[justin22885]

i recently purchased a remington 870 express... and im looking to upgrade the fit and finish of this shotgun to perform atleast as well as more premium models (such as the wingmaster)... so someday soon i will strip all the bead blasted bluing off, debur and polish all components, and refinish with probably a ceramic based finish on the receiver, barrel, and tube mag (exterior parts) with something teflon based for the inside... would this be a good idea for the finishing?.. how would i go about stripping the blueing?

also, im going to press out the dimples in the tube mag, so this shotgun will be more of a classic 870 style configuration... to do this i understand i need to reinstate the ball detent system of earlier models, and newer higher end models.. however, i havent a clue as to what the ball detent system is on the older 870s... is the spring and ball fixed inside the cap, with pockets for it to fit into on the barrel?.. if so, would i be able to use this ball detent system by purchasing a new magazine cap, and precisely locating and drilling the pockets on my factory barrel?... any photos describing the system to me would be much appreciated

[justin22885]

i should ask... this rubber o-ring method.. how effective is this? is it as effective as a ball detent or ratcheting system of stock 870s? or is it just an attempt to alleviate problems caused by a lack of?... surely if its as good, or atleast close to as good, it would make it pointless to to add a ball detent to an express barrel

[Bix]

If you're talking about a premium refinish and ball-detent conversion (in addition to other upgrades), you might well spend more than just purchasing a used wingmaster or police in the first place. I picked up a trade-in wingmaster for $195 locally, and used racks / pawn shops often have great deals on lightly used 870s.

is the spring and ball fixed inside the cap, with pockets for it to fit into on the barrel

Other way around - the spring loaded detent ball sits in the barrel ring on the wingmaster and police barrels. The corresponding magazine cap has pockets for the ball. There is certainly a way to modify an express barrel ring for the detent and ball, but, again hunting around for a good price on a used police barrel may be a simpler solution.

If you do a search for 'dimples' in the shotgun forum, you will find several threads on converting from the 'express' to the detent retention system.

to perform atleast as well

If performance is really your goal, you might consider reallocating some of the upgrade budget into (i) formal instruction, and (ii) cases of ammunition. Performance, IMO is largely a software, not a hardware, issue and any incremental improvements you may see based on altering the gun would be way outstripped by building robust skillsets.

FWIW, I own both Express and Wingmaster models, and the shot timer can't tell the difference between the two. :D

[justin22885]

oh.. ive decided i wouldnt waste the time worrying about tube mags, and id never buy a gun used when i could buy it new, i could just never be 100% sure they didnt beat it to hell and maybe found a way of hiding it... besides.. this 870 is my gun alone now :D...

so, most likely skipping the mag conversion, i still want to use the ATI synthetic fixed stock with pistol grip and an 18 inch barrel.. and maybe mount a rear sight to the top of the receiver... im still looking to refinish it entirely... and still plan to completely debur and polish all parts, and completely polish the chamber as well... the deburring and polishing i could easily do with my dremel.. and most modern finishes comes in an aeresol spray for baking on... so id just need to buy the barrel and furniture and im good to go

[rbernie]

Dupe.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=486310