So I have possibly finished upgrading my New 870. I upgraded most everything that was recommended from this forum. Only thing left to do is polish the bolt and get a duracoat I suppose. But if I am missing anything that should be replaced or upgraded with better parts please feel free to comment with your thoughts. I'd like to take them into consideration since this is a primary home defense weapon and I am looking for the most reliability that I can get from this shotgun. I also shoot this weapon every weekend running 50-100 rounds through it. Minus the shotgun and shipping on these parts I have spent Roughly $280 so far. I haven't purchased a light yet since i'm still reading reviews on a few before I buy. If you have any experience with the CDM light mount, what do you prefer for a light to go with this.
Here is a list of upgrades and parts with prices:
Bought from cheaperthandirt
-GGG Follower (GGG1437) $27.50 (I had the dimples removed from my mag tube but they make this follower with slots for the dimples)
-GGG Single Point Sling Mount (GGG1437) $26.00
-Mesa Tactical 6 Shell SureShell Side Saddle (2-MESA90210) $59.00
Bought from Brownells
-Carrier latch Spring (F16966) $5.29
-Extractor NON-MIM (F16176) $17.99
-Extractor Spring (F17433) $5.29 (Not sure if this was an upgrade but i went ahead and replaced it anyway)
-Nordic Components Spring (EXTSP1245) $8.00
Bought from Amazon
-CDM MOD-C - Shotgun Flashlight Mount $57.00
Bought from Midway USA
-Hogue Overmolded Stock and Forend 12" LOP (126882) $55.00
-Scattergun Technologies Oversize Safety Remington (946594) $18.00
Possibly Finished Upgrading my 870 tactical. Your thoughts?
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Re: Possibly Finished Upgrading my 870 tactical. Your though
Well, here are some ideas if you're still in a tinkering mood. None of these are strictly necessary, but seeing as you spent money on similar "feel-good" upgrades like a new extractor and magazine spring, you might be interested in some of these as well:
>Since you removed the dimples in your magazine tube, your gun no longer has a functioning ratchet system to help keep the magazine cap from backing off. There are a couple ways to address this, but the best would be to have a magazine cap detent installed in your barrel guide ring, and change your cap out for an external-ratchet type. This will also get you a little extra usable space in the tube if you ditch the factory spring retainer (which serves no real purpose without dimples to lock into).
>You could also run a short +1 magazine extension instead of a magazine cap for extra capacity.
>Check the length of your stock bolt. Since you're using a sling plate, you'd probably get better engagement by replacing the bolt that came with your stock with a slightly longer one.
>There are several options for upgrading the front bead sight with a self-illuminating element that will be visible in the dark.
>Last I checked, the Scattergun Tech safety button doesn't have a colored indicator like the factory safety. You can paint a ring on it yourself in whatever high-visibility color tickles your fancy.
>If you haven't yet, I would suggest removing your trigger plate pin detent springs. They serve no useful purpose with the sidesaddle installed, they'll just make the gun harder to take down and put back together, and if you break them (which can happen if you leave them on with a sidesaddle) you'll need to order replacements in order to to use the gun without the sidesaddle.
>I've heard the recoil pad on the Hogue stock is overly tacky, and likes to grab clothing. This may not bug you, but it's something I can't stand in a recoil pad. I'm not sure what alternate pad options there are for that stock, but it might be worth looking into if you don't like the way your current pad feels.
>Once you get the gun broken in, you should swap the original carrier dog follower spring back in and see if you like the feel of the action better that way. The carrier should function just as reliably with the standard spring as it does with the heavier 1100 carrier latch spring, but the action will run smoother and easier with a standard spring, since that's what the gun was designed to use.
>Finally, if you haven't yet, put in some extended practice time with the gun to get it properly broken in, identify any issues, and make sure you're happy with your configuration before you put in the time and money to Duracoat it.
>Since you removed the dimples in your magazine tube, your gun no longer has a functioning ratchet system to help keep the magazine cap from backing off. There are a couple ways to address this, but the best would be to have a magazine cap detent installed in your barrel guide ring, and change your cap out for an external-ratchet type. This will also get you a little extra usable space in the tube if you ditch the factory spring retainer (which serves no real purpose without dimples to lock into).
>You could also run a short +1 magazine extension instead of a magazine cap for extra capacity.
>Check the length of your stock bolt. Since you're using a sling plate, you'd probably get better engagement by replacing the bolt that came with your stock with a slightly longer one.
>There are several options for upgrading the front bead sight with a self-illuminating element that will be visible in the dark.
>Last I checked, the Scattergun Tech safety button doesn't have a colored indicator like the factory safety. You can paint a ring on it yourself in whatever high-visibility color tickles your fancy.
>If you haven't yet, I would suggest removing your trigger plate pin detent springs. They serve no useful purpose with the sidesaddle installed, they'll just make the gun harder to take down and put back together, and if you break them (which can happen if you leave them on with a sidesaddle) you'll need to order replacements in order to to use the gun without the sidesaddle.
>I've heard the recoil pad on the Hogue stock is overly tacky, and likes to grab clothing. This may not bug you, but it's something I can't stand in a recoil pad. I'm not sure what alternate pad options there are for that stock, but it might be worth looking into if you don't like the way your current pad feels.
>Once you get the gun broken in, you should swap the original carrier dog follower spring back in and see if you like the feel of the action better that way. The carrier should function just as reliably with the standard spring as it does with the heavier 1100 carrier latch spring, but the action will run smoother and easier with a standard spring, since that's what the gun was designed to use.
>Finally, if you haven't yet, put in some extended practice time with the gun to get it properly broken in, identify any issues, and make sure you're happy with your configuration before you put in the time and money to Duracoat it.
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Re: Possibly Finished Upgrading my 870 tactical. Your though
I really appreciate the info, thank you. I guess I should have left the dimples in the tube and got the slotted follower.
Re: Possibly Finished Upgrading my 870 tactical. Your though
synchronizer added a lot of great suggestions a salways. i agree with him that it is a bummer when your recoil pad sticks to everything in sight. A real easy fix if you dont mind a down home solution is some electrical tape. Most likely you will be the only one that ever notices it. it gives you a very slick movement until you get the pad in position then you get the sticky part back into play.