Best Side Saddle

L

lovemyM4

New member
I'm going to put a 6 shell side saddle on my 870 and was wondewring who makes the best one?

Does plastic or metal make a difference?

This will go on a 870 riot 12 gauge and weight isn't a big deal for me right now.
 
I like the one offered by 3gungear.com It is made of heavy duty strapping, like seat belt material with rubber threads woven into the material to keep the shells from slipping. The elastic outer material is good quality and it is held on with velcro. It works better than you would think and doesn't require screws to hold it on.
 
people like the Mesa Tacticals because they're aluminum. they're also 75.99 (yeah, SEVENTY FIVE NINETY-NINE) on Midway. Honestly I wouldn't use anything but a Tacstar. It's polymer, but I've owned FIVE of them (870, win1300 and Mossberg590a1) and honestly the only way I myself could break it is by intentionally trying to (beating the receiver holder-first on the concrete, using a saw, shooting it off, etc.). It's VERY durable, it's about 50 bucks cheaper than the mesa tactical and it's probably lighter too. I cannot vouch for Tacstars other products but I'll come to bat for their shell holder time and again.
 
The TacStar is holding up good for me, no complaints.

Understand that with the 6 round sidesaddle, you will have to chop your forearm shorter, or install a shorter one for it to clear the shells and function. If you don't want to chop the forearm, they have 4 round sidesaddles.
 
Mesa Tactical (my preference), TacStar or whatever you use, I would opt for a 4 shell configuration vs. the six. With this you get less weight and less worry about interference. I mean, are two extra shells worth the additional trouble? Im thinking no.
 
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I have seen too many Tac Stars crap out in classes. If you just want it to hold shells and take it out and shoot it on the square range, Tac Star is fine. If you train seriously, or it is a duty weapon and your equipment takes some punishment in the process, the Tac Star will not hold up.
 
Best side saddle?

Who makes the best? Any bolt on part is going to have problems becuase of the pounding recoil of a 12G. So, best, becomes a matter of price IMO. Mesa is expensive and has had its fair share of problems. Tacstar is cheap and has also had problems :) In my mind it boils down to cost on a part that WILL fail no matter who makes it. (provided you actually shoot your gun)

Right now I have no side saddles on any of my guns thats just because im tired of *icking around with bolt ons.
 
The best side saddle is....


a butt cuff.


Ditch the side saddle. It screws up balance and even makes it hard to slide the gun in many places (behind a truck seat for example) or often gets caught when you are trying to get the gun out (say, of a gun cabinet).

Clint SMith and Mos Ayoob (if memory serves me on the last) recommend a butt cuff. It isn't just my opinion.
 
I have a 4 round Tacstar on my 870 HD w/ 18' barrel and factory extended magazine and couldn't be happier with it. It holds the shells very secure and fits perfect. It has no effect on the balance of the gun and didn't require modifying anything.
 
I have a 4 round Tacstar on my 870 HD w/ 18' barrel and factory extended magazine and couldn't be happier with it. It holds the shells very secure and fits perfect. It has no effect on the balance of the gun and didn't require modifying anything.
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Well, it did require modifying. You had to remove the hardware (I forget the name of the pins--one holds the trigger group and another holds the elevator pivot on a Mossberg I think) and replace them with cheap crap from China. Especially given Tacstar's bottom of the barrel reliability, I would recommend you return to stock.

I've done all these things in the past, adding tacticool accessories, only to find that they fail under heavy use or even stop the gun from working. If that side saddle mounting bolt fails your SG is out of service. I have seen it happen. I have seen a sidesaddle interfere with the pump just enough (it didn't feel like it was interfering at all) to keep it from picking up the next round reliably. Every 10 rounds or so the round would just shoot out the bottom. He thought he had worn out his shotgun. Guess what happened when the side saddle was removed? 100% reliable again.

I even seen a stock cause a SG to fail. The Chinese crap mounting bolt was too long which bent the safety mechanism so that the gun wouldn't fire. The guy didn't notice for weeks that the safety mechanism then worked backwards because the device had been bent.

Your choice of course. But Remington, Mossberg, Winchester and most of the other makers produce very solid, reliable shotguns that the average user will never wear out. All that $20 Chineetacticoolcrap means that your fine shotgun is now only as good as those two bolts procured for a penny or two each. Tacstar and ATI are the worst offenders IMO.
 
Thanks for your concern but I'll sleep just fine with the Tacstar on my 870.

FWIW, I have never ever heard of the any problems with the mounting screws on anyones side saddles.
 
The "Speed Feed" stock is an alternative that works for me, lets you have 4 extra that are easy to get to and nothing is sticking out on the side of your receiver. Ain't cheap but worth the $$s.
 
"Well, it did require modifying. You had to remove the hardware (I forget the name of the pins--one holds the trigger group and another holds the elevator pivot on a Mossberg I think) and replace them with cheap crap from China. Especially given Tacstar's bottom of the barrel reliability, I would recommend you return to stock."


For what it's worth, Ive owned a Mossberg 500 persuader, Remington 870 Wingmaster, Winchester 1300 Defender and Mossberg 590a1 all with Tacstars installed and have been impressed every time. Keep in mind that's a fairly wide array of slightly different shotguns and haven't had a problem with any of them, and unlike the mallninjas, I actually do go out and shoot the heck out of my guns. I can't vouch for Tacstar's other stuff (and ATI is beyond awful imo), I believe their sidesaddle is a very decent accessory if you have tried one and don't mind the balance difference. I'm sure the Mesa is quite decent, but I'm so impressed with the Tacstar I definitely couldn't justify another 50 dollars on one.
 
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