What Upgrades to Police Magnum?

[MACMAN]

I have just gotten a police Magnum and know that a lot of the talked about upgrades are already on it. So what do I need to upgrade? Follower, Safety..

[Chief Brody]

I have a Police Magnum myself and feel that nothing 'needs' to be upgraded. It's very solid right out of the box. That being said, I do have a large safety on mine, from S&J Hardware, and I really like it. Velcro/elastic loop side saddles are very popular now. A good bright flashlight. A magazine extension if yours didn't come with mine (mine didn't).

What's currently on your gun? What do you want to use it for? Perhaps keep it as-is for now, shoot the crap out of it and then decide on anything you'd like to change.

[Synchronizor]

Yeah, what package did you buy? There's really nothing that needs to be changed if it's a new or recent-manufacture gun. You may want to add some accessories, or make a few tweaks like a different safety or sear spring, but that's not really upgrading, more personalizing. I'm with Chief Brody, go shoot it, get to know it, and figure out if there's anything you feel could be improved to better make the gun fit you and your needs.

[MACMAN]

I got Model 24421. Has the Speed Feed stock. Has the 18inch barrel rifle sights, 2 shot extension. I got it new for about $600.00. I thought about a new follower, bigger safety, Wolff Spring in the tube and MAYBE VangComp system done to the barrel.

[Synchronizor]

If your gun has the +2 extension, you don't need to bother changing the spring. The spring in the factory Remington +2 kits is a shared part that's also used in the +3s, so it's got plenty of power (maybe even a little too much for some applications). The factory extensions are also designed to use a spring with a fairly long solid length & fairly narrow coils due to the internal follower stop & fixed usable tube space, whereas many aftermarket springs go for wider coils & a short solid length, which is great for most aftermarket extensions, but can hang up or drag in the factory tube.

It's a similar story with the follower. The factory spring is specifically sized for the body length & depth of the factory cup-style follower. If you drop in an aftermarket follower with different dimensions, you can reduce the space left for the spring at full compression, potentially binding it and causing feed issues, or even damaging or jamming up magazine parts. Ask me how I know. In addition, the factory followers are really reliable in factory extensions, they're lightweight and space-efficient, and they're made of good, durable, hi-visibility plastic that stands up a lot better than most people think. And if you're one of the minority of 870 owners who actually shoots enough to wear one out, they're really inexpensive to replace.

That's not to say aftermarket followers are pointless. One thing many aftermarket followers provide that the factory part doesn't is a feature like a dish or post that allows you to feel when the magazine is empty without looking. It's a really nice safety feature, and a big reason I run the S&J Hardware Delrin followers over the factory followers - but I've also mostly moved away from using the factory extension kits in favor of aftermarket single-piece extensions. If I were to use them in my factory extensions, I would mod the springs to avoid over-compression.

I'd be happy to help you work all the details out if you're determined to put aftermarket magazine parts in, but really, the factory followers, springs, & extension tubes are durable (they're full-on military kits, after all), and they run very reliably together if installed right. At this point, I would recommend just sticking with that combo for now. Shoot with it, get to know it, make sure there aren't any issues or defects to address, and then you can think about adding aftermarket parts to the mix.


As for the safety, this is really a personal thing, there's no "best" way to go. For example, Chief Brody & I both use the same stocks on our 870s, mine is just older & more beat-up:


Now, even with the same stock profiles, he really likes the massive S&J Hardware safety, while I very much prefer the flush factory button. Hand size, shooting technique, stock choice, and other things that vary between individual shooters, guns, & applications will determine which safety is the best choice. You really ought to get some trigger time of your own before deciding whether you want to spend money on an aftermarket safety, and accept the trade-offs that come with it.

[Stang5oh]

I also just got a 870p. Pretty much had the same question. The parts I was wondering about changing where the extractor, is the 870p non mim? Carrier latch spring? Extractor plunger? It came with a mag extension so im guessing there should be no need to change my mag spring and follower. Dont plan on adding a bunch of crap, just want a strong reliable 870. Thanks for any input.

[hector.jacob]

Stang5oh read this pdf link

http://randywakeman.com/870ExpressDifferences.pdf

like it was said, the follower would be a good upgrade..lithe the S&J follower... its comes with what most people aftermarket companies upgrade in their tactical or border etc shotguns ( machined extractor and ejectors, heavier carrier dog spring, heavier sear spring )

i think the only upgrades would apart from the follower would be some marine magnum trigger parts ( nickel plated) if corrosion worries you in the long term...

[Stang5oh]

Thank you for the response. Just what I needed.

[Bourget117]

Anyone know if the marine magnum has the same heavy duty sear spring and carrier dog spring? I know both police marine and express marine magnums have those springs in a nickel finish but I was wondering if they were the upgraded ones as well

[hector.jacob]

same as express springs just nickel coated...
about the heavy duty sear springs... from some years back the police model and express model come with the same 4-5lb spring... the marine magnum is same spring that is nickel coated...