The Remington 870 is one of the big 2 American pump action shotguns. Its only real competitor is the Mossberg 500 platform. The Remington 870 is used by both police and military forces in the United States and around the world.
The Remington 870 is an extremely modular platform with options upon options for upgrading and accessorizing your weapon. The 870 as a modular platform is an excellent gun for hunting, duty use, and home defense. Today we are going to look at my favorite upgrades for a few different 870 platforms.
The Surefire DSF 870
If you are looking to equip yourself with a weapon light for your 870, I am a firm believer that there is no better option than the Surefire DSF 870 series. The Surefire DSF 870 is made for combat and designed to be robust and durable. The DSF 870 is a weapon pump that has a built-in weapon light.
The weapon light has an intense 600 lumens high setting that is blinding. On the lower 200 lumens setting, you can quickly search and assess a situation. The DSF 870 rock ambidextrous controls which are insanely easy to access. The buttons are massive and easy to reach when gripping the pump normally. The DSF 870 pump sports both an always on and a momentary switch.
A momentary switch is perfect for quick blasts without revealing your position continuously. The always-on switch gives you a more clear and powerful beam for constant use. It also gives you an edge when it comes to blinding your opponents for a few precious seconds.
It’s perfect for home defense and offers a bright white light for ensuring you get proper target identification before pulling that trick. For duty use, the DSF 870 is brilliant for searching buildings, and clearing rooms. The 600 lumen light is perfect for outdoor use, and 200 lumens is better suited for indoors.
The light forms a very strong handguard as well, so it works well for short barreled shotguns. The Surefire DSF 870 is entirely waterproof, as well as shockproof. It’s extremely durable and can take a beating. Surefire products are rock solid products and made to go to war and back.
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The Magpul SGA Furniture
Now if you are looking to outfit your Remington 870 with the latest and greatest in technology the Magpul SGA furniture is likely for you. The SGA furniture is Magpul’s first successful run into the shotgun world, and it was a brilliant endeavor. The SGA furniture is some of the most modern furniture out there. It’s made mostly of polymer and is some of the most modular shotgun furniture out there.
Let’s start with the pump. The Magpul SGA pump rocks a lot of modularity in a small package. The design is ergonomic and incorporates a front portion angled to act as a handguard. It’s thin and small, which makes it comfortable in hand. On top of that, the pump incorporates a number of M-LOK slots. M-LOK slots allow you to attach rails or accessories seamlessly into the pump itself. M-LOK slots give you the ability to add gear only where you need it. This amount of modularity allows you to add the accessories where it’s best for you.
The stock is the final answer in the what’s better on shotguns debate, pistol grips or straight stocks. The Magpul SGA stock offers the best of both worlds. First and foremost you have the natural pointability that a traditional stock provides. The ability to quickly swing the gun from target to target is retained. You also get the control offered by pistol grip designs. The SGA stock allows you to easily handle the weapon with one hand when needed as well as keep the comfortable position the pistol grip offers.
The stock is also adjustable from 12.3 to 14.3 inches with inserts. You can make the adjustments necessary to fit the gun to body armor and tactical gear. The stock also rocks two sling points on both the right and left sides of the stock. The SGA gear by Magpul will bring your Remington 870 into the modern age of shotgun furniture.
Ergo 870 Stock Adapter
The AR 15 is by far the most common weapons platform on the market, and the amount of different gear available for it is staggering. This includes stock and pistol grips. If you want to add one of those stocks and grips to your 870 there is a means to do so. The Ergo 870 stock adapter is a quick and easy means to add a AR 15 stock and grip to your shotgun. The Ergo adapter is an effective means to add an adjustable stock to your gun with ease. Plus you get to be specific about what exact stock you want.
The adapter is extremely easy to add to your gun. It can be added in about five minutes, and you can follow up with any six position AR 15 tube and AR 15 stock of your choice. Additionally, if you are utilizing a Tac 14, you can add the brace you’ve always wanted. A brace is legal to add to a Tac 14 870 and is quite common.
The Ergo stock adapter is so simple and so rugged it’s an excellent addition to any 870 if you want to mimic AR 15 stocks and grips on your 870. It’s affordable, easy to install, and simple to use, what else could you ever want?
Quick Add-On – LAW Folding Stock Adapter
The LAW Folding stock adapter is a must have if you go with the Ergo stock adapter. This simple device allows you to fold your AR 15 stock or pistol brace to the side of your device. This adapter will enable you to cut the size of your gun down significantly for storage and transportation. The ability to fold your stock to the side is a welcome addition to your Remington 870 with an Ergo adapter.
The LAW Folding stock adapter is incredibly robust and can stand up to the recoil of a 12 gauge without issue. The LAW folding stock adapter is easy to install, and functions as promised. This is the only folding stock adapter I’d trust on my guns.
The Gear Head Works Tailhook Mod 2
The Gear Head Works Tailhook Mod 2 is a brace system and not a stock. It’s designed to fit around your forearm and help you stabilize the weapon. This brace is perfect for the Tac 14 variant of the Remington 870. The Tac 14 cannot have a stock, but it can have a stabilizing brace. The Tailhook Mod 2 is a rigid brace designed to be strong and durable. It can shrug off the recoil from a 12 gauge shotgun with ease.
The Tailhook Mod 2 is adjustable and allows you to adjust the brace to 5 different positions. The Tailhook Mod 2 is insanely well built and designed for a wide variety of weapons. It blends in perfectly with the Tac 14 and gives the heavy recoiling Tac 14 a massive increase in control.
The Tailhook mod 2 is straightforward to adjust, and the pistol brace slides without effort when necessary. The design is , and Gear Head Works designed a brilliant stabilizing brace. The guys over there put in some good work when they created this brace.
Tha Tac 14 is a hard to shoot gun, and when you drop a Tailhook Mod 2 on the weapon, it becomes an extremely easy to control platform. According to the ATF, the brace is legal to shoulder, but you cannot modify the brace to make it easier to shoulder. Shouldering the brace is another option to making the tac Tac 14 more comfortable to handle.
As a user of this brace, I will say it’s remarkably comfortable. It does hit hard when using full powered shotgun ammo and bracing the gun against the shoulder. However, standard reduced recoil buckshot is the real winner. When using the weapon strapped around the forearm, it’s completely comfortable and doesn’t hurt the arm or cause chafing in any way.
The Archangel Side Saddle
Any true combat shotgun needs a side saddle. A side saddle is a device that attaches to the side of your receiver and holds extra shotgun rounds. One of the downsides to shotguns and Remington 870, in general, is low ammo capacity. A side saddle gives you an immediate reload once you start shooting. For home defense they are a must have because it’s unlikely you will be able to strap on tactical gear that’s loaded down with ammo.
There are tons of side saddles out there, so how would you choose one over another? I like the Archangel side saddle because it offers seven rounds of extra ammo. It’s one of the most significant capacity side saddles on the market. The Archangel Side saddle is made mostly from a polymer with an aluminum mounting bracket. Another reason I like the Archangel side saddle is the ability to individually adjust the tension on every round.
Shotgun ammo is very versatile, and there are tons of different ammo options available for home defense and duty use. One conventional method to set up shotgun ammo up in a side saddle is to load different rounds in different directions. So buckshot can stand up straight, and slugs can be flipped upside down. This allows the shooter to differentiate between their different loads instantly. The Archangel’s tension adjustment makes this easy and ensures the upside down rounds don’t fall out.
The Archangel side saddle is an extremely durable and well-made ammo carrier. It’s designed to last and mounts correctly to the Remington 870. The Sidesaddle system is a must-have for any dangerous defensive shotgun.
A-Zoom Precision Snap Caps
This is more of an accessory than an upgrade, but Snap Caps are a must have for firearms training. The A-Zoom Snap Caps are dummy ammunition that is made from anodized aluminum. They are also painted red and utterly distinguishable from live ammunition. They are designed to mimic shotgun ammo to a fault and are designed to function flawlessly in any pump or semi-auto shotgun.
The A-Zoom Precision Snap Caps are incredibly sturdy and made to last. Snap Caps can be used over and over for loading, reloading, and safety training. These are perfect for working reloading drills especially. Shotguns are low capacity so learning how to reload is a critical skill to have. These shells are perfect for working those speed reloads off the side saddle and making sure you can keep your gun in the fight.
Condor MA12 Molle Shell Holder
The Condor Ma12 shell pouch is of the smallest and most convenient means to carry extra ammo. It’s based on the old school World War 2 ammo pouch that was popular with Marines carrying shotguns in the Pacific campaign. This particular pouch has been updated for the 21st century. I feature MOLLE compatibility so it can be added to common tactical vests, plate carriers, and belts. The hook and loop enclosure holds the ammo in securely, but makes it easy to access.
The inside of the pouch packs 12 loops to accommodate twelve shells. These loops keep the ammo secure and make them very easy to access. These loops also keep the ammo organized and make it easy to keep your gun loaded and ready to rock and roll.
Tuff Strips Speed Strips
Tuff Products Tuff Strips are well known for making very well made speed strips for revolvers. They’ve expanded into shotgun shells recently. These polymer strips have six slots to hold shells by the rim inside the Speed Strip. The Tuff Strips were initially designed with double barrel shotguns in mind, but through my experimentation, I’ve found them to be solid choices for the tactical 870.
The Tuff products Speed strips are perfect for reloading your side saddle. Combine the Speed strips with a side saddle, and you can keep your gun running for a long time. If you reload your weapon from the side saddle, then you need to refill the side saddle to keep your reloads fast. Load six rounds into the Tuff Strips and you’ll have an on-hand side saddle reload for an extended tactical situation.
Get those Upgrades
Upgrading the Remington 870 is one sure way to make it yours. You can customize and design the gun as you see fit. The Remington 870 is an outstanding shotgun and comes in a wide variety of configurations. Take your time and choose the upgrades you feel will make your gun a better shooter, a more ergonomic platform, and allow you to run it successfully.
