[s&w 24]

How much work do you think it would be ? One guy that I trust told me he just placed a 3" bbl on the rem 870 he had and went to work. Acording to this guy you just have to make shure you don't baby the slide on ejection.

All that is good and fine but I think that you would be better served with installing a 3" ejector and some LIGHT dremel work on the ejection port.

Any advice from some one who's done this ?

[Onmilo]

My advise is don't bother.
Sell your short chamber 870 to one of the guys who collects them and buy a 3" version brand new.
What you are asking to do involves more trouble than the payoff is worth.
I'll bet you plan on using steel shot?
These older model 870s just weren't made for it and you will encounter parts breakage if not and out and out receiver/barrel split.

[dfariswheel]

The only real difference between the 2 3/4" and 3" 870 is the barrel and ejector.

To convert the gun requires having a gunsmith replace the 2 3/4" ejector assembly in the receiver wall with a 3" assembly. and buying a new barrel.

The ejector change requires a gunsmith with the right tooling, since the replacement job requires a special riveting tool.
If done carefully, it often doesn't even need a receiver re-finish.

The actual receivers are the same strength-wise.

[sm]

Another vote for NOT doing it.
Gets into reliabilty, safety, extraction.
Lee Lapin , Dave and others can get into the details better than I can type them.

FWIW I finally after ALL these years have a 3" chambered shotgun , an 870. The only exceptions being the 3" chambers in a .410. I don't recall if I have ever tried , much less fired a 3" shell from this Shotgun that will - hadn't planned to...

All these years you name it - I have felled it with 2 3/4" chambers - including Geese with steel shot.

Heck for the price of a bbl and such - buy a 870 Express already with 3" chambers. Around here the Academy Sports sells these for $199 less the Rem rebate of $25 good till Nov 30 = $199.

The Mossberg Maverick is selling for $138 , has 3" chambers...toss in the back of a truck and not worry about it...for the price of a bbl- why not?

[ID_shooting]

Another of the "don't do it" club unless you just want to do it. I calcualted the cost of the parts and smithing fees and ended up getting a 3.5 inch super mag 870 express for less $$.

[Gunsnrovers]

As was said, easier to sell and buy another. More then a few 3" 870's in the For Sale section in the $200 range. Subtract what you sell your current gun for and the difference will be less then the $ and work you'll have to put in to the update.

I don't own a 3". All four I own are 2 3/4" guns. I guess I'll never know what I'm missing. :)

[9mmMike]

I just got my first 2 3/4" gun and as others have said, the ejection port appears to be identical to my 3" guns. The ejector is shorter and makes contact with the shell rim sooner. I believe that the "conversion" is simply a new ejector and barrel.

Now, not that you asked but I would throw my vote into not converting simply because, in my case, I have several 3" guns and have never fired a 3" shell in my life. Then again, I do not hunt.

If I ever broke the ejector on my "new" '55 Wingmaster, I might consider converting to a 3"-style at that time but it would be to address another issue (different thread) that I am having with my 2 3/4" gun.

Were I you, I'd keep what I had and buy another. My favorite plan!

Good luck,

Mike

[jefnvk]

Buy a new one. For twice the price of a new barrel, you can have a whole other gun.

[s&w 24]

I was mostly asking because you guessed I like dinging on guns and I will just do the work myself. I'll order a staking tool for the ejector and I have 3 extra 3" bbl's around some where.

[Fred Fuller]

One more vote in the "nay" tally. That goes for either having it done, or especially doing it yourself.

Why? Well, FWIW it really isn't necessary for most shotgunning. The standard 2.75" 12 ga. shell will do all the majority of shotgunners need to do. I don't expect that argument to carry a lot of weight with the "more is better" crowd. Doesn't make it any less true in spite of that.

But the bottom line is, it's your gun and you can do whatever you want to it. If you want to "ding" on a gun, changing out the ejector on an 870 is a darn good way to do exactly that. The only more difficult chore with an 870 IMHO is changing out the magazine tube, and I would let factory level service do that too.

lpl/nc

[mcmoyer]

I'll bet you plan on using steel shot?
These older model 870s just weren't made for it and you will encounter parts breakage if not and out and out receiver/barrel split.

That's interesting...is there a year/SN cutoff at which this would be safe?

[HSMITH]

I say convert it. It isn't like the 870 is an uncommon gun and can't be replaced easily and cheaply if things went drastically wrong. They are readily available, parts are plentiful, and you really aren't risking a lot. Chop a barrel, cut a stock, do what you like and find out what works for YOU. Make the gun work for YOU, everyone else can do what they like. Until someone else pays for the guns they can only offer advise, and advise is worth what you paid for it, including mine.

My 870 has been laughed at by quite a few people, before we shoot. After the shooting is done the laughers have very little to say. I dearly LOVE overhauling a guy with a gun worth as much as my truck shooting an 870 he laughed at when I walked out on the line. I made it work for ME, everyone else can piddle up a rope if they don't like it.

[HSMITH]

If a barrel and reciever split it is NOT because steel shot was used, the ONLY ways this can happen is with a drastic structural problem of both the barrel and reciever or a barrel obstruction. Some of the old light contour barrels can and have bulged, some have even split down near the choke when using steel shot. The number of them that this has happend to is small but worthy of consideration, stay with steel 2's or smaller when using the old light contour barrels that are full choked. With the factory choked tubed and older barrels of modified or lighter chokes stay with BBB or smaller. With lead shot shoot whatever tickles your fancy short of slugs and full chokes.

[Onmilo]

Easiest way to tell if the barrel is designed to safely shoot steel shot is to look for factory installed/factory produced Rem-Choke tubed barrels.
None of the fixed chokes were designed for steel shot and sooner or later the barrel will split.
I have personally had this happen to a fixed modified barrel and to the replacement full choke barrel that I cut down and added rem-choke tubes to.
The second barrel split occurred at top dead center and was severe enough to split the top of the receiver 3/8" wide and extending 1/4" back from the lead edge.
Remington declined to warranty replace the gun and I don't blame them.
They did offer to send a new 3" Express 12 guage gun at a reduced price in exchange and I declined this because the reduced price was more with the shipping than I could buy the gun tax included from a local meglomart.
The gun was broken down for usable parts and the rest was cut up for scrap steel.
I no longer recommend any early barrels for use with steel shot regardless of the addition of choke tubes or factory fixed choke.
As it stands right now, unless you are shooting turkey, fox or coyote I can see no use for 3" lead shot loaded shotshells.

[Dave McCracken]

In my not so humble opinion, it makes as much sense to buy another 870 set up for 3" shells.

In the last year, my slipshod and sloppy record keeping shows I fired off roughly 10K 12 gauge shells. Most were shot at evil clay frisbees. Less than 50 were shot at game, and about 10 shells were 3". All of the 3" loads were Hevishot loads fired for pattern at P-boards or at geese.

If the ejector on Number 6 ever goes South, an unlikely prob, I'll get it replaced with the 3" version simply because the barrel it currently wears is a new LC that has a 3" chamber. Otherwise, it'll go down through the generations as a 2 3/4" gun.

Frankenstein was converted at time of purchase,and does 3" duty. But,I've seen used maggie numb 870s for less than $250 then and now,so if I needed/wanted another 3" shotgun, I'd just get one.

[s&w 24]

I now have the 870 in question in my hands now and after a little stock work it will be up and about. Some time this winter when I've got cabin fever I'll run over to one of my friends shops and ream out the 2 3/4" chamber to 3" an just leave the ejector alone untill I have to fix it. When you get the thing for $75 you can afford to mess with it !