrofit when big bead does a fine job.

Magazine extension...pros and cons but you can certainly do it. I don't have a brand recommendation there.

Magpul makes a nice Stock and Forend replacement for the 870 series. Easy to install and very easy length of pull adjustment on the stock side.

Bolt carrier replacement, is it needed?

At this point you might be getting pretty close to new shotgun territory.

I don't know what you mean by upgrade the magazine, unless you mean to extend it to increase capacity. There are several places to buy mag extentions. I would reccomend buying a shorter barrel, 18.5" if it is going to be used as a HD gun. You can mount a light/laser on it, get a sling for it, and side saddle.
I have a Mossberg 500 that serves dual duty for me as HD and a dove gun. I have two barrels that can be changed quickly. I have an elzetta light mount, and a sling which makes it great to transition to handgun if I
need to.
I also have a bandoleer which holds 50 rounds of ammo from #1 buck to slugs.
The shotgun is a great HD weapon, but there are limitations. Take a defensive/tactical shotgun class, and practice clearing your house, in the dark.

Call me old fashioned, but an 870 with a simple 18.5" barrel loaded with birdshot is as good a basic home-defense shotgun as there is. A mag extension might be worth considering, but if you're going to put it in service as a backup hunting gun, I'm not sure I'd bother.

I might consider a side-saddle for extra rounds.

All the other goodies for an 870 are nice, but not really necessary. The 870 just works.

Not that you asked, but I go for birdshot (#4 or #6) in the house just because it's plenty to stop a bad actor at HD distances, but far less likely to penetrate drywall walls with lethal energy.

I wasn't super clear sorry about that.

I'd like to add maybe a 2 shot extension. Scatter gun technology's has one with a sling mount for 45$ on brownells and I can unscrew it and put the old cap back on and out my plug in for season. I was thinking a new extractor to a heavier duty one. And I may do the magpul stock. I don't wanna replace the bolt. And I would like to upgrade the front bead. No rear sight needed on a shotgun for me. As far as forend goes I saw hogue makes a nice one. I don't want to do Major changes just enhancements I suppose. And a shorter barrel would be a good idea because you can change them so easily.

For the front sight I was thinking about one of these. I haven't tried one yet so I can't speak about their effectiveness, or quality.

Might want to look at a fore end/ light combo. they are a little pricey though.

http://www.primaryarms.com/surefire-rem ... aQodJPAG7A

For the front sight I was thinking about one of these. I haven't tried one yet so I can't speak about their effectiveness, or quality.

If your barrel does not have a vent rib but does have a simple bead, these work pretty well. The Fiber Optic makes it easy to pick up with reasonable light. I have one on an aftermarket 18" barrel place on a mid-1950s receiver, along with a Knoxx stock, side saddle, extended magazine and a sling. It has all worked well for a couple of defensive shotgun classes I have taken.

Have a COMPETENT gunsmith cut the barrel to 21-24 inches depending on rib post location, have it threaded for rem chokes and have a new bead installed, tritium if you feel the need or just want it :). The barrel length is short enough for better maneuverability and still long enough for a good sighting plane on birds.

Surefire Forend Light and Sidesaddle. This setup also makes it a great shotgun for varmint hunting at night.

As far as extended magazines go keep in mind that no matter how many rounds you have in the magazine, it still has to be reloaded. When practicing with the shotgun practice continuously topping off the magazine while shooting. The standard magazine tube is also more reliable.

Also, unless you live in Jurassic Park, 3 1/2 inch loads are not necessary for self defense. Standard 2 3/4 Buckshot loads work fine without the excessive muzzle blast and recoil.

Just my .02 and sounds like a fun project,
LeonCarr

I think the OP wanted to keep his shotgun a dual duty gun, for both dove hunting and HD. Cutting the barrel would defeat that purpose. I've got two barrels for my Mossberg, one 18.5 and a 28" ported vent rib for hunting. They can be changed within 30 seconds if I need to do it that fast. I haven't priced Remington barrels, but a new 18.5 Mossberg can usually be found for right at $100.00, sometimes less if someone is just looking to get rid of one.

I agree, 3"magnum loads do give more pellets down range, but the recoil is more of a trade-off than I like. My favorite is Federal #1 buck with flight control. I got the opportunity to pattern it out to 30 yards, and it held a fist sized pattern.

A 2 3/4 she'll is much less likely to be " short stroked " in a HD situation.

Mine has the vent rib. Thanks Jusme I'll check it out. No I don't want to cut my barrel I'd rather buy an 18 inch if I went shorter. Midway has an 18 1/2 fixed improved cylinder with a bead sight for 120$. Also the scatter gun technologies extension comes with a new spring as well as follower and I'd extensively test it for reliability before HD. Also I keep 2 3/4 00 buck in it already. I would like to try the flight control I have not had a chance to yet. I think I want to duracoat the gun as well. I like magpul FDE and you can get it in aerosol with hardner already in the can. I want to do anothe gun as well with duracoat and one can does 2-4 guns. 35$ on brownells. I kryloned my AR and it turned out great! But I want to try duracoat on the shotgun to see how I like it. As far as my AR goes Im just gonna let it wear because it will look cool as time goes on. But my 870 is factory camo dipped and it's all dinged up anyway from 10 years of hard use. I'd be hard pressed to find anybody I know who has used and shot an 870 as much as I have mine.


I know most say don't mess with the 870 it's fine as is. To most yes it is but to me it's my gun and I want it to be mine and functional for my needs. It's never going anywhere.

Jusme wrote:For the front sight I was thinking about one of these. I haven't tried one yet so I can't speak about their effectiveness, or quality.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DWM6V8/re ... Y68W&psc=1

Fixed the URL for you......