7 Remington 870 Upgrade Ideas for Less Than $20
Here is the list of the most affordable yet really important upgrades for your Remington 870 shotgun.
1. Carrier Latch Spring ($4.84)
Carrier elevates the shell and it will be held there until the bolt can push it into the chamber. Carrier dog spring upgrade upgrade ensures positive feeding when using heavier rounds.
Carrier dog spring upgrade is very simple. It is as important as extractor replacement. Many custom Remington 870 shotguns have better carrier dog spring.
You can get heavier carrier dog spring for just $4.84 here: http://tinyurl.com/7yolquh
2. Oversized Safety Button ($18.99)
A lot of shotgun owners prefer to replace the standard factory Remington 870 safety because it is rather small and in a stress (combat, self-defense) situation it maybe difficult to quickly disengage it. Oversized safety button enables you to disengage safety fast ensuring that you will be able to use your shotgun when you need it. This is very important, especially in stress situation. Also, oversized safety button is much more easier to find when you wearing gloves.
Wilson Combat Jumbo Head Safety – works great and can be easily disengaged. It doesn’t stick out much and big enough to be quickly disengaged. The quality of this safety button is very good. This is the only one oversized safety which can be used with Knoxx recoil reducing stocks.
 Wilson Jumbo Head Safety |
Get Wilson Jumbo Head Safety here: http://tinyurl.com/c8djero |
3. Tactical Follower ($19.99)
Factory Remington 870 magazine follower is cheap and easy to brake. This is number one cause for feeding problems. First Remington 870s had metal followers which were strong and reliable. Changing factory magazine follower is extremely important to ensure reliable feeding. Remember, that broken follower can stuck inside the magazine tube and you will have to disassemble your shotgun to fix that. And if we are talking about self-defense situation this is the worst case scenario.
Factory follower is junk, remove it as soon as possible!
 Remington 870 Tactical Follower |
Get Remington 870 Tactical Follower here: http://tinyurl.com/kavqyvv |
4. Non-MIM Extractor ($14.99)
Machined extractor is one of the must-have upgrades for your Remington 870. It insures reliable extraction of fired shells. Police version of the Remington 870 utilizes non-MIM extractor too because it is more reliable.
Usually this small upgrade fixes problem with extraction of fired shells.
 Remington 870 Extractor |
Get Remington 870 Extractor here: http://tinyurl.com/bew5ado |
5. Magazine Spring ($7.55)
Don’t forget that good magazine follower is just half of the upgrade and you need good magazine spring. And there is no better spring than one from Nordic Components. It will will fit any magazine extension tube (you will need to cut it to proper length). Nordic magazine spring is a high-quality product, highly recommended.
 Nordic Magazine Spring |
Get Nordic Magazine Spring here: http://tinyurl.com/d6kgzlv |
6. Supercell recoil pad ($20.67)
The price is just slightly higher than $20 and I decided to add it to this list :)
This recoil pad from Remington company is one of the most popular upgrades for Remington 870. This recoil pad is much softer than a standard one and reduces felt recoil by 54%.
I am not sure about 54% reduction of recoil but it really works. The installation was easy. The pad is not sticky, it is very comfortable.
ATTENTION: There are two versions of Remington 870 SuperCell recoil pads: one for synthetic stocks and one for wood stocks.
 Remington 870 Supercell Recoil Pad |
Get Remington 870 Supercell Recoil Pad here: http://tinyurl.com/8nyr6h3 |
7. Anti-Walk Trigger Housing Pin ($15.99)
If you use standard trigger housing pins you may want to replace them with anti-walk trigger housing pins.
They are inexpensive, easy to install and more reliable. Good upgrade for those who don’t have a receiver mount shell holder.
 Anti-Walk Trigger Pin |
Get here: http://tinyurl.com/9597nvy |
Do you have any other ideas about affordable upgrades for Remington 870? :)
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This article is a gold mine of great ideas! I can’t believe I didn’t know about the carrier latch spring and that it’s just a measly $5! I’m a beginner to shooting and don’t really know the ins and outs of this and I found your tips very useful. I’ve already bought an $8 magazine spring and an anti-walk trigger housing pin.
Is the extractor available anywhere except from Brownell’s? They’re sold out and are on back order.
Extractor is back in stock on Brownells: http://tinyurl.com/owkmnm7
How could the extractor get stuck in the magazine tube? Think you mean the broken follower could get stuck.
Nice article , and I don’t want to rain on the parade, but keep in mind that unlike the more critical reviews you get in, for example, the motorcycling press, most of the reviews in the gun press are geared towards selling gear. Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a bad review of a product in the gun press? There are a few, but not many. Point of this is, does Remington sell unreliable shotguns? Do the trigger housing pins “walk out?” I’ve never seen it happen. If you are concerned about the shell follower failing, or MIM extractors, or other such that you will find on the newer models, and particularly, the Express series, then save some cash, and go look at your local pawn shop, and get a nice older 870 at close to half the price. A nice used Wingmaster Magnum should Outlast you by quite a bit. And then if you want to, you will have the cash to swap out whatever you want. Oh, correction, it will probably Outlast your grandkids. Main thing is that if you want this for home defense, or anything else really, take it out and shoot it often, then you will have a better idea of what you want to do with it, and what it can do. Too many people buy these, add in all of these must have items, then Chuck it in the closet, but they never take it out and shoot it. So if you aren’t going to shoot it, just toss it in the closet and save some money. And if you do happen to need it someday, then I guarantee it will work better than you will, unless you do actually practice with it, and then it will probably still work better than you will. Have fun, and go shooting, be safe and invite a friend!
Item 3 above: correct “brake” to “break”