Extension tubes

G

guitar1580

New member
I'm considering a 3, possible 5 round extension tube for a Rem. 870, such as sold by midway. Are these 100% reliable, with no chance of causing a jam, etc? Is there anything I should look for, or avoid, when purchasing an ext. tube? Thx,

Josh P
 
Mag ext.

I may be wrong, but not all Rem 870's can be fitted with extension tubes. I called Rem about mine (Rem 870 Express Mag) and was told that my model with a screw-on mag cap will not accomodate extension tubes. I've also heard otherwise---so check before you order. (Rem # 800-243-9700)
 
Josh P

Are these 100% reliable, with no chance of causing a jam
Click to expand...

That's always the million $ question any time we add on to our factory original scatterguns. Over the years of tinkering on 870's for my old agency and for myself, a file cabinet drawer full of "cool stuff THAT DID NOT PERFORM AS ADVERTISED" seems to have accumulated!:eek:

I am a believer in having enough rounds in and on our fighting scatterguns. Only our maker will KNOW the exact number necessary. That 2am bump in the night usually means that we will face our moment of truth with what ever # of rounds are in the gun, (unless one sleeps in tacti-cool skivies).

For that reason, I am a fan of magazine extensions of the +2 varity. After many different experiments and tests I have landed on two types of extensions that DO work as advertised. One is the Wilson/scattergun tech one piece magazine extension and the second is Remington's original factory extension. Both of these when properly installed and mated with the correct magazine spring and follower give in my humble opinion the best chance of correct operation.

There may be others that I have NOT had time to play with, but many of the less expensive extensions are just items that will help YOU amass that accumulation of "stuff that doesn't get it done." A good extension, spring, and follower kit these days seems to be in the $50.00 and up range.

kyle1886, is correct. Some of Remington's 870 express scatterguns were produced NOT to accept extended magazines without modification. The easy tell for that is to spin-off the magazine retaining nut and if you see a red/orange plastic thing with teeth sticking out of the magazine tube, then you got some work to do.

Good Luck & Be Safe
 
870's have used two different mag tube end/cap arrangements, and you'll need to look at what you have before anyone can tell you how easy it will be to make the swap.

I have found that I do not like extended mag tubes, because of the extra weight that they add. They really do not help the handling characteristics of the gun, and make it slower to transition between targets. Having said that - if you're looking strictly at a bastion defense gun (e.g. it's not going to be used dynamically), then perhaps the extra capacity is worth the loss of nimbleness.
 
Xtrema 2 with a Nordic Components +5 shot extension.
No problems.
300 to 400 hundred shells fired each time out.
Gun and tube about 4 months old so, it's only had about 3,200 shells thru it so far.

Now everyone in the group is using a Nordic extention.
 
Nordic makes a nice product. I use their +2 on my Benelli SuperNova. Fit, finish, and function is top notch. They are not cheap....but quality usually isn't. ;)
 
Ahh, thats what I thought. I'm looking at what Scattergun Bob said, and I too suspected that the larger the tube, the more chance of a jam. The +2 unit would probably be fine for me. Is the Wilson you mention, as in Wilson Combat? Remington says that their factory units are only available to the military and police. I suppose a used one for a 20ga wouldnt be easy to find.

I'll look into the Nordic also.

Any suggestions on mounting? or on drilling out the dimples if needed? I'll probably have a gunsmith do it.
thx,
JP
 
guitar1580

You are correct, Wilson Combat. You can find Remington's extension in a number of places, try gunbroker. A slight fly in the ointment, very little in the way of magazine extensions are produced for 20 GA scatterguns.

If you use the SEARCH button at the top of the page, you will find pages on how to and should you attempt drilling out the dimples, be prepared to read a lot.


Good Luck in your hunt & Be Safe
 
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guitar1580

Bob, can the Wilson be mounted without the sling mount?
Click to expand...

I've never tried that, Wilson has continued to improve on the original Scattergun Technologies design, the current sling mount retainer looks "bullet proof". I suppose where there is a will there is a way.

Good Luck & Be Safe
 
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