Newbie Follwer question

[Holmes375]

Glad its going to work out for you. Sometimes luck goes to the good guy

I ordered one, too, primarily due to Synchronizor's recommendations. He strikes me as a very knowledgeable and no-nonsense fellow when it comes to shotguns.

[Synchronizor]

....Holmes375 is correct about Ebay listings for these followers, but S&J now also has a U.S. distributor that can ship their products to U.S. customers at far more reasonable rates....

That eBay link is the distributor in Minnesota.

Ah, I hadn't noticed that. In any case though, I prefer to point folks to a fixed sales or manufacturer website rather than something like an Ebay or Gunbroker posting that will become a dead link fairly quickly. Helps keep the thread relevant to those who might come across it months or years later.

[Holmes375]

Good point. An eBay auction isn't much of a bookmark.

I was very pleased when S&J got a U.S. distributor as they have some really good products. I'm using their 870 jumbo safety and like it a lot.

[pancakeofdoom]

I have a Nordic in mine w/ a Nordic extension, reliable thus far. Good points on the friction surface wear and all that. I'd expect it would be possible, but with the round count I'll be putting this through I doubt I'll have problems. I like my Nordic and all that but it was more of a vanity purchase as they're cheap enough. Our work guns go through all kinds of abuse, terrible maintenance, and have some pretty high round counts... on the stock follower. We've had springs break, barrels literally sheer off, anything that can break has broken, but the stock followers are still chugging along.

[Synchronizor]

I have a Nordic in mine w/ a Nordic extension, reliable thus far. Good points on the friction surface wear and all that. I'd expect it would be possible, but with the round count I'll be putting this through I doubt I'll have problems. I like my Nordic and all that but it was more of a vanity purchase as they're cheap enough.

That's a good point. While I maintain that metal - especially steel - followers can potentially damage an 870's receiver over time, I also recognize that very few 870 owners will ever put enough rounds through their shotguns to start seeing that wear. Other things like the increased friction and inertia will also probably not cause any issues for the average shooter. So if a stainless steel follower will give someone more faith in their home defense weapon and allow them to use it more effectively, there's no real harm done - so long as they aren't actually giving up reliability or safety for a spiffy sales pitch and a premium price tag. In those instances, such as when folks are looking to pair the tilt-prone Vang Comp follower with a magazine extension, I'll be more outspoken.

Our work guns go through all kinds of abuse, terrible maintenance, and have some pretty high round counts... on the stock follower. We've had springs break, barrels literally sheer off, anything that can break has broken, but the stock followers are still chugging along.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to inspect the contents of the gun safe at the shotgun range of a Boy Scout camp my brother was managing at the time. Those were some of the most sorry-looking 870s I've ever laid eyes on. Magazine tubes rubbed completely bare, furniture held together with duct tape, actions so worn that they fell open on their own as soon as I hit the slide release; they made some of the retired prison shotguns I've seen look pristine by comparison. But they all had intact and properly-functioning plastic factory followers inside - and these were the older gray followers too, so they clearly hadn't been changed in years, if ever.