Did I buy the right choke?

[mcracco]

First of all, greetings as I am new here. I'm new to the shotgun thing but not new to shooting. I am mainly a handgun guy who shoots IDPA and some black rifle but I wanted to shoot the occasional 3 gun match so I picked up a 870. Should have got one sooner.

So, here I am with the Magpul edition 870 which has an 18" barrel and a police style door buster at the muzzle. I know I need a choke of some sort so I ran out and bought a Kick's Vortex modified choke because it was external, black, and available. The Vortex is said to be for Federal Blackcloud ammo so now I am wondering if I made a mistake. I will probably be shooting 6 or 7 lead but certainly not Federal Blackcloud.

The question is; any down side to using the Vortex with 'standard' ammo?

Thanks.

[Synchronizor]

Well, after wading through a metric crap-ton of BS marketing on their website, it looks like (as far as I can tell, at least) the Vortex tubes are just extended choke tubes with relatively open constrictions for steel shot. There was no mention of wad-stops, rifling, porting, or other gizmos that may act weird with certain loads. Their Remington 12ga Modified choke tube is listed as having a .717" constriction, while most Modified tubes for lead shot tend to be around .710". You won't damage anything if you shoot lead through it (if it's built for steel shot, lead won't hurt it), but you may end up with more of a Light Modified or Improved Cylinder pattern.

My advice would be to pattern-test the choke with the loads you plan on competing with. If you like the patterns you're getting, great. If not, you may need to find another tube.

[Tasman]

I know it is personal preference, but I really like the look of mine with an internal choke tube. I picked up Remington modified and full choke tubes.



Sorry the pic isn't great, but you can see the choke inside

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[Vitaly]

Nice safe!

[Tasman]

Thank you, it was a birthday present. I really like it. And the left side is perfect for ammo. It wasn't in the picture but there's now 500 rds of 12ga on the bottom and 2000 rds of .22 above it.

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[mcracco]

Synchronizor, thanks for the info. Guess I will test pattern it and see where that leads me. I have a feeling that since I am a noob the choke will be fine for the types of matches I will be shooting this year.

BTW, I installed a Nordic 2 round mag extension. Boy, they make nice stuff.

Also installed a GG&G ss follower at the same time. Here's the interesting part; the GG&G instructions tell you to 'push' a 16mm socket down the mag tube to remove the factory dimples that hold the spring end plug in place. There is no way on God's green earth that process will reform those steel dimples and if it did I would still be trying to get the socket out. Instead, I had a worn Dremel abrasive wheel what was small enough to fit in the tube. Ground both dimples flush very nicely. A little cold blue and it was a done deal. Nothing like taking a Dremel to a new firearm!

[Synchronizor]

BTW, I installed a Nordic 2 round mag extension. Boy, they make nice stuff.

Yeah, I've heard great things about those. I still prefer steel extensions for a defensive gun, but for competition and sporting builds, the Nordic kits are a great way to go.

Also installed a GG&G ss follower at the same time. Here's the interesting part; the GG&G instructions tell you to 'push' a 16mm socket down the mag tube to remove the factory dimples that hold the spring end plug in place. There is no way on God's green earth that process will reform those steel dimples and if it did I would still be trying to get the socket out. Instead, I had a worn Dremel abrasive wheel what was small enough to fit in the tube. Ground both dimples flush very nicely. A little cold blue and it was a done deal. Nothing like taking a Dremel to a new firearm!

The bumps can be pressed out with a mandrel or similar tool that way, but it has to be done properly. With a lot of the do-it-yourself approaches and kits out there, it's very easy to damage your gun with this method.

So, how about some pictures? I'd be interested to see how that extension looks on the Magpul 870.

[mcracco]

Here's a quick pic:

[Zebra62]

Nothing wrong with the way you took care of the dimples, mcracco. The cold blue was a good finishing touch often forgotten.

Remington recommends drilling the dimples out which is what I did when I installed a +5 Choate extension on my wife's 20 gauge. I polished the rough edges smooth with the dremel and then got after it with a bluing pen I picked up from Academy. Looks just like a sharpie, so it has to stay away from the kids else it end up all over the walls and other things. Using the 16mm socket can cause damage to the magazine and could very well get the socket lodged in the magazine to the point of needing a gunsmith to remove it.