Worth drilling divots to add 3 more rounds?

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Orion8472

Orion8472

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Is it worth it to drill out the divots on a tube in order to make a 4 shot shotgun (Remington 870 express) into a 7 shot shotgun? Drilling out the two divots will perminantly alter the 870 so that it couldn't be returned to its original setup.

Would you do it?

I can buy a choate "3 round tube extention" for ~$43.
 
I haven't done it. Then again, mine has a hunting plug in it right now.

I live in a townhouse-style condo. If I shoot more than 5 rounds of buckshot, there'll be a helluva mess.:)
 
I elected to not alter mine partly because home defense is its secondary role. Its primary role is for hunting, which mostly requires a plug. Also I don't see the urgent need for the two extra rounds. If you can't get the job done in five shots, will seven really matter? I opt for five in the gun and five on a stock bandoleer. A barrel change and plug removal/installation takes all of five minutes if you're moving slow and no alteration is required.:)
 
Well, why five on a stock bandoleer if the "if you can't get the job done in five shots will seven really matter?" statement really matters? I've never heard anybody complain about having too many bullets on board when involved in a gunfight or any other life and death scenario.

I think I'd opt for the Choate extention- even though it does seem a little pricey at $43.00 for what you get.
 
Yes, drill. It's an Express and they're a dime a dozen used so you're not really affecting the value other than the possibility that Remington won't stand behind their product because of it:barf:
 
I've never heard anybody complain about having too many bullets on board when involved in a gunfight or any other life and death scenario.
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I agree that you can never have too much ammo in an emergency situation. we were talking about capacity. Most home invasion firefights are going to be over in one or two shots or your probably going to be dead anyway, depending on the situation, asleep, or awake, how fast the BG is on you, soforth. I was't viewing it in a "zombie killer" scenario like in the movies. Just the only one that has ever happened to me. :)
 
The 870 I have holds 4 in the tube. I don't keep one in the chamber, since the racking of a shotgun does a lot to deter a person from proceeding. On the side of the receiver is an aluminum 6 place shell holder, so that is why I was wondering if it would be worth modifying something like this. If I happen to need more than the 4 rounds that the shotgun has, then I DO have another 6 rounds available to me.

The way I would do it, . . . if they weren't in the room, would be:

1. Rack one into the chamber.
2. Quickly put another one into the tube.
3. If I need more than those 5, after the 4th shot (and the 5th one is racked into the chamber, load another 4 into the tube.
4. Fire, if necessary, and load the remaining round when able to do so.

Now, if it already had 7 in the tube (due to an extention), then it would be fewer steps.
 
You know, . . . .I guess that's my point. Is it worth drilling out the divots, voiding any warranty or whatever by Remington, and spending 40 some bucks on 3 extra rounds? It would make it look better, . . . well, more "tactical", or tacticool, as some say, though.
 
Actually, it turns out that some people miss when they shoot.

More ammo in the magazine is always better, but you should be fine with stock magazine tube if you don't want to start drilling holes and make it difficult to use the plug when hunting. Many people don't use magazine extensions because it upsets the balance of an otherwise lively weapon. Some of the major shotgun experts carry 14" SBS shotguns that hold 4 rounds, their logic is that with a shotgun you will have to reload no matter how many rounds you hold. The trick is to keep loading as you fight.

I prefer my tubular magazines to go to the end of the barrel, or a little bit past. I don't mind the front heavy feel of a fully loaded extended magazine, and like being able to download the magazine by 1 and still have 6 rounds onboard.

IMG_0307.gif
 
what are the odds you'll need to incapacitate 7 people faster than you can reload?
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This question presuposes that all shots will be hits and that any one hit will be sufficient to incapacitate a person.

I tend to believe anything worth shooting once ought to be shot at least twice, even with a 12 guage, and thus 3 BGs would need six shots again presuming hits with each shot.

Now one can talk about the odds of needing something but what are the odds you'll ever need to fire a single shot in self defense? If you are just playing the odds then buying guns and ammo and training really seems over kill given the odds.

IMO four or five rounds is more than likely going to be fine but having two extra rounds is nice and unless there was a compelling reason not to I would prefer the extra two rounds. My HD shotgun holds ten. I suspect that I'll never need to fire ten rounds of 00 buck in self defense and I really hope that my suspicion is correct but it is still nice to know that I could if the need arose.
 
I've never heard anybody complain about having too many bullets on board when involved in a gunfight or any other life and death scenario.
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They're not "on board." They're busy weighing down the muzzle end of a shotgun.

People have been known to remove mag extensions because the gun is lighter, quicker, and handles better without them.

I'm not saying you should or you shouldn't, but don't assume that the extra rounds come without a price of their own.

The whole "rack the gun for the sound it makes" thing is probably a mistake. Hence, you can get one more round without any extra cost or muzzle-end weight.
 
I've always thought I would not fully rack the gun but make sure the weapon did have one in the chamber before I opened fire. aside from intimidation factor which i have mixed feelings about letting the person know I'm going to kill them. I want to do it right on the first trigger pull.
 
For what it's worth I opened mine up the day before yesterday with a dremel and a 3/8" stone . I bet it's thin as hell right there but no change on the outside. Then just a touch black paint on a Q-tip to keep it from rusting up.
works for me

Mark
 
my shotguns only purpose in life is defense, so therefore the first thing that i did was buy a mag extenstion and removed the dimples.
 
One round of buckshot and game is over for whoever is hit. If your talking about defense in the home or apartment there is a maximum range of 10-15 yards and that is even pushing it. Sure they make nice pretty holes in your paper targets, but I'm not sure if anyone is even aware or appreciates what a payload of 00 buckshot does to a human at such close range, it's absolutely brutal and shocking. 4 rounds in the tube with a few extra on a sidesaddle is more than enough.
 
It's probably personal preference in the end, after all, this gun is your insurance policy, not mine. Do what you feel like, but I wouldn't worry about voiding the warranty.
I've got a Police Magnum with the 20' bbl and the bigger extension, and the old Laser Products forend light, and I find I don't care for it as much as for my 18' Wingmaster pretty much stock. A gun that handles nicely builds confidence, I say, so try with and without mag extension and see what you like. Just don't be afraid to admit to yourself that maybe you like without better. ;)
 
For what it's worth I opened mine up the day before yesterday with a dremel and a 3/8" stone . I bet it's thin as hell right there but no change on the outside.
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I ran a scocket down the tube that was an interference fit with the dimples and bucked them out with a body hammer, used masking tape to keep from hurting the finish.

Seems like some of you guys would like 10 round mags back. Sometimes I just don't get it.
 
I have drilled them several times and would probably never keep a shotgun in "standard" configuration unless it was 100% for sport.
 
No.
Not to me anyways.

To me a shotgun is a very versatile platform in a bone stock configuration.
Many posts above share my reasons as to why this is so.

In the event of a serious situation, first responders are going to see what they see at the scene.
So will everyone in a courtroom when the matter goes to court.


Being a civilian I subscribe to ADEE, and not HARDWARE.

I only have one shotgun, an H&R Youth, 20 ga, single shot.
 
I don't keep one in the chamber, since the racking of a shotgun does a lot to deter a person from proceeding.
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This is Myth #1.
Most home invasion firefights are going to be over in one or two shots or your probably going to be dead anyway, depending on the situation, asleep, or awake, how fast the BG is on you, soforth.
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With four dogs, I "presume" (have a reasonable expectation that) I will be forewarned. :)
what are the odds you'll need to incapacitate 7 people faster than you can reload?
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Probably less than the odds that, with adrenaline pumping, in the dark and in a dynamic situation, one may miss from time to time. :) As I unfortunately do not train as much as I should (with the shotgun, 95% of my shooting is with handguns), the "shotty tactical reload" may not be well-programmed into my brain.
To paraphrase what someone said above, it's not the odds, it's the stakes that matter.

Note that I have not yet modified my 870 as it is a Wingmaster, but I may have to buy an Express and try out that $43 mod. If it's a bit nose-heavy, nothing says you have to load those last 2-3 extra rounds. I'm just sayin'... :)
 
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