Rem 870 multipurpose rig ideas and options?

[BattleRifleG3]

I've been thinking of switching from my Moss 590 in a purely tactical setup to a Remington 870 for every shotgun purpose. These would include every sort of western PA hunting, including turkey, waterfowl, deer, and small game, as well as home defense, flying targets, and the ability to use Dixie Slugs against the largest animals on the continent.

So here's what I was thinking of as my ideal rig:
1. Get a 870 ESM synthetic that can take 3.5" shells, assuming that any 870 barrel will fit a Super Magnum receiver.
2. Buy a rifled barrel for an 870 from my friend who has two and only uses his scoped one (the first came with a combo).
3. Somehow obtain a factory magazine extension (any idea how apart from a shotgun?) for home defense use and get an 18" rifle sited smoothbore barrel (or with ghost rings) to match it.
4. Get an adjustable choke, either PolyChoke II or a similar device sold by Cabelas currently.

So I was wondering how I could most cost effectively set up this rig? Anyone know where I could get a factory mag extension separately? I'd get the 18" model with the extension except that I wanted the Super Magnum receiver. The base shotgun would probably be a synthetic ESM 28" version I saw at Dick's, though if an independent dealer can do it for not much more I'd go that route instead to support them and trade my 590 towards it (possibly straight accross, but it should at least count for a very large portion of the price.)

Any thoughts on this rig, or how it may be as cost effective to stick with a multiple shotgun setup instead of having three barrels for one? And are there any incompatibilities I didn't recognize?

A couple things I'm really trying to learn is if there's any compelling need for a 3.5"super magnum and if I got that model, where I'd get a Remington factory mag tube extension? I have specific need for that specific extension.

[nralover]

Actually, my buddy talked me into a synthetic Stoeger 12 guage pump. 26 inch barrel, fiber optic type front bead, and it comes with the three standard chokes. I know some folks think you need to have three house payments in your gun, but for 229.00, it is a great value. BTW, it handles 3 1/2 inch shells as well:)

[BattleRifleG3]

Know what chokes it takes? I'm guessing Benelli...

[nralover]

I believe you are correct

[Toyoland66]

Do you really need 3.5"? Have you ever shot 3.5"? I know they are good for geese, etc but 3" shells kick pretty hard, I have 3.5" 00 buck at home for my Browning BPS that I am a little afraid to shoot.

I don't know much about compatability btw 3.5" and stardard 870 parts, I would imagine they interchange but dont know for a fact.

You can get the factory extension on Remingtons LE website under the parts link, you can also get them through brownells and probably midway, FYI they are around $110, roughly double the price of an aftermarket extension (just curious about your specific need for factory?)

What is the deal with the poly choke, I don't know much about them but here are some un-educated thoughts about them. IF it is made of plastic (poly) it will wear out faster? Also with it being adjustable how do you know what choke profile you have it set at and how can you consistently set it to a particular profile. I think I would rather have interchangeable rem-chokes but as I stated above, I don't know much about the poly choke.

I recently bought a 870 express magnum for $300 which came with the factory 18.5" cylinder bore barrel and factory 2 round magazine extension (which is $100+ alone), Factory barrels are usually at least $150+ (for express barrels). I would recomend starting an excel spreadsheet and put in the prices for the different gun options and prices for the different parts, that may help you figure out the cheapest option. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy the configuration you want from the factory rather than buying a bunch of parts to modify. But if the factory doesn't make it....

[MachinistTX]

Most 870 barrels are made for 3" shells, though they should interchange just fine. You wouldn't be able to use the 3.5" shells in the shorter chambered bbl though. I've seen several ads in shotgun news for factory mag extensions priced at $89 IIRC. With an express model, there are two dimples at the end of the magazine tube that will have to be removed to allow the shells to pass by when using the extension. If you buy a HD(home defense) or tacktikul model, that slight modification is done at the factory.


I've fired one shotgun equipped with a polychoke, and I didn't think too highly of it. The pattern at the full choke setting was more like something I'd expect from an improved cylinder, or no choke. That is to say, it was fine for 20 yard shooting, but beyond that it would be useless. It also cut the wads as evident by the plastic slivers hanging out of the muzzle. Probably why the pattern was so crappy. IMHO, forget the polychoke as an option and stick to either a fixed choke barrel or tubes. My preference is fixed choke, but I'm probably an oddball on that. Only potential downside to my preference is that none of my 870s are compatible with steel shot, which isn't a problem for me since I'm not a waterfowl hunter.

I don't know what used guns go for in your area, but I can buy a used wingmaster around here for less than a new barrel costs. I do have an extra barrel for my 12 gauge wingmasters, but it's on one of them right now and it cost me $100 used. With some looking at the classifieds on various gun boards, you might find a factory 18" barrel for $60-$80. I've seen some with tritium beads sell in that price range.

Unless you're planning on shooting steel shot at geese, there isn't much need for the 3.5", as that is the only reason it came about.

Toyoland66-- The poly choke is an adjustable choke fitted to the end of the barrel. The entire contraption is made of steel or has been on all of them I've seen. On older guns, they were permanently attached, but it appears that they are now made to utilize the threads for choke tubes. http://www.poly-choke.com/choke2.htm

Personally, I think it's just another gimmick intended to seperate money from people's wallets.