870 Magpul edition

[jdinny]

New member here.
Long time Winchester 1300 defender owner.
I was thinking of picking up a 6 shot synthetic, and getting it cerakoted and adding the sights, and the shop had a black Magpul edition I fell in love with, so I grabbed it.
Installed a Mesa LEO and crosshair hydraulic buffer tube with Magpul carbine stock.
Just ran 25 rounds through it, and I can't believe how great that buffer works.
For anyone considering this stock, just do it!
My 135# wife fires it with no problem.
I love this thing!!!
I've got a Wilson Combat +1, Mesa sidesaddle and a Inforce WML that I'm gonna put on tomorrow.

[TommyV]

Very cool, post some pics of it.

[Synchronizor]

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new 870.

You may run into a problem with that Wilson +1 extension. The spring it comes with is intended to be used when installing the extension on a standard 4-round magazine tube. It'll probably end up being too short to run reliably in the Magpul Edition's 6-round magazine tube (especially during really fast cycling). You could give it a try, but I would recommend replacing it with a spring from a +2 extension, which can be ordered separately from Wilson Combat's website.

[PeaceOfficer]

Congrats on the purchase.

[jdinny]

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new 870.

You may run into a problem with that Wilson +1 extension. The spring it comes with is intended to be used when installing the extension on a standard 4-round magazine tube. It'll probably end up being too short to run reliably in the Magpul Edition's 6-round magazine tube (especially during really fast cycling). You could give it a try, but I would recommend replacing it with a spring from a +2 extension, which can be ordered separately from Wilson Combat's website.

Good morning and thanks for the reply/info
I kinda figured that might be the case, so when I ordered the safety switch and extension, I ordered a spring for the +2.
I installed the safety and the extension yesterday, and just installed the +2 spring, didn't even bother trying the one that came in the kit.
It felt good loading the tube, and racking it. It did take all 7 with no binding or any indication of any problem at all.
Do you think the +2 spring will perform ok ? I will fire it today and see how it goes.
The only issue is the "off color" of the extension.
The Cerakote finish on this weapon is awesome! I would like to find someone close by who does Cerakoting, and get the extension, and the Mesa LEO adaptor done so they match,
I do have a question for you though, I'm seeing a lot of people replacing the carrier latch spring, sear spring, and extractor with parts from a police version, should I bother doing that or just leave it be. The trigger pull could be a little stiffer, but it's not that bad.
I will get some pics up later today.
Happy New Year,
jd

[Synchronizor]

That +2 spring should work fine. A WC +2 extension on a standard 4-round magazine tube has a little less internal space than a WC +1 on a 6-round mag tube, but not by much. The +2 spring has more than enough power for its intended application, so I don't foresee any problems in your gun.

While you're tweaking your magazine setup, I would also recommend breaking off the follower's center post. It's not attached very well, so it's easy to do. That post can jam up the gun if it breaks off on its own, and even if it doesn't, it can crack open the crimps of shells stored in the magazine for extended periods of time.

I do have a question for you though, I'm seeing a lot of people replacing the carrier latch spring, sear spring, and extractor with parts from a police version, should I bother doing that or just leave it be. The trigger pull could be a little stiffer, but it's not that bad.

The parts used in Police 870s aren't necessarily "better", they're different, and may or may not be worth swapping in depending on how you use your gun.

The stronger carrier dog follower spring (the spring is actually a carrier latch spring from a semi-auto 1100, but it can be used as a carrier dog follower spring in an 870) has some advantages in very heavily-used police guns because it lasts longer before needing to be replaced. The standard spring in civilian 870s is perfectly reliable, and if this gun is cycled as often as most HD 870s, it'll probably never wear out in your lifetime. You could change it every decade or so if you're worried, but I guarantee you that there are 50-year-old 870s out there that are still running at 100% with their original springs. I use a standard-weight carrier dog follower spring in my 870 because I don't like how the extra-heavy spring stiffens up the action.

Changing the sear spring just changes your trigger pull. The only spring that could remotely be called "better" than the others is the nickle-plated marine magnum sear spring, which is supposed to be a bit more corrosion-resistant (though realistically, other stuff in your trigger plate assembly will start rusting and causing problems before your sear spring). If you want a heavier trigger pull, put in a heavy spring. If you want a lighter pull, drop in a lighter spring. If you're content with the pull as-is, leave it alone.

People change out MIM (metal injection molded, think plastic injection molding, but with a toothpaste-like metal/binder slurry instead of molten plastic) extractors for machined extractors as a feel-good measure more than anything else. Technically, a part machined from solid steel stock is less likely to have material defects than a MIM part, but Remington's MIM process is very good (they have done a lot to develop and refine the technology over the years, and are still an industry leader), and you'll have a real tough time finding actual cases of MIM extractors breaking or failing through normal use. Swapping in a machined extractor can lead to headaches & problems too; the machined parts are less consistent than the molded ones, since they're manufactured individually. Dimensions can be off, machining steps can be skipped, and it's not uncommon for 3rd-party sellers to screw up and send extractors from other Remington shotguns instead of actual 870 parts (which are visually quite similar, but just different enough to cause reliability problems). Honestly, leaving out people putting down MIM extractors or mistakenly blaming them for unrelated problems because they read an internet article that said they were inferior, I've seen more problems with machined extractors than MIM extractors during my time on this site. Go ahead and spend the $15 if it'll let you sleep better at night, but if your current extractor hasn't caused any issues, I see no real need to change it.

[jdinny]

That +2 spring should work fine. A WC +2 extension on a standard 4-round magazine tube has a little less internal space than a WC +1 on a 6-round mag tube, but not by much. The +2 spring has more than enough power for its intended application, so I don't foresee any problems in your gun.

While you're tweaking your magazine setup, I would also recommend breaking off the follower's center post. It's not attached very well, so it's easy to do. That post can jam up the gun if it breaks off on its own, and even if it doesn't, it can crack open the crimps of shells stored in the magazine for extended periods of time.

I do have a question for you though, I'm seeing a lot of people replacing the carrier latch spring, sear spring, and extractor with parts from a police version, should I bother doing that or just leave it be. The trigger pull could be a little stiffer, but it's not that bad.

The parts used in Police 870s aren't necessarily "better", they're different, and may or may not be worth swapping in depending on how you use your gun.

The stronger carrier dog follower spring (the spring is actually a carrier latch spring from a semi-auto 1100, but it can be used as a carrier dog follower spring in an 870) has some advantages in very heavily-used police guns because it lasts longer before needing to be replaced. The standard spring in civilian 870s is perfectly reliable, and if this gun is cycled as often as most HD 870s, it'll probably never wear out in your lifetime. You could change it every decade or so if you're worried, but I guarantee you that there are 50-year-old 870s out there that are still running at 100% with their original springs. I use a standard-weight carrier dog follower spring in my 870 because I don't like how the extra-heavy spring stiffens up the action.

Changing the sear spring just changes your trigger pull. The only spring that could remotely be called "better" than the others is the nickle-plated marine magnum sear spring, which is supposed to be a bit more corrosion-resistant (though realistically, other stuff in your trigger plate assembly will start rusting and causing problems before your sear spring). If you want a heavier trigger pull, put in a heavy spring. If you want a lighter pull, drop in a lighter spring. If you're content with the pull as-is, leave it alone.

People change out MIM (metal injection molded, think plastic injection molding, but with a toothpaste-like metal/binder slurry instead of molten plastic) extractors for machined extractors as a feel-good measure more than anything else. Technically, a part machined from solid steel stock is less likely to have material defects than a MIM part, but Remington's MIM process is very good (they have done a lot to develop and refine the technology over the years, and are still an industry leader), and you'll have a real tough time finding actual cases of MIM extractors breaking or failing through normal use. Swapping in a machined extractor can lead to headaches & problems too; the machined parts are less consistent than the molded ones, since they're manufactured individually. Dimensions can be off, machining steps can be skipped, and it's not uncommon for 3rd-party sellers to screw up and send extractors from other Remington shotguns instead of actual 870 parts (which are visually quite similar, but just different enough to cause reliability problems). Honestly, leaving out people putting down MIM extractors or mistakenly blaming them for unrelated problems because they read an internet article that said they were inferior, I've seen more problems with machined extractors than MIM extractors during my time on this site. Go ahead and spend the $15 if it'll let you sleep better at night, but if your current extractor hasn't caused any issues, I see no real need to change it.

I won't bother changing out the parts then. I've run about 100 rounds through it so far, and actually, the gun works real nice as far as I'm concerned.
The trigger pull is nice for me, I surely wouldn't want it any softer. I fired half a dozen 00's today, and 10 slugs checking out my sights, and am impressed at how close to dead on this weapon is out of the box. I might pick up a mid grade red dot and see how I like that.
Thanks for all of your valuable info, and your videos are great! I must admit, I did watch your takedown video's and a few others before I disassembled my 870. I will cut the tip off of the Wilson follower, and I do have an S&G coming in the mail. I used the original follower on the cap end of the magazine as you show in one of your videos when I reassembled.

[Synchronizor]

There's no need to put the original follower on the forward end of the magazine spring if you're using a magazine extension. The inside end of the extension isn't going to snag the spring like some magazine caps can, so there's no benefit. All you're accomplishing is reducing your magazine capacity slightly.

[jdinny]

Ok, when I trim that WC follower, or put in the S&G, I'll remove it.
Thanks

[TommyV]

Your gun looks great. Nice upgrades.