870 Short LOP Stock Swap

[farscott]

Well, I did it again. Was minding my own business when my local dealer presented me with another NIB 870P. Needless to say the price was right, so I decided to grab it. Perhaps I should have thought some more about it, but I have a soft spot for the 870P.

Now that I have tried it out, I see why the price was what it was. The Remington SKU number is 24465, meaning this one shipped from Illion with a collapsible AR-style stock from Advanced Technology (ATI). At first, I thought this was a good thing (I was so very, very wrong). I had hoped that the collapsible stock would allow me to easily get the correct LOP on a gun for my wife, but my limited range time (twelve rounds was all I could stand) with the new gun has convinced me this stock has to go. The stock itself just does not inspire confidence, and my shoulder is so sore that typing this post hurts. Let's just say that ibuprofen is my new best friend. I have not been beat this badly by a shottie in a long time. Unless someone special-ordered a bunch of guns with this stock, I am not sure why Remington decided to use this stock on the 870P.

So, what stocks does everyone recommend? I am partial to the factory wood stocks and to the factory synthetic ones; however, my wife really could use a shorter LOP. She would prefer a stock without a pistol grip as the grip pokes her. The wood stock appears the easiest to modify. Are there any decent short LOP stocks? For recoil pads, is it best to get a Pachmayr or one of the Sims pads?

 

[ilmonster]

how about looking on this site among others for a used Rem 870 Youth stock, which has a shorter LOP. I think Ebay still advertises stocks also. Slap a Limbsaver recoil pad on it and you'll have a great SG.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Any half-decent gunsmith can shorten a wood stock as needed and install a premium recoil pad on the shortened stock. If you like wood, that might be the best bet. My wife (60-something, 5'4", 130 lbs) can handle a 12 ga. 870 just fine, as long as it fits her- and it takes a 12.5" LOP stock as part of the 'fits her' package.

For synthetics, I like the Speedfeed II 'solid' stock best ( http://www.speedfeedinc.com/products.html ). It can be shortened as needed to a degree (12.5" including the pad is as short as I have gone with it, don't know if it can be cut down further without problems fitting the pad).

Speedfeed makes youth sized stocks too, with a 13" LOP from the factory. But the ones I have seen are the 'thin wall' synthetic, that I don't care for as much as the 'solid' stock of theirs.

Hogue makes a youth stock with a 12" LOP (IIRC), in their Overmolded line. Several people here report happiness in using this product.

Even if you have to change the stock, you got an 870P out of the deal. And someone in search of kewl points will happily buy the ATI stock from you. What's to complain about? 8^)

lpl/nc

 

[farscott]

Thanks for the ideas. I am going to see about getting a set of factory wood stocks and cutting them down to fit as that is my wife's preference.

 

[dh515]

Check out Numrich Gun Parts. They have a bunch of 870 stocks in different styles, ranging from about $25-$100. The link shows one example:

http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=931960&chrSuperSKU=&MC=

 

[farscott]

I got to try an 870 on Saturday outfitted with a Knoxx recoil-reducing adjustable stock, and I was darn impressed with the performance. Even with my sore shoulder, recoil was quite tolerable with 2-3/4" #4 Buck, and I was able to adjust the length to fit me. It looks a bit Rube Goldberg-ish, but I guess form follows function.

What I do not know is how durable this stock is and whether it is worth the extra $50 over a standard stock.

 

[Chupacabra]

What I do not know is how durable this stock is and whether it is worth the extra $50 over a standard stock.

I've had one on my 870 for about a year and it has held up perfectly. I've never had any problems with it. They are expensive, but I think the features are worth it.

The ATI stocks are indeed horrible. I took a defensive shotgun class recently and had to use a loner 870 equipped with one when my own shotgun experienced a malfunction (sidesaddle broke off, taking one of the receiver pins with it. Potentially unsafe to shoot). That loner gun beat me up. It was awful.

 

[thinkat]

I've used this stock for a few years now, and I can't recommend it highly enough. I have had 0 problems. as you know it works as advertised. I would not use any other stock. As far as the price, I suppose it's a lot more than standard, but when compared to the speedfeed pistol grip or the Mesa Tactical, it really is a steal.

 

[asknight]

There are buttpads made for the M4 style stock...

Most of the tacticool oriented dealers have them.

 

[Stretchman]

Mesa makes a recoil reducing stock now, with an adjustable LOP. A bit pricier than most, but it is definitely well constructed.

Also, any AR style butt pad will fit that gun for about 10 bux.

 

[farscott]

Well, the ATI stock is off the 870P, and I have two other stocks for it, a Speedfeed short and the Knoxx SpecOps. One of the stocks will be for my wife's 870P, and I will find something to do with the other.