When I acquired a police trade-in Remington 7615P 5.56/.223 pump rifle a handful of years back I found the factory stock less that desirable. The greatest issue was a recoil pad that could best be described as “gooey”. That, and most likely riding in a trunk for a number of years, had left its mark, but luckily not on the rest of the rifle. So, I decided to replace the stock with a Butler Creek side folding stock. And while that stock has now been replaced, it's actually an outstanding well-built stock. The problem is that any stock that goes onto a 7615P must be one for the 20 gauge 870 rather than the 12 gauge, which the Butler Creek was not. As the 870 receiver is considerably smaller than a 12 gauge 870 the stock had to be smithed to fit. It turned out to be a major job but the results were well worth it.
The problem is that after a time the folding stock became less desirable in practice than it had been in theory. First off, I found that the folding stock feature added little practical value other than the rifle fitting into more of my range bags. The gun isn’t going to be stealthy one way or the other. If the rifle is ever pressed into service in a nasty situation stealth will be the least of my concerns. Second, the thick wire steel stock was fairly uncomfortable during firing and offered a lousy cheek-weld . This rifle is accurate enough that cheek-weld remained an issue for me. Regardless, I lived with these issues for a time and have enjoyed the rifle immensely. That is, until I saw the Magpul SGA stock for the Remington 870.
Being self-employed I give myself a little bonus at the end of the year, and this year it was the Magpul SGA stock. I knew that it was for a 12 gauge 870 and would need to be fitted to the smaller 20 gauge receiver. I was willing to risk $100 should my fitting efforts fail. As it turned out the fitting job, especially compared to the Butler Creek folder, was a breeze. There are internal support ribs that fit the stock positively into the receiver. The lower rib would fit perfectly into the receiver and positively into the rear of the trigger guard with fairly minimal material reduction with a Dremel and file (a file alone would do the job). This left the upper rib completely unable to fit into the receiver so it was eliminated with a Dremel. Once the stock is bolted in the remaining lower internal support rib is enough to hold the stock firmly in the proper orientation. At this point the stock extends out beyond the frame on the sides maybe a bit more than a millimeter and really isn’t that noticeable. The overhang of the stock at the top of the receiver was far more noticeable so I contoured it down with a Dremel and sanded the finish to blend into the original finish. I could contour the side overhangs but they don’t hurt my eyes and a little extra material only adds a little beef. Maybe someday I will finish the contouring, but I really don’t see the need.
The result for me takes this rifle to the next level. The cheek-weld is perfect bringing my eye right up to the level to the Wilson Combat peep sight. Different risers are offered for different welds, but the standard stock is a perfect fit. Four one-half inch spacers are supplied to lengthen the stock. For me the addition of one spacer was perfect.
Overall I could not be more pleased with the Magpul SGA stock and the adaptation to the 7615P. I would think that most folks would have the skill to do the fitting job. For the most part it’s just a matter of eliminating the top internal support rib and doing some fitting to the remaining set of lower support ribs (the retention of those lower ribs essential). By the way, if one were to reverse it and retain the upper rib and lose the lower ribs I don’t think that the stock screw would be in the proper alignment to catch a thread in the receiver. I could be wrong on that.
Take it slow and there should be no problems. Sorry to be so verbose, but saying that something can be done is slightly less useful that telling how it can be done.
The problem is that after a time the folding stock became less desirable in practice than it had been in theory. First off, I found that the folding stock feature added little practical value other than the rifle fitting into more of my range bags. The gun isn’t going to be stealthy one way or the other. If the rifle is ever pressed into service in a nasty situation stealth will be the least of my concerns. Second, the thick wire steel stock was fairly uncomfortable during firing and offered a lousy cheek-weld . This rifle is accurate enough that cheek-weld remained an issue for me. Regardless, I lived with these issues for a time and have enjoyed the rifle immensely. That is, until I saw the Magpul SGA stock for the Remington 870.
Being self-employed I give myself a little bonus at the end of the year, and this year it was the Magpul SGA stock. I knew that it was for a 12 gauge 870 and would need to be fitted to the smaller 20 gauge receiver. I was willing to risk $100 should my fitting efforts fail. As it turned out the fitting job, especially compared to the Butler Creek folder, was a breeze. There are internal support ribs that fit the stock positively into the receiver. The lower rib would fit perfectly into the receiver and positively into the rear of the trigger guard with fairly minimal material reduction with a Dremel and file (a file alone would do the job). This left the upper rib completely unable to fit into the receiver so it was eliminated with a Dremel. Once the stock is bolted in the remaining lower internal support rib is enough to hold the stock firmly in the proper orientation. At this point the stock extends out beyond the frame on the sides maybe a bit more than a millimeter and really isn’t that noticeable. The overhang of the stock at the top of the receiver was far more noticeable so I contoured it down with a Dremel and sanded the finish to blend into the original finish. I could contour the side overhangs but they don’t hurt my eyes and a little extra material only adds a little beef. Maybe someday I will finish the contouring, but I really don’t see the need.
The result for me takes this rifle to the next level. The cheek-weld is perfect bringing my eye right up to the level to the Wilson Combat peep sight. Different risers are offered for different welds, but the standard stock is a perfect fit. Four one-half inch spacers are supplied to lengthen the stock. For me the addition of one spacer was perfect.
Overall I could not be more pleased with the Magpul SGA stock and the adaptation to the 7615P. I would think that most folks would have the skill to do the fitting job. For the most part it’s just a matter of eliminating the top internal support rib and doing some fitting to the remaining set of lower support ribs (the retention of those lower ribs essential). By the way, if one were to reverse it and retain the upper rib and lose the lower ribs I don’t think that the stock screw would be in the proper alignment to catch a thread in the receiver. I could be wrong on that.
Take it slow and there should be no problems. Sorry to be so verbose, but saying that something can be done is slightly less useful that telling how it can be done.
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