Fit of Remington 870 Express vs. 870P

[andyadler]

Hello everyone. I'm a relative newcomer to shotgunning, and have been "auditioning" the Remington 870 in both the Express extended mag 18" and the 870P. I find that with the 870P -- which otherwise is my preferred choice -- the somewhat shorter pump rack/forend (forgive me if my nomenclature is a bit off) makes me have to reach a little uncomfortably compared to the Express, where that moving part is longer (so I can hold it a little further back on the gun).

My question is this: If I replace the standard synthetic stock on the 870P with something that's adjustable (say, the Knoxx Spec Ops), would that solve my left-arm reach issue? The length of pull seems OK at present; it's simply the awkward stretch of my laft arm that has me concerned.

Perhaps I should simply go with the Express? Or would a replacement, longer forend for the Police model do the trick?


thanks in advance...aa.

 

[Dfariswheel]

The forearm is replaceable, and the longer Express and Wingmaster sporting forearm will fit the Police gun.

In fact, depending on whether you want Express hardwood or synthetic, I'd bet that there are people on this forum that would trade you a longer sporting forearm for the Police short forearm.

 

[Lee Lapin]

Andy,

You might find it more comfortable to have a shorter stock to go with your longer forearm. Wooden stocks can be pretty easily shortened (that would be a good time to have a premium recoil pad fitted too, if the gun didn't come with one) and some of the synthetics can as well- though certain thin-walled synthetics use socket-fitted recoil pads, and that makes shortening them more of a chore. Please note that there are some 'youth' length synthetic stock sets available, Surefire makes one that has a 12 3/4" LOP (it happens I put one of those on a Franken870 I just built up on a stripped receiver I bought, so it's handy to measure). See http://www.speedfeedinc.com/?location=products for details, note the company says it's a 13" LOP.

My wife at 5'4" prefers a 12.5" LOP stock and a field length forearm (field length is 9" IIRC, Police length is 7"). You should do whatever you have to do to make sure your shotgun fits you properly, an ill-fitting shotgun will cause you problems and unnecessary discomfort. Most people can comfortably shoot a shotgun with a stock that is a bit short for them, few can handle a shotgun with a too-long stock very well. I'm 6'3" and can easily shoot shotguns that fit my wife, I just keep my shooting hand thumb on the knuckle of my trigger finger so as not to bop myself in the nose with it under recoil.

In short, buy the gun you like best, and modify it as needed to fit you the way you like. Given the modularity of the 870, it should not be a big deal. The same fore-end tube fits all the available forearm lengths, which is not the case with all manufacturers.

Good luck with it, happy shopping-

lpl/nc