Got three into my Baby Grizz.

M

millwright

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Had to play of course.Took out the black plastic cap retainer thingy,put the cap back on and three squeezed in.#3 very tight no over travel of the shell past the shell stops. Think the big problem is either the dimples in the mag tube are stopping the shell follower from coming back enough or the spring is too long. Gonna try and get rid of the dimples tomorrow with Mr Dremel and try things out again.:dancingbanana::dancingbanana::dancingbanana:
 
Well just went and hacked (cut with a hack saw) off 1/4 inch from the plastic follower.Without the black plastic spring retainer I have no problem loading 3 shell with a little bit of room left 3/16 or so.Put the plastic retainer back in and it was a no go for three.
So I looked through my 870 parts baggy and found one of those metal spring retainers.Tapped it in with my mini bfh, screwed on the tube nut (which was a little stiffer for some reason) and I'm ready for bear or cougar or grouse.Loads and cycles fine.Just have to see how it handles when fired.Big black powder shoot at the range this weekend so thats out.Later
 
i really dont see why the wingmaster style metal spring retainer is necessary.
its not like youll be swapping other 8.5" compatible barrels in, and even if you were its no biggie to swap barrels without a spring retainer in place.
all of my 870 wingmasters/police have the metal spring retainer removed.

the only reason id leave the plastic retainer in on an express is because its also the detent for the mag cap, since the barrel collar doesnt have a ball detent.
im actually planning on drilling the barrel collar and installing a ball detent and spring on my 8.5" grizz so i can replace the mag cap with a proper one and remove the plastic retainer.

btw: the mag cap was probably stiffer because you whacked the mag tube slightly out of round. probably not such a bad thing in your case since you removed the express style retainer/detent.
 
if your going to remove that plastic retainer.
You may want to have a gunsmith install an ballbearing detent like the older 870 shotguns as well as use an older style end cap.
Of you barrle may come off while shooting.
bbb
 
and thats why I had a VCS Stainless Steel Magazine Follower installed in my 12.5 grizz. I'm not crazy about some of these cheap parts.

600
 
Manbearpig I'm not that bad of a "sledge hammer" mechanic.I presumed I may have folded over a minute portion of the tube where the tread starts. No way it could be out of round tapping in the little spring retainer. I like to have some control over the spring when taking off the tube nut (cap) its no fun looking for the launched spring if you have to disassemble in the field.
Great now we have some flow of information coming in about modifying the Baby Grizz. Keep it coming guys.
 
^just apply some pressure to the mag cap when its nearing the end of the thread.
the only time i 'launch a spring' is when im fussing with the factory metal retainers. i have never launched one on a retainer-less 870. you want to see a launch-happy gun, try an SPR 453 :)

you should just install a ball detent yourself, and use a happy cap (the factory DA cap is heavy as hell). on a short barrel like the 8.5" its very easy to drill the ball detent hole with a drill press, the parts can be had from brownells, and staking it isnt rocket science. or use a wave washer if you are lazy :)

on most shotguns you can solve this by just installing a sling plate, which comes with a ball detent on it, but you cant install one on the 8.5" because the mag cap is recessed into the forend.
 
Guess I'm fixating on the airborne spring thing.To be honest its not that bad compared to a extended tube spring (stand back on those suckers). So I played with shortening the black spring thing (tube nut retainer) and it didn't help me at all still to tight for the last 1/8 of an inch,I shortened it to approx 1/2 inch now it doesn't engage the dimples to stop from turning,be aware. So I've ended up with the follower shortened,the black nut retainer out of there and just a tube nut on the end (yes a bit of weight difference between the DA and the Remington) a 870 one from the parts bag.Just to let you know I'm having a blast swapping these parts around to see what works and what doesn't.Nice way to spend the AM.Later
 
Interesting, I wonder why they just don't build them to hold 3 if all it needs is a detent and detent cap...:confused:
3 in the tube would be nice improvement.

Even if the barrel had to be 8 3/4 " to make it reliable, 3 in the tube would be good goal for the designer.
 
Even if they had just moved the tube dimples closer to the muzzle end.I think they just copied the specs from the 870 express and left it at that. So maybe the next step for me if the follower doesn't function as it should (being a bit shorter maybe canting under recoil) is removing the mag dimples and trying a normal length follower.
 
to be honest i dont see why you guys are so hellbent on squeezing 3 rounds into the mag.... your next project will be to manufacture a custom 1.5" plug to plug it back to 2 rounds :D

and yes yes i understand that the 2 in the mag limit is for HUNTING - regardless, i purchased my 8.5" Grizzly for a wildlife defense/camp gun, so itll be carried in the bush. since the odds of running across an overzealous CO are much higher than being attacked by a bear, ill stick with 2 in the mag :)


food for thought:
if you are actually squeeeeeeeezing rounds into the mag tube you may be risking a jam (especially due to the small variances in size of 12g shells). its not totally inconceivable that from being forced into the tube the crimp mushrooms out a bit and wedges the shell in the tube or jams the mag spring (btw check how grungy the grizz mag tube is inside - mine had some melted on varnishlike substance, i recommend you run a hone or a dowel with some fine steel wool through it with a drill to clean it up). id rather have 2 rounds working 100% smoothly than having to force 3 in and risk affecting function.
just a thought.
 
Timberwolfe and I, were pondering how silly it would look with a +2 or +3 extension on the end. Probably would not look very nice after a days shooting.

Truth be told, the best way to get more rounds in, is just buy the mag fed version when it comes.

ETA, don't forget to cut the follower on the magazine to cram the sixth round in too :rolleyes:
 
Truth be told, the best way to get more rounds in, is just buy the mag fed version when it comes.
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Or stick with the 12.5"er with 4 shells and more options for barrel and foreend swaps.

The Mag fed shorties I've seen posted in the past look ackward to pump.

to be honest i dont see why you guys are so hellbent on squeezing 3 rounds into the mag...
Click to expand...

Given the choice I'd take a 3 round capacity over 2 in a defensive gun even if I had to "live" with a 9 1/2" barrel.

But really at 4 inches longer the 12.5 is a compact gun that doesn't weigh much more and has more flexibility.
 
id rather have 2 rounds working 100% smoothly than having to force 3 in and risk affecting function.
Click to expand...

I agree.
Maybe that's why Canammo made the decision to stick with 2 shells in the 8.5"...
It would be nice to hear his thoughts on the matter and whether or not they tried to figure out how to make it work with 3 2 3/4" shells...
 
Oh you bunch of nay say'rs. Live a little. Ever want to make something better just for you? Experiment a bit, open up your mind get out of those society imposed boundaries. "It was made that way so its good enough for me" ah bull puckey. With reference to the mag tube,standard procedure in the House of Jim is too clean that mag tube with a brush, steel wool and make that sucker shine.Smooth is good, son. The spring maybe an issue and may not time will tell, there is a little wiggle room left when the three shells are in place so I'm not over binding the spring.But I'll see what happens under recoil.Thanks for your input guys.
Got a 12.5 and a Remington with a 14 inch barrel.like the 14 inch one the best so far.Plus with the one shot extension it bring it up to five with minimal mag tube overhang.
 
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