New(to me)Shotty!

Before anyone says anything I've been trying to post pics and for some reason my laptop isn't getting them from my phone-I'll add them as soon as I figure out the problem.

Anyways last night I get a call from a good friend of mine asking me if I could add a few goodies to his G17 and to CeraKote it. Told me to come over and take a look. Looked everything over and gave him a rough price on what I figure the parts and materials would run him. Told him not to worry about the labor. Joked that he would pay me back by coming over and helping with the back deck that the wife wants built. Told me no problem and he would drag his oldest boy along when it was time. Excuses himself for a minute and goes in the back of the house. Comes out with a 870. Here take this for your time, I'll trade you labor on your deck for you coming over and building me a steel ramp for my Harley shed. DONE!

She's a 870 Express Magnum 3" 30"VR barrel w/3 chokes. Park is in like new shape, the wood has no dings or scratches but the finish is wearing pretty good off the stock. I'm very pleased with it!
Now. Does anyone know of a used VR 20" barrel for this? I've looked quite a bit last night and found nothing in that length. I really don't want to spend 300 bux on a new barrel. Worse comes to worse I'll cut this one down and ream n thread for the chokes I guess. I found an old Speedfeed stock last night on line-I really like those from years back. I'm also looking for the Pachmayr Vindicator forend if anybody has one in their parts. Seems everything I want or am used to using is no longer made-I must be getting old.

 

Nice.
I'm with you on the parts thing. The guns and parts are being phased out just like we are.

 

The Remington 870s from the early non choke tube versions have had a multitude of changes thru the latest 870 express versions. Barrels do not swap across the board on all models even within a given gauge. since you seem to be talking express, I guess the next question is 12 ga or 20 ga? There are hunters of geese and trap shooters that would lust for that 30 inch VR rem 870 express barrel and may well have a shorter barrel of 26 or 20" to include in a swap. I am pretty sure your 30" barrel is more rare. Don't let it go cheap.

 

Love them 870's I save the wood and use nylon or whatever they call it now. I may keept the wood depends on how nice it looks. I have both an express and a wingmaster. The wingmaster will take 3" shells

 

Did good on that trade. As far as the barrel goes check flea bay, gun broker and others. There is a barrel out there for you.

 

Why not buy one of the Mossberg 870 barrels in the specs you want? Brand new, they run about $120 and up. Just a question, Why a vent rib? Are you building a defence shotty, or a multi use tool? I would think about a Win mod 70 type ramped front sight and a Mossberg ghost ring rear would be the schiznit for a defensive door kicker, rat pack skatterer gun!

 

Just keep looking they are out there.

 

Thinking on the Mossberg route.
I have shorty shotties with the standard barrels. I like the look of the vented rib-always have. My thoughts so far are to take a 20 incher and relieve just enough of the rib to install the exact type of sight you mentioned. Again, I've always liked the looks of those sights. Wanna check into what can be had in that style with a tritium insert. A 20" lets me have the +3 mag extension and I don't think the extra 2" of barrel will matter in handling and I want the extra rounds in the pipe. Tune the action, change over to a Speedfeed stock and a Pachmayr Vindicator forend if I can find one. If not I'll probably go with the Hogue. A sidesaddle and detachable sling.

 

Haha, Mossberg makes aftermarket barrels for Remington 870s and 1100 series shotties! Picture inbound Tully, hang on!

 

Here is an idea I did on my Stalking rifle project and will be doing on my Winny 97 take down trench conversion! I took an old Lyman banded front sight and ground the sight off, then hand cut a NOVAK dove tail to take ether the common 1911 or Glock front sight insert. here it is with an old 1911 target sight, found out I needed a .080 height sight insert. No pictures of it yet, I removed this assembly and am having Velzey machine me some new parts to make it more amazing! But the idea could be applied to your set up pretty easy, especially seeing how your slick with metal fab! Get your rib height and cut a ramped sight and do the Novak cut for the Trit pistol sight! Easy peasy, and you can also file the groves for a sight hood, and file anti glare groves on the ramp face!

 

Here's the new set up, Velzey is machining me one of these with more length and a slightly larger diameter, then milling the top and bottom flat enough to take a Win Mod 70 type sight like above, and a M1909 Bayonet rail section and lug at the rear, with the nose of the brake cut to take the hilt mount of the bayonet! Combined with a much moded M249 SAW rear sight, should be an awesome modern fighting Bolty! Two weeks, and I should have it in his magic hands!

 

That is a great idea. I've got the dovetail cutter for 1911 Novak sights. It cuts a skosh under size so you can fit each individual sight.
LOVE that banded look-very old school.

That's a sweet brake. Clean looking.
I will bogart this for a future project.

 

Looks like a Lyman #18E .350 high front sight will do what I want. No longer made but found two NOS ones for 18 bucks a pop. Will have to recut the dovetail to fit. Novak has the tritium front sight in stock. They won't stand behind the warranty if I modify the sight which I will to blend it into the base-no biggie. Trijicon will honor their warranty on the tritium inserts and that's all I really care about. Not sure what I want for the rear yet. I did find a ramp sight that was mounted on top of the vented rib, and while it looked clean it isn't what I really would like. Seems that puts the sight pretty high after installing the front blade. I want the rib to blend right into the ramp. Thinking I'll have to silver solder a base onto the barrel so that the ramp starts out at the same elevation as the rib. I will have to cut the grooves for the sight hood and anti glare-wanted to match those to the grooves on the rib, but I don't know if I can cut that many squiggly lines and keep them parallel. That's more engraving than cutting/filing.

 

Nice! Pick files are your friend here! You can make a steel clamp to fit the ramp and use it for a cutting guide, sort of like Brownells sells for cutting knerling in grips and slides and such. Just make your own! Pro tip, Mark it with a Angle finder at the diffeent angles you use, then it' repeatable every time!

 

@Tully Mars - If you can go without the VR and cylinder bore here is a 20"made by Target Sports for $70 plus shipping.

CDNN SPORTS - REMINGTON 870 12 20 TACTICAL BARREL TARGET SPORTS