Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
The Remington 870 is one of the most popular pump-action shotguns in the world. It’s a legend. The gun introduced the concept of dual-action bars for greater reliability and an anti-binding action. Introduced in 1951, it has remained in continuous service. It’s a natural choice for home defense. A 12-gauge shotgun provides a devastating close-quarters weapon for home defense.
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It’s almost perfect, and with a few upgrades, we can take the Remington 870 to the next level. Our goal is specifically home defense, and our upgrades will focus on that. A basic 870 doesn’t need much to be successful, but we can hone it, polish it, and create a dedicated defensive weapon for our homes and families.
Why The 870
The Remington 870 series is tough to beat for affordable home defense. When we get into the realm of modern defensive weapons, shotguns are a great bang for your buck. A Glock 19 might cost you $550, a decent AR will run you $800, but a Remington 870 Express can be had for less than $450. A used model can cost as little as $350.
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These are premium-grade pump-action shotguns that are incredibly reliable and capable. They are extremely well-made and have been used for decades by military and police forces. Their popularity has also led to a large market for modularity, which allows you to tailor the gun to your needs. Several models of the 870 series come with various upgrades we suggest in this article.
Important Addition to an 870 – Surefire DSF
If you attach only one accessory to your home defense 870, make it the Surefire DSF. The DSF is a forend light that replaces your pump with a pump with a built-in weapon light. Putting lights on pump-action shotguns can be tough. You want to be able to activate or deactivate the light easily, and that’s tough with a weapon that requires you to move a portion of the weapon to operate it.
The Surefire DSF provides you with an easy-to-use white light. It has ambidextrous controls that make it easy to activate and use while working on the weapon’s action. The DSF series are professional-grade weapon lights that are tough as nails. The DSF series has two modes, one with 600 lumens and a second with 200 lumens. On high, 600 lumens blast 13,000 candela, which lights up a room.
The DSF uses a reflector that helps create peripheral vision-filling light. A white light like this makes it easy to identify a threat and tell a friend from a foe in a low-light defensive situation. A white light is mandatory on any home defense weapon, and the DSF is the best light available for the Remington 870.
The Best Stock – Magpul SGA
Magpul kills it with just about everything it does. The SGA series of shotgun furniture sets a new standard. More than one company has taken the Magpul SGA route with their stock. The Magpul SGA stock blends the benefits of a standard stock with the benefits of a pistol grip stock.
This includes enhanced one-handed control and the speed of a standard stock. The Magpul SGA design also allows you to use a series of spacers to adjust the length of pull. Most shotguns come with a length of pull that’s too long, and the SGA allows you to quickly fix that. A shorter LOP ensures you can get behind the gun and square up with a threat. This improves control and recoil control.
Premium Ammo for the 870
For home defense purposes, you want a tight-patterning buckshot load. The tighter the pattern, the less likely you’ll deal with an errant pellet not striking the target. A single buckshot pellet could harm a loved one or an innocent person. The Federal Flitecontrol load uses a specialized wad that keeps the shot together until it leaves the barrel.
This creates an extremely tight pattern. The pattern is so tight at home defense distances that it’s roughly the size of a 50-cent piece at 15 yards. The Flitecontrol pellets are copper-plated and extremely consistent. The Flitecontrol load is inherently reliable and has very little recoil overall. It’s the perfect home defense round.
Extra Ammo – Wilson Combat +2 Magazine Extension
Remington 870s typically come with four-round tubes. If your version has the tactical tube, you can bypass this upgrade. Using a standard Express model might make you feel like four rounds isn’t a lot. An easy upgrade to your Remington 870 is the Wilson Combat +2 magazine tube extension.
This increases your capacity to six rounds of 2.75-inch buckshot loads. It’s smart to be selective about magazine extensions. A poorly made model could create reliability issues that we don’t want with a home defense weapon. Wilson Combat cuts no corners, and their +2 magazine extension is a fantastic option for a defensive shotgun.
A Side Saddle – ESSTAC Shotgun Card
The likelihood of you having to reload your shotgun in a home defense scenario is practically nil. Most home defense encounters occur very quickly, with few rounds fired. Even fewer rounds are fired when a shotgun is involved. They tend to be natural fight-stoppers.
Still, a simple saddle is one of the cheapest, easiest upgrades to your gun. The modern era of side saddles is dominated by flexible shotgun cards produced from modern textiles. The ESSTAC Shotgun cards offer you four to seven shots of ammo. The ESSTAC Shotgun Cards are extremely well made and have the necessary hook and loop material to mount to your shotgun. It’s simple, cheap, and easy to use.
The Right Barrel – Carlson‘s Rifle Sight Barrel
I’m assuming most of you already have a tactical type 870 with an 18.5-inch barrel. If you don’t have a shorter, tactical-style barrel, the good news is you can easily find one. Carlson’s, the guys that make chokes for most shotguns, also make barrels. They make 18.5-inch barrels for the 870 series, including a variant with rifle sights.
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I prefer the rifle sights. I find them to be just as fast as a bead but more precise. Do I need precision indoors? No, not really, but I like taking the 870 outdoors. A big benefit of the rifle sights is how easily you can see them under a weapon light in a dark environment. The barrel is also threaded for chokes, so if that’s something you want, this is perfect for that role.
What Else Does the 870 Need?
What would you add to a home defense 870? Are you a sling fan? Would you pick a different load? Light? Sights? If so, let us know below. I picked upgrades driven by my own compunction to tinker, upgrade, and train. What drives your choices? Please share below!
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Travis Pike is a dedicated firearms writer, a Second Amendment Advocate, and a subject matter enthusiast for all things firearms. He is an amateur competitor with dreams of one day not coming in 4th place at a local defensive match. If he’s not putting text to word processor, he’s likely spending time with family, enjoying Florida’s Nature Coast, or drinking hipster beer. As the resident Florida man he has a preference for obscure guns and calibers.
Experience
- Hunter – Long time deer and hog hunter in the swamps of Florida
- Instructor – Volunteers to teach basic firearm safety classes to kids, adults, and cats
- Wannabe Competitor – Has recently dipped his toes into competitive shooting and has happily discovered an expensive hobby.
- Marine – Served five years with the infantry before transferring to the First Civ Div.
Excuse me but the best pump shotguns guns have always been the Ithaca model 30 or the Browning BPS with their bottom ejection ports!
Especially the older Ithaca Model 30s where you can hold the trigger down and pump the gun and it fires when it goes into battery!
I’ll put it up against any shotgun you’ve got, even your semi-automatics, so please, let’s call things what they are!
Someone wrote an entire article on the “ultimate home defense 870″ without including Vang Comp barrels.
Until Hans sold the company they were largely unheard of outside of military and law enforcement circles.
Simply because he refused to advertize.
Cody and the new owners are changing that.
I own five guns with their barrel and two with their patented oversized safety and stainless follower. One of those also has their night sights.
I hated shotguns until I shot one with their barrel work.
What’s the benefit? Tight patterns without using specialized ammo or chokes and reduced recoil.
If you own a home defense shotgun, you owe it to yourself to send it or at least the barrel to Vang Comp.
BTW I regularly shoot trap with my 18″ Vang Comp. No other 18” shotgun patterns tight enough to shoot 16 and 18 yard trap.
Vang Comp barrels are the gold standard. Not cheap, but wonderful. Pattern regular OO buck like Flite Control. If you can afford one, their guns are the best available pumps, Remington or Mossberg.
If you don’t have rifle sights clamp-on fiber optics are cheap and work well.
Regardless, practice!
No doubt. Vang Comp shotguns, barrels, and accessories are top tier. None better.
Gotta have a sling. It is the long gun’s holster.