Hello from So. California (and dev. thread)

[SoCal_Rem870]

Been lots of Remington's in my family, both sides, over the years, but now I have one of my very own, a Remington 870 Express (https://www.remington.com/shotguns/pump ... 70-express), which I picked up this very day. I add that to a Remington Model 141 Slide Action Repeating Rifle (.35 Remington) that belonged to my grandfather. I doubt he ever put more than 40 rounds put through it, so it is pretty much pristine so far as anything metal is concerned. The blued finish is unmarred, though the stock and forend have the odd light scratch here and there from bumping around for about *70* years. The wood could be stripped, sanded, and refinished easily enough to return it to near mint condition. I am its caretaker and likely inheritor, as my brother is not too keen on it (though he enjoys shooting it as much as I do). Also, I may be a California native (later 40's by the way), but my mother is from a rural Mid-Western town (where I first learned to shoot at my uncle's private range/gun club) and my father was from rural North-Western town (dirt poor, but very capable and proud!), and, as the youngest of a large family, hunting was more often a necessity for putting food on the table for my dad than an enjoyable pastime (his usual hunting gun was a shotgun, his fun gun a .22). And so I have what I would call a broader perspective on certain things than all too many of my fellow citizens here in the Bear Flag state do; namely in regard to firearms. I'll try not to stir any pots regarding politics though, even if what goes on in California can be somewhat infuriating due to its insensibility.

Anyways, I'll no doubt be pestering you all with a few (hopefully not too ignorant) questions regarding various accessories I plan to add to round out the capabilities of my new 870, and what better place to ask for opinions than a forum dedicated specifically to the Remington 870? Before I do that though, I better have a look around to see how many of my questions have already been answered. Hopefully I'll find a good many of them before posting a question thread of my own.

I'll preempt any future posts by simply saying, "Thank you for you patience."

[Goodgun]

Hello So Cal.!! Welcome.. I'm not a pro. But I know my way around firearms. The 870 is my favorite and I'm studying everything about it. I will help in any way I can. Just ask? Now go shoot that 870 and get back with us! Enjoy Friend...

[SoCal_Rem870]

Thanks for the welcome. I am mainly familiar with semi-auto pistols, bolt-action rifles, pump-action rifles/shotguns, and muzzle loaders (a friend of mine will be introducing me to AR's and AK's later in the year), but I am wise enough to know that I am definitely not familiar enough with something I just got, let alone anything I previously listed. At least I have handled a few Remington shotguns and rifles in the past, and the Remington 141 we have pretty much has the same safety as my 870, is a pump-action, and feeds .35 Remington cartridges similar to a shotgun (though its loading ramp is located at the base of the magazine just in front of the receiver rather than at the front of the receiver). It is a strange rifle, but in a good way. Very smooth shooter. I'll be sure to post a bit about my experiences. In the meantime, there is always more to learn.

This will also be my developmental thread, and hopefully it will have more of an emphasis on the "develop" bit than the "mental" bit.

[SoCal_Rem870]

Getting on with the "develop" bit, here are some of my cunning plans...

First, I considered getting this storage case...



...inner dimensions of about 51.5"x12.5"x5"...the middle foam layer constitutes the usable volume, and with a proper border that gives a usable area of 48"x10" (x2.25" deep)...and cramming the standard 870 Express into it, plus a slew of tacti-cool stuff. You know, lazers and...and...other shit!

It looked something like this:



Yep. FOUR barrels. Oh, I'm sure I could squeeze more stuff in there...somehow..., but surely this was a bit more on the "mental" side of things (for me at least). I understand the concept of being a completist, as I have very much been that in regard to a few other things, but I've been steadily moving away from that compulsion for 10+ years, and it is no different with this. So, that was a fun initial exercise and all, but once I got it out of my system, and had a good long think about what sort of usefulness I want out of my 870, things changed just a little bit. I considered that a shotgun, while being quite adaptable, is not really the best tool for every job, no matter how it is configured. For instance, I very much prefer a scoped rifle in .308 or .300 Win Mag for long distance shooting, and a shotgun just can't do that job as well no matter what I get for it, and it doesn't need to. And so some changes were made. I am likely going to get this case instead...



...inner dimensions of about 42.75"x12"x4" (the middle foam layer is the real working space, and accounting for a reasonable border all around it, that working space is 39.5"x10.25"x2.25"; the middle layer is sandwiched between two layers of 1" thick egg crate foam)...and set it up something like this:



Yeah, just a bit more on the "develop" side of things this time. I'm still not decided on the details of few things, but that's okay at this point. All in good time. The interior length of this case is cutting it really close, so before I get it I'll need to install the 20" barrel and check for final length to see if it will fit, with some room on either end, before buying this case. I did look one over today, and it looks like it will do the job well. As a bonus, I can also get a set of Pelican Storm Case iM3200 foam here https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pelican-Stor ... /149741517, just in case I want to configure the case with stiffer foam for the shotgun, or to set the case up for the transport of something entirely different.

While I could spend $150 more and go with a really nice Pelican case, I'd rather get this one and spend the difference putting stuff in it! Besides, this is mainly for transport, and I really just need something that is sturdy and able to be secured with padlocks. Also, I have had a Plano Case Guard All Weather Extra Large Pistol case for over a year. It is very sturdy, holds plenty, and I am very satisfied with it, so I am quite willing to get another Plano Case Guard All Weather series case. It will also store more easily/fit in the trunk of my car (kind of important), unlike the larger wheeled case.

One note on the contents listed in the pic of that second case layout. Before posting a question on how one would switch back to using the standard magazine length after removing/altering the spring retainer tabs for the +3 magazine extension, I was good boy and did my due diligence, having a look around to see if this had been dealt with. I found Synchronizor's video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jfGcuhGrWk regarding a good way of doing just what I wanted by using a follower or spring retainer ring, and why he recommended one made for the Benelli Nova http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-parts/ ... 15447.aspx instead of one made by Remington specifically for the 870. One could also drill two holes in the Remington spring retainer ring, similar to what the Benelli has, so as to be able to use a tool to more easily compress it for removal (if you don't want to buy another part). Lots of very informative and well done videos on Synchronizor's YouTube channel, located here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAJdjY ... kiOkAbNbwQ.

[SoCal_Rem870]

If the smaller of the above two cases is a bit too small, and the larger of the two is just slightly annoyingly too big, I may have to go with this one instead:

I'll have to see if its 46" width fits in the back of a car/car trunk easily enough sideways. If it does, it may be the perfect option size-wise, even if it cost twice as much. On the upside it does have the more dense non-pluck foam similar to that used in Pelican cases, and with interior dimensions of 44"x15"x6.25" it can hold everything, and with a bit more room to spare. It about $160 though. It would be set up like so:



As always, ideas (i.e. "I have had very good experiences with this." or "Have you considered this particular option/issue?") and opinions ("I prefer this one over that one because..." or "That's the stupidest #@$!ing idea I've ever heard, because...") are very welcome.

[Synchronizor]

Your pictures stopped showing up for me.

There are a couple things I would consider when planning your layout.

First, changing fore-ends on an 870 goes a lot faster if they're complete fore-end assemblies, rather than just the fore-end. This means getting a second fore-end tube assembly & fore-end tube nut for your second fore-end. It also means you'll need to make space in the foam for the action bars sticking out the back of the fore-end that's not currently on the gun.

Second, I'd find space for some tools. Not much reason to pack all those parts around if you can't swap them on and off the gun wherever you happen to be. You shouldn't need too much, but maybe one or two screwdrivers for changing the stock, an Allen wrench set for accessories, and a small punch that will work as a trigger pin pusher, and also let you get to almost everything in your trigger plate & breech bolt assemblies.

I would also include some choke tube lube, and a handful or Rem Oil wipes.

[SoCal_Rem870]

Good points. Hadn't considered a full forend assembly. Not a bad idea. I usually keep tools/oil/cloths in my range bag, though your mentioning tools has me thinking of what I would need to add to that kit with respect to the 870 and its various parts. Everything else I have breaks down fully only using a punch, flat-head screwdriver, or nothing at all. I'll add to that a philips screwdriver and any specialty tools my after market parts came with. Maybe a small slip wrench and one of those round rubber bottle opening things which work well for protecting a stuck part, like an extension coupler, magazine cap, etc., while freeing it up gently with a wrench.

[SoCal_Rem870]

Looks like the shop area of the Remington site is back up, and the new barrel options are up too (not available yet though). So, there is a new 870 Express finish 18.5" barrel with bead sight and Rem choke:

https://www.remington.com/shop/870-Expr ... /p/F401510

That will likely become my dedicated home defense barrel. Wouldn't mind having it with rifle sights too, but I can always just mount the rail and go with a red dot or laser instead. The greatest distance in the house is about 10 yards, so rifle sights are not exactly a must anyways.

[SoCal_Rem870]

Been a bit since I last posted, and the above links have now been fixed. They don't show up, but you can right-click on them to view them. that way Photobucket won't slam the door on viewing them due to bandwidth use issues. I have picked up a few things...

I decided to go with a Plano case after all, and for a good price from MidwayUSA. I have had one of PLANO's All-Weather XL Pistol Cases for more than a year and have been completely satisfied with it. This model seemed to suit my purposes the best:

For anyone who is interested, the true inner dimensions of this case are 42.5" x 12.75" x 5". PLANO has had this case available in three "different" models, the only differences being the color of the handles/latch releases (they have made them in red, yellow, and black). They are all the same, and the black handle and red handle models may very well be being closed out (actually, MidwayUSA has the all black "tactical" style on clearance right now for $52.50!) so if you find them for a deal then they are worth picking up. They are not Pelican cases by any means, but they are not all that inferior either- very nice for basic storage/transport. Anyways, I am very happy with it. Having further refined things, here is the latest gear layout for the new case:

Last, I picked up a variety of gun socks:

- Remington 52" Silicone-Treated Rifle/Shotgun Sock (for when the wooden stock is installed)
- MidwayUSA Silicone-Treated Tactical Rifle Gun Sock 47" Black (for when the ATI T3 stock installed)
- MidwayUSA Silicone-Treated 24" Receiver/36" Barrel Combo Gun Sock Black (for storage of the 28" and 20" barrels, which they fit perfectly)

The MidwayUSA gun socks are very well made, the material is heavier than that of the Remington sock, and the stitching is also very good, so I recommend the Midway USA socks. Still not sure on a rifled barrel just yet, so my case configuration may be changed to leave it out (I'll decide that before cutting up the foam too much). I also decided against the Archangel stock/forend. I like the forend, but it is not very easy to attach the stock. Swapping it out easily will be an issue, and I'd rather avoid any increased likelihood of cross-threading the stock bolt/receiver stud.

And so the list of what I still wish to get is now much smaller:

- ATI T3 Shotgun Stock (or a Blackhawk spec-ops recoil reducing stock)
- 18.5" smooth bore barrel w/bead Sight and Rem Choke, Matte (SKU# F402125)
- +2 magazine extension for the 18.5" barrel

[SoCal_Rem870]

Installed the upgraded carrier latch spring, heavy sear spring, and non-MIM extractor today. Talk about easy. Done in less than 10 minutes, from break down to reassembly. Definitely saving the OEM parts, just in case.