Can a Super Mag Receiver, be built with standard 870 parts?

[mag410]

There are a bunch of stripped camouflaged 870 Super Mags receivers available on Gunbroker, A friend asked me, since he knows I have been fooling with 1100's and 870's for a long time, if you can take the parts out of a 870 Express to build a gun on a SMAG receiver. As I understand it, the parts that are different are those that were changed dimensionally to allow the receiver to handle the longer 3 1/2" shells. The Breech Bolt V4, Fore end Tube V28, Fore end V29, Slide Assembly V57, Trigger Plate Assembly V65A, Since the receiver is the same size and the shell latches are in the same place, it seems to me the 3" parts should work?

Michael

[Scorpion8]

I think some more research would be needed. It's not just longer shells that need to be accomodated, it's also heavier harder-recoiling loads and the tail-end of the shooting process needs to be examined. Some parts are probably the same, but the ones that aren't are going to be critical to the proper function.

[mag410]

Research is what I am doing. I was hoping someone here had been down this road before me. I don't know that I'm prepared to buy a super mag and swap out the parts just for intellectual curiosity?

Michael

[Scorpion8]

I getcha, but that's probably not a common "downgrade" for a Supermag receiver, with 870 Expresses being plentiful and cheap.

[mag410]

In this case the "upgrade" is to a camouflage receiver to go/not go with his mismatched camo turkey barrel, stock and fore end. 4 different camo patterns on one 870.

[Scorpion8]

Gotcha, well, I'd be interested in knowing how it works out. Have you compared part numbers to see what is common to both and what is not?

[mag410]

Unless I missed something, these five are the the only parts specific to the Super Mag?

F108690 V-4 870 BREECH BOLT ASSEM 12 GA EXP SUPER MAG MATTE 103
F200003 V-27A 870 FORE END 12 GA EXP SUPER MAG WOOD 37.08
F102327 V-28 870 FORE END TUBE ASSEM EXP SUPER MAG 37.08
F401024 V-57 870 SLIDE ASSEM 12 GA SUPER MAG 22.66
F112055 V-65A 870 TRIGGER PLATE ASSEM SUPER MAG - MATTE (SYN) 89.61

[Scorpion8]

Looks like mostly internals to the receiver/action which is what one would expect. But you're in "all alone" territory. If it were my project, I'd buy one of the de-milled turning guns available on places like everygunpart.com (no 870's avail currently) or GB under the seller ID of GUNBUSTERS_NE (https://www.gunbroker.com/shotgun-parts-kits/search?sort=13&includesellers=3728469&pagesize=24) and grab cheap parts to test before I splurged on new(er) parts. Heck, you might even be able to assemble what you want from there. They have an 870 Magnum demilled.