Could have titled this, "I Didn't See That One Coming." Or maybe, "Remington 870 12ga. Is There Nothing It Can't Do?"
=======================
A while back my wife voiced interest in a home defense long gun. This thread:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597305
describes how we tried several flavors of HD long gun, but found the best choice for her to point toward a 12ga pump.
Here is an image / link to the almost-final product.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iopF6SayuSmGCQTd6
Taking the lessons learned at the range and my own experience, I built up a used 12ga Remington 870 Police Magnum I bought locally for ~$300 OTD.
The item of greatest cost after the used Rem 870 was the Kynshot Hydraulic Shotgun Buffer & Adapter Kit - Remington:
https://www.nokick.com/KynShot_Remington_870_Buffer_Adapter_Kit_p/kyn-sk5100r.htm
It consists of a Mesa Tactical Aluminum stock adapter and a KynSHOT hydraulic shock absorber (in the shape of a mil-spec AR-15 buffer tube). This is a serious piece of hardware, especially the Mesa Tactical portion. Solid and machined and fits like a glove. This is no plastic fantastic tacticool add-on crapware. I'll let you read up on it, but, essentially, it moderates/lengthens the felt recoil. The hydraulic bits have three settings, depending on if the load you are using is lower or higher recoil, so you can dial in the best ammo/hydraulic dampening combo.
It works, and works better than the Knoxx/Blackhawk products. I have shot most of those and keep an old Cop Stock folder around for when I buy another used Rem 870. Greatest difference is cheek slap. As in, much reduced or isn't there. Also, the Mesa/Kynshot kit is just more solid.
With a Limbsaver recoil pad and Magpul MOE stock, we can get LOP down to 12", which is what my wife needs. Here is that stock & pad:
https://www.magpul.com/products/moe-carbine-stock-mil-spec
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AU6EPQO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I had the stock as part of a LPK I have not gotten around to using. The Limbsaver pad really helps. I have one on another Rem 870 with a conventional stock. Good pads.
Went to a local gun store and bought a bog-standard AR-15 pistol grip for something like $2.50.
One thing I noticed at the range was that my wife had to reach a bit far forward to work the pump. Most the tactical/home defense/police forends are shorter than those found on wingshooting shotguns. Supposedly so a policeman can lock up his shotgun inside his cruiser just north of the receiver. Or so the forend clears ammo sidesaddles. Well, our bedroom is not configured as a cop car and we wanted as light & handy & pointable shotgun as possible. So the short forend is of no use. On the other hand, 4"-6" less distance to reach the forend to operate the pump is of real value to my wife. I plan to stick the rearward part of the forend with skateboard tape for grip and a tactile index.
https://www.remington.com/shop/870-Express-12-Gauge-Super-Magnum-Synthetic-Forend,-Black/p/F108125
One thing that did not work out was the light & mounting solution. She would bang her finger/hand on the light upon recoil.
The mount is a bit of picatinny rail from Choate:
https://www.riflestock.com/store/product/universal-picatinny-rail/
Choate products are not as beautifully milled or finished as the Nordic or Scattergun/Wilson gear, but cost a whole lot less and are just as functional.
The light is an old 100 lumen Streamlight TL-1 I have had for more than 10 years. What a great bit of kit. Don't even have to say, "for the money." I don't think they make the 100 lumen variant anymore, but they produce an 800 lumen variant for about what I paid 10 years ago. Here is a link to a new-produciton TL-1:
https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/tlr-1-hl
I think I found a solution, though. Streamlight produces a weapon light mount for the Rem 870:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G61K74/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Supposedly, the rail portion is to go back over the forearm, but several reviews write that they reverse it, so that it rides under the bbl.
That last ingredient to a successful HD shotgun for my wife was hte ammo. I collected a few candidates: Rem Managed Recoil 00 buck, Federal Personal Defense (reduced recoil) 8 pellet 00 buck, Herters 2 1/2" 6x 00 buck. The best performer was the Federal Personal Defense load. It is a reduced-recoil load (8x 00 buck @ 1145fps) with the Flite Control wad. My wife was fine with the recoil, it hit where she pointed, and at 10 yards the pattern could be covered with a 50-cent piece. Could not be happier with that performance.
https://www.federalpremium.com/prod...ense-shotshell-with-flitecontrol-wad/pd132-00
She could dump the entire magazine of 4 shells into the of the silhouette target lickety-split at 10 yards and tore the heart/lung area apart. She aims a little higher than COM to get it in the thoracic cavity. She was a nurse at a level 1 trauma center and has an appreciation for the effectiveness of buckshot in the chest.
Had her shoot a box more of my son's favorite 12ga load, Herter's low-recoil 1 1/8oz, 7 1/2 shot at 1050fps to see if we could induce some nasty problem. No problem arose. The 870 is heavier than her beloved Beretta A400 28ga, so she would not want to tote it all day, but it should serve for HD.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Herters-reg-Target-Shotshells-Per-Case/1545677.uts
==================
So, she has has the HD shotgun. We shoot sporting clays pretty regularly, but I need to find a way to spend some time with her doing IDPA-ish shooting with her HD shotgun. Not necessarily competition, just some time to work on HD shotgun handling.
=======================
A while back my wife voiced interest in a home defense long gun. This thread:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597305
describes how we tried several flavors of HD long gun, but found the best choice for her to point toward a 12ga pump.
Here is an image / link to the almost-final product.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iopF6SayuSmGCQTd6
Taking the lessons learned at the range and my own experience, I built up a used 12ga Remington 870 Police Magnum I bought locally for ~$300 OTD.
The item of greatest cost after the used Rem 870 was the Kynshot Hydraulic Shotgun Buffer & Adapter Kit - Remington:
https://www.nokick.com/KynShot_Remington_870_Buffer_Adapter_Kit_p/kyn-sk5100r.htm
It consists of a Mesa Tactical Aluminum stock adapter and a KynSHOT hydraulic shock absorber (in the shape of a mil-spec AR-15 buffer tube). This is a serious piece of hardware, especially the Mesa Tactical portion. Solid and machined and fits like a glove. This is no plastic fantastic tacticool add-on crapware. I'll let you read up on it, but, essentially, it moderates/lengthens the felt recoil. The hydraulic bits have three settings, depending on if the load you are using is lower or higher recoil, so you can dial in the best ammo/hydraulic dampening combo.
It works, and works better than the Knoxx/Blackhawk products. I have shot most of those and keep an old Cop Stock folder around for when I buy another used Rem 870. Greatest difference is cheek slap. As in, much reduced or isn't there. Also, the Mesa/Kynshot kit is just more solid.
With a Limbsaver recoil pad and Magpul MOE stock, we can get LOP down to 12", which is what my wife needs. Here is that stock & pad:
https://www.magpul.com/products/moe-carbine-stock-mil-spec
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AU6EPQO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I had the stock as part of a LPK I have not gotten around to using. The Limbsaver pad really helps. I have one on another Rem 870 with a conventional stock. Good pads.
Went to a local gun store and bought a bog-standard AR-15 pistol grip for something like $2.50.
One thing I noticed at the range was that my wife had to reach a bit far forward to work the pump. Most the tactical/home defense/police forends are shorter than those found on wingshooting shotguns. Supposedly so a policeman can lock up his shotgun inside his cruiser just north of the receiver. Or so the forend clears ammo sidesaddles. Well, our bedroom is not configured as a cop car and we wanted as light & handy & pointable shotgun as possible. So the short forend is of no use. On the other hand, 4"-6" less distance to reach the forend to operate the pump is of real value to my wife. I plan to stick the rearward part of the forend with skateboard tape for grip and a tactile index.
https://www.remington.com/shop/870-Express-12-Gauge-Super-Magnum-Synthetic-Forend,-Black/p/F108125
One thing that did not work out was the light & mounting solution. She would bang her finger/hand on the light upon recoil.
The mount is a bit of picatinny rail from Choate:
https://www.riflestock.com/store/product/universal-picatinny-rail/
Choate products are not as beautifully milled or finished as the Nordic or Scattergun/Wilson gear, but cost a whole lot less and are just as functional.
The light is an old 100 lumen Streamlight TL-1 I have had for more than 10 years. What a great bit of kit. Don't even have to say, "for the money." I don't think they make the 100 lumen variant anymore, but they produce an 800 lumen variant for about what I paid 10 years ago. Here is a link to a new-produciton TL-1:
https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/tlr-1-hl
I think I found a solution, though. Streamlight produces a weapon light mount for the Rem 870:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G61K74/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Supposedly, the rail portion is to go back over the forearm, but several reviews write that they reverse it, so that it rides under the bbl.
That last ingredient to a successful HD shotgun for my wife was hte ammo. I collected a few candidates: Rem Managed Recoil 00 buck, Federal Personal Defense (reduced recoil) 8 pellet 00 buck, Herters 2 1/2" 6x 00 buck. The best performer was the Federal Personal Defense load. It is a reduced-recoil load (8x 00 buck @ 1145fps) with the Flite Control wad. My wife was fine with the recoil, it hit where she pointed, and at 10 yards the pattern could be covered with a 50-cent piece. Could not be happier with that performance.
https://www.federalpremium.com/prod...ense-shotshell-with-flitecontrol-wad/pd132-00
She could dump the entire magazine of 4 shells into the of the silhouette target lickety-split at 10 yards and tore the heart/lung area apart. She aims a little higher than COM to get it in the thoracic cavity. She was a nurse at a level 1 trauma center and has an appreciation for the effectiveness of buckshot in the chest.
Had her shoot a box more of my son's favorite 12ga load, Herter's low-recoil 1 1/8oz, 7 1/2 shot at 1050fps to see if we could induce some nasty problem. No problem arose. The 870 is heavier than her beloved Beretta A400 28ga, so she would not want to tote it all day, but it should serve for HD.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Herters-reg-Target-Shotshells-Per-Case/1545677.uts
==================
So, she has has the HD shotgun. We shoot sporting clays pretty regularly, but I need to find a way to spend some time with her doing IDPA-ish shooting with her HD shotgun. Not necessarily competition, just some time to work on HD shotgun handling.