Tac 14 Upgrades and accessories

[Wingman]

Just purchased a Tac 14 about an hour ago and just like everyone thing else already looking at upgrades / accessories. Any suggestions on where to start ? It's basically home defense so I was thinking of adding tac light, shell holder etc. and also just want to make it look more bad ass Once I get it set up the way I want getting it cerakoted to match my Daniel Defense M4A1 .Any help / suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

[Synchronizor]

A 14" barrel 870 barrel is a good length match for typical +1 extensions. If you don't mind adding a little weight to the front of the gun, that would be a nice upgrade, getting you a 5+1 capacity with 2.75" shells. You'll need to remove the dimples from the front of the mag tube to get it to work, though.

[Wingman]

I like it ! Thank you

[bear77]

Hello all,
I too have purchased a tac14, not sure i like the magpul forend. Curious about what recommendations you all might have. Thanks

[Synchronizor]

A simple synthetic 870 Police fore-end might be one to consider. Classic look that should match the grip on the Tac-14, inexpensive on the used market, and it's pretty ergonomic. The ribs are enough for a solid grip, but not so aggressive as to be likely to cause blisters if you're shooting in high volumes. I have the walnut version of this fore-end, and I like it a lot.



Or, you could put on one of the longer sporting fore-ends. I like to use these with a pistol grip because it lets me hold the gun farther out in front of my face while still being able to work the slide.

[sledge]

I was informed by three different salespersons at two different stores that the reason you can buy a Tac-14 over the counter without going through the NFA regulations is because the gun is not considered a short-barreled shotgun. This is due to the grip, which is neither a pistol grip nor a traditional stock. I would double check the regulations and rules, obviously, but messing around with the Tac-14 (without doing the paperwork and paying the taxes) might stray into illegal territory. Just a heads up in what is an interesting discussion.

[Synchronizor]

If I recall correctly, the key thing about the grip from a legal perspective isn't so much its style, but its length. It extends backward far enough to meet a specific overall length despite having a barrel less than 18".

In any case, changing the fore-end isn't going to affect the gun's legality at all.

[sledge]

So I went perusing through the ATF website trying to find a definitive answer. Here's the link to the official NFA document if you want to take a look yourself.

They define a "shotgun" as a weapon designed to shoot from the shoulder that shoots shotgun shells. If the barrel is less than 18", it is subject to the NFA as a "short-barreled shotgun."
However, if the shotgun is not to be fired from the shoulder (e.g. pistol grip) AND has an overall length of greater than 26" then it is NOT subject to the NFA rules. Not coincidentally the Remington website lists the TAC-14 overall length as 26.3", just over the legal limit.

The long and short of it is: Synchronizor is right that changing a fore end does nothing to NFA legality, but messing with barrel length or slapping on a standard pistol grip would activate the NFA regulations. Just some food for thought for those looking at modifying the TAC-14!

[DaveC]

Old thread I know... As of 1 Sep these types of firearms are legal to buy. Apparently the Mossberg 500 version--590 version? is manufactured in Eagle Pass, but there was a Texas law that blocked sale of these sorts of things.

I must admit, I've long wanted an old 20-gauge Remington 31 Police Special, or even a Remington 17 "whippit" gun. Those had 15-1/2" barrels, but came in at 25" overall length, so remain AOWs or SBS under ATF regulations. The chief drawback with pistol-grip only shotguns is that they'd require a lot of dedicated practice to become proficient with. I'd guess the hoary old Ohio PD style of holding it horizontal to the ground with the trigger hand wrist about six inches under the chin, shotgun canted at an angle across the chest, and slide operating hand gripping the fore-end with the upper arm and elbow against the side of the body, looking just over the barrel at the target might be the way to go. There's always the push-pull technique to for quasi-sighted fire... I know people who are phenomenal point shooters and can shoot from the hip... I'm not one of those people, and "hip shooting" is mostly frowned upon as a bad technique.

There's also the hoary old Chuck Taylor "underarm assault" position that entails a stock held against the body by the pressure of the upper arm, both elbows pointing at the deck... I suppose that might be applicable for one of these here Tac 14s, albeit without the stock.

Hopefully at the next gunshow or whatever I can take a look at one.

[Wingman]

A 14" barrel 870 barrel is a good length match for typical +1 extensions. If you don't mind adding a little weight to the front of the gun, that would be a nice upgrade, getting you a 5+1 capacity with 2.75" shells. You'll need to remove the dimples from the front of the mag tube to get it to work, though.

I am adding a Vang Comp plus one extension to my tac 14. The spring seems to be too long that came with the extension though ? Any idea on how long the spring should be ?