Forend Concern

[shotty]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and new to pump shotguns. I bought an 870 tactical. I've had it thoroughly cleaned from a friend and put about 50 rounds through it and works great. My only problem is the forend shows a gap on the right side and in the picture you can see the right side rail sticking out unlike the left side. The forend has a slight wiggle/twist which I read is normal, I hope. When I hold it the gun, it is noticeable down the barrel and you can feel the slight tilt.

Is there an adjustment and if not, should I be concerned for any reason. It appears to be firing and chambering just fine. Maybe its me just being peculiar.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Synchronizor]

It is normal for the fore-end to have a bit of wiggle, but let me ask this, when you wiggle it, does the fore-end move relative to the action bars? Or do both wiggle together? If installed correctly, the fore-end & fore-end tube assembly should be one rigid unit; so if the fore-end and action bars move relative to each other, the fore-end tube nut may have come loose.

If they're solidly attached, though, the fore-end may have just been put on crooked. Take the fore-end assembly off and look at where the action bars meet the fore-end. There should be slight gaps on each side between the metal action bars and the plastic of the fore-end. If these aren't of equal width, the fore-end has probably been installed askew. Loosen the fore-end tube nut, straighten the fore-end, and tighten the nut back down.

If all that checks out and the fore-end still hangs to the side, you may have twisted action bars, or something else out of whack.

[shotty]

Thanks for responding. The fore-end has less than an 1/8th inch of play which moves the action as well. But the action bars and forend are solid with no movement. The side to side wiggle is not as bad, it just looks like the fore-end is not aligned which is showing the gap on the right side and also making the action bar look further out. The action bars doesn't look bent to the naked eye. I'll try dissembling per your instructions to see what I can figure out.

Does what I said about the movement sound normal?

[Synchronizor]

Does what I said about the movement sound normal?

Yeah, the action bars have a certain amount of elastic flex, and of course there's a bit of clearance designed in to allow the the fore-end tube and action bars to move freely on the magazine tube and inside the receiver. So a little play is normal.