Rem. 870 Side Saddle

[Slip Shooter]

I have just purchased a Remington 870 Express with 18 ½ in. barrel equipped with the extended magazine for HD. I am considering adding a 12 ga, Mesa Tactical 4 round Sureshell carrier from MidwayUSA. They sell right and left side carriers.


In y’all’s opinion which should I purchase, right or left, and why? I have no experience with the side saddle carriers and need to differentiate between the two. This will be the only add-on I will attach to the weapon. How does it attach? Would another choice be best?


Thanks up front ----
Slip

 

[Taurus44]

They attach via threaded posts that replace the two trigger group pins. Mesa Tactical has the absolute best attachment setup of all the side saddles out there.

I'd get the left side version, and by left side, I mean the side opposite the ejection port. Put the shells in the saddle brass down so when you flip the gun over to reload the shells are easy to get to.

Why not get the 6 rounder, though? Does your gun have the long forend on it?

 

[357wheelgunner]

Get the 6 round carrier, for the left side of the reciever.

Be careful when you install it, if you tighten it too much it will bind your action up.

 

[Slip Shooter]

Thanks Taurus44,

Yes, the shotgun has the longer fore end that tapers down to the rear and partially covers the receiver when pulled back. On closer observation it appears the forearm will be hampered by the carrier when action is cycled. Do I need a stock mount carrier?

 

[VARifleman]

Since you have an 870, you can also get one for the right side as well. Total of 8 rounds isn't bad at all.

 

[Bob F.]

You can get a tactical, i.e.: short forend, that'll work with the 6 rounder.

 

[Slip Shooter]

Will the Four rounder work with my long fore end? I have the synthetic stocked 870 Express.

 

[VARifleman]

Yeah. If you want to use a 6 or 8 rounder you will need to either get a new fore end or chop this one up a little.

 

[Slip Shooter]

Thanks VARifleman,

Does that mean the four rounder will work with my gun? It is brand spankin' new and I wish to leave it stock as purchased except for the side carrier.

I know i am being redundant, but don't want to invest 60+ $ in something that might not work.

 

[VARifleman]

Yes, the 4 rounder will work without any mods to your gun. You just replace the trigger pins with the supplied hardware. I know I was hesitant buying a mesa SS, but I got it and it's awesome.

 

[arizona98tj]

One of my shooting buddies recently "trimmed" his synthetic forearm in order to accommodate a 6 round side saddle, albeit his was not from Mesa Tactical. He could have gotten a shorter forearm but when all was said and done, it turned out pretty good. His side saddle was one of those budget priced tac-crap versions that fell off while he was shooting. His wasn't the only 870 that lost parts during the 4 day course.

 

[Slip Shooter]

Thanks everyone, especially VARifleman, for your input and help.

I placed my order for the Mesa carrier prior to this post.

THR ROCKS!

 

[VARifleman]

When you install...remember...do it according to the instructions and use blue loctite.

 

[Rshooter]

Pockets, those side saddles can snag on things.

 

[Taurus44]

Yes. Follow the instructions and use (very little) blue loctite!

I actually bought a 4 round SS for my SBS and screwed it all up when I put it on (cross threaded one screw and used too much loctite). I messed it all up trying to get it back off the gun. I'm not a patient type, so I bought another and took my time installing it. One of these days I'll order some new hardware and have an "extra", I guess.

I also have the 6 round version on my 3-gun 1100. It's pretty f-ing nice too.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Bill Murphy, who runs the Shotgun Course at Gunsite, has recommended the Side-Saddle that is available from Adventurer's Outpost.
He has said that this is the only side-saddle that will consistently make it through the Gunsite's 5-day Shotgun Course - other side-saddles, like the Tac-Star, will shear off the little screws that hold it on, thus rendering the gun inoperable.

 

[arizona98tj]

other side-saddles, like the Tac-Star, will shear off the little screws that hold it on, thus rendering the gun inoperable.

I saw two of them fail at Front Sight last week. It certainly does happen when you run the gun hard.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

I don't mean to hijack the thread - but, while the subject of "things falling off of your shotgun" is still fresh - Bill also mentioned that receiver-mounted Ghost Ring sights frequently become detached during the 5-day course.
He uses barrel-mounted rifle-sights on his duty gun, because these stay on.

 

[arizona98tj]

I suppose a side saddle could snag on something.....heck, the barrel might even snag on something. I've no doubt a sling would snag on something.

One of the other students, shooting next to me for several days, used his pocket while I used my side saddle in a variety of drills. While doing emergency reloads, I could put two on steel for every one of his....sometimes almost three. Maybe he just had bad pockets....maybe he couldn't index the rounds properly as he pulled them from his pocket....not really sure. Based on my experience, I'm more than willing to trade the possibility of my side saddle snagging something rather than getting shot while I'm digging around in my pocket.

 

[Bababooey]

I just went through this w/ my new 870 marine magnum and a side saddle carrier,the bolts were binding up the carrier action and would not feed into the chamber.

I even tried to loosen them a bit to no avail,had to replace w/ factory pins,sans the shell side caddy.


Now this might just be a issue with the finish on the marine and the fact it has not been fired yet ?

 

[SwampWolf]

Be careful when you install it, if you tighten it too much it will bind your action up.

357 wheelgunner's right about this admonition. And I thought said precaution only applied to guns with alloy or alloy/poly combo receivers like my Benelli Nova.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

I just posted my own thread about this question, but what about a light mounted to the shotgun? What do people recommend? (including, "Don't bother!")

 

[EAJ]

I've got a TAC Shell 4-Round Saddle on my 870 and it works just fine, but the Mesa saddle is much nicer if you afford it.

There are a handful of light mounting solutions. I mounted a StreamLight TLR-2 Mounting Bracket (P/N 69906) on mine (under magazine cap) and use StreamLight TLR-2 LED Light/Laser. About $16 for the bracket. (Bracket will require a little fitting on the 870.)

 

[dogtown tom]

Read this before buying Mesa:

http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=72263&an=0&page=0#72263

 

[inSight-NEO]

Read this before buying Mesa:

I agree. Ive been leary of my MT rail mounted unit (for Benelli) just for this reason. Thats why I will more than likely replace it with the buttstock mounted MT unit.