Dominion grizzly reliability?
- Thread starter bandit86
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A little on the heavy side for its size.
Reliable.
Had the tube fed model.
12.5" bbl.
Reliable.
Had the tube fed model.
12.5" bbl.
As win94luver said they tend to be a little heavy for their size. Large part of that is the stock set. A must swap IMO, which of course increases cost.
I found them to be very reliable. No idea if the extractor is a problem since I changed mine out day #1. Also, I found the trigger to be better after swapping out with a Remington hammer & sear. Probably not necessary but it was a little less sloppy and broke cleaner imo.
Have to say the finish on mine was not very good however. Than again, it's not a $1000 SG...... but it sure ends up that way after all the changes !
I found them to be very reliable. No idea if the extractor is a problem since I changed mine out day #1. Also, I found the trigger to be better after swapping out with a Remington hammer & sear. Probably not necessary but it was a little less sloppy and broke cleaner imo.
Have to say the finish on mine was not very good however. Than again, it's not a $1000 SG...... but it sure ends up that way after all the changes !
A couple years ago, I decided to do a bit of a test. Cleaned it up in the spring, then ran it all summer and into the fall without so much as adding any lube.
Went through 1500+ rounds (based on the number of cases of ammo I bought), mostly target loads but a couple hundred rounds each of 00 Buck and 1oz HV Slugs. Not one hicup. It just ran. It was a gawdawful mess to clean that winter, of course.
Stay away from the mag-fed ones - they can be a bit fiddly. But the tube fed? Rock solid.
Went through 1500+ rounds (based on the number of cases of ammo I bought), mostly target loads but a couple hundred rounds each of 00 Buck and 1oz HV Slugs. Not one hicup. It just ran. It was a gawdawful mess to clean that winter, of course.
Stay away from the mag-fed ones - they can be a bit fiddly. But the tube fed? Rock solid.
I'm pretty sure the Grizz uses a non-MIM extractor similar to the 870 Police. With a little polishing and a fore-end swap (and maybe a follower upgrade) they're as burly and reliable as the Police/590A. I swapped the barrel for a Rem barrel because I didn't like the DA front sight, but that's more personal preference.
I've basically gutted mine with GGG/S&J 870 parts. Not because I needed to but because I tweak all my guns. You can see my build here if you're interested:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/182618-Lets-see-some-pics-of-your-tactical-shottys!?p=13676103#post13676103
I've basically gutted mine with GGG/S&J 870 parts. Not because I needed to but because I tweak all my guns. You can see my build here if you're interested:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/182618-Lets-see-some-pics-of-your-tactical-shottys!?p=13676103#post13676103
I likely have the highest round count in the country through my Grizzly, I've stopped counting the rounds through the gun after 65K shots fired..........LEGIT.
500 to 1000 rounds fired in a weekend used to be this guns average day out.
I purchased my gun from Wanstalls back in 2008 when these guns first came into the country and it has been my go everywhere gun for almost 10 years now.
Been through every climate our nation has to offer including salt water exposure and just last week did I actually break a part on the gun, the firing pin of all things finally gave up.
So parts changed are a Remington firing pin now, No-Jam follower (factory one never failed me I just wanted the extra good feeling) and only replaced the magazine tube spring when I installed an S&J +1 Extension last week.
They are a heavy gun especially in regards to the barrel, may as well call it a bull barreled shotgun compared to a standard 870 Express barrel.
I've never touched my extractor as it has never given me a reason to bother with it.
My guns finish is well seasoned as I stripped all the bluing off of it years ago and ran it bare metal for a cool survivor gun look then krylon bombed it a few times now.
As for the guns condition the first 10 pictures on this link sum it up pretty well, and the last 3 pictures are how it sits right now.
http://imgur.com/a/1r6Zi
So given all of that abuse and only a $20 firing pin as broken after all that use.......I absolutely trust my life to this gun any day of the week.
My gun was not perfect and had a few rough spots in the action when I got it but its smoothed out enough over the years I just don't even notice it anymore.
500 to 1000 rounds fired in a weekend used to be this guns average day out.
I purchased my gun from Wanstalls back in 2008 when these guns first came into the country and it has been my go everywhere gun for almost 10 years now.
Been through every climate our nation has to offer including salt water exposure and just last week did I actually break a part on the gun, the firing pin of all things finally gave up.
So parts changed are a Remington firing pin now, No-Jam follower (factory one never failed me I just wanted the extra good feeling) and only replaced the magazine tube spring when I installed an S&J +1 Extension last week.
They are a heavy gun especially in regards to the barrel, may as well call it a bull barreled shotgun compared to a standard 870 Express barrel.
I've never touched my extractor as it has never given me a reason to bother with it.
My guns finish is well seasoned as I stripped all the bluing off of it years ago and ran it bare metal for a cool survivor gun look then krylon bombed it a few times now.
As for the guns condition the first 10 pictures on this link sum it up pretty well, and the last 3 pictures are how it sits right now.
http://imgur.com/a/1r6Zi
So given all of that abuse and only a $20 firing pin as broken after all that use.......I absolutely trust my life to this gun any day of the week.
My gun was not perfect and had a few rough spots in the action when I got it but its smoothed out enough over the years I just don't even notice it anymore.
mine is a mix. i really measured the barrel and mine is not 14 for sure more 13.5 ... but good to know.
so this is a very good shotgun that can take a lot of beaten tracks ...
I have an 18.5" Mag-fed that I bought about a year ago.
I have put maybe 15 boxes through it so far, mostly target loads and not one hiccup.
It was very stiff at the start, but I just cycled the action repeatedly and it has started to break in nicely and get smooth.
I had a skeet shooting day with some buddies and my little Grizzly was not outdone in any shape or form by the "real" shotguns the rest of the guys were doing and as far as the "Fiddly" part goes, I was able to pull out an empty mag and load a new mag with 5 shells in about a fifth of the time it took the tube-fed guys to reload.
Great fun, reliable and accurate enough - oh and really cheap - have fun and enjoy.
I have put maybe 15 boxes through it so far, mostly target loads and not one hiccup.
It was very stiff at the start, but I just cycled the action repeatedly and it has started to break in nicely and get smooth.
I had a skeet shooting day with some buddies and my little Grizzly was not outdone in any shape or form by the "real" shotguns the rest of the guys were doing and as far as the "Fiddly" part goes, I was able to pull out an empty mag and load a new mag with 5 shells in about a fifth of the time it took the tube-fed guys to reload.
Great fun, reliable and accurate enough - oh and really cheap - have fun and enjoy.
I skeet shot my KSG. That got some looks
For the most part yes. However, sometimes random parts need a little fitting. On mine, by far the worst was trying a Remington barrel on it. The DA receiver indexing was so bad the sights pointed to about 11:00.
I like the DA grizzly a lot for the money. However, my bottom line take on it; if you're going to mod the snot out of it buy a good old Wingmaster receiver and build from there. Cost ends up in the same ballpark anyway and with the WM you end up in a better place IMO.
Love that story man. It's great that you managed to get the old girl up and running again!
Not a knock on the Grizzles, but to me this is a real testament to the 870 design.
Additionally, wait until guys start breaking parts on all these newer modern shotguns. Good luck sorting some of that out. This is why I've settled on the 870 (and a couple 590a1's).
At a certain point, the good ol' boring reliable tool is the way to go. Learned this lesson the hard expensive way.
