Remington 870 Express 12ga question

redbeardrob · Dec 2, 2016

Hi all, I am new to this sub forum and I've got a question with regard to my newest boom stick purchase. It seems like there is a knowledgeable presence here with regard to firearms so here is my issue.

I recently acquired a Remington 870 Express (6+1 round) and swapped out the stock and forend for Magpul furniture. I noticed that with the magpul forend installed, as I rack the action rearward towards the receiver the forend binds against the left side of the barrel enough to actually scratch it.

I disassembled the gun, and upon inspection the action bars seem to be perfectly straight and in alignment with one another so I guess my question is what could be causing this and how can I correct it? I realized going in that this was more of a budget shotgun, so I expected some quirks and rough edges but it would be nice to get this fixed. I already contacted Remington but have not heard back yet. Thank you all in advance for any help provided.

Unk · Dec 2, 2016

No ideas but a forend should not BIND, rub...sure.

Put your old OEM forearm back on and check for bind - if none, would seem to suggest MAGPUL the culprit.

Scratch...no big deal, its a tool..BIND another story.

Best.

redbeardrob · Dec 2, 2016

Unk said:
No ideas but a forend should not BIND, rub...sure.

Put your old OEM forearm back on and check for bind - if none, would seem to suggest MAGPUL the culprit.

Scratch...no big deal, its a tool..BIND another story.

Best.

I will give this a try right now, I didn't even think that perhaps it could be the Magpul. I have had zero problems with so many of their products, their QC seems pretty immaculate. But you may be right.

redbeardrob · Dec 2, 2016

So it seems this was actually an issue with the Magpul forend, as the factory stock remains perfectly centered while the action is cycled. Guess this will be a go-back. Thanks Unk!

CrufflerJJ · Dec 2, 2016

Could you just remove whatever wee bit of Magpul forend is binding/rubbing? Dremel tools are wonderful things....when used carefully.

redbeardrob · Dec 2, 2016

CrufflerJJ said:
Could you just remove whatever wee bit of Magpul forend is binding/rubbing? Dremel tools are wonderful things....when used carefully.

I thought about doing that, but when I examined it off the gun, it seems to be slightly lopsided. So it would probably require the removal of quite a bit of material. Dunno what happened to this one but I just shipped it back for a replacement.

UffDa · Dec 2, 2016

There is usually a bit of slop in the way the forend fits the tube. I have seen a lot of them that can be move as much as 3/16". When you tighten the nut, the forend tends to rotate clockwise, but you said that it rubs on the left side. Try twisting the forend clockwise and see if it moves a bit.

I worked on 1000s of 870s, but retired before Magpul made furniture for them, so I have no personal experience with them and I don't know how they index on the forend tube. I would suspect the one Magpul forend is exactly like another, but it could be a bad casting.

redbeardrob · Dec 2, 2016

UffDa said:
There is usually a bit of slop in the way the forend fits the tube. I have seen a lot of them that can be move as much as 3/16". When you tighten the nut, the forend tends to rotate clockwise, but you said that it rubs on the left side. Try twisting the forend clockwise and see if it moves a bit.

I worked on 1000s of 870s, but retired before Magpul made furniture for them, so I have no personal experience with them and I don't know how they index on the forend tube. I would suspect the one Magpul forend is exactly like another, but it could be a bad casting.

So I noticed the slop on the factory forend, but the Magpul had ZERO slop, it gripped the action bars just perfectly. Hopefully the replacement Magpul won't have the same issue, but if not I really have no gripe using the factory forend. I feel like the buttstock ergos and adjustability are really where the Magpul furniture shines anyhow. I also don't think I will ever use the M-LOK slots, so I guess I'm not really losing out on anything but aesthetics.

Modoc ED · Dec 4, 2016

redbeardrob said:

I realized going in that this was more of a budget shotgun,

It may be a budget shotgun in the configuration that you purchased but the Remington 870 Pump Shotgun in any configuration is a very tough, reliable shotgun. I have several.

I see that you've already sent the forearm back. I've not had any experience with Magpul products but some other brands I've had experience with say in their instructions that trimming of the forearm may be required with their product. Just as some shell holders mounted to a shotgun may have to have a corner of the body relieved so that the forearm will clear it.

Good choice on the 870. As I said, I have several but I have one that I bought in 1972 (maybe 1973) and it runs just as good as the day I got it.

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redbeardrob · Dec 13, 2016

The new forend fits like a glove. Sincere thanks to everyone for the input. Closing this down.