Remington 870 w/14" barrel and factory folding stock
- Thread starter nfa4u
- Start date
One funky entry gun, but...
Call me a recoil-shy girl, but I have come to absolutely detest the Remington top-folder. Used to be a Mossberg fan, but I thought the Remington top-folder was way cool to look at, and it seemed so "tactical." Shot some every now and again when I was younger and my shotgun skillz were far from 1337. Scored a stock from a friend. Tracked down an 870 to go with it. Removed the Choate pistol-gripped buttstock and replaced it with the top-folder. A few training sessions later, I yanked the top-folder and replaced the Choate. Lesson learned: It was fun to look at such a cool and menacing gun, but shooting it was positively horrible: the stock wiggled, was awkward to deploy, was hard to get a consistent cheekweld on, and tattooed your cheekbone when you did. I came to realize that, since the gun didn't have to be all that compact to fit in my bedroom, the folder was kinda pointless for me.
They have their place when space is at a premium, but they sacrifice a lot of shootability to gain compactness. Choose accordingly...
Call me a recoil-shy girl, but I have come to absolutely detest the Remington top-folder. Used to be a Mossberg fan, but I thought the Remington top-folder was way cool to look at, and it seemed so "tactical." Shot some every now and again when I was younger and my shotgun skillz were far from 1337. Scored a stock from a friend. Tracked down an 870 to go with it. Removed the Choate pistol-gripped buttstock and replaced it with the top-folder. A few training sessions later, I yanked the top-folder and replaced the Choate. Lesson learned: It was fun to look at such a cool and menacing gun, but shooting it was positively horrible: the stock wiggled, was awkward to deploy, was hard to get a consistent cheekweld on, and tattooed your cheekbone when you did. I came to realize that, since the gun didn't have to be all that compact to fit in my bedroom, the folder was kinda pointless for me.
They have their place when space is at a premium, but they sacrifice a lot of shootability to gain compactness. Choose accordingly...
Danindetroit
New member
Former Detroit police officer, now detoit firefighter friend of a friend has one, said they are excellent for answering the back door at 3:00 am. Nothing says no thank you, like answering the door buck naked with a mean looking shotgun. It is a funny story, when he tells it. He is about 5 months into his class III licensing approval.
Tamara opines...
Stalker!
No wiggle in mine (perhaps you didn't install it correctly?). The way mine is constructed the sharp edges are turned in slightly to avoid any cuts or general concerns about boo-boos. It does get cold though. And it clinks against the gun so the whole Gi-Joe crowd wouldn't like it.
Stalker!
No wiggle in mine (perhaps you didn't install it correctly?). The way mine is constructed the sharp edges are turned in slightly to avoid any cuts or general concerns about boo-boos. It does get cold though. And it clinks against the gun so the whole Gi-Joe crowd wouldn't like it.
When I was young and high and tight: I played with an all chromed one(bumper chrome!) until I could hit 6 bowling pins from about 30 feet as fast as I could pump FROM THE HIP. Yup took a few years and a few thousand rounds but got so I could regularly hit from the hip. Of course I would lose a hit about one in six at varying distances (20-50 feet) with buckshot. Unfold the stock and I NEVER would lose a hit. However I didn't like that piece of steel in the cheek. Sold the chrome one, it was real worn! I made a 'new' one out of an 80's wing master last year. Has a Rem. non 'LE only' stock with a solid pistol grip and a Elastomer pad and a Tritium Big bead on a vent rib 18" barrel with +2 Rem. extension and a Surefire front handle. It rides behind the seat in my motorhome or sometimes in my Jeep.
It was installed just fine. The wiggle was in the stock itself, not in the join between buttstock and receiver. It was exacerbated by the non-positive-locking buttplate.
Correct, but the "tattoo" I'm taking about isn't a cut from any sharp edge, but from the hard, radiused steel corner right where you want to get a cheekweld against a flat buttstock. Gave me the choice of no cheekweld or an interesting linear bruise. YMMV, but if I felt compelled to build another folding-stock shotgun, I'd probably go with a Choate side-folder.
kahr Carrier
New member
Cool 870 ,my buddy carries the exact same thing ,he is on the HRT of the local PD. We took a couple of them into the local indoor range to shoot some paper and got a few strange looks from the other shooters .But the rangemaster knew us and thought it was hilarious. 
Looks cool enough, but like Tamara says, the recoil is brutal with that stock. I replaced it with a Speedfeed stock that holds 4 rounds. BTW, 14" bbl is OK so long as you pay the NFA tax and live in a state that permits it (and here in Kalifornia, they don't). Personally, I prefer the 20" bbl b/c you can put the extension and get 8 shots. More lead, more fun.
I guess recoil is kind of subjective. It isn't a cream-puff, but the recoil isn't anything particularly noteworthy (to me). Of course, I am a fairly stout guy.
Of course, a full stock with a recoil pad is going to be easier to handle than a steel folding stock. That is the trade off for getting a sturdy yet compact folding stock.
I believe there is a gel-pad available for those who feel the recoil is too much.
Of course, a full stock with a recoil pad is going to be easier to handle than a steel folding stock. That is the trade off for getting a sturdy yet compact folding stock.
I believe there is a gel-pad available for those who feel the recoil is too much.
