Crisis Management reloading...

Thanks for the links, guys. Checked it out, that thing looks good. Bet it'd work for hunting also.

Heck, with good double sided one could mount it to the receiver a la Side Saddle.
 
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Interesting thread. Been using a SS for a short while now and came to the same conclusion. If you run dry and reload into the gate, you wind up racking it twice. Pop one into the ejection port, close, then top off the tube. Much faster but snap caps sure would make practicing it safer at home.

Almost done setting up my 870 for HD! Got one of Dennis Levy's 18" barrels and +2 tube extenders, SS, and am waiting for Blackhawks Tactical Ammo Cheekpad/ Pouch and 15 round shotshell sling to come. 32 rounds on the gun!

Tried it out at the range last weekend and reloads were very fast. I think topping it off from the shoulder is the way to go. My cheek got a little tenderized from those 30 slugs I ran through it though. Hope the cheekpad helps some.

I got the 6 rnd SS and needed to trim the forend. I trimmed it up to the sharp edge and it was perfect. Racked all the way gave me about 1- 32nd of an inch clearance to the SS mount plate, real nice. I was on a roll so refinished it with Freds Ambush camo pattern kit, looks nicer than I expected it to with a couple tries.

Looked at the Ghostring sights for it, cant really justify the expense, I do OK with just a bead.

The only thing that could make this system any sweeter is an 18" Remchoke barrel. Is there such a thing?
 
Ed, sounds like a good setup but....

That sling shouldn't be on the gun,IF you're carrying ammo on it.After the first shot and rack, it'll be penduluming to and fro.

And,a sling on HD tool is not needed, and may snag at a terrible moment.

And 32 rounds may be a bit more than most crises require.Better safe than sorry. But IMO, any situation that needs more than a few shotgun rounds to resolve probably needs backup by a heavily armed Marine platoon more than mo' 00.

You may want to weigh that thing after adding all the stuff, it'll probably clear 13 lbs.

Sorry, all 18" bbls for the 870 I've ever seen have been fixed choke or retro fitted for tubes.
Choke seems to be meaningless at HD ranges, so what you have is probably all you need.

HTH...
 
If the sling dont work out, into the holster graveyard (drawer) it'll go with the rest! I just keep trying different stuff until it suits me. Lots of stuff looks good in the ads but dont work out. We'll see. I have been wondering about the weight too, but one never knows what situations the future may bring so the weighted pendulum may in fact be comforting at some point, just for the ammo. Until then it can lay in the drawer.

I was thinking the choke tubes would make it a little more versatile. Not necessarily for HD, but for other occasions like an oppurtunity for a meal which wouldn't ruin it for HD and I wouldn't really have to haul the long barrel with me...It is mighty handy with the short tube.

So if I read you right, my Remington barrel could be fitted with internal Remchokes? Its Cyl bore now. How much does that cost?
 
Neat stuff here.

I think the speedloader things are cool for showing off, will they be there when you need them? The more I practice from a sidesaddle, the more I like it. Also, my pad/bag really counterweights the gun, so it handles real nice. The ammo in it is less accesible, but I figure its for a time and hardcover reload deal that hopefully is never needed. The bag doesn't move like a buttcuff and when full provides nice forearm rest if you onehand the thing. My grip strength is A-ok, so I do. Remembering the Miami deal I have tried one-handed load and shoots too, keeping the butt on the ground works, but what also works for me is pointing the muzzle up and dropping the gun, catch the forend, cycle by giving it a smooth and fast up and down motion and then tossing it back up and catching it by the comb and back on target. Can be accomplished rather quickly, just takes a little doin to lock your elbow out while pointing an 870.

The slings, awful. swing everywhere, cumbersome. Geat a nylon shell belt if you must have the mexican bandit shell carrying look.
 
I've been using the Choate (or California Compworks) speed strippers for some time in 3 gun matches, along with a side saddle, safariland holders and a neat little nylon holder that holds 2 shells right by the ejection port in case you run your gun dry (I've NEVER done that :rolleyes: ).

The speed stripper can be found here:

Cali. Compworks Speed Stripper

The Safariland's here:

Safariland 2 shot holder

And the little nylon holder here:

Slide lock 2 pack

I know some of this stuff is pretty gamey, but use what you want and leave the rest. I can tell you that the above equipment makes for pretty fast reloads (for a shotgun :) )
 
Ed, Remchokes cannot be fitted, but some aftermarket choke systems can. These are the thinwall types, the Truchoke etc. Frankenstein has the .795"X44TPI version, had good results.

But, a straight cylinder bore will take small game out to 30 yards or more, depending on load quality.I've hunted with several cylinder bores over the years and have generally been pleased.

Lengthening the forcing cone almost duplicates going one increment tighter in choke.Since this is a good thing for other reasons,I'd suggest doing this first.

Erick, HD shotguns do not need slings in the normal course of things. The KISS Principle. OTOH, for a "Serious" shotgun used outside the house, it's mandatory.The only 870 here out of 5 w/o sling studs is the trap gun.

Also, did you ever have to fire a shotgun with a sling holding 6-10 shells on it? Swings like Quasimodo on the bell rope....
 
I have looked at a the sidesaddle for carrying extra ammo but it is only a 4 round sidesaddle for the Nova and seeing as how in the last match you had to load 5 rounds it is sorta wasted to load 4 from the side saddle and the fifth from a pocket. If that isn't a run on sentence from Hades. The other thing is that I am very leary on mounting stuff on the side of my shotgun. I have a bad habit of knocking things off, etc.
 
My Mossberg holds 8 (7 magnums), handful more in pocket, for serious s**t...But if I'm at the point where I've emptied the gun, those extra rounds are used for cover fire, while I beat a (temporary) retreat to where my SKS is waiting, along with 3 40 round and 4 30 round mags, including the one w/ alternating AP and incendiary...also hope to get the Kevlar on at that point...'Cause if I haven't stopped the threat with those first few rounds, we're in some serious doo-doo (that's the technical term)..
 
dfaugh,

Have you tried shooting prone with those 40 round mags. That concern is why I've never bought any. I'd like to know if it works or not.

Thanks! :)
 
I just loooove differing opinions! It shows there's thinking folks about...

The sling is on its way anyway, so I'll try everything. Full of ammo, empty, and so forth. I agree the sling makes more sense outside than inside the house, but having never used a sling on a SG, I could be wrong. I think Erick nailed it, train with it and it wont be a problem.

I probably wont bother having chokes installed, that was just a thought I had after compareing it to my sons 870 express youth 20 ga., which has the remchokes. You did make me curious about the other reasons it's good to lengthen the forcing cone though. Never heard of it. Please expound a little?

Its good to hear it'll balance better with the butt pad pouch thing too. Not a huge deal but every lil' bit helps. I'm not looking for the mexican bandit look, I'm just looking for a way to carry extra ammo thats kept ready with the gun, good to go on a moments notice. No stopping to look for ammo or anything, just grab it and go.

I cant go prone with my SKS and 30 rounder. I call prone pasted to the ground. Being 30 or 40 rounds high is just Laying Down . I even bought a 5 rounder for my M1A (so I can hunt with it), and I find myself using it more than the 20's cause I can get lower to the ground with it. and in other field positions it lets me get my left arm underneath it for support.
 
Expounding has hegun,Ed. The forcing cone is the funnel between the chamber and the bore proper. It serves to compress and align the charge as it enters the bore.

Most cones run less than an inch in length, for reasons unbeknownst.Reducing the taper,in effect lengthening the cone, allows the shot to reach the bore in a less battered condition. Round shot fly better and further,staying in the pattern. The pressure spike is shorter, which reduces recoil a tad(Not noticeable but there) and also means less flattening of the shot on the bottom of the charge.Lees flattening also means rounder shot.

When I had the cone done on my HD 870 many years past, it reduced 25 yard 00 patterns by about 4".

HTH...
 
As noted, prone pretty much goes out the window with the 30 or 40 round mags...However, i still consider this s short range weapon, and its mostly for flinging large quantities of lead in a hurry(and at "harder" targets than the shotgun can handle)....Accuracy good enough for any position out to a couple hundred feet...If I need long range/real accuracy, other guns to serve...But if they're that far away, not such a serious threat, either....I have considered adding bipod, tho...Still couldn't manage true prone position, but could get fairly low...Also, do have 5 round mag if need be, also kept loaded...
 
Stopped in the gunstore for some CLP today and discussed forcing cones with the smith. He said exactly what you said except that the difference in recoil would indeed be noticeable, but since perceived recoil is a subjective thing, no ultimate guarentee of it. forty bucks to lengthen the cone, not bad.

He said the reason the patterns will be tighter is that shot and wad can only compress so much and what happens in standard barrels is the shot while moving thru the forcing cone is forced out the top of the wad like toothpaste tube to be pushed loosly down barrel, where in a lengthened forcing cone no toothpaste tube action occurs, all shot remains in wad to end of barrel, thus tightening patterns somewhat. Differing results for differing loads.

Makes sense.

Did the lengthening of your cone have any effect on slug shooting positive or negative?

I appreciate all the good info and responses! Keep em comin, Great thread.
 
Ed, my two 870s I've had done shoot slugs rather nicely. Freezer stays full. One puts them into a bit less than 5" at 100 yards, the other a bit more than 4". No scope, peep sights.

The cone job is one of the few mods around w/o a downside, IMO.
 
Yep, thats the way I do it. When I put my sidesaddle on I tried it both ways and the stronghand reload just seems more natural and faster.
 
Thats what I thought Erick. And the strange thing is, I started loading with my support hand back on the farm during intense squirrl shooting sessions, not fighting or anything of that nature, but that way I could keep my eye on the little buggers. (San Joaquin valley squirrls are tough and numerous). Also when I was a kid, we used to line up two shotgunners, and then have two or three guys with handthrowers running non stop, no pause for reloading. Even then I always just reloaded with my support hand from my pocket. (fun game too)

Also there are lots of comments about the gun being heavy when you load with your support hand. In that case, your gun needs to get lighter, or they need to get stronger. I've been practicing quick reloads with my FAL. Now there is a gun that will build upper body strength. But if somebody seriously can't hold the gun up like that, then maybe they are better off loading with their main hand.
 
You can also tuck the gun into underarm assault position (clamping the buttstock in your armpit for those not up on the new, chic terminology). Done properly this is a natural motion and is only a slight increase in reload time.

Mike
 
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