[MAX100]

Some here at THR have owned 870 shotguns longer than I have. My question is has anyone seen or heard of damage caused to an 870 mag tube stop lip by a metal follower?

I don't believe that a metal follower can cause damage to a mag tube steel lip. The reason is, there isn't enough force to cause any damage. When the last shell in the mag tube the follower is only about 2.5" from the lip and most of the force is lost pushing the last shell out. So the follower doesn't hit the lip with any force.

Weight of a Brownells stainless follower 7.5 grams, Wt of a Nordic Components aluminum follower 8.5 grams. A dollar bill weights one gram.

According to an 870 Armorer the senior Instructor at the Law Enforcement Armorers Training Center at the Remington Factory in Illion says they will but didn't explain how.

I have been told that Jerry Kuhnhausens Shop Manual it states that magazine stop shoulder flaring is almost always caused by steel followers slap peening the stop shoulders in heavily used magnums.

It sounds like Jerry is saying damage can occur from heavy recoil and a metal follower in an empty mag tube.

What's your thoughts and experiences.


GC

[Fred Fuller]

I was noticing that in Kuhnhausen just yesterday, ran across it looking for something else. It's on page 66, as a caption to a picture of a cutaway showing the damage mentioned, and the text is as you said: "NOTE: magazine stop shoulder flaring is almost always caused by steel magazine followers slapping stop shoulders in heavily used magnums."

I haven't ever seen it cause a problem in feeding, but I suppose it could under circumstances as described...

lpl

[dfariswheel]

The steel followers were just coming out about the time I was retiring, but I did see some problems with them.

I really don't see any real advantage to a steel follower when we have really good polymer versions like the excellent Wilson/Scattergun Tech green model.
A possible down side to steel is even stainless "can" rust, but polymer won't.

In other words, to me a steel follower is an answer to a problem that doesn't exist.

[MAX100]

I have been told that Jerry Kuhnhausens Shop Manual it states that magazine stop shoulder flaring is almost always caused by steel followers slap peening the stop shoulders in heavily used magnums.

It sounds like Jerry is saying damage can occur from heavy recoil and a metal follower in an empty mag tube.

It looks like a mag tube full of the lower cost shells with a steel base would do more damage to the stop lip than a very light steel follower. That's a lot of force pounding on the lip every time the gun is fired.

The follower only sits on and slaps the lip after the last shell is loaded and fired. The force of the slap would be dependent on how weak the mag tube spring. It seems that with an extra power spring the recoil wouldn't be able to cause as much of a rebound slap.


GC

[Grunt]

Didn't get consensus over at Glock talk, eh?

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1193646

[Virginian]

I have a '63 Model 1100, and a '66 Model 1100 Magnum, that both came from the factory with Remington steel magazine followers. I have had the '63 since then, new, and it has been a skeet gun, trap gun, and hunting gun with the heaviest loads you can shoot usually being the main diet. The Magnum I got used looking pristine, and all it has seen with me are heavy 3" loads.
Neither of them show any signs of peening, at all, and they are very, very similar to the 870s set-up.
The Remington followers are blued (originally) and the leading edge is slightly beveled, so that might make a big difference.

[MAX100]

Didn't get consensus over at Glock talk, eh?

Way more experienced 870 owners her at THR.


The Magnum I got used looking pristine, and all it has seen with me are heavy 3" loads.
Neither of them show any signs of peening, at all, and they are very, very similar to the 870s set-up.


I also have never had a problem, never seen or heard of anyone that has had a problem with metal followers.

GC

[Al LaVodka]

Interesting thread -- glad you asked here Max100 or I'd have missed it.

I have been recommended replacing steel followers but never quite bought-in to them being much of a reliabilty improvement (and have only bought one factory replacement in my life of many guns) so if anyone has something more than hypotheticals and can detail an actual resultant failure, I'd love, and we all NEED, to hear about it.

Al

PS: none of my shotguns has a plastic follower by the way.

[rcmodel]

I might be wrong, but didn't about the first 5 or 6 million 870 Wingmasters come from the factory with chromed steel followers?

I don't know when they changed to plastic, but I betcha it was done more for penny pinching then any durability issues.

rc

[Youngster]

How heavy where the original steel followers?

Anyway while not a necessity, I think metal followers are a nice addition because they won't eventually get chewed up by hot grit in the mag tube and also because they cut down on sliding friction.