A Puzzlement ... One-shot magazine extension

[aegusto]

The Remington one-shot magazine extension kit looks exactly like the same product from Wilson Combat except the plate is blank -- no hole for a sling swivel or slot for a sling. In fact, if you zoom the Remington product photo, you can see the plate is stamped "Scattergun Technologies. Wilson sells their product for $45 while you can spend $88.58 buying the same thing from Remington without the QD sling stud.

[Synchronizor]

The kit being sold on Remington's site could be a special-run variant of the standard WC +1. There are multiple differences between the items pictured on the two websites, but the one that jumps out at me is the hole on the end. Compared to a standard WC +1 extension (I have mine in my hand right now), the extension pictured on Remington's site looks to have a significantly wider hole. And on the inside, the version on Remington's site seems to step out to an even larger diameter, while the hole on my WC extension has a constant diameter all the way through.

If I had to guess, I'd say the extension pictured on Remington's site has an end hole machined to accept a push-button QD sling attachment, which is not a feature on any of the +1 extensions listed on Wilson Combat's site.

[aegusto]

I'm liking the idea of a +1 extension as opposed to +2 solely on the grounds of weight and handling. We have already established that I am a girly-man incapable of managing the added weight of a +2 extension.

[Synchronizor]

Single-piece +1 extension tubes are great. They don't add the complexity, weight, and potential feed problems you can run into with longer extensions; they're as simple as a normal magazine cap. And if they have a standard 1" outer diameter, you can still use them to mount clamp-on accessories. I usually use a Wilson Combat +1 for home defense.

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The Wilson Combat +1 extensions are pretty good, at least the extensions themselves are. The follower is poorly designed, and is best replaced with the factory follower, or if you want an upgrade, a modded S&J Hardware follower. I'm also not a fan of the sling plates that come with them; thankfully the plate on mine was removed by a previous owner. If you want to attach a sling, I'd recommend getting the version with the sling stud on the end.

[aegusto]

Exactly what I had in mind, except that I like the SBE Precision follower and a Wolff spring. Wolff costs a little more, but I think it's worth it.

I can tell from your photo that the +1 extension sold by Remington is the Scattergun model with the sling stud removed and plate added.

I am a traditionalist and prefer a "weapon of iron and wood" to the tacticool models.

[Synchronizor]

I prefer the Delrin followers from S&J Hardware because they cause less wear and are easier to modify than metal followers. One thing about the Wilson Combat +1 extensions is that they don't give you a lot of excess room in the tube. Making the most of that space requires an intelligent spring/follower setup, and even with that, some 2.75" shells are still too long to fit a full five in there.

The spring that came with my extension (which may not have been the original spring, since I bought it used) was a beehive-style spring, which is wider in the middle than on the ends, giving it a very short solid (fully-compressed) length. Because it's wider in the middle, it doesn't fit into cup-style followers, it's supposed to be paired with a tailed follower. But because the +1 spring's short compressed length is shorter than the tails on most followers (including the WC follower), the tail will hit the end of the tube before the spring is fully-compressed, costing you space.

With a polymer follower, it's a simple matter to shorten the tail to match the spring, maximizing your available magazine space. Doing the same with steel or aluminum followers is much tougher, especially when it comes to getting a smooth, even finish & bevel where you cut the tail off.

If you haven't bought all your parts yet, you'd be best off doing some planning & homework. What SBE follower style are you using? Is the Wolff spring you're looking at a constant-diameter or beehive spring? And what is its solid length?

I can tell from your photo that the +1 extension sold by Remington is the Scattergun model with the sling stud removed and plate added.

Not sure which image you're referring to, but neither of the extensions shown in my previous post match the one pictured in Remington's webstore. The one on my shotgun doesn't have the same end hole, and the other isn't machined to accept a sling plate.

[aegusto]

I'm using the SBE "Sport Tac" follower:



Not wild about followers with long tails. I'm using the Wolff SKU #32712 12 ga 6&7 shot XP mag spring, which may require a little trimming for use with the +1 extension. It is a constant-diameter spring. I've never seen or heard of a beehive spring, but I'll take your word for it.

[Synchronizor]

Yeah, you'll probably want to trim the spring, but as long as it's narrow enough to fit inside the follower, you should be able to get it fitted without wasting a lot of space or experiencing feeding issues. I like to use a thin wooden dowel to test the spring and work out a trimmed length that'll give me enough force without excessive solid length.

By the way, have you had any issues with that post in the center of the follower? My S&J follower originally had a center post like that, and it kept cracking open the crimps on my HD shells and making them dump buffering all inside my gun.

[aegusto]

No problems thus far, but I am probably not running as many shells through it as you are.

[Synchronizor]

It wasn't really a matter of round count. I experienced the opened crimps with my HD shells after they spent some time in the gun and were unloaded/reloaded several times. I was using Estate 2.75" buckshot (00B & #4B) at the time, other brands may be more resilient. Still, it annoyed me enough to remove the post and dish the follower so it was still easy to detect by touch, but wouldn't mess with crimps or overshot cards. Again, thumbs up for quality polymer followers that can be easily modified.

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