I inherited a I believe unshot 12 ga 870 express. My uncle I think bought it on a whim with a sale price he just couldn’t pass up.

I think it currently has a 28” or so barrel on it.

I am considering buyimg a used slug barrel and maybe a birdshead stock to use as interior home defense. Obviously I could also use it for hunting deer (with the std butt stock).

I realize that the rifling in the slug barrel at some distance will spin the shot. But with say 00 buck shot and distances of interior of a home, I dont think the shot spin would be an issue.

Is this a via me option?

If so what is a fair price for a used 870 slug barrel? Or is the savings not worth it and simply buy new slug barrel?

Is there any ability to put a flashlight and remote forearm switch on this? Or do I have to go completely to TAC14 or whatever?

I strongly advise AGAINST removing the shoulder stock. If you have not fired a pump shotgun with a birdshead or pistol grip, I recommend you try it and then you will put the stock back on ad we can move forward from there.
I have found a 12” LOP to be very nearly perfect for making a shotgun better handling for indoor use, and an 18 inch barrel (I like rifle sights but a bead works great for lots of people) to be a wonderful conbination.
Rifled barrels have their very limited place in the shotgun world, and home defense isnt it. Smooth bore with an Improved Cylinder is better for far more loads. Dont underestimate the effect that rigling has on buckshot. On an 8 foot pattern board I saw a 15” circle with zero pellets in the center at only 7 yards.
Sabot slugs (really the only thing shootable in a rifled barrel) are crazy expensive and no added value unless hou are shooting more than 100 yards. My smooth bore 870 IC barrel shoots 6 slugs into a 3x5 card at 50 meters. You wont need better than that with any shotgun.
Mounting light and switch on an 870 is as simple as buying a mount and sticking it on the barrel or mag tube. Not complex or expensive.
It has been said that the pump 12 gauge shotgun is where the lines cross between portability and effect. Load it with one ounce lead slugs and that becomes even more true.
Whatever you decide, make sure YOU pattern and practice with YOUR chosen load before you make it your home defense weapon. Each barrel is a truism unto itself.

A birdshead and 14” TAC bbl would make a top fightsman’s setup. There are lights available.

Barrel and stock/forearm set will likely cost near $250.00, possibly more, if purchased new. You might have trouble finding a used barrel with a matching finish and length and correct contour that you want, as not all 870 barrels interchange.

Mossberg Shockwaves can be found on sale for under $275.00, already configured like you want.

The easy first step is to put a cylinder bore 18” barrel on your 870, readily available and best for short range...encounters. Them imagine what you feel in your shoulder concentrated (mostly) in your right wrist. May be unpleasant.

I don’t doubt some find the no-stock guns useful but they are not my cup of tea. Good luck in your decision.

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Every single trainee I have ever had (hundreds of professional warfighters) have fired one full magazine out of a pump 12 gauge with a pistol grip and put the stock back on. Every single one

Isn't the part of the reason they can sell the birdshead version because the recievers were originally assembled in that configuration? You might want to check the wording of the NFA, but adding a birdshead grip and <18" barrel may be making a SBS.

Cut the stock down 1" and refit the recoil pad. A gunsmith could shorten that barrel to 18" quite inexpensively. Enjoy.

That would not be legal.


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Flyingfool,

I am right where you are trying to be. A few years ago I ended up trading into an 870 Express Magnum 12, and I simply purchased a 20" smooth-bore slug barrel with iron sights to augment the 28" interchangeable choke tube barrel that came with the gun. I also swapped out the wood for black synthetic, just because it just looks so cool, but obviously it's not really necessary at all. I now have a really inexpensive, fairly weather-resistant shotgun that will do anything a shotgun needs to do, simply by swapping out barrels and choke tubes, and I don't worry too much about it getting knocked around or getting it exposed to ****** weather. Hunting? Check. Home defense? Check.

However....a few months ago my neighbor dropped by with a brand new Remington Tac 14 that he had bought for his son, who, it turns out, didn't even want it, as he's active duty military and didn't want to lug it around and be forced to secure it in an armory. I ended up with it. I installed a little strap on the forend (like Mossberg does from the factory on the Shockwave), and replaced the muzzle cap with a new one fitted with a laser, and ran some reduced-recoil Fiocchi OO buck through it,and I can tell you with that load it's a *****cat. Aim laser, pull trigger, a little shuck-n-jive and do it again. I know it's not a long-range affair, but once you go through the drill with the Tac 14 and reduced recoil loads, it instills a LOT of confidence!

Tom

without proper ATF paperwork and fees..

Flyingfool,

I am right where you are trying to be. A few years ago I ended up trading into an 870 Express Magnum 12, and I simply purchased a 20" smooth-bore slug barrel with iron sights to augment the 28" interchangeable choke tube barrel that came with the gun. I also swapped out the wood for black synthetic, just because it just looks so cool, but obviously it's not really necessary at all. I now have a really inexpensive, fairly weather-resistant shotgun that will do anything a shotgun needs to do, simply by swapping out barrels and choke tubes, and I don't worry too much about it getting knocked around or getting it exposed to ****** weather. Hunting? Check. Home defense? Check.

However....a few months ago my neighbor dropped by with a brand new Remington Tac 14 that he had bought for his son, who, it turns out, didn't even want it, as he's active duty military and didn't want to lug it around and be forced to secure it in an armory. I ended up with it. I installed a little strap on the forend (like Mossberg does from the factory on the Shockwave), and replaced the muzzle cap with a new one fitted with a laser, and ran some reduced-recoil Fiocchi OO buck through it, and I can tell you with that load it's gentle as a lamb, recoil-wise. Aim laser, pull trigger, a little shuck-n-jive and do it again. I know it's not a long-range affair, but once you go through the drill with the Tac 14 and reduced recoil loads, it instills a LOT of confidence! I had not had a lot of faith in the Tac 14 / Shockwave configuration until I took a test drive, and I am now a convert.

Tom

I sold the pump version. I just bought a Remington V 3 TAC 13 and I love it. The recoil is less than the pump version, as well.

Quite a few years back Mossberg was actually selling an economically priced 18” replacement barrel (smooth cylinder bore) for the Remington 870 Express.

I was not much into shotguns and just wanted the most utility out of mine, so I bought one of those and had it on the gun throughout the year. For the various hunting seasons, putting the original barrel back on and plugging in the mag limiter took only minutes.

None of that tactical doodle-doo. Maximum versatility.

I have cut down dozens of shotguns. Most to be made into slug guns. I always cut to no less than 18 1/4" leaving no room for argument. Shotgun must have 18" barrel and be 26" over all to be legal. I have a dedicated Rigid pipe cutter to cut shotgun barrels. Pipe cutter rolls the edge into the
bore so Muzzel must be filed to remove this edge. I bought a piolot and
cutter from Brownell that squares Muzzel because I was doing a lot of them. I also made up a jig with scribe to transfer top dead center from existing front bead to new location. I always drill new bead before cutting barrel off. Being a Express model buying a slug barrel used or new isn't a good deal money wise. For what a barrel cost you can by an import that is already Tacti-Cool. I agree with leaving butt stock alone. Stock makes it easier to control and natural pointer.

Decades back I shot skeet with my 870. So with the short skeet barrel I added a side saddle for an extra four, and removed the plug. I use 00 since it's just us and the four paw alarm, but #4's will do. Wall penetration can be a good thing. Practice is a good thing.
I personally don't care for lights on my firearms.
Keep the stock.

__________________
"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

If it were me, then I'd just get a Mossberg 590 Shockwave or Remington Tac-14.
In fact, it was me very recently, and ultimately I did get a Shockwave.

They can generally be had for around $300 or less in their standard configuration, but if that isn't cheap enough, then Chiappa is now making one of their own for called the Honcho which goes for around $250 or less.

The Raptor bird's head grip is different from your conventional pistol grip, the angle prevents the recoil force from being transferred into the shooter's wrist.

If old men like Hickock45 and BigdaddyHoffman1911 can bear to fire the Shockwave one-handed while loaded with slugs, then the average man ought to be able handle firing it with a two-handed grip loaded with buckshot.

__________________
Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Also consider it is legal to add a brace to the Shockwave. I ran a box of mixed cartridges through a Shockwave with a brace yesterday. It was more pleasant than my Mossberg Persuader.

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Mossberg 590 Security Pump 12ga 6 round 18.5” is $299 on Grabagun today.


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I wanted the same thing... so I found a cheap 20 inch IC barrel with bead sight for $69 if I remember correctly.... then I found a used Remington barrel with rifle sights and rifled choke tube for $100... both work well... I use some old Winchester XX magnum goose loads... #2... exceptional at length of hallway distances... in both barrels... guess I got lucky...

One of my officer had a M870 with a slug barrel and it would not throw buckshot well enough to qualify with.

Standard buttstock & an 18” Barrel will absolutely do what you need.



If corners are too tight in your house for this setup to work, you should be wielding a handgun anyway.

Express ars I reliable junk. I've seen them fail right out of the box. Get the 870 police model if your life depends on it.

Good Rum huh? Same old stuff, different day I've shot Trap
with an Express with never a malfunction. A hunting companion
has one as his only hunting shotgun, virtually no finish left on
the receiver and still going strong. The 870 Express is probably
the best shotgun buy on the market

Some years ago when the flood of used 870 police turn in shotguns were on the market I bought two. One had a 18" barrel,the other a 21" barrel. Brass bead front sight. I figure if they worked for the officers who'd been carrying them,then they should work for me. Price for one was a whopping $195 and the other was $225 so in essence I got two tested 870 pump action shotguns. And both came with the two shot extended mag tubes. Got bored one night and stripped the wood on one and sanded the wood down. Sealed the wood with sanding sealer. Then lightly sanded the wood and about 6 coats tru oil. Like working with my hands and both the buttstock and forend came out nice. Found two small limb saver slip on butt pads. The origainal butt pads had ossified into rocks. On went the limb savers. Tests with both 4/0 buckshot and 1 ounce slugs showed me that the limb saver butt pads were worth the money. Frank

You mustn’t of tried the Birdshead?

The one on the Mossy Shocky Shorty Shotty (MS3, AKA Mossberg Shockwave) tames recoil of even full power buck. It delivers the driving forces in a lateral movement against the power of both arms, not directly into the palm as a standard pistol grip. It’s very controllable, and reduced recoil loads are *****cats.

There is also the Op Sol mini shell adapter that lets one use the very low recoil Aguila Mini Shells and there are buckshot ones available. It increases the onboard capacity of the shotgun by almost twice, and still delivers more knock down than any handgun round.

A red dot, side saddle, and Surefire tactical light forend and that would be the best defensive shotgun rig yet!!

What is 4/0 buck?

I think what you were trying to say is #4 Buckshot? Or were you in fact shooting 0000 (quadruple aught) loads? Interesting if so.

+1. We seem to be in the minority these days, given all the interest in those Shockwaves and TAC 13’s & 14’s.

I tried shooting one of those 870P’s w/ 14” bbl. at work and didn’t like it either. Most of my shotguns (both autoloaders and pumps) have a full stock (some w/ Pistol Grip full stock) and 18” IC bbl. One of my 870P’s and my 11-87P have Surefire Weaponlight forends.

I think rather than walking around my house with a shotgun I’d set up a hasty ambush and let the bad guy come to me.

I'm gonna have to go with squidsix, murphydog, S-W4EVER and others who highly recommend keeping your standard stock and just adding an 18-inch improved cylinder barrel to your 870. Mine has the Tru-Glo sights. I also added a sling and a butt cuff.

Is it tacti-cool? Nope. Does it work? Yep. Sometimes one has to sacrifice coolness for function.

__________________
Pack light and cinch tight.