rem 870 barrel: drill & tap for scope mount?

D

dieseldirt

New member
I have a 20" rifled barrel for shooting slugs at deer for my rem 870 mag. It has rifle sights. I want to have the option to use a red dot or scope with this barrel. One gunsmith told me I had no choice but to have holes drilled and tapped in the receiver, and that I should have gotten the integral scope mount version of that barrel if I wanted anything but rifle sights.

There's no way to have the scope go with the barrel instead of the receiver? Dont want to drill holes in my receiver as I use it with several other barrels and just need a scope on my deer barrel.

Thanks
 
Remington made 'cantilever' barrels with a scope rail that extended over the receiver about 10+ years ago. Try looking for one of those.
 
You're in luck! Brownells has RCB's cantilever scope mount base for shotgun barrels. You'll have to solder it to the barrel, but that beats drilling and tapping.


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I think B Square makes a mount (they used to, I had one) that goes on the receiver by taking the pins out of the trigger assembly and using those holes to put a mounting plate on the receiver that holds a scope base. Easy to put on and take off and you don't have to drill and tap your gun or solder anything on the barrel.

I just checked. Cabela's sells then for 49.95. Check their web site.
 
NoSecondBest, many folks who go to the effort of switching from open to optical slug sights avoid the receiver bases. There are plenty of the mounts you described in use, but there are two down sides:
First there is some play between the barrel and the receiver, so a barrel based mount is more accurate.
Second, you loose the flexibility of the gun. Changing barrels is easy, removing and replacing a saddle mount can be a bother. And, there's the chance of marring your receiver in the process.
 
I've tried them all. The saddle mount is problematic for reasons already discussed. Drilling and tapping the receiver and installing a scope mount is problematic also.

Best way to go is to sell your barrel and buy a cantilever scope barrel from Remington or Mossberg. Yep, Mossberg makes rifled barrels for 12 gauge model 870s.
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The OP asked what he could do with "his barrel" without drilling and tapping. I'm not crazy about saddle mounts for accuracy reasons but I've had them on a couple of guns (years ago, before cantilevered barrels came out), and they worked pretty good. They don't destroy accuracy, they just don't contribute to it. They worked pretty good and the guns shot well enough with one. Also, I never had one mark the receiver and it took all of five minutes to take it off the gun. If the OP doesn't mind trying to sell his barrel and buying another, probably losing money in the process, that's his option but that wasn't his question. I'm trying to answer his question without spending his money.
 
The OP asked what he could do with "his barrel" without drilling and tapping.
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The OP asked, according to thread title, about drilling and tapping barrel. I wouldn't do this under any circumstances...

I am another in the boat that will suggest he sell "his barrel" and buy one set up for a scope.

Brent
 
The OP asked, according to thread title, about drilling and tapping barrel. I wouldn't do this under any circumstances...
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He didn't ask about drilling and tapping the barrel, he said drilling and tapping the receiver. No one drills and taps a barrel. That's one I've never heard of.
 
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