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Adding weight to an 870 magazine tube

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wingmaster83

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
New to the forum, just getting back into shooting after 35 year break.

The question I have is: Has anyone ever added weight to the magazine tube of an 870?

Why do I ask? I am putting together a trap gun from my 80's era Wingmaster Magnum, fixed full 30" barrel and a second hand monte carlo stock. Shot a borrowed 605 OU last summer that isn't available to me anymore and when I picked up the 870 the single barrel felt like a swizzle stick swinging on targets.

I'm thinking of filling 2 or 3 spent shells with shot and putting them on top of the spring in the mag tube. Think anything will break?
 
#3 ·
Hello Wingmaster. I have done this lots of times with 870s and 1100s. Another trick is to put some shot in a 12 ga. hull and then take an empty 20 ga. hull put shot in it and insert the 20 crimp end first into the 12 to adjust until you get the weight and/or length you want. Use cut up loading wads to hold the shot and duct tape the 12/20 hulls together. Also add weight inside the buttstock to balance the overall front and back of the gun. Cheap, effective way to enhance the balance. Won't hurt a thing. I am doing this right now with one of my 870s. When hunting season starts, remove the weights. Regards, Ed
 
#4 ·
Actually, at one time the 870 magnum came with a 3/4 pound steel weighted plug. It was used instead of a wood or plastic plug. See if your magnum 870 has a small hole drilled in the magazine tube at the threads for the magnum cap. That is where the steel plug was held in place with a screw. Find one of those plugs & you are in business. I have 2 of those but I don't care to sell, but they are out there. Colonel
 
#6 ·
I have a weight that goes in the mag tube of an 870 and weighs 13 oz., probably what klink was referencing. It was with an 870 I got from my dad. I will never use it since I have the gun set up for home defense. I will give it to you if you want to try it, just pay the shipping. I just tried it in my 870 and it fits, limits the mag capacity to two shells. PM me your address if you want it.
 
#7 ·
I had a Friend of mine turn these on his metal lathe. Cost next to nothing one is the same size as factory plug other one is longer and make the magazine capacity limited to one shell.
I have also bought C & H Mercury recoil reducer for the magazine. I use all the above
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#8 ·
Raystownbob said:
I have a weight that goes in the mag tube of an 870 and weighs 13 oz., probably what klink was referencing. It was with an 870 I got from my dad. I will never use it since I have the gun set up for home defense. I will give it to you if you want to try it, just pay the shipping. I just tried it in my 870 and it fits, limits the mag capacity to two shells. PM me your address if you want it.
Click to expand...
Bob, if he doesnt want it I could surely use it. Thanks.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Tons of good ideas here, thanks to everyone for chiming in on a 1st post!

Bob - you can give the factory weight to hippie, don't think mine has the set screw hole. Thanks for the offer though.

I like the idea of turning down bolts, wonder what the weight would be?

I filled 2 empties with shot and together they are almost 7-oz, I'm going to try this and see if I think more weight is needed.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Or you could do what I did with my wingmaster. First off I installed a mercury weight in the butt stock. I think it was around 10 or 11 oz.'s. Then I called Jim's Eye & Ear (they have a webpage to get info and #) and ordered a 6 oz weighted forend cap. The bluing on the weight was a perfect match to the gun. So I added about a pound of weight and the gun was still perfectly balanced overall. I am totally happy with the end results. Good Luck to you, and don't forget to break em all Jeff
 
#12 ·
In addition to methods described above there are a couple options specifically available for the 870.

The first, as someone alludes above, is actually a replacement magazine cap that is specifically designed for the 870 and actually has an internal cavity that you can fill with shot if you want additional weight. You might find one on this site or maybe E-bay. My understanding is that Remington manufactured them for use with the 20 gauge skeet models because originally the 20 gauge 870 was built on a 12 gauge frame.

Dead Mule also makes a mercury filled tube with removable synthetic end caps. The process is to remove a section of your magazine spring and insert the tube between the remaining sections. It works very well and I have one in my 870 TC but they are expensive.
 
#14 ·
If you want more weight than the shells give, I have made my own weights from copper tubing . If you cut off the brass end from an empty shell, they can be tightly tapped into the end of the copper tube as end caps. Fill with no 9 shot and cap the other end.

I put a dab of gorilla glue on the brass end caps just in case. I have an 8 oz weight in my mag tube that is about the length of two shells. I'll pm pics of you like.
 
#16 ·
What Colonel Klink said... The plug was called a "vari-weight plug". They can be found from time to time on e-bay. They fit in the mag tube and the buttstock . I presently have 5 / 870 traps and they ALL have extra ballast in them. A mercury or spring recoil reducer also works. Just wrap it in tape on the ends so it just fits in the stock hole or mag tube so it does not rattle around. On the composite stocks all that I have found that works is filling the cavity with shot. H&R also made a 7/8" steel tube that can be cut to length for recoil reduction. These also can be found on e-bay.
A 870 with out weight in it will wear you out with recoil unless you are shooting very lite loads.
 
#17 · (Edited)
#18 · (Edited)
7 year old thread...

AA hull. Shot. Epoxy. 2.8 oz. If the 870 is a recent model you'll need to remove the magazine tube dimple (not easy) designed to keep the mag spring from sproinging out after removing the end cap. Get the swage tool from Brownells for a professional job and don't forget to lube it when you hammer it in.

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