Armory Sponsor
Posted: 1/7/2011 9:23:54 PM EDT
| Sorry. Someone got into my accnt. |
|
I bought a Remington 870P with an 18.5" barrel and then I bought the parkerized Remington +2 extension from MidwayUSA.
The extension sits flush with the end of my barrel. The clamp slides on the barrel. It will likely scratch your barrel after a few installs, and it may add a few seconds to a barrel change. I much prefer the look of a barrel clamp on the 870 as opposed to no barrel clamp. |
|
The barrel clamp helps in case you happen to smack the magazine extension on something.
Barrel clamp or no clamp, changing the barrel on an 870 with a magazine extension will take longer due to the fact that you will have to stuff the spring back into the tube everytime you take the barrel off. There is no stop (be it twist-lock or inside clamp) under the barrel nut like on a normal 870 when using the extension, the magazine spring goes all the way to the end of the extenstion. Occasionally I can keep the spring tamed when taking it apart, but it usually goes haywire. I bought a field barrel for mine, so when I use the field barrel (rarely, not sure why I even bought it...) I use a regular barrel nut and leave the extension off. |
|
If you have a Remington factory extension you MUST use the clamp.
The clamp is what prevents the extension tube from unscrewing from the collar. The Remington extension clamp is one of the best because the mounting screw passes through the groove in the tube. This prevents the extension from sliding around like most others will. If you're worried about slight finish wear on the gun, you can apply some black tape to the inside of the clamp to pad it. However, if you're more concerned about slight finish wear on a defense gun than effectiveness, perhaps you need to rethink whether you have a true defense gun or a range toy. Many people don't use a barrel clamp at all, many claiming that their extension is super-strong. How strong the extension is is not an issue. The extension could be a solid steel bar. The weak link isn't the extension. The weak link is the GUN. Look at the end of the gun's magazine tube and you'll see a thin steel tube further weakened by the deep square threads. What can happen without an extension clamp is that a good bump can and will knock the extension off the gun. This invariably damages the gun's magazine tube, rarely the extension. The extension is an ideal lever for breaking it off the gun. This means an expensive trip back to Remington to have a new tube installed and the gun refinished. The barrel clamp supports the magazine extension and prevents damage from a bump. Many experts also say that a clamp improves slug accuracy. The usual argument on this is that knocking the extension off is something unlikely. I personally know of three instances, one of which I personally saw happen. 1. A doctor who kept a shotgun leaning in the bedroom corner. He accidentally bumped the gun and it fell over and landed on a shoe shining stand on the floor. The extension was knocked out of line, but not off the gun. The gun's threads were ruined. The doctor simply sold the gun and bought one with an extension clamp. 2. I was watching a police training match at my old gun club. This was combat shotgun training, with one stage being simulated firing over the hood of a car, then transitioning to a barricade. The "car" was a table, the barricade was a roof support pillar. The shooter fired his rounds off the table, then stood up and moved to the pillar. As he did, he bumped the police 870 on the barricade and knocked the Wilson extension off the gun. Shells sprayed everywhere and the extension tube and spring were shot way down range from the spring pressure. The gun's magazine threads were distorted. The gun was sent back to Remington for a new tube. Immediately all department guns were fitted with clamps. 3. A local small town police chief got a hot armed robbery in progress alarm at a local bank. (False alarm) As he arrived at the bank, he stepped out of the car and pulled the 870 shotgun out of the rack. As he did, he hit the gun on the door frame and the Choate extension was blown off the gun. The force of the extension coming off was so strong, the passenger side window was shattered. He told me how horrible he felt holding a useless shotgun and armed only with a 6 shot revolver, knowing he might face multiple heavily armed robbers. The gun's magazine tube was damaged, the gun was returned to Remington for a new tube installation. The small department bought Remington extensions with clamps, and a number of other local departments also ordered clamp installation after hearing about the incident. |
 Both of these are Remington extensions. The top is a +3 using a different magazine clamp and the bottom is a +2 with the clamp from the factory. The factory clamps must align on the notch in the extension to be tightened. Removing them simply requires the use of a flathead screw driver and takes all of about 2 seconds. Both of them are rock solid so I don't think using the clamp is a must for light use. However, if you are going to run your shotgun hard, that little additional protection of the threads won't hurt. |
|
Quoted:
ok here its my last question (Imfull of them)..... which extension would you go with? the factory remington +2 ($40) or the wilson combat +2($50) please cast your vote haha Factory +2 at that price assuming it came with the clamp. I have both a Wilson Combat and a factory +2 for what its worth. I wish someone would make a thumbscrew for the factory clamp or a thumb screw for the Clark clamp I use on my Wilson Combat extension. |
Armory Sponsor