Finally finished monkeying around with an 870 to my satisfaction.
I had a plain-jane 870 Express with a 28" barrel. Over time, I've gradually added the following: 20" IC barrel with rifle sights, Choate 8-shot extension kit, Choate hi-vis follower, synthetic fore end and butt stock, sling stud and sling swivel on the butt stock, a nylon sling, Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad, Tac-Star 4-shot side saddle, and an old-style non-locking safety. The gun now stays loaded by my bed at night with a set of Peltors. I keep 6 rounds (downloaded by one round) of 7 1/2 birdshot in the mag and 4 rounds of Estate 00 Buck in the side saddle.
Loaded, it weighs in at 9 pounds even, and it absorbs a considerable amount of felt recoil. It patterns nicely to point of aim at 25 yards. I preferred not to modify the fore end, and so I just went with the 4-shot side saddle. If ten rounds won't do the job, then I'm in big trouble anyway. I have Pachmayr slip-on pads on all my shotguns because I have long arms and a long neck. The extra length-of-pull gives me a good mount so that I don't have to adjust the gun after I mount it naturally. The extra padding also helps with recoil.
I like the way this one turned out. Granted, it doesn't have a light, but folks seem split over the efficacy of a light on a shotgun. Right now, I can't swing one of those expensive Surefire assemblies anyway, so I'll just have to use a flashlight or a light switch.
The school where I took my CCW class and an Advanced Pistol class ( www.therangeinc.com ) is now offering defensive shotgun courses. This school employs the training instructors from the Nashville Police Academy, and they're pretty knowledgeable fellows. I hope I'll be able to take this class later in the year, and I should have a reliable HD gun when I do.
On the bonus side, I also have the 28" barrel for this gun, and if I need a backup for dove or duck hunting, it's not that hard to transform the shotgun back into something close to its original setup.
I had a plain-jane 870 Express with a 28" barrel. Over time, I've gradually added the following: 20" IC barrel with rifle sights, Choate 8-shot extension kit, Choate hi-vis follower, synthetic fore end and butt stock, sling stud and sling swivel on the butt stock, a nylon sling, Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad, Tac-Star 4-shot side saddle, and an old-style non-locking safety. The gun now stays loaded by my bed at night with a set of Peltors. I keep 6 rounds (downloaded by one round) of 7 1/2 birdshot in the mag and 4 rounds of Estate 00 Buck in the side saddle.
Loaded, it weighs in at 9 pounds even, and it absorbs a considerable amount of felt recoil. It patterns nicely to point of aim at 25 yards. I preferred not to modify the fore end, and so I just went with the 4-shot side saddle. If ten rounds won't do the job, then I'm in big trouble anyway. I have Pachmayr slip-on pads on all my shotguns because I have long arms and a long neck. The extra length-of-pull gives me a good mount so that I don't have to adjust the gun after I mount it naturally. The extra padding also helps with recoil.
I like the way this one turned out. Granted, it doesn't have a light, but folks seem split over the efficacy of a light on a shotgun. Right now, I can't swing one of those expensive Surefire assemblies anyway, so I'll just have to use a flashlight or a light switch.
The school where I took my CCW class and an Advanced Pistol class ( www.therangeinc.com ) is now offering defensive shotgun courses. This school employs the training instructors from the Nashville Police Academy, and they're pretty knowledgeable fellows. I hope I'll be able to take this class later in the year, and I should have a reliable HD gun when I do.
On the bonus side, I also have the 28" barrel for this gun, and if I need a backup for dove or duck hunting, it's not that hard to transform the shotgun back into something close to its original setup.
