Adding a detent ball and spring to an 870 barrel

S

Scott Bear

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Prince George
Has anyone out there ever added a ball and spring detent to an 870 barrel?

Do I really need the peening tool?

Or, how do you keep your magazine cap tight?

Thanks for your help,

SB
 
I only owned the older styled 870's where the barrel had a spring loaded ball bearing to tighten the indented magazine cap to...

so that style of barrel requires the matching style of cap.

If you have a newer style of barrel with no spring loaded ball bearing you require the new style of magazine cap to match it.

I do not believe this is a mix and match system... but I could be wrong.

If one were to add a spring loaded ball bearing to a barrel, you would need a tool to crimp the hole slightly while holding the ball against a compressed spring.
 
Look at the retainer that keeps the mag spring contained, if it is a circular metal clip then you need the ball bearing detent, if it is plastic with 'saw teeth' then you do not need the detent.

The old style mag cap only works with the detent. The new style mag cap works with either the detent or 'saw tooth' style.

You don't "need" the peening tool but you better know how it works and why it is shaped that way. You can alter a standard punch to get the job done. And absolutely support the barrel ring if you take a hammer in hand.
 
I’ve added the ball detent to several. The peening tool makes it really easy and quite secure, trying to secure the ball without it doesn’t seem fun to me.
 
The newer style uses a plastic mag spring retention “plug” that’s the reason for the two opposing dents/dimples in the mag tube
 
Lodi said:
Look at the retainer that keeps the mag spring contained, if it is a circular metal clip then you need the ball bearing detent, if it is plastic with 'saw teeth' then you do not need the detent.

The old style mag cap only works with the detent. The new style mag cap works with either the detent or 'saw tooth' style.

You don't "need" the peening tool but you better know how it works and why it is shaped that way. You can alter a standard punch to get the job done. And absolutely support the barrel ring if you take a hammer in hand.
Click to expand...

Butcherbill said:
Have you looked at a wave washer? S&J had them last time I looked, alternatively a couple wraps of Teflon plumbers tape would likely work. Although not as nice as a wave washer.
Click to expand...

As others have mentioned, older 870s used the ball detent barrel ring system and therefore the mag tube had a steel c-clip spring retainer. Newer 870s used a plastic ratchet retainer and cap system.

Technically, putting an older barrel and (ball detent toothed) mag cap on a newer 870 is possible with no issues on function. Putting a new barrel on an older 870 would require use of a wave washer or thread tape as make do solution.
 
We do lots of them when a mag extension is added to the "express type" barrel without the magazine cap detent in the barrel ring. The detent hole needs to be drilled and then the detent and spring need to be collapsed with the special punch which stakes it at the same time.

Casey
 
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