1) What would you use as the base (ie Remington 870, Mossberg 550, Winchester 1200)
First choice to 870 Police Magnum, second choice 870 Wingmaster with magnum receiver.
There's a lot of stuff out there about how the only difference between a Police and Express is the machined extractor and heavier carrier dog follower and sear springs, and that the Express has a "superior" synthetic trigger plate assembly (trigger guard) - see AIP Tactical website, there's a LOT of good 870 info on there. And some also occasionally chime in that the Police and Wingmasters are a "little" better finished..... a LITTLE??? From what I've seen, I'd say a LOT!!! On several occasions, I've tried to buy an 870 Express..... really I have..... but once I got them in my hands, I just couldn't get past the rough exterior finish that looks like they were attacked by a 4 year old with 2 grit sandpaper.... and then it's topped-off with a sub-standard "bluing" that rusts if you look at it wrong, like the couple that I've seen that are owned by friends.
That and the barrels, or more specifically the shoddy, rough chambers of the Expresses. If you get one, you better polish it as per the info on AIP Tactical's website.
Express? Thanks, but no-thanks.... I'd rather start off with a quality platform, especially if I'm going to be putting a lot of money into it.
2) What would be the suggested length of the barrel?
I'd stick with the 18.5" that the 870P comes standard now, unless you find an older 870P with either the 18" or 20" barrel.
Of course, if you can find a Remington factory 14" barrel, that would be an option too.
When it comes to choke, I'm probably going to stray from a few - I like a simple fixed Improved Cylinder or Modified rather than fixed Cylinder, Remchoke, or the Vang Comp System for that matter. I've found that I/C or Mod chokes tend to shoot slugs better than Cyl, and tighten up the pattern a little without tightening it up too much. That last statement may draw a few questions, but I think that tightening up shot patterns too much actually takes away from the social shotgun rather than add to it. The biggest advantage that a shotgun give us in a dynamic, moving encounter, is the shot pattern, ie. the larger the patter is, the easier it makes it for us to hit a moving target - within reason. For both terminal and liability reasons we want our shot pattern to be tight enough so our chosen target will hopefully contain all the shot pellets, we also don't want the pattern to be so open that your target is only struck by relatively few pellets. IMPO something like a Vang Comp Systems barrel job possibly makes a shot pattern too tight in some instances, ie. under 10 meters, where the incredibly tight pattern may make the shotgun harder to aim and hit with than with a "looser" choked barrel. I'd rather have the option of selecting a tighter patterning ammunition if needed, ie. Federal Flight Control wad, than having no choice but to shoot all ammunition through what may amount to a tightly choked barrel.
I've recently patterned several 870P's with Federal Tactical 00 Buck/Flight Control Wad, and was amazed by how much tighter the patters were - in several cases the patterns were HALF the size of the regular Tactical 00 Buck load - with this ammunition, I think we can truly extend the effective range of buckshot to 40 or maybe 50 meters, yet still have the advantage of a wider shot pattern up close than a traditional Cyl, I/C, Mod choke gives us.
3) What furniture would you use?
I like the Remington factory LEO reduced length of pull (13" vs. the Youth stock at 12") stock that comes on the current 870P. If you want a shorter one, then go with either the Remington or Speedfeed Youth model. If a longer (14") LOP is wanted, I'd go with the Speedfeed model with the two integral shotshell holders for extra ammo carrying capacity.
When it comes to firearms, I'm all about maximizing commonality of use, ie. I prefer a traditional style butt stock vs. a pistol grip butt on my social shotguns because all my hunting rifles are stocked the same. However, if you shoot more pistol gripped rifles than traditional, then a pistol gripped shotgun butt may be better suited for you.
If you want to stick with a traditional forend, you can't do any better than the Speedfeed forend. Next choice would be the Remington factory synthetic 870P forend.
Best of all on a social shotgun though, would be a dedicated Surefire forend, with the nod going to either the 318LM or the 618LM. Strictly for HD purposes, I'd recommend the 100 lumen 318LM. If money is an issue, you could look at the 80 lumen 618LF for around $75 cheaper. A light in the 80-100 lumen range is optimal for HD purposes and generally shouldn't blind you indoors from light bouncing back at you off walls (especially white walls). If on the other hand, this shotgun may also serve outside, ie. you also have outbuildings or property to secure, or for Camp Defence, then the nod would go to the 200 lumen 618LM.
Unless you're going to devote A LOT of time training with it (and anyone else that may use it should receive the same training alotment, ie. the wife/girlfriend, kids, etc), I'd stay away from the Surefire LMG/LFG forends that come with the lockout switch - although they're nice in that you can lock-out the tape switch so it won't activate the light in a done-up hard case, you can also do the same thing by pulling out the batteries before casing it as well, and you don't have to worry about you or a loved one not being able to activate the light under stress because in haste the lock-out was forgotten about.
4) What sighting system (if any) would you install?
I'd stick to rifle sights as well and not waste your time with Ghost Rings - the rifle sights being much more versatile in my opinion. I'm getting rid of all my ghost ring sighted shotguns and going back to rifle sights for social purposes.... that way if I decide I want to go hunting, all I have to do is swap out the rifle sighted barrel for a bead sighted 26"/28"/30" etc, and off I go. Try that with a ghost ring sighted shotgun - first you'll have to remove the ghost ring base (if it isn't soldered on to begin with) - just too much farting around for me. Either that or you can have two (or more) shotguns - a dedicated HD shotty, and a dedicated hunting/trap, etc shotty. If I was only going to own one shotgun, it wouldn't wear ghost rings. I haven't been able to do anything better with a ghost ring sighted shotgun than I could do with a traditional rifle-sighted shotgun.... and like stated above, I can do a lot more with a rifle-sighted shotgun than a ghost ring...
In fact, for the best of both worlds, try to get a hold of one of Remington's new "Low Profile" rifle sighted barrels - they have a front and rear sight by XS Sights with the rear sight mounted just in front of the receiver - they are the best social shotgun sights I have yet to try. I love my Low Profile XS barrel and want to get more. You can see it by clicking on the "HD/DUTY II" tab on the AIP Tactical website.
Either way, I'd upgrade to tritium sights front and rear, whether the traditional style rifle sights or the XS ones. There are several brands out there: Ameriglo, Trijicon, XS, Meprolight, etc. Of the replacements for the standard Remington rifle sights, I prefer both the Ameriglo and the Trijicon in that order - they both use a traditional pistol style square front blade and square notch rear, and since I shoot pistol more than shotgun, I REALLY like the commonality of sights.
5) What would be the magazine capacity?
With the 18.5" barrel, I'd go with either the TacOrd or the S&J Hardware +2 extensions, offered respectively by CGN's own ARWEN ACE and badboybeeson. They're made very well, are very versatile with the 3-position sling plate (I haven't seen other manufacturers yet offer this), and are made in Canada to boot. They may be a little pricier than the SGT/Wilson model, but I also think they're better units. They end flush with the muzzle of an 18.5" barrel, so if you put one on a 18"er, it'll project approx. 1/2" past the muzzle - if that's a problem, go with the shorter Vang Comp or Wilson. If you have a 20" barrel, go with either the TacOrd or S&J Hardware +3 extensions - they will end flush with the muzzle of a 20" barrel.
6) What other accessories would you add?
Velcro sidesaddle - I've recently started using these and so far prefer them to the traditional Tac Star, Mesa Tactical, and even the new Vang comp. I'm referring to the type where the velcro is adhered directly to the receiver, not to a separate mounting plate like Vang Comp's velcro version. S&J Hardware offers the version that directly adheres to the receiver. Or you can rig something like it from alternative sources - at Dave's Surplus I recently picked up a couple 7 shot velcro backed carriers (make unknown) where the elastic loops are sewn to a VERY stiff length of nylon web. I got some Velcro-brand adhesive velcro and stuck the appropriate length to the left side of the receiver, and voila, instant sidesaddle. If one has extra carriers in one's pocket, you can switch them out when the one on the shotgun is empty and perform all your loading from the mounted sidesaddle. Very slick. The version I picked up at Dave's even has a small loop of para cord sewn onto one end that makes it very easy to quickly strip an empty carrier off of the shotgun and ad another full one. And for agency owned shotguns where they may be carried in a vehicle mounted lock that won't accept traditional rigid sidesaddles, the receiver with the velcro on it will still fit perfectly in the mount, and you can simply attache a loaded sidesaddle to the shotgun when you leave the vehicle. I plan on experimenting with a stick-on two round carrier that mounts to the right side of the receiver behind the ejection port, with the rounds mounted parallel to the bore - I think that would be an awsome place to carry a couple slugs and provide the basis for a very quick change-to-slug drill. If you can't find good adhesive velcro and aren't adverse to the idea, I've also heard of some Marine units in the sandbox using Gorilla Glue to glue non-adhesive loop-side velcro directly to the side of their breaching shotguns.... I don't imagine that velcro strip would come off inadvertently any time soon....
KG GunKote - I had ARWEN ACE coat one of my 870's with this about 2 years ago, and I would fully recommend both this finish and Casey's usual high standard of work. If I could afford it, I'd have all my firearms coated with this stuff.
Sling point(s)- it's nice to have the option of mounting a sling, especially if one's taking any tactical shotgun courses. Mesa Tactical makes some nice one-point sling attachments for tactical use, or just use the traditional mounting points for a two point sling if simply carrying it hunting or camping. My personal favourite, and handles both jobs of the single point and traditional two point hunting sling, is the combination of a Blue Force Gear VCAS sling and A1/A2 Buttstock Adapter (the one with the metal loop at the top, not the fastex buckle) with the front mounted to a side mounted sling plate on the magazine extension - that combo's definitely the most versatile of all the ones I've tried.
Oversize safety - these can be a definite benefit, but unlike a lot, I don't prefer the oversize domed safety's - they definitely make hitting the safety easier, but almost too easy - twice now I've had mine come off when it got bumped. I don't like that. IMPO, I think the best of the bunch is the SGT/Wilson - big enough to assist with quickly switching the safety off, but not so big that it switches off inadvertently.
Follower - Delrin or Aluminum. NOT stainless steel. SS followers are harder than the tubular magazine, and the receiver end has a small crimp to keep the follower in - there is the potential for a hard follower to peen away that crimp. It would most likely require A LOT of shooting to do that, but I plan on keeping my shotguns for a long time, so I'll personally stick to Delrin or Aluminum followers.
Springs - I'd personally upgrade to the heavier Police carrier dog follower spring on a social 870 Express. A high-power magazine spring wouldn’t be a bad idea either on an 870 Express.
Extractor - on a social 870 Express, I'd swap the machined Police extractor for the MIM Express model. Probably wouldn't make a difference, but they put that one on a Police receiver for a reason.
That's about all that I can think of for now, but if I remember anything else I'll add it to the post.
