Will a tritium big dot front sight work well on my...

[stevessf]

Will a tritium big dot front sight work well on my 870 Express Tactical Magpul shotgun with an XS rear ghost sight? Or would I be better off with the regular size tritium front XS sight?

I also need help in choosing the correct front sight. I measured from the top of the existing sight to the bottom of the dovetail. This distance is approximately .312 inch. So I believe I would order the .350 sight from XS Sight Systems. My only concern is will it will fit properly in the front sight ramp currently installed on my shotgun?

The photo below shows the stock front ramp and sight on my 870 Express Tactical Magpul shotgun.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Kentactic]

I think a call to XS is in order. They will gladly get you dialed in with the right sight.

[tekrsq]

If you find one, please post it here. I've been looking also.

[Vitaly]

Here is what you need:





My review: Tritium Sight to Replace Factory Rifle Sights on Remington 870 Shotgun

I have them for years, highly recommended.

[Synchronizor]

Here is what you need:

My review: Tritium Sight to Replace Factory Rifle Sights on Remington 870 Shotgun

I have them for years, highly recommended.

Those are replacement elements for barrel-mounted rifle sights. Stevessf's 870 only has a front sight on the barrel, the rear element is a ghost ring mounted on the receiver.

I agree with Kentactic, if no one else here has personal experience they can relay, your best bet would probably be to contact XS and get their recommendation.

[stevessf]

Yes, I spoke with XS Sights and they emailed me the following:

M:\XS Technical Info\FAQ\FAQ 22 Remington 870 White Dot to Tritium Dot Conversion 08-03-11 BW.doc
FAQ # 22

Q: I have a Remington 870 Tactical with the XS white dot front sight and I want to get a tritium front sight, what is the part number?

A: It is one of 4 possible part numbers. Huh? Yup, four! .350”-.400”-.450”-.500” .
Shotguns are variable beasts, what height zeros shotgun “A” may not work on shotgun “B” even though they are but one serial number apart. Add to this confusion, the ammo they use at the factory for zeroing may have considerably different ballistics than the ammo you have chosen to use. We have seen in some cases up 14” difference in point of impact at 25 yards between two makes of slugs.
​So, the first thing you must do is shoot the gun with the ammo of your choice and see if it will zero for you.
If it does, then we need to know how tall the front sight in your gun is. Height is measured from the top of the blade to the bottom of the dovetail in thousandths of an inch to the nearest .005” and compare it with the numbers listed above.
If it doesn’t, we still need to know how tall the original front sight is. With that info and how far off from point of aim the point of impact is AND the distance the group was fired at, we can figure out what sort of height change is needed to bring point of impact to point of aim.

The sights are $60 each + S&H. Call the toll free order line 1-888-744-4880 to get one once you know the above needed information and we will be happy to get a tritium sight (of the correct height) headed your way.

[stevessf]

Now, to follow up with the email he XS Sights rep sent me.

That email still does not have the item #, just the sizes available. When you check their website and catalog you still cannot find the correct fitting base as on my shotgun. That's why I posted a very large image of my front sight.

But, Vitaly, you have the correct base on your front tritium sight for my gun! I will look into the Ameriglo front sight with Trijicon inserts.

As you say that the sight is quite a bit higher than the front sight on my gun. It would be great if Ameriglo had the correct height to match my rear sight. If not, I will have to see if I can increase the height of my rear sight, or whether I will have to replace the rear sight as well. If I have to replace both front and rear sights, I will have to think it over as I like the rear ghost ring sight.

I really appreciate everyone's help and input. Vitaly's Rem870.com website has brought together good people, that's for sure.