Remington 870 Police Forend

Posted on August 4, 2010

As I wrote earlier, Mesa Tactical Shotshell Carrier doesn’t work with long forends, so I had to choose the shorter one.

I have planned to use Hogue forend but when I have tested it on the shooting range it turned out that it is not a good idea to use Hogue forend and Knoxx stock. When shotgun moves backward after the shot Hogue forend moves together with your skin and it hurts. This happens because Hogue forend is overmolded and allows very good grip. It is fantastic but not with Knoxx stock.

So, I started to search for another short forend and have found police forend. I have tested it on the shooting range and it was great. It allows a good grip and can be used with Knoxx stock.

Here it is:

Actually, I don’t like that Knoxx stock has many limitations. It cannot be used with S&J and Vang safeties and now it is not comfortable to use it with Hogue forend. So, I may look for a different stock. If you have any advices, please leave a comment.

By the way, after numerous problems with Choate magazine extension I decided to replace it. And today I have received Nordic Components magazine extension and it looks like I have found the best extension possible! You will see review with photos later this week.

Mesa Tactical Sureshell Shotshell Ammunition Carrier 12-Gauge Remington 870

Posted on August 2, 2010

Mesa Tactical Sureshell Shotshell Ammunition Carrier 12-Gauge Remington 870

This receiver mount shotshell ammunition carrier is a high-quality product and looks and works great. I have chosen 6-round version and needed to install a shorter forend. Sureshell Ammunition Carrier will not work with standard forends.

System Concept
It holds shells securely thanks to the elastomer tube. Here is system concept description from Mesa Tactical:

What I like about the Sureshell is that it is attached to the receiver more securely (using 4 special screws), it is made of metal not plastic. Another thing is that it doesn’t cover shotgun serial number which may be useful in some cases. But elastomer tube has a disadvantage. It is not recommended to store shells in carrier for a long time.

After testing it on the shooting range I have found it very useful and convenient. Highly recommended for home-defense and competitive shooting.

TacStar SideSaddle is a cheaper alternative which I have successfully used for about one year.

Please leave a comment if you have experience with TacStar or Mesa Tactical products.

TacStar SideSaddle Advice

Posted on July 31, 2010

I had a review of the TacStar 4-Round SideSaddle about a year ago. Now it is time for some tips. First of all it is a very good product and helped me a lot in competitions. But there are two important things you should know about it:
1. Do not overtighten the screws which attach SideSaddle to receiver. One of my friends have broken his SideSaddle this way.
2. Check 4 small screws often. I have lost two of them somewhere on the shooting range:

By the way, I have received, installed and tested Mesa Tactical SureShell 6-Round Carrier for Remington 870 and will have a review about it tomorrow.

Small Test of Tactical Flashlights (Shotgun Recoil)

Posted on July 26, 2010

My friend Andrew and I decided to make a small test of 2 tactical flashlights I have: SureFire G2 LED Tactical Flashlight and FAB Defense Speed Light. I have installed both flashlights on my shotgun using CDM Gear clamp:

We have tested them using birdshot, buckshot and slugs. We have made about 15 shots with each type of ammunition. After this small test everything was good and flashlights were ok.

Remington 870 Shotgun Gun Cleaning Mat

Posted on July 16, 2010

Just received my Remington 870 Shotgun Gun Cleaning Mat! It looks fantastic and I really like it.

It has a history of the Remington 870 shotgun and description of all parts.

Limbsaver Recoil Pad for Knoxx Stock

Posted on July 5, 2010

I like the Knoxx SpecOps stock because it reduces recoil as advertised. But I have always wondered if it is possible to reduce recoil even more. This weekend I have tested Knoxx SpecOps stock with Limbsaver Recoil Pad. I haven’t noticed much difference. So, I think it is not necessary to change the standard Knoxx recoil pad.

Loadmaster Systems (Reload Your Shotgun Faster)

Posted on July 1, 2010

I am happy to see more and more readers of this blog. Also, it is very interesting to receive information from manufacturers of the interesting Remington 870 upgrades.

As you know Scott Dew from CDM Gear and Simon Beeson from S&J Hardware have already sent me their products for review and answered questions from readers of the Rem870.com blog.

Today, I want to tell you about another interesting upgrade for Remington 870 shotgun: LoadMaster Systems. Joe Masten will send me one for tests soon and I will be able to write a review about this new tactical/sport upgrade for Remington 870.

Meanwhile, you can check the Loadmaster Systems website:
http://www.loadmastersystems.com/

This system looks interesting and I can’t wait to test it:

Home Defense Remington 870 Shotgun

Posted on April 28, 2010

Dear readers of Rem870.com blog,

Today I want to share with you a great article by Jonathan Paul about his Remington 870 Police shotgun. Jon, thank you very much!

I recently purchased my first shotgun, a Remington 870 Police Magnum. I had my local Scheel’s Sporting Goods store special order me the Remington Model 25015. This model came with the 18.5” parkerized barrel seen separately below, no magazine extension, and walnut furniture.

The matte finish of the parkerizing is even in color and non-reflective. The finish applied to the aluminum trigger housing is a little shinier and blacker, but doesn’t detract from the appearance of the weapon. It doesn’t appear to be a chemical finish however, and durability may be an issue, only time will tell. The bore of the barrel is very bright and smooth with no machining marks visible.

The walnut furniture is nice in appearance with a matte finish. The reflectivity is higher than the parkerizing as seen in the picture above, but it is still a matte finish. The close-up below show the grain and ribbed pattern on the fore end and the smooth grip area of the butt stock. The smooth pistol grip may need to be roughed up with some epoxy or grip tape, but I want to run a few more round through the gun and maybe try a polymer stock set before I start modifying the wood.

Most of my shooting history involves rifles and this is the first non-autoloading weapon I’ve owned. That said the action is tight and a little clunky, though I’ve been reassured that a few thousand rounds will have it sliding smooth as butter. The trigger is also heavier, longer and grittier than a finely tuned precision rifle trigger. The grittiness I’m sure will go away with use; as for the weight and length, this is a fighting shotgun and those are not exactly undesirable qualities in a serious weapon trigger.

Now onto the modifications. There were several modifications I knew I wanted to make right out of the box and those were: 20” bead sighted barrel, a magazine extension, large head safety, and an improved magazine follower. I purchased a 20” bead sighted parkerized barrel from the Remington Country Store. The finish matched with the receiver perfectly and the quality was identical to the quality of the barrel that came with the gun from the factory.

The magazine extension I chose to go with was the Sage International extension designed to be used with 20” barrels. This extension gives the shotgun a total capacity of 7 rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber. The extension is very nicely machined and the fit was flawless. I did not use the supplied magazine clamp, but it looked to be similar in design to the Remington factory clamp. My only complaint with the extension is the finish. As you can see in the picture below it does not match the parkerizing found on the barrel. It has a little slicker feel to it almost like galvanizing. As I mentioned, I did not use the Sage magazine clamp because I was planning on using the Mesa Tactical magazine clamp. I like the beefy appearance and upgradability of this magazine clamp. The machining and finish on this item are superb and surprisingly the anodizing of the aluminum clamp almost perfectly matches the parkerizing of the steel barrel.

Mostly due to Vitaly’s articles I decided to go with the S&J Hardware manufactured jumbo safety and machined Delrin follower, pictured below. Like Vitaly described, I found the safety easy to activate, but not in the way while I was firing. The magazine follower is bright and gives both a visual and tactile indicator that the magazine tube is empty. Also, in 50 rounds firing from a fully loaded magazine, the follower never bound up in the magazine tube.

Also wanted to mention that I followed the instruction here: Rem870.com to install the safety and had no problems.

As it stand right now the shotgun is a very capable weapon and I got the look and feel that I wanted. There are however, other options and accessories I want to try out and see if I like better. These accessories include:

-SpeedFeed IV-S shortened tactical stock set – The LOP of this shotgun with the walnut furniture was a little long to comfortably assume a tactical squared off stance. Since I also wanted to try out a pistol gripped butt stock this product would allow me to try both.

-Mesa Tactical Side Saddle – Right now I don’t have a provision for additional ammunition on the weapon and if the quality of their magazine clamp is any indication, one of their side saddles would be just the ticket.

-XS Big Dot sight – I am a little worried about the visibility of the standard bead sight in low light conditions and I want to try one of these sights to see how they will work for me.

Links:
Remington Law Enforcement
Remington Country Store
Sage International
Mesa Tactical
S & J Hardware

Jon, thank you very much for the article and photos!

Ameriglo (Trijicon) Tritium Night Sights for Remington 870 Shotgun

Posted on April 12, 2010

This set of night sights for Remington 870 is manufactured by Ameriglo. They use tritium elements from Trijicon in their sights.

This set is very sturdy and well made. I have tested them in day light and they were very good and easy to use. Of course they don’t glow in the daylight as light gathering sights but easily identifiable thanks to the white ring around tritium tubes. Also, Ameriglo sights glow in the dark thanks to the tritium elements (which will be glowing for 12 years). You can choose several colors for your sights, I have front dot of the green color and yellow dots on the back sight. You can choose all green elements if you want. These sights are little higher than standard ones but I like it.

Installation was very easy and took just 15-20 minutes.

The only disadvantage of this set is a high price of $99. But if you want to have tritiums sights for your Remington 870 I recommend this set.

Be careful with your sights…

Posted on April 4, 2010

Several weeks ago my shotgun has fallen on the floor (during dry fire). It had direct hit on the back sight and it was broken. I was going to order new set of Williams sights because they are really good and I love them. But then I decided to order different sights to have a chance to write a new review.

New tritium sights have already arrived and installed on my Remington 870, I will have a review very soon.

Tactical Remington 870 Shotgun

Posted on April 2, 2010

I can’t wait to share with you a letter and photos from J.R.. J.R. have made a lot of work and result is fantastic.

From J.R.:

Well I have finished the 870 project for now. I have installed a Remington 18.5″ Rem choke barrel and purchased a Trulock tactical breaching choke as well as a Colonial Arms extended ported improved cylinder choke to keep it functional on the range. I patterned some bird shot with the Colonial choke and it definitely tightens it up. I have not put any rounds through the Trulock choke but it is built like a tank and will handle anything. I have also added a Limbsaver recoil pad which works extremely well at reducing felt recoil. Another upgrade added was a XS sight systems tritium front sight, it is simple to install because it’s just epoxied over the factory bead and it is a nice indicator of barrel direction in the dark. I am very impressed with the Duracoat product. I have no complaints and it is an incredible do it yourself product that has held up extremely well so far.

Here is a list of all the mods and upgrades I have done to my 870.

Rem 18.5″ Rem choke barrel
Rem comp sear spring
Rem non MIM extractor
Rem factory +3 mag ext
Colonial Arms extended ported imp cyl choke
Trulock tactical breaching choke
Mesa Tactical low tube stock kit
Mesa Tactical mag/barrel clamp
UTG scope mount
Barska 40mm red dot sight
Streamlight TLR-1 tactical light
Streamlight remote pressure switch
Streamlight 870 mount (modified)
Vang Comp SS mag follower
Wilson Combat oversize safety
Hogue overmolded forend
Limbsaver recoil pad
XS sight systems tritium front sight
Command arms M4 cheek riser
Rocky Mountain Tactical dual config tactical sling
Ontario M7 bayonet
S&J Hardware bayo mount
Duracoat Durabake parkerize finish

Wow! Fantastic work and a great tactical Remington 870!

Candewman (CDM Gear) Clamp and SureFire G2 LED Tactical Flashlight

Posted on April 1, 2010

I have received new flashlight. It is one of the most popular tactical flashlights – SureFire G2 LED Tactical Flashlight

This flashlight works great together with CDM clamp. It is very easy to use and powerful (80 lumens). SureFire G2 LED is powered by two 123A batteries. Tactical tailcap switch is very convenient for a tactical use. Press for momentary-on, twist for constant-on.

The price is about $60-70

Links:
Surefire G2 Led
CDM Gear Clamps

Candewman (CDM Gear) Clamp and FAB Defense Speed Light (1 inch Tactical flashlight)

Posted on March 29, 2010

There are a lot of different tactical flashlights but I have found one which is not very famous. But I really like it and think that it is worth checking. FAB Defense Speed Light is very powerful(100 – 120 Lumen LED output), light and compact. It was found during the search for a 1 inch flashlight for a CDM Gear clamp.

Here is photo of the flashlight with CDM clamp:

Information about the flashlight from the manufacturer website:
1 inch diameter.
Aerospace aluminum casing.
Hard anodized – mil spec.
Water Resistant.
Over all length – 3.1 inch .
100 – 120 Lumen LED output .
Pressure activated on/off tail cup or PTT.
Powered by single CR123 battery.
Provides approximately one and a half hours constant on runtime.

The price of this flashlight is $75-80. I will have a field test of FAB Defense Speed Light flashlight in future.

Links:
CDM Gear Clamp
FAB Defense Speed Light

M7 Bayonet Mounted on Remington 870 Shotgun

Posted on March 17, 2010

I have received several updates from J.R. and will be publishing them in the nearest time. And first upgrades are Remington factory +3 mag extension, an S&J bayonet mount and an Ontario M7 bayonet.

The S&J bayo mount is well built and fits the Remington 870 and the M7 very nice.
From TacticalShotgunner.com

The Ontario M7 bayonet is made well and the blade is coated very well and also includes a very nice sheath.
From MidwayUSA

J.R. thank you very much for sharing your photos and experience! Tomorrow I will post information about other upgrades.

Remington 870 Safety, Wilson Combat (Scattergun Technologies), S&J Hardware, Vang

Posted on February 18, 2010

This is new post about Remington 870 safety and alternatives. I have tested most of the Remington safety buttons available on the market and want to share my experience with you.

Factory Remington 870 Safety

Standard Remington 870 safety which works properly but too small to be quickly disengaged in stress (combat, self-defense, sport) situations. The only one safety which has a red stripe which is visible when safety is disengaged.

Wilson Combat (Scattergun Technologies) Jumbo Head Safety

My favorite safety which I have installed on my shotgun. Works great and can be easily disengaged. Also, it doesn’t stick out much. After more than 5 months of use you can see marks on it but there is no damage on the material of the safety button.

Also, this is the only one oversized safety which can be used with Knoxx recoil reducing stocks.

Vang Oversized Safety

Vang Comp Systems is a good safety but there are several problems with it:
1. Material is too soft. After 2-3 months of use I saw that material of the safety button was damaged, there were deformations on it.
2. Sticks out too far.
3. Cannot be installed with Knoxx recoil reducing stocks.

S&J Hardware Jumbo Safety

This safety is great, I would be happy to use it if I could install it together with my Knoxx recoil reducing stock. But it looks like it cannot be used with it.

The shape of this safety button is great and it doesn’t stick up much. I think this is the best choice for a standard stocks.

Summary
In my opinion the best choice for a recoil reducing stock is Wilson Combat (Scattergun Technologies) safety.
The best choice for a standard stock is S&J Hardware safety.

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