870 Express Mods

[magnanimous_j]

Resurrecting this thread from the dead. I finally got around to it.

So I finally got around to turning that 870 express Big5 special into a combat shotgun. I put a Carlson 18.5" barrel on it. It's threaded for chokes and came with a Cylinder choke which I thought was cool. I put a Magpul front grip with it, which I was very impressed with. It came in a nice box, and came with the tool to unscrew the metal pieces from the stock foregrip. The grip was ultra lightweight and so rigid that I couldn't flex it as hard as I could. I'm not an AR guy, so I haven't purchased from Magpul before, but I just couldn't be happier with that product. Whenever I'm on the market for a mod from now on, I'll check with them first.

This Archangel stock set, on the other hand...

The included instructions were super vague, and came with extra parts that the instructions didn't call for. The side saddle shell carrier seems legit. It had a rubber gasket between the piece and the receiver and each shell carrier is individually adjustable for tension. The shell carrier piece is polymer, but it is so stiff you might think it was steel. I put four fingers into the shell holders and shook the gun as violently as I could and the piece didn't flex at all. I'm happy with that.

I hate this butt stock.

Its a 6-point AR style stock, which is rattly and roughly made. The recoil pad is all chewed up where it meets the hard part and worse of all, there is about a 1/8" gap between the stock and the receiver. I thought I was doing something wrong at first and tried for a good 30 minutes to get it on correctly. Online reviews and youtube videos confirmed that I'm not alone. I'm extra pissed because I think Archangel knows about this flaw. When you look at the pictures online, the gap between the stock and the receiver is always obscured by the side saddle shell holder.

That said, it really does seem sturdy, so I'm going to torture test it next week and see if I can live with it. Has anyone else dealt with this? Even a rubber ring or something would make it better. It just looks sloppy.

[huntnphool]

Resurrecting this thread from the dead. I finally got around to it.

So I finally got around to turning that 870 express Big5 special into a combat shotgun. I put a Carlson 18.5" barrel on it. It's threaded for chokes and came with a Cylinder choke which I thought was cool. I put a Magpul front grip with it, which I was very impressed with. It came in a nice box, and came with the tool to unscrew the metal pieces from the stock foregrip. The grip was ultra lightweight and so rigid that I couldn't flex it as hard as I could. I'm not an AR guy, so I haven't purchased from Magpul before, but I just couldn't be happier with that product. Whenever I'm on the market for a mod from now on, I'll check with them first.

This Archangel stock set, on the other hand...

The included instructions were super vague, and came with extra parts that the instructions didn't call for. The side saddle shell carrier seems legit. It had a rubber gasket between the piece and the receiver and each shell carrier is individually adjustable for tension. The shell carrier piece is polymer, but it is so stiff you might think it was steel. I put four fingers into the shell holders and shook the gun as violently as I could and the piece didn't flex at all. I'm happy with that.

I hate this butt stock.

Its a 6-point AR style stock, which is rattly and roughly made. The recoil pad is all chewed up where it meets the hard part and worse of all, there is about a 1/8" gap between the stock and the receiver. I thought I was doing something wrong at first and tried for a good 30 minutes to get it on correctly. Online reviews and youtube videos confirmed that I'm not alone. I'm extra pissed because I think Archangel knows about this flaw. When you look at the pictures online, the gap between the stock and the receiver is always obscured by the side saddle shell holder.

That said, it really does seem sturdy, so I'm going to torture test it next week and see if I can live with it. Has anyone else dealt with this? Even a rubber ring or something would make it better. It just looks sloppy.

 Sounds cool, pics?

[magnanimous_j]

Trying to.

It keeps crashing even when I try to upload one pic.

Maybe there is a lot of server traffic. I'll try again later.

[huntnphool]

Try resizing to 800 on the long side

[magnanimous_j]

.

[magnanimous_j]

Try resizing to 800 on the long side

That's what I did. I've got an  Iphone 11, and this may be the first time I've tried to upload photos from it to HuntWa. The forum tech might not be up to the phone tech.

[Dan-o]

Fun project. 

Didn't you post pics of a home defense 870 with a short barrel a d wood stick several months ago?

Somebody did.
I thought it was you.
It was a really great looking home defense shotgun. 

[huntnphool]

 That turned out well

[magnanimous_j]

Fun project. 

Didn't you post pics of a home defense 870 with a short barrel a d wood stick several months ago?

Somebody did.
I thought it was you.
It was a really great looking home defense shotgun.

I started a thread a few months back asking for recommendations about this, and today I dug it up and tried to post on it, but it kept crashing.

Thats why I started a new thread.

But yeah, somebody did post a really cool old 870 Police model they had on that thread. 

[opdinkslayer]

Just don’t stand in your driveway waving that thing around when the antifa thugs show up in your neighborhood Mags!   Looks good & functional for home defense.

[magnanimous_j]

Looks good & functional for home defense.

Thanks man! That stock really bothers me. There is just the tiniest bit of travel if you try and torque the grip and the foregrip in the opposite direction. That, and the gap between the stock and the receiver just bugs me.

I'm going to call Archangels customer service tomorrow and see if they have any advice, otherwise I'll probably just get this

https://magpul.com/firearm-accessories/stocks/sga-stock-remington-870.html?mp_global_color=118

[konradcountry]

Is this for indoor use against zombies? Just slap a pistol grip on it.

[ckr]

If your not happy with that stock, I have had great luck with ATI.  I put one on my my turkey gun.  Very tight fit with the receiver,  the stock adjusts smooth and does a pretty good job taming a turkey load recoil.  Been super happy so far

[magnanimous_j]

If your not happy with that stock, I have had great luck with ATI.  I put one on my my turkey gun.  Very tight fit with the receiver,  the stock adjusts smooth and does a pretty good job taming a turkey load recoil.  Been super happy so far

Those look nice. Have you ever shot one with a top folder? I've loved that look since Jurassic Park, but they don't look like they do a lot for managing recoil.

[magnanimous_j]

If anyone is still interested in this, I contacted Archangel about the stock and they got back to me within 2 business days saying the gap between the stock and the receiver was NOT normal and I should send it back right away for a replacement. So I've gotta give some points to them for customer service.

But I just went ahead and got the Magpul stock anyway. Couldn't be happier with it. The fit and finish is great (as you would expect for a piece specifically designed for that exact model of firearm) and it was installed in less than 5 minutes. Handles great. I kind of miss the pistol grip, but if I'm being honest, I think that had more to do with the Tacticool look than actual function.

What I really like about this setup, is that if I ever wanted to turn it back into a field gun, I could just put the original barrel back on and add the spacers to the stock and be good to go in about 10 minutes.

Only thing is, I need a QD sling swivel. Amazon has a few different kinds, ranging from $20 for 1 to a pack of 4 for $10. Do they vary all that much?