Few years back, I got my first – and to this day only – shotgun: the Remington 870, shown here as supplied from the factory with a two-round mag extension.
See product web site here:
My original intent was as an easy and cheap way to get into local 2- and 3-gun matches, which the gun continues to serve in that capacity superbly. I couldn’t help though in wanting to build a better mousetrap out of it. At one point I had it doubling as a home-defense weapon, and pretty well loaded up with all kinds of tac-ti-kool goodies.
This was a lot of fun to put together, but really bogged down how the gun handled in matches, and also gave me doubt as to how well I would really fair with it in close quarters. Eventually I decided to rely on my handgun/carbine combo to cover both short- and long-range HD needs, and revert the 870 back to strictly match use.
One problem I always had with the original configuration though was the very low set plain-bead front sight, which would not allow me to get a proper mount and cheek weld and also precisely aim the gun for things like long-range slug shots. The MMC clamp-on front sight I used in HD mode helped some (see above), but it got removed with the rest of that gear. I also found that the cylinder-choked 18-inch barrel didn’t give field loads enough punch to knock down steel plates with complete reliability.
So a few months back I replaced the factory barrel with a 20-inch, improved-cylinder, rifle-sighted barrel. To match the increased overall length, I also switched the original 2-round mag extension with a 3-rounder.
The barrel-clamp mounted sling completes the package. Although the sling looks a little long-ish, the extra up front really helps speed unslinging from the shoulder to mount the gun by giving greater clearance to the weak-side forearm.
The new mag extension originally came with a shallow and very fudd-esque bluing, which looked pathetic against the rest of the gun, but which was very effectively refinished by our own gotm4 at Virginia Arms for a perfect match.
The 20-inch IC barrel now kicks steel “with authority”. Best of all, the rifle sights enable great accuracy with slugs easily out to 100 yards.
It has been observed many times that the beauty of the shotgun is in its versatility, and that the 870 matches if not excels other designs in that regard. My experience is certainly corroborative.
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