Overview of the Pistol Grips for Remington 870 Shotgun (SpeedFeed, Knoxx, Hogue, Pachmayr, Choate, Tacstar)

Posted on September 30, 2009

Pistol grips without stock make a shotgun much shorter and easy to manuevre but they also make aiming
much more difficult. As one of the readers of the blog wrote it took him one year of training to have the same results
with Remington 870 with pistol grip without stock as he had with shotgun which had pistol grip with stock.

We all have seen such shotguns in movies and these pistol grips without stock make shotgun look so tacticool and we
all want to have one. But without additional training you will not be able to use it effectively. Some say you don’t need to aim your shotgun because it has more than one projectile (for example 9 pellets in one shell of buckshot) but you need to understand that in close range they will not have enough distance to spread and pattern will be very tight. So you NEED to aim to shot your target and it is more difficult to do this with shotgun without stock.

The most important advantage which pistol grip without stock gives you is a small size, that is why breaching shotguns often don’t have a stock. They serve special purpose (door breaching) and are not used as primary weapon.

Of course it will be easier for you to manuevre in house with such shotgun or have it in your car or bag. That is what are the made for, for more manuevrability.

Here is illustration which show how different pistol grips look like:

As you can see a lot of companies produce pistol grips: SpeedFeed, Knoxx, Hogue, Pachmayr, Choate, Tacstar. More detailed review about them are coming soon…

Special thanks to BGH from talks.guns.ru for original photos.

How to Install a Forend on a Remington 870 (Replace, Change)

Posted on September 24, 2009

Little instruction on how to install a new forend on a Remington 870 shotgun.

Warning: Be sure to check that your shotgun is unloaded.

What you will need to install a new forend on your shotgun: old forend, new forend, pliers:

1. Disassemble your Remington 870 shotgun and take out the old forend.
2. There is a nut on the front of the forend. You need to unscrew it using pliers (insert them in two notches on the nut).

You can use pliers on your Leatherman multi tool if you have one. Some recommend to use a spanner wrench for this purpose.

3. When you have the nut unscrewed just slide the forend off.

4. Slide on new forend and reverse the process.

That’s all, you have installed a forend on Remington 870

Gun Safety (Blown Remington 870 Barrel)

Posted on September 22, 2009

It is important to remember that all firearms are potentially dangerous.

Remember: if you experience a flat report or low recoil, stop shooting immediately and check barrel for an obstruction. If the gun fails to fire when trigger is pulled wait 30 seconds before unloading and keep pointed in a safe direction(you may experience a “hang” fire and the cartridge will go off after a pause).

If you think that a bullet, birdshot, buckshot or anything else is obstructing the barrel, immediately unload the firearm, disassemble it and check barrels. It is not sufficient to look in the chamber only.

If there is a snow in your barrel, do not shoot, clean your barrel first.

If you use reloaded ammo be very careful because it is more dangerous than the new ammo. Be very careful when reloading ammo and be sure to check everything twice.

Here are several photos which show what can happen to your shotgun’s barrel when shooting with obstruction inside:

Here is what happened in this case: the owner of this shotgun had one reloaded shell with no gun powder inside and the bullet haven’t come out of the barrel. When he fired it for the second time, the barrel was blown out.

Special thanks to author of these photos: Shooter from http://www.ipsc.org.ua

Tactical Shell Strippers (California Competition Works)

Posted on September 21, 2009

California Competition Works’ Tactical Strippers are special gear which will allow you to load your shotgun much faster. They are often used on IPSC and 3-gun competitions. With these strippers you can take 4 or 6 shells at a time! And after some training you will be able to load your shotgun much faster.

There is very good video made by Army Marksmanship Unit where you can see how to speed load your shotgun and how to use Tactical Shell Strippers:

Each tactical shell stripper comes with a spacers which allow you to use shotgun shells of different sizes.

Shotgun Bandolier (Bandoleer) (Shotgun Shell Belt)

Posted on September 20, 2009

There are many ways to carry extra ammunition for your shotgun, one of them is a shotgun bandolier (bandoleer). A lot of companies produce them:

BlackHawk Shotgun Bandoleer (holds 55 shells)
Cabela’s Bandolier Sling (holds 50 shells)
and many other tactical shotgun bandoleers which hold from 20 to 55 shotgun shells.

They will not allow you to load your shotgun as fast as some other ammo carriers but they hold a lot of shells and allow you convenient placement of them. You can wear a bandoleer over the shoulder or on your waist. So if anything happens you can grab your shotgun and place a shotgun bandoleer across the chest in a moment and have 20-55 spare shotgun shells.

Sling for a Remington 870 Shotgun (Wilderness Giles Tactical Sling)

Posted on September 19, 2009

This is a review of the Wilderness Giles Tactical Sling. It is very convenient 3-point sling and has a lot of different options you may choose when ordering. For example, you may choose a sling for your stock type (SpeedFeed or Factory stock), or add a right-hand or left hand side-attachment plate sewn-in. Wilderness Giles Tactical Sling is available in 3 colors (Black, Wilderness Coyote or Wilderness O.D.). Also, you may add a quick-release buckle and a Slimline Sling Pad to your new sling.

The price of the Wilderness Giles Tactical Sling is about $54.95.

It was developed for a SpeedFeed or Factory Wood/Synthetic stocks. It is very easy to attach it to your shotgun and it is very reliable, you don’t need to worry that something will happen with it. It holds your shotgun securely. If you want to be even more sure about it you can add a sling swivel screw on the bottom of the sling, there is a special hole there for this purpose.

This sling is made of high-quality materials and used by L.A.P.D. Metro/SWAT, Phoenix P.D. SAU (SWAT), Albuquerque SWAT, DOE and Marine Corps Force Recon units.

I have used it on my Remington 870 with a Factory Wood stock and wasn’t sure if it fit my new Knoxx stock but it works perfectly!

The only one problem I had is that I had to modify a Scattergun Technologies (now Wilson Combat) sling mount, it didn’t fit my shotgun correctly.

I am more than happy with this sling, you can carry your shotgun in many different ways, also it allows you to reload your shotgun without problems. I recommend this high-quality product, the best shotgun sling I’ve ever seen.

Pistol Grip vs. Stock on a Tactical (Combat, Home Defense) Shotgun

Posted on September 17, 2009

Many shotgun owners often debate about what is better for a tactical shotgun: pistol grip or a traditional stock?

First of all we need to understand that different situations require different tools and there is no one answer to this question. For example, stock will be better for a hunting, some believe that it is easier to make first shot and aim on target. But if we talking about tactical/combat shotgun pistol grip gives us a lot of advantages.

Note: When I am talking about a pistol grip, I mean a pistol grip which has a stock. I don’t think that pistol grip
without a stock is universal enough for a home-defense, also it is more difficult to aim with this kind of a shotgun and this requires a lot of practice. I think they should be very convenient (because of their compact size) for police/army as a door-breaching tool.

1. Manuverability
Pistol grip decreases a shotgun length and also you don’t need to raise your elbow as in traditional shooting stance which is used with stock. It will be much easier for you to maneuver in a house, stairs, around corners etc. with a shotgun which has a pistol grip installed(especially in close quarters). It is easier to move, crouch, run, hold it with one hand etc.

2. Safety Button
Personally for me it is much more easier to find the safety button with a pistol grip. It is much more intuitive.

3. Сonvenience
It is more convenient to hold your shotgun with your hand on a grip for a long time if you have a pistol grip. Your hands will get tired not as fast as with traditional stock. Also it reduces strain of your wrist.

4. Easier Transition
If you have a pistol or rifle with a pistol grip (AR-15 for example) it will be easier for you to use a shotgun with a pistol grip because you are already familiar with it.

5. Reducing a Silhouette
Pistol grip allows you to have your hands close to the body and reduce your silhouette which is important in a gunfight.

The only one disadvantage of a pistol grip with stock I can think of is that some of the recoil hit your wrist.

So what is better? Pistol grip or stock? I think you should choose an option which is more convenient for you. Also, there is no difference what you have on your shotgun if you can’t use it and don’t train with it regularly.

How the Different Shotgun Rounds Work (Birdshot, Buckshot Slug)

Posted on September 15, 2009

I think it is important to know how different shotgun ammunition works, so you can choose the one you need at the moment. Knowing what it can and what it can’t do is very important.

First of all, let me share with you one good photo which shows series of individual 1/1,000,000 second exposures showing shotgun firing shot & sabot separation:

Different types of ammunition are effective in different situations and on different ranges, and the best video on this topic was made by Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and called Rounds of Authority: Shotgun Ammunition. You can see it online and I highly recommend it. If you want to know how to use your shotgun in tactical, home-defense or combat situation this information will be extremely interesting for you. In just 18 minutes you will know how to identify different types of shotgun ammunition and what they can do.

Contents:

Conventional, Speciality and Exotic ammunition
Firing characteristics of each type (bird shot, buckshot and rifled slugs) on different distances
Conventional rounds test and penetration effect on Vehicle Door
Birdshot, buckshot and rifled slugs penetration effect on Wood Frame Door
Tests of shotgun ammunition on ballistic gelatin
Conventional rounds penetration effect on soft body armor
Tests of shotgun ammunition on steel plate
Birdshot, buckshot and rifled slugs penetration effect on bullet-resistant glass
Tests of shotgun ammunition on car glass
Tests of shotgun ammunition on laminated car glass

Speciality Ammunition
Flares Rounds
CS Gas Rounds
Smoke Rounds
Dustbusters Rounds
What happens with a wood frame door, car glass and ballistic gelatine when hit by a dustbusters rounds

Exotic Shotgun Rounds
Dragon’s Breath
Dragon Slug
Armor Piercing
Flechette
Buck & Ball
Strung Buck
Flechette and Soft Body Armor

By the way, they make all tests with our favorite Remington 870 shotgun

Magazine Spring and Magazine Extensions

Posted on September 13, 2009

Today I have received a question from one of the readers of the blog: Is it possible to use +2 round extension with standard magazine spring? -Absolutely no, you need to use longer spring with extension tubes otherwise you will have feeding problems.

Please check following photo to see the difference between different Remington 870 magazine springs:

Magazine Extension for Remington 870 and Lengths of the Barrel

Posted on September 12, 2009

If you want to have the magazine extension tube that goes right to the end of the barrel (what makes it look tactical not hunting shotgun) you need to remember following:

+3 rounds magazine tube extensions (TacStar, Choate) for the Remington 870 will fit barrel with length of 20 inches. Remington extension will stick out for about 1 inch.

Flashlight on Your Tactical Shotgun

Posted on September 9, 2009

Light is one of the most important upgrades you may have on your shotgun. It will allow you to see the target and even to temporary blind the enemy. There are several variants of the light installation on your shotgun.

1. Surefire Remington 870 Forend (http://www.surefire.com)

This is one of the best options you can choose but it is also the most expensive one, the price of this forend is about $250-350. It is well-known and widely used. It replaces your existing forend and has built-in Surefire tactical flashlight. There are two modes which you can use: momentary and constant.

2. TacStar Barrel Mount + Flashlight (http://www.tacstar.com/)

This barrel clamp allows you to attach a 1 inch flashlight to barrel of your shotgun. The price of this simple clamp is about $20.

3. GG&G 870 Flashlight Mount + Flashlight (http://www.gggaz.com/)

This one is installed on a police forend (included) and allows you to attach a flashlight mounting bracket. The price is $89.

4. CDM Barrel Clamp + Flashlight (http://www.candewman.com)

This is one of the most recent options. There are many different variants of this clamp, the price is about $50. It looks really good and I really like how it is designed.

Original Remington 870 +2 Round Magazine Extension

Posted on September 7, 2009

Little overview of the +2 shot Remington 870 Magazine extension by Remington. This extension is the most expensive one. There are +2 rounds and +3 rounds versions of this extension. It is little longer than the other ones because it allows you to install a bayonet. It is made of metal and looks very durable and reliable.

By the way, you simply can’t install the magazine clamp in a wrong place because extension tube has special relief with hollow for the screw. It will prevent it from moving and allows more reliable holding of the magazine extension tube.

So what do you get when you order Remington Magazine Extension:
Remington Extension
Longer Magazine Spring
Barrel Clamp with Screw

How it looks on your shotgun with 20 inch barrel:

Another Great Educational Video About Shotguns

Posted on September 7, 2009

Another great educational video about shotguns. One of the best videos I’ve seen. The author maybe not the best
public speaker but he gives great amount of very useful information.

The Combat Shotgun with Louis Awerbuck

Contents:
Introduction
Different Shotguns Overview
Shotgun Accessories and Upgrades (Slings, Side-Saddles, Light)
Shotgun Ammunition Overview
Loading, Unloading and Gunhandling for Benelli Super 90 and Remington 870
Shotgun Shooting Positions
Shotgun Patterning
Sling Positions and Dismounts
Range Drills
Select Slug
Drills
Shooting at Target Behind the Hostage

Highly Recommended.

We should have shotguns for this kind of deal

Posted on September 4, 2009

Today, I’ve seen a funny signature of the user VFR_STPETE on the http://www.shotgunworld.com forum in Home Defense / Tactical Shotguns section. It made me smile.

Jules: We should have shotguns for this kind of deal.
Vincent: How many up there?
Jules: Three or four.
Vincent: That’s countin’ our guy?
Jules: Not sure.
Vincent: So that means there could be up to five guys up there?
Jules: It’s possible.
Vincent: We should have fuckin’ shotguns.

How to Install Oversized Safety on Remington 870 (Vang, Wilson, Scattergun)

Posted on September 4, 2009

A lot of people want to install an oversized safety on their tactical Remington 870 shotgun. Is it easy to replace a factory safety button on Remington 870? Yes it is. This shotgun is very simple and even a complete newbie can disassemble, reassamble and install upgrades on it. That is what we love Remington 870 for.

Warning: Make sure that gun is unloaded and safety is engaged.

1. First of all you need to disassemble your shotgun and take out the Trigger Plate Assembly (Trigger Group):

2. Place a finger over the safety detent spring hole and push the safety detent reataining pin out using 1/16 inch
pin push or something that will fit:

The detent spring is under pressure and it may jump out of the hole if you will not place your finger over the detent channel.

3. Carefully allow safety detent spring and ball to drop from safety detent channel.
4. Remove the old safety button and install new safety from the right side.
Attention: Vang and Scattergun large safeties are designed for use in right hand shotguns only.

5. Reinstall the safety detent ball and spring, depress the safety detent spring into safety detent channel and replace the retaining pin with the pointed end first.

6. Test new safety.
7. Reinstall the Trigger Group Assembly.

That’s all, you have your new safety installed.

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