[white29]

What is suggested in a magazine follower upgrade for my 870 WM with a two shot extension?

[RandKL]

You need to upgrade your follower? Why?

[greyeyezz]

Because if the flimsy stock one should break the spring goes into the action rendering shotgun useless. And an aftermarket won't twist and bind.

http://www.wilsoncombat.com/sa_springs_followers.asp

[white29]

Yeah,thanks Greyezz. I've been told that with the extension it would be a good idea to buy a better follower than the stock one which does seem a little flimsy. I guess the bright color is to let you know when the mag is empty. Hope I never have to rely on that,LOL. Thanks for the link.

[Old Guard Dog]

Brownells also has aluminum and stainless steel followers.

[Rshooter]

Honestly how much of an issue is this? I have several older shotguns and have yet to have a problem. Am I waiting to have an accident or can I keep going with the stock spring and follower?:confused:

[chuckles]

Honestly how much of an issue is this? I have several older shotguns and have yet to have a problem. Am I waiting to have an accident or can I keep going with the stock spring and follower?

Why chance it? A stainless follower and a extra power mag tube spring are cheap insurance. JMHO of course and as usual, YMMV>

[Bix]

I've found that the Wilson follower feels a little too much like another shell for my preference.

Vang makes a similar one, but it has a big hole in it. This leaves no doubt about whether you're touching a shell or the follower:

https://www.vangcomp.com/gun_accessories.html

[Youngster]

Honestly how much of an issue is this? I have several older shotguns and have yet to have a problem. Am I waiting to have an accident or can I keep going with the stock spring and follower?

If you're not shooting them to the point they get hot and gritty then they should last you, if you do, or if you just want to make loading a bit easier you can do it by trading the stock gummy "bottlecap" for a decent aftermarket piece.

I went to a Brownell's aluminum follower and threw in a fresh extra power spring while i was at it. However I immediately stepped down to a regular spring when i found that since there was so much less friction I could get away with less spring and still have as much actual feed pressure as I would with a XP spring and stock follower.

[Sir Aardvark]

My follower has a big hole drilled in it so I can tell by feel that it is the follower and not another round loaded into the magazine.

[RandKL]

Why chance it? A stainless follower and a extra power mag tube spring are cheap insurance.

I've never seen one break. Funny. How many have you guys?

If you need cheap insurance, why did you bother buying a weapon in which the makers cut every corner to *give* you that possibility of breakage? Why bother buying a gun that the makers cut six coils off the mag spring to save a penny or two that you have to then replace "for cheap insurance"?

richard

[Youngster]

I've never seen one break. Funny. How many have you guys?

If you need cheap insurance, why did you bother buying a weapon in which the makers cut every corner to *give* you that possibility of breakage? Why bother buying a gun that the makers cut six coils off the mag spring to save a penny or two that you have to then replace "for cheap insurance"?

richard

I think a lot of it depends on what you're doing with the gun, most shotgun owners don't shoot nearly enough to wear actually out parts, and the ever cost concious gunmakers tend to spec their products accordingly. Also, there are very few products of any kind that don't leave room for improvement that the aftermarket can't address.

[xm21]

RandKL,the reason I did was cost pure and simple.The Wingmaster cost more than twice what my Express did.Now I did not know about the changes Rem had made to cut the cost to the bone on the Expresses.When it embarrassed the heck out of me at the skeet range by cheap Fiocchi shells sticking in the chamber every third shell or so(after shooting about 25 rem express buckshot,10 rem slugger slugs,75 rem game loads and 2 each of win 3inch 2oz and federal 3 inch 2oz turkey loads with no malfunctions)I searched the gun forums and found out why it happened.A former police armorer also recommended some parts to change that were junk.The magazine spring was one of them and the wilson spring that I got from Midway came with the green follower.I had to use a small round file to make grooves in the sides to fit the dimples in the mag tube on the express but I like the way the new follower has a raised nipple in the center you can tell with your finger if there is a shell in the magazine.It is a much better follower than the standard thin orange shelled part that came with the gun.I never worried about it breaking but since the better one came with the spring I put it in.And that is why I bought a cheap gun and how it came to have a different spring and follower in it.

[RandKL]

XM, well put, bud! I see your point and completely agree with it if you bought it for the cost. Most folks do, no matter what they say. My point is that one sentence from Chuckles above. "Cheap insurance" and "why chance it?" doesn't quite jibe with buying a weapon for its price point. If a $3 part is a "why chance it" point that's going to worry you....you probably shouldn't be buying the cheapest weapon you can find. After all, why chance it?

On your sticking hulls prob....polish your chamber with ScotchBrite and oil for about ten mins. Stick to vertical striated hulls. You'll not have any probs.

richard

[xm21]

RandKL,I polished the chamber using steel wool on a bore brush with a battery drill.A few weeks back I bought a Flex Hone chamber hone from Midway,it works great.I had experienced no more extraction problems after the steel wool but could still see what looked like rings in the chamber,after using the flexhone the chamber is now smooth and shiny all the way through.

[Leadhead]

These Canucks make a good one and for $11 Cdn. it's not that big of an investment..
http://sjhardware.com/OLS/default/sjhardware/universal-no-jam-shotgun-mag-follower.html
http://sjhardware.com/OLS/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/S/J/SJMagF_6.jpg

[chuckles]

XM, well put, bud! I see your point and completely agree with it if you bought it for the cost. Most folks do, no matter what they say. My point is that one sentence from Chuckles above. "Cheap insurance" and "why chance it?" doesn't quite jibe with buying a weapon for its price point. If a $3 part is a "why chance it" point that's going to worry you....you probably shouldn't be buying the cheapest weapon you can find. After all, why chance it?


I don't even own an express. I have 2 870Ps and a couple of 590-A1s and did the same to all of them. It's not just cheap insurance, it's my life at stake. You cut whatever corners you think your life is worth. I'm not leaving my life up to anyone elses idea of how my shotgun needs to be equipped.. YMMV and as usual JMHO

[RandKL]

It's not just cheap insurance, it's my life at stake. You cut whatever corners you think your life is worth. I'm not leaving my life up to anyone elses idea of how my shotgun needs to be equipped.. YMMV and as usual JMHO

You're not getting the point, Chuckles. If a $3 part is worrying someone, then they should have stayed away from the cheapest gun they could find. If a $3 part is insurance for your life, then the gun sucks, plain and simple, and shouldn't be relied on to protect your life.

It's like someone going out and buying a $25 pot metal Rohm RG revolver for self defense....but buying Velocitors to load it "just in case". $5 worth of good ammo (or replacement followers in this case) doesn't stop the gun from being crap that should NOT be relied on in *any* case.

richard

[Youngster]

You're not getting the point, Chuckles. If a $3 part is worrying someone, then they should have stayed away from the cheapest gun they could find. If a $3 part is insurance for your life, then the gun sucks, plain and simple, and shouldn't be relied on to protect your life.

It's like someone going out and buying a $25 pot metal Rohm RG revolver for self defense....but buying Velocitors to load it "just in case". $5 worth of good ammo (or replacement followers in this case) doesn't stop the gun from being crap that should NOT be relied on in *any* case.

Even expensive factory shotguns come with cheap followers though, as well as other little details that can be improved. About the only way you're getting top notch parts throughout straight out of the box is by buying a semi custom dealie.

[chuckles]

You're not getting the point, Chuckles. If a $3 part is worrying someone, then they should have stayed away from the cheapest gun they could find. If a $3 part is insurance for your life, then the gun sucks, plain and simple, and shouldn't be relied on to protect your life.

No, YOUR"RE not getting the point. I didn't buy the CHEAPEST gun I could find, I bought the BEST gun I could find. 2 870 Police models and 2 Mossberg 590A1s and they both came with what I considered to be inferior followers and springs. Hey, you can cut whatever corners you want. Buy Express models if you want. I bought the best I could find, not the cheapest. I equip all my firearms to eliminate any chance of it not working when I need it.

[RandKL]

No, YOUR"RE not getting the point. I didn't buy the CHEAPEST gun I could find,

Let's skip it. Too much to think about this time of the morning.

rich

[chuckles]

Let's skip it. Too much to think about this time of the morning.

rich
Agreed it is early. Here its late but I agree anyway.