I get that information from my first hand personal experience.Glad yours worked out.
CGN'er Can-down has some pics of the indexing issue.
Doesn't affect function but the Chinese barrels fit better with Chinese receivers.
Questions about modifying my 870 vs buying a Grizzly
- Thread starter platnumbob
- Start date
I get that information from my first hand personal experience.Glad yours worked out.
CGN'er Can-down has some pics of the indexing issue.
Doesn't affect function but the Chinese barrels fit better with Chinese receivers.
Call me crazy - but the only barrels I think available right now are the Dlask ones for 250$+ ship. If I just buy a 12.5" grizzly, swap barrels with my 28" 870 super mag, and then sell the Grizzly with the longer 28" barrel, will both guns theoretically function fine?
IAMCRAZYDAVE
Member
- Location
- Calgary, AB
I say Keep the 870 and buy a Grizzly 12.5".
I purchased a 18.5" from can am for 279$ and found a 12.5 " barrel on the ee for 100$.
My Grizzly operated perfectly right out of the box, with either plastic or steel magazines!
I purchased a 18.5" from can am for 279$ and found a 12.5 " barrel on the ee for 100$.
My Grizzly operated perfectly right out of the box, with either plastic or steel magazines!
Last edited:
I would stay away from the Grizzly at all costs. I bought one against my better judgment and it was a flaming pile of chit. It belongs in the trash, but it's currently in several pieces tucked away.
It's better to just buy an older Wingmaster, buy a 12.5" barrel Dlask or otherwise and roll with that.
My 12.5" Dlask barreled 870 has a little RMR, Knoxx stock and it rocks, couldn't be happier.
Much less head ache, and in the long run cheaper.
It's better to just buy an older Wingmaster, buy a 12.5" barrel Dlask or otherwise and roll with that.
My 12.5" Dlask barreled 870 has a little RMR, Knoxx stock and it rocks, couldn't be happier.
Much less head ache, and in the long run cheaper.
IAMCRAZYDAVE
Member
- Location
- Calgary, AB
What issues did you have with the Grizzly?
FTF and rough ejection. If I cant'ed the firearm in a certain way, I would once and a while be able to get through a mag with only one issue. I may have been able to invest some time into getting it working correctly, but IMO it shown no reason to me to do that.
I keep it around now to remind myself of my mistake.
I keep it around now to remind myself of my mistake.
wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
i had the same problem couple years ago.
i picked up a Remington 870 Express off a coworker for next to nothing and it was practically brand new.
it had a long barrel on it but i wanted a short one so i could take the gun when out for hikes and quading and such.
so i picked up a short barrel from canadaammo or Dlask i cant remember which one its been so long.
either way its great, i picked up a fat little gun case (soft case) and i have the other barrel in there as well so i can take it out as a back country scatter gun or swap out the barrels and take it out for duck or goose if need be.
i also picked up a grizzly shotgun when they first came out and if i had to make a choice between them id stay with the proven 870.
while the grizzle is fun to play with it isnt anywhere close to the Remington for fit and finish and reliability.
i picked up a Remington 870 Express off a coworker for next to nothing and it was practically brand new.
it had a long barrel on it but i wanted a short one so i could take the gun when out for hikes and quading and such.
so i picked up a short barrel from canadaammo or Dlask i cant remember which one its been so long.
either way its great, i picked up a fat little gun case (soft case) and i have the other barrel in there as well so i can take it out as a back country scatter gun or swap out the barrels and take it out for duck or goose if need be.
i also picked up a grizzly shotgun when they first came out and if i had to make a choice between them id stay with the proven 870.
while the grizzle is fun to play with it isnt anywhere close to the Remington for fit and finish and reliability.
IAMCRAZYDAVE
Member
- Location
- Calgary, AB
I've never had any issues with Remington's fit, finish, or general build quality and although I've never owned an 870, the ones I've fired have always fed, extracted and ejected reliably.
The fit and finish is pretty disappointing on the Grizzly, although it didn't affect operation on mine.
I refinished mine...just 'cause I wanted a different look.
The fit and finish is pretty disappointing on the Grizzly, although it didn't affect operation on mine.
I refinished mine...just 'cause I wanted a different look.
Punisher-One
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I'm going to be doing a similar build as the OP....12.5" shotty for camping/hiking/predator defense. I was wondering the same exact question...buy another 870 ($380ish) and a 12.5" barrel ($250) or buy a DA Grizzly that already has a 12.5" barrel and put Remington furniture on it.
From the info on here I am going to stick with Remington for the receiver and Dlask, or if I can find it, NEA 12.5" for the barrel.
So my plans are now:
870 express
12.5" barrel
Youth stock (shorter stock)
Sling mount with 2-point sling
Mesa Tactical side saddle
Paint the factor furnature (save costs)
Good thread with good info, thanks all and OP!
From the info on here I am going to stick with Remington for the receiver and Dlask, or if I can find it, NEA 12.5" for the barrel.
So my plans are now:
870 express
12.5" barrel
Youth stock (shorter stock)
Sling mount with 2-point sling
Mesa Tactical side saddle
Paint the factor furnature (save costs)
Good thread with good info, thanks all and OP!
There is a lot of good info coming out of this thread - and I think after reading through I am going to stick with my long dependable 870 - but as above I am thinking about the following and I don't want it to get lost since no one has answered it!
If I buy a Grizzly and swap barrels with my 870 is the grizzly also going to work fine with a barrel that includes a 3 1/2 chamber from an express super mag? If so this might be my best option due to the limited number of 12.5" barrels on the market. I could also pick up the buckshot from CanAm in a package.
If I buy a Grizzly and swap barrels with my 870 is the grizzly also going to work fine with a barrel that includes a 3 1/2 chamber from an express super mag? If so this might be my best option due to the limited number of 12.5" barrels on the market. I could also pick up the buckshot from CanAm in a package.
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
There will be no issue with a 3.5 barrel on a 3" gun. It's a pain to get empty 3.5's out of the chamber if you try one though. It's nice having the larger receiver port on any shotgun though. Single loading is slightly easier.
You can buy arguably the best 870 model made, Wingmaster for cheaper. Here is a guy selling a Wing receiver for $225 + shipping.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...r-870-Wingmater-receiver-(No-barrel-or-Stock)
Add the stock you want, and buy a barrel. Done. That's what I personally did.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...r-870-Wingmater-receiver-(No-barrel-or-Stock)
Add the stock you want, and buy a barrel. Done. That's what I personally did.
Interesting - the grizzly 12.5's are sold with a bead.....do those barrels not group at rough point of aim?
My preference is to use a bead on this 12.5" 870 build.
(I don't require a tac driver here - its a short scatter gun - but I don't want a shotgun that won't be able to hit anything either!)
My preference is to use a bead on this 12.5" 870 build.
(I don't require a tac driver here - its a short scatter gun - but I don't want a shotgun that won't be able to hit anything either!)
Last edited:
The shorter the barrel the higher the front bead needs to be. Even the Remington 18" factory barrels have a pedestal with the bead mounted on top of that. That's why Dlask short barrels have a blade type front sight which is quite high, I find their barrels usually hit POA
andrew3081
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver, BC
I guess me and many other gun owners are lucky our Chinese 12.5" barrels work with the 870.
I have a 870 Wingmaster with a Norinco HP9 Grizzly 14" barrel on it, see here:
I bought the HP9 first, it was alright and it worked, but it was just not quite ... smooth enough. So I bought a slightly rusty 1980s Wingmaster here on the EE, which came with a poly-choke barrel.
I swapped the barrels (they did fit, although the Wingmaster barrel was tighter on the HP9 receiver than the other way around) and sold the HP9 with the polychoke to a friend for a couple hundred bucks. The Norinco does function with the Remington barrel without issues. Other internal parts - like the bolt - aren't 100% compatible and would require some filing at least to make them fit, seems like the measurements are just slightly off. The Norinco receiver is very roughly machined on the inside compared to the old Remington.
I had the resulting 14" wingmaster refinished by Corlanes in Dawson Creek and it came out quite nice as you can see. It also required some internal repairs to the trigger group, which reminds me that I should replace the hammer pin at some point.
It is wearing an S+J Hardware 1-shot tube extension, and a nice leather shell holder that I got from a now defunct Ukrainian Ebay shop for $35 shipped. The laminate wood is off an 870 Express. I like the 14" barrel because it allows for the +1 extension flush with the barrel.
As others have mentioned, the gun as pictured did shoot at least 1 foot high at 25 yards, due to the height difference between the bead and the receiver, exaggerated by the short barrel. I wasn't able to find a taller brass bead, and I hate ghost ring sights or rear sights in general on shotguns. So finally I bought the XS-Sights "Big Dot" shotgun sight. This is a tritium illuminated dot sight, that is epoxied over the existing bead like so: http://www.fototime.com/FB2F5DCFCED5E48/standard.jpg
Now it shoots point of aim. The Big Dot is somewhat pricey at $60 or so unfortunately.
I ended up spending more and more money on this thing gradually until it reached its current and final* form. Worth it though - it is one of my favourite guns, and comes with me whenever I'm out in the bush.
*maybe I should get it threaded for chokes?
I bought the HP9 first, it was alright and it worked, but it was just not quite ... smooth enough. So I bought a slightly rusty 1980s Wingmaster here on the EE, which came with a poly-choke barrel.
I swapped the barrels (they did fit, although the Wingmaster barrel was tighter on the HP9 receiver than the other way around) and sold the HP9 with the polychoke to a friend for a couple hundred bucks. The Norinco does function with the Remington barrel without issues. Other internal parts - like the bolt - aren't 100% compatible and would require some filing at least to make them fit, seems like the measurements are just slightly off. The Norinco receiver is very roughly machined on the inside compared to the old Remington.
I had the resulting 14" wingmaster refinished by Corlanes in Dawson Creek and it came out quite nice as you can see. It also required some internal repairs to the trigger group, which reminds me that I should replace the hammer pin at some point.
It is wearing an S+J Hardware 1-shot tube extension, and a nice leather shell holder that I got from a now defunct Ukrainian Ebay shop for $35 shipped. The laminate wood is off an 870 Express. I like the 14" barrel because it allows for the +1 extension flush with the barrel.
As others have mentioned, the gun as pictured did shoot at least 1 foot high at 25 yards, due to the height difference between the bead and the receiver, exaggerated by the short barrel. I wasn't able to find a taller brass bead, and I hate ghost ring sights or rear sights in general on shotguns. So finally I bought the XS-Sights "Big Dot" shotgun sight. This is a tritium illuminated dot sight, that is epoxied over the existing bead like so: http://www.fototime.com/FB2F5DCFCED5E48/standard.jpg
Now it shoots point of aim. The Big Dot is somewhat pricey at $60 or so unfortunately.
I ended up spending more and more money on this thing gradually until it reached its current and final* form. Worth it though - it is one of my favourite guns, and comes with me whenever I'm out in the bush.
*maybe I should get it threaded for chokes?
Last edited:
