Shotgun stocks... Input?

[Indy_Guy_77]

During a recent outing to MCF&G, I was able to run a few tubes though my 870. Just bird shot / target loads... Nothing major going on.

I really noticed how far that I have to reach to work the action! I'm presuming that the factory stock-set on there (see pic) gives an LOP that's too long?

And because I'm always mentally spending money on pieces & parts to "upgrade" things; why not the stockset on my 870?

My previous 870, I had a Blackhawk recoil reducing / adjustable stock & handguard put on. I didn't fire it enough post installation to really figure out if I liked it or not.

Mesa Tactical's Endine system... Seems pretty slick & is roughly the same price as the Blackhawk. But you then have to add an "AR" stock, right? So it's Endine + stock separately, which = more money?

Speedfeed: I've seen a lot of these, both with the in-stock shell holders and those without. Probably the most economical choice, but no recoil reduction.

I like the idea of recoil reduction; but am not at all convinced that it's necessary. (especially not with a properly fitting shotgun and proper technique...which I know I need work on)

So, can anyone compare/contrast Blackhawk, Mesa, and/or Speedfeed?

Thanks!


-J-

 

[esrice]

Speedfeed: I've seen a lot of these, both with the in-stock shell holders and those without. Probably the most economical choice, but no recoil reduction.

I don't have much experience with shotguns in general, but lovemywoods does have a Speedfeed short LOP stock on his 870 (built by VUPDblue).

It feels about the same as a collapsible AR stock in the 2nd or 3rd position. No recoil reduction, but its a simple solid stock.

Here are some pictures for reference:

 

[VUPDblue]

Dang Jared, I shoulda let you run mine when we were shooting I'm not a fan of the recoil reducing stocks. Proper technique will abate the recoil and make you better with the platform and not dependent on technology to shoot well. I also agree that the LOP on off-the-rack 870s is aaaay too long. I went with a SpeedFeed "short LOP" model without shell storage. I wanted a pistol grip with short LOP and I tried a couple before I ended up with the Speed Feed. I can shoulder the gun more comfortably (properly) and get a proper cheek-weld with the shorter stocks. I mean, you saw me run my gun a tiny bit. Did I look uncomfortable? Granted I've got probably close to 10k through that gun, so I know how to run it, but the general principles still apply. You're welcome to run or borrow mine any time.

 

[dom1104]

I have been down this road before, and I have found the absolute best stock for me is.... drumroll.....

The one you already have

The R3 recoil pad is very nice, possibly the best, and all of the AR grip adapters, Mesa Tactical Enidine $500 setups, and DEFINATLY not the craptastic Blackhawk / Knoxx Spring-Stock are... crap.

Believe it or not, a lot of "Field" < as in hunting > testing has gone into shotgun stocks, and the old standby works the best. A good recoil pad, <which the R3 is> is a nice upgrade, other than that just make sure you get one that fits your LOP and you are off to the races.

This is NOT a gun that doodads improve.

IMHO.

<Edit:> I figured I would let you guys know my journey thru shotgun stocks.

1. RAA adapter w/ magpul ACS w/ enhanced recoil pad
2. Mesa Tactical Low Tube
3. Mesa Tactical High Tube
4. Original Wingmaster Wood
5. Remington Police Wood
6. The stock off of the Express Tactical <same as yours but black>

I was able to borrow all of those stocks <a 2 of them I bought and sold> and test 3 different barrel lengths <18 20 and 26> and time them with a shot timer from an "at rest" slinged position firing 12 shots at 4 targets on the move.

The best result was the 26 inch Vent Rib barrel + Green Fiber Bead with the plain jane black Express Stock and a Black Speedfeed forend.

<second edit> I did end up putting a bag of epoxied lead shot into the butt of the stock by the way, to balence the gun.

 

[Tinman]

Correct shotgun stock LOP (much like many other things) comes down to the shooter, and the context the shotgun is used in. A squared up defensive shooting platform requires a much different hardware than a wing shooting, or hunters platform. To that, Dom is correct, there has been a lot of effort put into stock length development, unfortunately, a lot of that has nothing to do with the defensive context.

For the most part, the factory LOP for most shotguns is excessively long for 90% of the shooters out there. The old wood stocks were great because you could just cut them to your desired length, refit the pad, and go. Today, in many cases, we have to either buy a new stock, or cobble up something on our own.

I like the speedfeed short length, I have had many of those. However, I'm not terribly fond of how they do the pistol grip. The gap behind the trigger guard just looks awkward and is sometime uncomfortable. Also, although high on cool factor, the shell holders in the stock are really not worth much in an emergency reload situation. You're probably better off with a standard side saddle of some type. The other option is a standard Remington youth model stock, the LOP seems to fit more people comfortably.

I haven't seen any of the recoil reducing stocks that really look worth the money. Most people I have met and trained gained much better results with proper technique.

Up until recently most of the AR adapters for shotguns have lacked the quality that I'm willing to accept. I have not tried some of the better ones currently on the market, because quite frankly I don't see the ability to collapse the stock at will a large enough benefit to offset the cost.

The rifles that I do use adjustable stocks on very often are set at my preferred position, locked in place and never moved (at least not on purpose). The only exception is in the rifles I run while wearing armor, I like to have the ability to adjust for in armor and out. Since I don't run the shotgun in armor, that's a non-issue for me.

I don't like to collapse the stocks for transport as it's one more thing I could miss when deploying the rifle for use.

Just my

Tinman.....