Remington 870 conversion for home defense

[Beemer]

I did a search but couldn't really find anything. I have a standard Remington 870, nothing fancy. I am looking for suggestions on making it more mobile around the house for home defense. I was thinking about possibly a pistol grip or if someone can recommend a tactical conversion. Thanks much in advance.

 

[HamYankee]

I did the same thing to mine. 18.5in barrel, magazine tube extension (minor modification to 870 required), and magpul furniture. Stock can be made quite short.

 

[Ziggidy]

I did the same thing to mine. 18.5in barrel, magazine tube extension (minor modification to 870 required), and magpul furniture. Stock can be made quite short.

How do you like the magpul on there? I picked it up about a year ago and never got around to it.

 

[Slow Hand]

If you are talking about a pistol grip stock, it’s not a bad idea. If you mean just a pistol grip, I’d recommend against it. They are hard to shoot, and darned near impossible to aim with. And aim you must. At most HD distances, you will have a pretty tight pattern with buckshot.

The easiest ‘conversion’ would be an 18.5” barrel and mag tube extension. Highly recommended are a light and sling.

 

[Hop]

I love my Magpul 870 furniture. The pistol grip stock is fantastic & reduces length of pull making it much easier to maneuver. The foregrip has m-lok slots for attaching a flashlight with pressure pad.

Mine started out with an 18.5" barrel and a mag tube extender.

I've also added a "snap over barrel" fiber optic front sight & velcro to the left side so I can slap on a 6 shell card.

This is the gun I'll use to fight my way to my rifle.

 

[lonehoosier]

I have both Magpul and a pistol grip stock. I prefer the Magpul.



I’m left handed that’s why I have an extra 5 shells on that side of the stock.

Also I strongly recommend a tactical shotgun class. You will find out real quick what works and what doesn’t.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Another +1 for the Magpul SGA stock and fore end here, too.

18-18.5" barrel for better maneuverability if needed. A +1 or +2 mag tube extension for a bit more capacity. (Depending on your model of shotgun, there may be dimples on the end of the mag tube to keep the follower in the tube. You can either ease those out with a ratchet forced in the tube or you can drill them out and touch-up the edges).

I also personally like the idea of a better high-viz follower and a bigger safety button.

And most definitely a shotgun class. Definitely eye-opening. I recommend MDFI, Chris Fry of MDTS, or Steve Fisher of Sentinel Concepts. I'm sure there are plenty of others, too.

 

[Beemer]

Wonderful. Thanks much guys. Any suggestion on the flashlight?

 

[MCgrease08]

Wonderful. Thanks much guys. Any suggestion on the flashlight?

 

[Yamadog35]

I have this light setup on several of my shotguns. It uses a bracket from Echo93 The bracket is not really made for this application, but I find it works well. It is not MLOK and you have to install screws from inside the forend. It can be a little tricky on the 870 forend, but it works. I like this set up because it moves the light up a little bit so I can get a full grip on the forend. Using the Inforce light it puts the thumb switch in a perfect position for me. I tried a TLR-1 light on this set up and that would work as well.

 

[Beemer]

That looks very nice. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Beemer]

Okay so this is what I am thinking. I like the look and function of the Magpul furniture. Getting a good light. Any suggestions on a reasonable good quality barrel. I have seen this one, https://www.brownells.com/shotgun-p...-18-5-ic-bead-sight-parkerized-prod26925.aspx, however some of the reviews say it doesn't line up very well. Sorry to ask so many questions. I am not really a shotgun guy. Thanks again for all the help folks!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I did a search but couldn't really find anything. I have a standard Remington 870, nothing fancy. I am looking for suggestions on making it more mobile around the house for home defense. I was thinking about possibly a pistol grip or if someone can recommend a tactical conversion. Thanks much in advance.

I am uncertain what a "standard" 870 is anymore.

More mobile around the house? Buy a blue gun and marry it. The gun goes with you everywhere. Doing laundry, cleaning the house, paying the bills.

Pistol grip? Not a fan, each to his own. Of the new stuff, I really like that Magpul stock. Bee's knees.

Tactical conversion? Not sure what that is, but if you want to know what you need then IMO I want sights, trigger, a sling, and a light.

Big sights. Ghost rings, keeps my round Charlie Brown head down on the weapon.

Trigger. Clean. No slack or crunch. It's already a shotgun and guys slap the crap out of triggers as it is. Get a nice crisp trigger. Little heavy is fine, but no limp slack.

Sling. If you want to fight with it, I want a sling as I will hump it more than shoot it. I know there is the "no sling" camp but like everything else, pros and cons. I like a sling on long guns, including stuff in my house. You can always Old School band it. I want a two point, not a whack me in the junk single point. I am not SAS.

Light. Brighter is better, but most of all I want the light to go off when I want it too. I have pressure and constant switches.

Also me: The downside of a shotgun is the limited ammo. Get a way to carry ammo on the gun. I prefer side saddle. Butt cuffs are cool too, but my head is so round that angling on my off side hurts my face when shooting off hand. Mesa Tactical 6 round side saddle is what I rock.

Safety: big, oversized. Most common shotgun malfunction, not taking off the safety. Press ups using safety until you are sick of the weapon.

You'll want to work out with it too. Curls, shoulder presses, simply holding on target, holding over your forearms, etc.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Scattergun Technologies (ok, I'm old, get over it), "FBI Model":

 

[indiucky]

Scattergun Technologies (ok, I'm old, get over it), "FBI Model":

No....A Winchester Model 12 riot gun is old school...Not mine but looks like mine....I remember the Scattergun Technologies when they were the bees knees...A buddy drove down to Nash-Vegas to get his....

 

[Beemer]

Thanks Kirk, really informative. I appreciate you taking the time. Any suggestion on barrels?

 

[Fordtough25]

No....A Winchester Model 12 riot gun is old school...Not mine but looks like mine....I remember the Scattergun Technologies when they were the bees knees...A buddy drove down to Nash-Vegas to get his....

I got to run some rounds through an old model 12 riot gun a couple years ago, man what a shooter. Some young man who was a friend of a friends had it, said his grand pa used it when he was a sherriff a long time ago. Quality at its finest!

 

[Disposable Heart]

I am uncertain what a "standard" 870 is anymore.

More mobile around the house? Buy a blue gun and marry it. The gun goes with you everywhere. Doing laundry, cleaning the house, paying the bills.

Pistol grip? Not a fan, each to his own. Of the new stuff, I really like that Magpul stock. Bee's knees.

Tactical conversion? Not sure what that is, but if you want to know what you need then IMO I want sights, trigger, a sling, and a light.

Big sights. Ghost rings, keeps my round Charlie Brown head down on the weapon.

Trigger. Clean. No slack or crunch. It's already a shotgun and guys slap the crap out of triggers as it is. Get a nice crisp trigger. Little heavy is fine, but no limp slack.

Sling. If you want to fight with it, I want a sling as I will hump it more than shoot it. I know there is the "no sling" camp but like everything else, pros and cons. I like a sling on long guns, including stuff in my house. You can always Old School band it. I want a two point, not a whack me in the junk single point. I am not SAS.

Light. Brighter is better, but most of all I want the light to go off when I want it too. I have pressure and constant switches.

Also me: The downside of a shotgun is the limited ammo. Get a way to carry ammo on the gun. I prefer side saddle. Butt cuffs are cool too, but my head is so round that angling on my off side hurts my face when shooting off hand. Mesa Tactical 6 round side saddle is what I rock.

I'd mirror most of this!

A HD shotgun should have attributes that would allow it to be pressed into beyond your front door capability. Rifles rule when it comes to HD, but you can make a shotgun "extend itself" a bit more into a rifle like role with some changes, a "Food Riot" or Neighborhood gun, rather than just an HD piece.

Barrel: 18.5" or 20", preferably with rifle sights or ghost rings. Remington has an awesome barrel, two actually, I would consider: They are 20" rifle sighted, one has a modified choke built in, the other can take Rem-Chokes. Mod will get you better grouping and effective range with cheaper buck and still allow good slug accuracy, whereas the Rem-Choke will give you all the versatility you need (Turkey, cheap buck squeeze, no squeeze for Federal Flite-Control stuff, etc...) Yes, they are more expensive than the Mossberg barrel for your 870, but WELL worth it for the flexibility it will give you.

Stocks: On the fence. I've seen myself having better gun handling and control with a pistol gripped full stock (yawing gun to roll loading port into workspace, etc...) but recoil goes straight to your wrist, then shoulder, whereas a regular stock goes to your shoulder. If you already have a standard stock, have it shaved or shimmed at the butt to give you proper length of pull and call it a day, cheaper than any new stock and does everything you'd want it to. Pistol grip only is the realm of the Fudd Commanders or bank robbers. Sure, sure, Clint has shown the value of the Shockwave, but I've tried it and hated it, preferring an easy to use package that I can master easily, rather than trying to master a difficult platform.

Large headed safety button: Vang still makes theirs, top notch. It's positioned so that once you practice a little, it disengages once you put your finger in the trigger guard. Less to think about.

Good light: Don't skimp on mounts. Don't go cheap on the light. Any suggestions of "well, this $30 UTG light is just as good as..." should be disregarded. Streamlight, Inforce, etc... stay with the best. That scatterstick will shake the crap out of lesser lights and leave them flickering. Cheap mounts will fall off, fail or get in the way. Avoid trying to put the light on the forearm. It WILL get in the way. I thought I was going to be awesome and put a TLR on a Magpul forearm... BAD idea and I still have joint pain from that aluminum light slamming into my hand.

Side saddles are a must. Depending on how you train and what your specific role for the weapon is, you will choose one and fill it with what you want. I've ran the cheaper plastic TacStars for years and only recently broke one. I've changed to alum Mesas with no issues (albeit, more practice needed in reloading from it and found I cannot run shells brass down because they slip out). I load my side saddles with slugs, feed from there, but for pure HD needs, fill it with your favorite buck. Keeping ammo handy is important. Skip butt cuffs and I could never get the stock shell holders to hold up over time. A chest rig with ammo on it will pay off in spades if you practice with it (I still have my SOE microrig and it's awesome).

Slings. I might split from Kirk on this, but pure HD, no sling for me: I want her slick and no possible obstructions. Dual role, HD and Food Riot gun, gimme a simple two point any day, twice on Sunday, but practice clearing your house with the sling.

Last but not least: Practice. Get a training class in, if you can find one. If you can't find old Awerbuck stuff on youtube or a quality class that doesn't harp about shooting birds, get a copy of MagPul's shotgun video. Made me a Remington man from day one (wait until you find out the cool thing you can do with a Remmy that you can't with a Mossy: Pull the slide back halfway, reach up and push the shell carrier forwards, then you can surf in a shell without dumping one!) Shotguns aren't claymore mines on sticks, they require LOTS of practice, lots of discipline (remember, magazine capacity is VERY low) and realization they are a niche weapon that can do few things REALLY well, but everything poorly.

 

[indiucky]

I got to run some rounds through an old model 12 riot gun a couple years ago, man what a shooter. Some young man who was a friend of a friends had it, said his grand pa used it when he was a sherriff a long time ago. Quality at its finest!

Fast as greased lightning.....

 

[Beemer]

Wow, thanks disposable. More great info. If not mounting on the forearm where then?