Safety issue

[tglanzajr24]

So i was gifted an 870 and i love it. only problem is that i shoot lefty and the person that gave it to me is a righty. i was curious if there is anyway i can reverse the safety i have in the trigger now and do everything at home or is this something i should take to the gunsmith and let them do it for me.

-tommy-

[knucklehead211]

Being a fellow lefty, I can sympathise. I don't know about changing how the safety works, but I thought for sure with a traditional wood stock that I could reach the safety fairly well with my thumb if I stretched.

[Synchronizor]

The easiest way to switch an 870's safety over for left-handed operation is to install a left-handed safety button. These are simply drop-in parts. Remington also makes trigger plate assemblies for right-hand-ejection guns that have reversed safety spring holes, if you want more options in safety button designs.

[tglanzajr24]

appreciate the help guys. i did some research on the midway conversion and many people said that it was quick and easy to install. there was a few issues some people had that caught my eye though. one in particular was that after the guy installed the safety he said that it was unusually easy to push the safety at times and other times it was unusually hard. i may just go to the local gun smith by me and see what he can do. but again thank you for the help.

-tommy-

[Synchronizor]

It's conceivable for that type of safety button to be easier to move one way than the other (engaging vs disengaging), if the two detent dimples are not perfectly identical. This should have no effect on the safety's function (unless, of course, something is so out of whack that the safety will not remain in place on its own). But if the same action randomly takes differing amounts of force, that probably means improper installation.

There is one advanced method for reversing an 870's safety that some gunsmiths will perform. This involves filling the trigger plate's existing safety switch detent/spring hole and drilling a new one. If your gunsmith offers this option, make sure they know how to do it right, as this procedure can FUBAR your trigger plate if botched.

At the risk of sounding anti-southpaw, another option is to simply leave your safety as-is and learn to live with it. There are ways to operate a wrong-handed 870 safety, such as bringing your middle finger around under the trigger guard, that are quite effective with practice. This doesn't cost you anything or require modifications to the gun, plus you avoid the potential safety risk of using your left-handed safety habits on a different 870 (or other similar firearm) that has a standard right-handed crossbolt. Just something to think about.