Question regarding Follower in 870 Tactical

[Caddy9268]

I have a question regarding Followers in general. I'm looking to upgrade from the plastic orange follower as I have heard many who have regretted waiting so long to do such an easy and cost efficient upgrade. My question is what is the best follower Stainless or Aluminum? I have read negatives on both. Stainless is to hard and will cause damage over time and Aluminum starts to Burr causing failures. Can anyone chime in on a brand and finish that is best for the 870 tactical....Thank you all

[Synchronizor]

I wouldn't recommend any metal follower. They have more friction, cause more wear, have more inertia, and are more expensive than polymer followers. If you want to upgrade from the factory part, I'd suggest a high-visibility polymer follower that has a feature to allow you to tell by touch when the magazine is empty. That's really the primary advantage to changing to an aftermarket follower; otherwise, the factory follower does just as well or better than any other.

I prefer the followers from S&J Hardware. They're made from an excellent high-visibility acetal plastic that's strong, self-lubricating, chemically-resistant (with a few exceptions), and easy to modify if desired. You have three types to choose from, two with tails & solid bodies, and one cup-style - all of which can be easily differentiated from shells by both sight and touch. Again, your factory follower is just fine in terms of function & reliability, but good aftermarket followers like these do offer a bit of improved functionality if you've got an itch to tinker with or personalize your shotgun.

[Caddy9268]

I wouldn't recommend any metal follower. They have more friction, cause more wear, have more inertia, and are more expensive than polymer followers. If you want to upgrade from the factory part, I'd suggest a high-visibility polymer follower that has a feature to allow you to tell by touch when the magazine is empty. That's really the primary advantage to changing to an aftermarket follower; otherwise, the factory follower does just as well or better than any other.

I prefer the followers from S&J Hardware. They're made from an excellent high-visibility acetal plastic that's strong, self-lubricating, chemically-resistant (with a few exceptions), and easy to modify if desired. You have three types to choose from, two with tails & solid bodies, and one cup-style - all of which can be easily differentiated from shells by both sight and touch. Again, your factory follower is just fine in terms of function & reliability, but good aftermarket followers like these do offer a bit of improved functionality if you've got an itch to tinker with or personalize your shotgun.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I was thinking of upgrading the spring and follower with Wilson Combat http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Spring-Foll ... /SGSFK-EX/ Any thoughts around their components? Thanks again for the time and link, really appreciate it.

[Synchronizor]

Is your Express Tactical the type with the single-piece 6-round magazine tube, or does it have a standard 4-round magazine tube with a separate extension kit?