[Nightcrawler]

Does anybody sell a reverse safety for the Remington 870? Being left handed, the factory safety is just backwards. It's awkward to get it from safe to fire, since the button is on the wrong side of the trigger guard.

If I can find a safety that I can use, I might reconsider getting a Remington 870 Police one of these days. If not, it's Mossberg 590A1. (In any case, until then my $200 Norinco 870 clone with ghost ring sights will do.)

[Dave McCracken]

The factory safety can be reversed, but I've not done it.

When I shoot southpaw, I hit the safety by rotating my hand and using my thumb. If you've big hands, it's easy.

[Nightcrawler]

If anybody could show me how or tell me how to reverse the safety that'd be really cool.

I have kind of short thumbs, so I don't think I could reach.

[Clemson]

It really is not quite as easy as just reversing the safety. Remington sells left-hand trigger plates that you can use. The procedure is to strip all the parts off your trigger plate and reinstall them on the left-hand plate with the safety reversed. It is also possible to modify the right-hand plate so that the safety can be reversed. That modification involves drilling a hole at an angle and reinstalling the detent that holds the safety, I think. Basically, the modifications are not kitchen-table gunsmithing jobs. They are discussed in the Kuhnhausen Shop Manual if you want to pursue it.

Clemson

[Nightcrawler]

Eh, no thanks.

Looks like I'll be going for a Mossberg, then.

[Clemson]

As an alternate, you can buy a left-handed 870 Express for $315 on Auction Arms. You may be able to find a used one cheaper.

[Nightcrawler]

I LIKE having the ejection port on the right side, though. It makes it much easer to drop a round in the chamber, inspect the chamber, etc.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Night-
It is my understanding that's it's "relatively" easy to do. That said, the Remington Armorers course would not show us how to do it. I had my gunsmith do it, iirc it was less than $20-$30 to have it done. In addition to switching direction at least one hole needs to be drilled.
Erick

[RandyB]

I would strongly recommend NOT changing the safety. I am a lefty and have used a regular safety set up for years. I went to a lefty 870 for awhile but since the safety is 'backwards' folks would look at it, open the action/flip the gun to "onsafe which was actulally off" etc. A potential nightmare. My old man showed my a neat and FAST way of using a right handed safety (this applies for Ithaca, and all cross bolt safeties behind the trigger) When holding the 870 place your right hand on the pump (duh), but place the left hand loosely gripping the grip and place your middle finger on the safety. Your index finger should be outside the trigger guard. Do the following at the same time. Push the safety off while bringing the 870 to your shoulder and rotating you index finger onto the trigger. I'll try to get a pic if this doesn't make sense how I'm explaining it. I have timed myself against several others (and using a left handed safety) and found I can bring a gun up and off safe faster with this technique than any other. Hope this helps.