Action bar lock upgrade???

[~JDog]

Hello everyone!

My 13 year old son hunts with his grandfather's REM 870 16 gauge Wingmaster (BDH), but has been having problems with his finger quickly becoming sore when having to depress the action bar lock button multiple times while we hunt.

For the record, we hunt dove off of quads in the desert and have to unload often throughout the morning when we are remounting our transportation.

I've been scouring the internet for a mod kit that lengthens, thickens, adds a pad or even a"finger saver " removable type pad to go on top of the button (although this might just fall off.)

Any links or ideas would be greatly appreciated as we are getting ready for September 1st real quick!

Thanks guys!

~JDog

[~JDog]

Couple of pictures to help stir up those creative juices!

20160814_210725.jpg (1.53 MiB) Viewed 6018 times

20160814_210645.jpg (1.59 MiB) Viewed 6018 times

After a few cycles, his finger is too sore to cycle the shells out...

[Synchronizor]

There's the Tank's Wide Action Release kit. It says 12ga only, but many of the 870's trigger parts are common across gauges, and the 12 & 16ga models were built on the same large receivers, so there's a good chance it would be compatible. However, the Tank's kit requires a gunsmith-level disassembly of the trigger plate assembly (including destructive removal & replacement of the hammer pin), and permanent modifications to the trigger plate itself. Seems a shame to carve up a nice old Wingmaster from the '50s or '60s.

Maybe you could carve out a little plastic or aluminum pad that you could stick to the gun's current action bar lock with some epoxy. Still kinda bubba-ing a classic old Wingmaster, though.

Personally, I would suggest that your kid learn how to unload an 870 from the bottom. Not only would that be easier on his fingertips, it's also inherently safer than cycling each shell through the chamber. Plus, it's easier on the shells. It's how I always unload my 870's magazine.

[~JDog]

Yeah, I saw that modification also, but noticed it was for 12ga "only". Figured that if the firing pin needed replacing, then the upgrade kit wouldn't work.

Upon further investigation, it looks like that modification simply uses the oem action bar and ads a poly(or similar) " plate" attached to the button (and therefore enlarging it), either by a small rivet or otherwise? But the trigger guard would still need to be cut to accommodate the larger button.

Thoughts?

I might just try to shape a poxy/mold over the top first and see if it holds up, and if not — and i can't find an aftermarket cushion pad that fits on top — then I'll try this mod myself, just need to find the "button" part of the mod you linked, and try to do it myself on the original action bar button.

As far as unloading from the bottom goes, he still has the first shell in the chamber locked that needs to be ejected before returning on his quad when we are moving again.

Unless there's a way to eject that first (of 3) shell without having to depress the action bar lock button that I'm not aware of....

[Synchronizor]

Yeah, I saw that modification also, but noticed it was for 12ga "only". Figured that if the firing pin needed replacing, then the upgrade kit wouldn't work.

It's the hammer pin that needs to be replaced, not the firing pin (replacing an 870 firing pin is actually a lot easier than replacing the hammer pin). Here's a page that shows the installation in detail. I still think there's a good chance this part would fit a 16ga; the same stock action bar lock part (#F18849) is used in all large-frame 12, 16, and 20ga 870s aside from the Super Magnum and Marine Magnum 12ga models (though the latter only differs from the standard part in its finish).

Upon further investigation, it looks like that modification simply uses the oem action bar and ads a poly(or similar) " plate" attached to the button (and therefore enlarging it), either by a small rivet or otherwise? But the trigger guard would still need to be cut to accommodate the larger button.

Thoughts?

I might just try to shape a poxy/mold over the top first and see if it holds up, and if not — and i can't find an aftermarket cushion pad that fits on top — then I'll try this mod myself, just need to find the "button" part of the mod you linked, and try to do it myself on the original action bar button.

If you were making your own enlarged button, you could just keep it short enough that it wouldn't hit the trigger plate when the action was unlocked. It wouldn't look as clean as the Tank's part, but it would make it a lot simpler. I had a thought that involved cutting and grinding a bit of 1/16" aluminum angle extrusion so that it matched the shape of the action bar lock tab, and just covered the outer side and the tip of the stock tab. Glue that on with a little epoxy, and it should work pretty well, though it probably won't look all that great. Maybe some paint or other coloring would help it blend in.

As far as unloading from the bottom goes, he still has the first shell in the chamber locked that needs to be ejected before returning on his quad when we are moving again.

Unless there's a way to eject that first (of 3) shell without having to depress the action bar lock button that I'm not aware of....

Of course, the action bar lock will have to be depressed to get the shell in the chamber out, but your original post made it sound like your son was having difficulty when it came to holding the action bar lock down, and cycling the gun repeatedly to empty the entire thing. If that is the case, I imagine he would have an easier time pressing it just for the split-second needed to open the action once and eject the round in the chamber (and probably the next one in the magazine as well), and then emptying the magazine from the bottom.