Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Tactical, combat, military, law enforcement and home defense use of a Remington 870 shotgun.
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John A.
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by John A. » Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:51 pm

I was just ribbing you a little. :lol:

I am glad that you got it where you're happy with it. That's what's most important.
When people ignorant of guns make gun laws, you have ignorant gun laws.
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Jbur
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by Jbur » Mon Nov 20, 2017 2:34 am

John A. wrote:I was just ribbing you a little.

I am glad that you got it where you're happy with it. That's what's most important.
Thanks man! Do you have any recommendations for a good home defense shotgun? Or just in general. This is my first shotgun.

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John A.
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by John A. » Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:10 am

I've owned a lot of shotguns over the years. Nothing wrong with the 870 at all. I don't really have a particular favorite for HD, though the pumps I keep gravitating toward in no particular order are the Mossberg 500, rem 870, and the Winchester 1300. I've owned at least one or two of each. I think most people intimately familiar with shotguns openly admit that all three types are more than adequate and trustworthy for the most part. The most notable difference that most people notice right off the bat are the ergonomics of the bunch.

I suppose if I had to pick just one shotgun as an "ultimate" HD pump scattergun, would be an older Ithaca 37 in all fairness. And my only mention of it is the ability to slam fire it, which is a little faster than an average pump. The Winchester "speed pump" 1300's are the fastest shooting of the ones I mentioned in the paragraph above, but the Ithica doesn't have any new fangled aftermarket support like the 870, 500, and 1300's since they've been out of production for so long. And the 1300's have been out of production a while too, which also limits what is available for them these days too.

Truthfully, the most important part to any gun is learning the gun, familiarizing yourself with it, and shooting it well. If you can do that, that's what's important.

You can practice with cheap walmart bulk pack birdshot from Federal for $25 a box a lot cheaper than factory slugs that cost almost $1 a pop. And since they're "low brass-handicap" loads, won't be as punishing to shoot in bulk as factory slugs and most buckshot either for just playing around with it either.

Buy a 100 count bulk pack federals and shoot a box of them every so often and get comfy with it.
Last edited by John A. on Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jbur
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by Jbur » Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:40 am

John A. wrote:I've owned a lot of shotguns over the years. Nothing wrong with the 870 at all. I don't really have a particular favorite for HD, though the pumps I keep gravitating toward in no particular order are the Mossberg 500, rem 870, and the Winchester 1300. I've owned at least one or two of each. I think most people intimately familiar with shotguns openly admit that all three types are more than adequate and trustworthy for the most part. The most notable difference that most people notice right off the bat are the ergonomics of the bunch.

I suppose if I had to pick just one shotgun as an "ultimate" HD pump scattergun, would be an older Ithaca 37 in all fairness. And my only mention of it is the ability to slam fire it, which is a little faster than an average pump. The Winchester "speed pump" 1300's are the fastest shooting of the ones I mentioned above, but the Ithica doesn't have any new fangled aftermarket support like the 870, 500, and 1300's since they've been out of production for so long. And the 1300's have been out of production a while too, which also limits what is available for them these days too.

Truthfully, the most important part to any gun is learning the gun, familiarizing yourself with it, and shooting it well. If you can do that, that's what's important.

You can practice with cheap walmart bulk pack birdshot from Federal for $25 a box a lot cheaper than factory slugs that cost almost $1 a pop. And since they're "low brass-handicap" loads, won't be as punishing to shoot in bulk as factory slugs and most buckshot either for just playing around with it either.

Buy a 100 count bulk pack federals and shoot a box of them every so often and get comfy with it.
Thanks for the info. I put about 100 rounds through it last weekend and I plan to shoot again this week. I just enjoy shooting it. I work for Washington DOC and we use Remington 870 as our duty shotguns so I already had some familiarity with the gun from my yearly qualifying.

In terms of upgrades to be done. Are there any you'd recommend. I ordered the Magpul stock because it has the shortest pull I found for aftermarket stocks. I'm a short guy with short arms so that was important to me. I also ordered a better follower and spring. It already has a mag tube extension.

A lot of people recommend replacing the extractor and spring? Apparently the quality isn't as good on those parts as the older 870s. I'm not too familiar with that part.

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John A.
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by John A. » Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:00 am

Sounds like you're already well on your way to qualifying expert with it next time ;)

Like I said, there are a lot of little technical differences between the different makes that I mentioned, but the ergonomics are the major ones. The controls are just laid out a little differently.

I know this is a rem 870 forum, but I like guns in general and don't have any serious brand loyalty from one to another and I could probably give you good and bad about them all. I think most people could pick up any of them and shoot them without "re-training".

I don't want to over-step my bounds, and I don't know if you get any firearm training (other than yearly qual's) but if there's a possibility that you may have to use one at work, and especially if you'd grab it at home, it may would be a decent idea to see if you can take a course using it.

If you aren't inclined to do that right now, then maybe consider seeing if you can get a copy of the magpul dynamic shotgun video set. There's a lot of good information in that video, especially for someone who is just getting into shotguns.

I promise, you'll get your moneys worth out of it. It's on closeout for $6.99+ship right now. Just a little suggestion that you may want to consider.

https://www.magpul.com/products/the-art ... sc-dvd-set

video excerpt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XCv0X6SqUg
When people ignorant of guns make gun laws, you have ignorant gun laws.
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John A.
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by John A. » Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:18 am

Jbur wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:40 am
In terms of upgrades to be done. Are there any you'd recommend. I ordered the Magpul stock because it has the shortest pull I found for aftermarket stocks. I'm a short guy with short arms so that was important to me. I also ordered a better follower and spring. It already has a mag tube extension.

A lot of people recommend replacing the extractor and spring? Apparently the quality isn't as good on those parts as the older 870s. I'm not too familiar with that part.

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I've never had to replace an extractor on an 870. Granted all of my 870's have been older ones, but I'd probably hold off on it for the meantime and see how yours plays out for right now and see how that goes.

As for upgrades, those are all kind of personal decisions based on how they are going to use the gun, and when. Sounds like the magpul stock will fit you well, so that was a good decision based on your needs. Another alternative would've been a youth stock, which have a little less length of pull. That comes in handy for hunting in cold weather too since the youth stock works better for most people wearing thick heavy coats anyway.

Every gun that I own that is in the HD lineup will have a weapon light. Period. If I can't ID a target in the dead of night, I shouldn't be shooting at that target in the middle of the night.

So, for me, a weapon light is required. If you don't want to spend the big bucks and get a surefire light that's built into the forend (let's face it-those cost about as much as the whole shotgun does), I like elzetta light mounts. They don't move around when you're shooting under the recoil and cost around $35, plus whatever light you want to put in it. And where lights are concerned, 150 lumens is way more than enough inside your house.

And a little extra tip for using a shotgun with a light at the close distances that you'd be using a shotgun for HD, I had an old friend who used to have a saying about using a light on a shotgun at CQ.

Since the light beam doesn't have a lot of room to spread out, and since the wad/pattern doesn't spread out hardly any up close, his saying was "If it's lit, it's hit", meaning if the little circle of light is on a target, that's approximately where the pellets are going to go.

And is a lot faster shooting multiple targets too since you can "point/shoot" rather than aim/shoot, so you can go through several targets very quickly.

I also like a side saddle. That keeps shells right on the gun so there is no fumbling around in the middle of the night looking for shells to put in it. If you don't want to use a side saddle, then you could consider a sling that has a bandolier built into it for storing different kinds of shells if you prefer that route.
When people ignorant of guns make gun laws, you have ignorant gun laws.
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Jbur
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by Jbur » Mon Nov 20, 2017 5:38 am

John A. wrote:
Jbur wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:40 am
In terms of upgrades to be done. Are there any you'd recommend. I ordered the Magpul stock because it has the shortest pull I found for aftermarket stocks. I'm a short guy with short arms so that was important to me. I also ordered a better follower and spring. It already has a mag tube extension.

A lot of people recommend replacing the extractor and spring? Apparently the quality isn't as good on those parts as the older 870s. I'm not too familiar with that part.

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I've never had to replace an extractor on an 870. Granted all of my 870's have been older ones, but I'd probably hold off on it for the meantime and see how yours plays out for right now and see how that goes.

As for upgrades, those are all kind of personal decisions based on how they are going to use the gun, and when. Sounds like the magpul stock will fit you well, so that was a good decision based on your needs. Another alternative would've been a youth stock, which have a little less length of pull. That comes in handy for hunting in cold weather too since the youth stock works better for most people wearing thick heavy coats anyway.

Every gun that I own that is in the HD lineup will have a weapon light. Period. If I can't ID a target in the dead of night, I shouldn't be shooting at that target in the middle of the night.

So, for me, a weapon light is required. If you don't want to spend the big bucks and get a surefire light that's built into the forend (let's face it-those cost about as much as the whole shotgun does), I like elzetta light mounts. They don't move around when you're shooting under the recoil and cost around $35, plus whatever light you want to put in it. And where lights are concerned, 150 lumens is way more than enough inside your house.

And a little extra tip for using a shotgun with a light at the close distances that you'd be using a shotgun for HD, I had an old friend who used to have a saying about using a light on a shotgun at CQ.

Since the light beam doesn't have a lot of room to spread out, and since the wad/pattern doesn't spread out hardly any up close, his saying was "If it's lit, it's hit", meaning if the little circle of light is on a target, that's approximately where the pellets are going to go.

And is a lot faster shooting multiple targets too since you can "point/shoot" rather than aim/shoot, so you can go through several targets very quickly.

I also like a side saddle. That keeps shells right on the gun so there is no fumbling around in the middle of the night looking for shells to put in it. If you don't want to use a side saddle, then you could consider a sling that has a bandolier built into it for storing different kinds of shells if you prefer that route.
Thank you for all the info. I would love to take a defensive shotgun class. Just a matter of finding one near me. I'll definitely check out that video you suggested. It seems a general consensus that a WML is a must so I think that will be the next thing on my list. I've been on the fence about a side saddle because of weight. I got the extended mag so it holds six rounds. I also have a Rambo style 50 shot bandolier too lol.

Image

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Jbur
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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by Jbur » Mon Nov 20, 2017 7:18 pm

Got the Magpul SGA stock installed today. Bring a short guy with short arms, this was a huge upgrade for me. I can much more comfortably hold and handle the weapon now. It shortened the pull by about 2 inches. ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage

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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by Synchronizor » Wed Nov 22, 2017 2:50 am

Jbur wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:40 am
A lot of people recommend replacing the extractor and spring? Apparently the quality isn't as good on those parts as the older 870s. I'm not too familiar with that part.
Remington has switched to a MIM (metal injection molded) extractor on most of their current 870s, compared to the machined parts that they used to use before MIM technology really matured. MIM parts are cheaper to produce (as long as you're making enough of them) and are easier parts to control quality with in a lot of ways; the machined extractors have seen periodic problems with improper manufacturing, since they're made one-by-one and are subject to more variance.

I will say that I have observed issues with a MIM extractor slipping off shell rims and failing to extract when very rapidly firing cheap steel-cup shotshells. Switching to an older machined extractor did improve things, but keep in mind that that's a single case for each part; really not enough to prove anything. I consider that to be an ammo problem anyway, as cheap steel cups are quite prone to expanding and sticking under pressure, and the MIM extractor has worked completely flawlessly with good brass-cup and higher-quality steel-cup shotshells. In fact, I've observed a MIM extractor tear right through jammed shotshells (like overpressure handloads or cheap shells fired in a fouled chamber) rather than slip off on multiple occasions. That's still an extraction failure, but obviously the extractor was doing its job perfectly. You should not be using super-cheap shotshells for anything other than plinking or practice where nothing's on the line.

I don't think the MIM extractors are bad parts, and if you're not seeing function problems, you shouldn't worry about changing it. Some people prefer to do so just for peace of mind, and that's fine. You do need to be able to trust your gun, and if it takes a $15 part, even if it makes no real difference in function, go for it. Just be sure to get a current-production extractor from a reputable source. Some folks have gotten similar but not identical extractors meant for other Remington shotguns through online purchases, or improperly-machined extractors from bad runs, and then their gun that was perfectly reliable with the MIM part started to have issues with the "upgrade".

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Re: Remington 870 Tactical HD build

Post by Jbur » Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:12 pm

Synchronizor wrote:
Jbur wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:40 am
A lot of people recommend replacing the extractor and spring? Apparently the quality isn't as good on those parts as the older 870s. I'm not too familiar with that part.
Remington has switched to a MIM (metal injection molded) extractor on most of their current 870s, compared to the machined parts that they used to use before MIM technology really matured. MIM parts are cheaper to produce (as long as you're making enough of them) and are easier parts to control quality with in a lot of ways; the machined extractors have seen periodic problems with improper manufacturing, since they're made one-by-one and are subject to more variance.

I will say that I have observed issues with a MIM extractor slipping off shell rims and failing to extract when very rapidly firing cheap steel-cup shotshells. Switching to an older machined extractor did improve things, but keep in mind that that's a single case for each part; really not enough to prove anything. I consider that to be an ammo problem anyway, as cheap steel cups are quite prone to expanding and sticking under pressure, and the MIM extractor has worked completely flawlessly with good brass-cup and higher-quality steel-cup shotshells. In fact, I've observed a MIM extractor tear right through jammed shotshells (like overpressure handloads or cheap shells fired in a fouled chamber) rather than slip off on multiple occasions. That's still an extraction failure, but obviously the extractor was doing its job perfectly. You should not be using super-cheap shotshells for anything other than plinking or practice where nothing's on the line.

I don't think the MIM extractors are bad parts, and if you're not seeing function problems, you shouldn't worry about changing it. Some people prefer to do so just for peace of mind, and that's fine. You do need to be able to trust your gun, and if it takes a $15 part, even if it makes no real difference in function, go for it. Just be sure to get a current-production extractor from a reputable source. Some folks have gotten similar but not identical extractors meant for other Remington shotguns through online purchases, or improperly-machined extractors from bad runs, and then their gun that was perfectly reliable with the MIM part started to have issues with the "upgrade".
Thank you again for the info. You are a great resource for shotgun info, I appreciate it!

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Magpul SGA stock, M-lok forend, ms3 sling, Wilson combat follower/spring, vangcomp safety, volquartsen extractor, heavy carrier spring, Nordic barrel clamp.

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