Shotgun Shout-Out and XS Magazine Extension

I was recently tasked with adding anew XS Sights (XSSights.com, Remington 870 +2 Magazine Extension. This unit is a 6061 aluminum and hard coat anodized part that adds capacity to a Remington 870 pump action shotgun. While the shotgun is a powerful shoulder fired weapon and very effective, some feel that the standard tube magazine capacity is cutting it a little short during a social engagement. The XS unit increases that by two shotshells, a nice improvement that doesn’t add unnecessary weight or bulk.

Best of all, this extension is reliable and useful. Let’s have a look at how I added one to a well-used Remington 870. A big thanks to XS Sights for clearly written instructions, which you should read through before starting. Start by breaking Top: Balance and function are excellent with the XS Sights Remington 870 +2 Magazine Extension. the gun down. Begin by unloading the firearm, double checking there is no ammunition in the firearm.

Remove the magazine cap, the barrel, and the magazine retention plug by pushing it in and turning a quarter turn in either direction. When you releasing pressure, the plug should slide up and out of the magazine tube. Remove the magazine spring and follower. Far

Now on to the installation steps. Apply a thin layer of grease on the Magazine Tube Swage and inside the magazine tube on the detents using a cotton swab, then insert in the magazine tube until it stops against the detents. Using a medium size hammer, drive the swage in until it hits the large shoulder and stops against the end of the magazine tube. Peen on and around the area of the two detents using a smooth-faced 1/8-1/4" diameter steel punch and same hammer used to drive the swage into the magazine tube.

Note, heavy blows are not needed and grasping up provides plenty of force and more control. Continue peening on and around the two detents until the swage slides free. When completed, clean the inside of the magazine tube and check to see if the follower will slide past. If it sticks or binds, a light dressing of the area with the sanding drum of a Dremel tool will finish up the process.

If upon attempting to reassemble the barrel you find the barrel lug binds on the magazine tube, lightly dress the dimple areas on the exterior of the magazine tube with a smooth fine file until the barrel can easily slide in place. Cold blue the dressed area. Trim the extended spring. For standard four-shot factory magazine tubes, trim the spring to 32- 33". XS Sights provides a 45" spring to allow for fine-tuned adjustability of spring tension as needed.

Once the spring is cut to a desired length, slightly bend the cut tip downward to ensure the sharp edge doesn’t catch on anything in the tube. Stand the shotgun up on its butt. A second set of hands recommended but not required for the remainder of the install. Insert the follower. If using an aftermarket follower, make sure it drops all the way to the bottom of the tube or it won’t install properly. Insert the spring, feeding it down into the tube, then turn the spring clockwise to help compress it.

Continue to lower it until there is just a few inches of the spring visible. Then insert and screw on the +2 extension until it is hand tight. If using the wrench flats, do not overtighten the +2 extension; it only needs a fraction of a turn. Using inert dummy rounds, fill the magazine the check that it will hold and cycle six shotshells when running them through the action. I had no problem installing the XS Extension on a Remington 870 and am adding one to my personal, long serving and well worn gun safe.

Common Shotgun Problems I think a bit of a problem with pump action shotguns and its users is that they have a reputation for utter unquestioned reliability which can result in neglect and misuse. Slamming the action shut "TV style" or letting the shotgun ride in the back of a truck or a dirty rack on an ATV is common. And for the most part, these users get away with it! But not always. Occasionally, some tube-fed shotguns can experience a failure to feed from the magazine. Far

Some are better than others. One customer brought in a poorlyfeeding shotgun and carefully explained his dilemma. It was odd enough. The shells loaded normally into the magazine but then the bolt would have to be racked three to five times before the first shell would load into the carrier from the magazine. After that the shells loaded normally, either in firing or in normal dry cycling. Removing the magazine tube did not give a clue.

I polished the magazine end of the carrier and latch, mostly to occupy my hands as I thought out the problem. Actually getting the latch pin out of the shotgun, whatever the make, takes some effort. A pin usually holds the latch and carrier in the shotgun, however, there are so many types I am giving a generic description rather than specific instruction, although the chore is usually simple enough for pump action or self-loading shotguns.

Find the pivot pin the carrier rides on; this is usually the disassembly pin as well. Disassembling the shotgun until the bolt is out isn’t difficult. There are usually two pins, a retaining pin and a pivot pin on the carrier. Move the pin to the rear and don’t lose it as I don’t know where you would find another part in these times. Sometimes there isn’t an easy access to the pivot pin but it must come out.

A special forked tool may be used or a heavy duty paper clip may be made to serve the task after being bent to shape. A typical paper clip isn’t heavy duty enough but an office supply or UPS store can help. The carrier latch will come out after the pin is removed. Some have a spring at the back so don’t lose this. At this point, break any sharp edges, polishing, rounding corners, and de-horning the latch. Given that it is a bit of trouble to remove parts to this point, now is a great time for a good polishing job.

The part slips back in and the retaining pins aren’t any trouble. I used a fixture and vise to stabilize the shotgun as I worked with the latch and then replaced the latch pin. In the case of one of the Turkish copies I found a burr under the forend pin that actually protruded into the magazine! Polishing cured this problem. The follower was sticking where this burr crept into the magazine tube.

I suppose this was odd, however, they are turning out a lot of these shotguns, and they are keeping a good many households Far

Top Bottom If they give trouble they are easily changed. safe on the cheap. These procedures cured feed problems. More obvious problems such as a dent in the magazine tube are more easily spotted. The Remington 870 has been in use for more than seventy years. The abuse this shotgun suffered in police service is unbelievable and it still almost always comes up running. A common problem is that the first shell fires, then the bolt is very difficult to rack, and the extractor may ride over the next shell.

Most the time a malfunction is the result of residue from firing and from plastic shells in the chamber having caused a buildup. Simply cleaning the shotgun will result in improved function. Over the past decades of my using the Remington 870 and working on these shotguns for other people I have replaced exactly two Remington extractors. Both shotguns were horribly gummed up to the point the extractor was broken and I don’t believe it was normal wear.

Luckily, Remington 870 extractor breakage is rare and not difficult to replace. The bolt must be stabilized when doing so and you may fabricate a block between the forend and the receiver that prevents the bolt from moving to the rear as you remove the Remington 870 extractor. Next, using a screwdriver with a small blade, the extractor plunger is depressed into the bolt. Rotate the broken extractor forward and out of the bolt. Slowly release pressure on the extractor plunger so it will stay in the bolt.

Take the new Remington 870 extractor and push it into the bolt, applying pressure to the extractor as you move it into the extractor slot. There is a foot on the bolt end of the extractor that will be forced into place as you move the extractor into the bolt. When the foot goes into place the extractor plunger snaps into place against the extractor. I mentioned Turkish shotgun copies. I looked over several shotguns in a local shop upon request and examined them for typical problems encountered.

The new breed of Turkish-made shotguns are offered at an attractive price. While some are very good, they are made cheaply to keep the price down. It’s okay if an inexpensive shotgun isn’t as smooth as a more expensive option but the encountered problems may be worse and occur more often than with a shotgun as nicely fitted as the original design. As I looked over the common problems in my notebook and also the fixes, I also developed a great respect for some of the Turkish shotguns.

Despite the occasional wart, they can rival Benelli shotguns and I don’t say that lightly. That is about the extent of typical problems with most Remington shotguns and the new manually operated Turkish guns based on them. While most of these Turkish guns are based Remington designs, some models are based on older Winchester designs while self-loading Turkish shotguns are close in design to the Benelli and Beretta shotguns.

While I’ve provided a generalization, I will be looking over more of these shotguns in the near future and getting into specifics. I suspect you’ll start seeing more of them on your bench as more gun owners start using them. AG