# Finish the Job 870 Super Express Magnum Riot



## Sharps40 (Oct 12, 2016)

Got this one with a rib and a barrel hacked unevenly to 18 5/8ish wobbly inches.  Paint and a shortened stock.  It was a quickie riot gun on a 3.5" pump gun.  We'll make it pretty and functional.

Streamline first...get the rib off the barrel.  Gentle heat, solder gives and the rib bones pop off easy.  Knocking down the solder with a file will require reblued but this one will deserve it given the added components are what I consider top end and priced as if they in fact are top end.  But, it needs to be reliable too, so.....top end.

Once the rib is off its a simple matter to fit up the Nordic +2 extension after drilling out the spring retainer buttons in the original mag tube.  Once that's done, the Nordic extension is a simple bolt on.  

Inside is a low drag red anodized Nordic follower for empty status checks and smooth friction free feeding of shells to the carrier.

For practical tactical purposes I added the Pic Rail mount on the optional barrel to extension clamp.  Also added is a forward sling mount on the same barrel to extension clamp.  I don't like the pop on/off swivels so will adapt an Uncle mikes to the forward sling mount for a no fail no fall off no wear out forward mounting point.  Note, sling and pic rail can swap sides if ya like.

Front sight will be a green glow worm bead thingie threaded clean through the now crowned barrel (which incidentally, cleaned up with a hand piloted reamer at 18 9/16" breech to muzzle.  

Probably add a spacer to the sawn off stock and since its all birch, likely clean off the camo and replace it with black paint finish.  

In adding the +2 extension I put in the replacement full length spring, its long enough for the +5 or so long long extensions but it all fits and provides very solid and smooth feed.  The mag capacity with the +2 extension is 6 each 2 3/4" shells + one in the chamber.  I don't have 3" or 3.5" shells to check with but I expect it'll hold 6+1 on the 3"ers and at least 5+1 on the 3.5"ers.  

Oh yeah....when I popped off the vent rib and crowned the crooked muzzle (it looked like a star washer out front) I also ran in the long forcing cone reamer and gave this one a nice smooth long forcing cone....might as well do it when ya have the tooling, time and the barrel is off..

Here we go...


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## getaff (Oct 12, 2016)

Hw did you paint it and what kind of paint did you use?


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## Sharps40 (Oct 13, 2016)

I didn't.   Since stock is cracked and painted it'll get a spacer and repaint of the wood as I mentioned above.  The type of paint will be any spraypaint on sale


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## Rich Kaminski (Oct 13, 2016)

Nice work. Really nice work.


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## Sharps40 (Nov 4, 2016)

All done but the cosmetics now.

Rear sling mount.  It goes in the buttstock not less than 2" from the end of the stock (end of the wood, not end of the pad) to prevent cracking the stock should one ground the buttplate/recoil pad too hard.   This one tore out anyway, so time to move it to the proper location.






Glow dot front sight, low profile, is mounted on the barrel.  It'll have its shank shortened slightly later so it doesn't protrude into the bore and be installed with blue Loctite after bluing the barrel.






Most slings come with detachable sling loops.  This mount is made for a quick release button.   I don't like the button type sling swivel mounts.  A push of the button and the sling falls off.  Plus they are only attached by four small spring loaded balls.  Not much.  So, without modifying the sling mount tab (so a quick release swivel button can be used by someone later if they just gotta have it).....a steel sleeve is made up to go on the mount tab.  Its drilled and an Uncle Mikes sling swivel is screwed in, soldered into the sleeve and cross pinned from the rear.  The swivel, swivels.  And it can't be removed unless the cross tab is cut away from the rear side.  To remove the sling, unscrew the cap on the sling loop, press it in and sling is off.  No buttons or balls to fail.


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## Sharps40 (Nov 30, 2016)

Ugly green camo paint off.  This'll give me a chance to sand the wood and recoil pad and make the pad sides look decent.  Primer then black truck liner for this plain wood.

20 minutes with water based citrus paint remover and it basically blotted off with a dull knife blade and steel wool.   Water clean up.  For not, JB weld in the torn out swivel screw hole and under all the paint.....That slot up front, jb weld filler there too to cover up where the prior owner started in with a hacksaw to make a pistol grip and then wisely.....stopped the butcher!


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## Sharps40 (Dec 2, 2016)

Put three coats of rustoleum truck bed liner spray.  Looks decent.  It'll be a good knock around finish on the birch wood, somewhat grippie, easy touch up and if it holds up like it did on the wood bed of Ol John Lee, pretty darn good.

Get some pics later.  Its dryin now.....stinks too!


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## Sharps40 (Dec 3, 2016)

Forend completed and reassembled after a light scrub with 0000 steel wool to remove the green overspray paint from the prior camo job.....Folks, really should take things apart before painting!  I won't reblued the slide parts.  They are in good shape and won't need it.






Recoil pad had been assembled several times using an ungreased screwdriver....the holes were torn up.  Cleaned them out with a sharpened .270 case to freshen up the edges.  Though this pad can use a Phillips driver or square driver to install the screws, its factory screw heads are set up for square drive first and Phillips if ya just have to....the remaining Phillips slots around the square drive hole are tiny and Phillips is an emergency choice for pad removal.  






Edges of the pad were cleaned up from their heavy scaring (acquired during the original finish strip to add camo paint) by installing the pad and running it and the stock with 120g on a jitterbug.  Here buffed with 0000 steel wool and completed.






Rear swivel reinstalled in its more forward location from the too far back torn out original spot.....






The texture feels/looks good and should not irritate anything more sensitive than a bare baby bottom....and it still shows the negative factory checkering on grip and forend.  






Buttcuff installed....personal choice, I don't like ammo on the sling where it interferes with the support arm nor do I like it on the action where it interferes with the slide release and/or safety....so....buttcuff.






Warm a sharpened .270 case to ouch temp, meltcut the buttcuff so it slides over the sling swivel mount.  






Stocks are now packaged and padded and set aside.  Next job is to decide how much of this old shotty to reblued, get some sauce gathered up and get the right parts rusting away in the damp box.


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## georgia_home (Dec 3, 2016)

Sharps, you mentioned drilling out the spring retainer.

Did you fill or cover the hole with anything or just leave it open?


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## Sharps40 (Dec 4, 2016)

once the edges are cleaned off inside from drilling out the spring retainer indents....done.  One could weld the holes shut but if they holes edges are smoothed out, there is no deleterious impact on the function of the cartridge feed.  i.e. it don't catch on the holes.


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## Sharps40 (Dec 17, 2016)

A bit icy this morning here in Central NC.  Hand full of tools and shotgun parts, stepped out on the deck and promptly fell down the stairs.....threw the tools, saved the shotgun.  Fortunately, landed on my head and left shoulder so no damage done.  

While I wait for my arm and head to bruise up a bit and for the 330 call to the hunting stand to come around....I figgered I'd start rust bluing this old Remmy.  Covered in tool marks and slated for hard duty I decided on rust blue as a fitting tuff finish.  100g on a jitterbug sander cleans it up and leaves a muted pattern that will disappear in the oxides leaving a satin dark grey black finish that is somewhat more durable than hot tank blue.  And, it'll help hide many of the finer tool marks that Ma Remmy leaves in all her base line products these days.  Polish them out if you like but not for rust blue.  It doesn't lend itself to the mirror black finish of hot oxide bluing.

If you've never seen the slow rust blue process, follow along and don't worry.  Though the gun will look like it was destroyed in a Guatemalan humidity forest, it'll turn out fine.

Here, the bare steel stripped clean and after a wipe down with vinegar water it'll get its first coating of Pilkingtons Slow Rust Bluing Solution.  Into the damp box at 80% humidity and about 80+ degrees (maintained by a small crock pot full of water) it'll sit for an hour to develop the first blume of red rust.  After an hour it gets a second wipe down with pilkingtons to even up the initial rust and sits for 2 more.  Then comes the first of 3 to 6 cycles of rust, boil, card until the finish is even dark grey black.  Final treatment will be a wipe down with good motor oil and then either gun oil on hot steel.  (If GoodWife ain't around,  the parts go in the oven to warm up to ouch temperature and then the oil gets slathered on.  Otherwise, I gotta slow boat it and use the heat gun to warm the parts for final oiling.)  

With luck, I'll rust it three times today with two boils and then 2 to 3 more rust/boil cycles tomorrow.  If all go's well, tomorrow night will see the parts resting in oil for assembly Sunday evening or Monday evening.  So....I think this project will be done before Christmas.  

However, if I shoot a deer tonight and/or tomorrow in the back yard, all bets on finishing schedule are off.....In any event, I want to have this one resting in oil no later than Wednesday since Thursday night I take Babiest Granddaughter over to T&M Hunting Properties for a Friday all day sit as we continue our joint quest for Deer this season.  Everybody in the family has connected except for my two granddaughters.  Time for them to make some noise and get elbow deep in the gut pile.


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## Sharps40 (Dec 17, 2016)

First rust.  Good Rust!


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## Sharps40 (Dec 17, 2016)

First boil and card.  Thin and watery greyblack but coming up fine.  Remingtons seem to rust easy enough.


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## Sharps40 (Dec 18, 2016)

Done and finished.  Got a nice medium grey black, with a touch of oil/grease on it, has a nice almost parkerized look.  Got it back together.  Holds 7 (6+1) 2 3/4" shells.  Probably slightly less with the 3.5" and I don't have any 3" to check but I suspect there is enough room in the +2 mag to hold 7 of the 3" and 6 of the 3.5".

Cycles fine, in and out and I left the magazine spring a bit long for a good stiff push on the cartridges to the ramp.  I'm sure it could be shorter and work but its feeding great and I'll leave it that way.


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## GA native (Dec 19, 2016)

A shame about the wood getting butchered up like the last guy did. Would have been even prettier with a nice low gloss wood finish.

Good work man. You took an abused old 870, and gave her another chance.


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## Sharps40 (Dec 19, 2016)

Well, that wood was plain old birch or sycamore.  No grain and lots of ugly shadows when stained.  Almost impossible to make look good unless you go factory style finish with a tinted top coat for that muddy brown factory look.  For a hard working broom, paint/liner was a good choice I think.  Easy touch up too, scratches and bungers will hide in the texture.

She'll make a good hog hammer too.


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## GA native (Dec 19, 2016)

Sharps40 said:


> Well, that wood was plain old birch or sycamore.  No grain and lots of ugly shadows when stained.  Almost impossible to make look good unless you go factory style finish with a tinted top coat for that muddy brown factory look.  For a hard working broom, paint/liner was a good choice I think.  Easy touch up too, scratches and bungers will hide in the texture.
> 
> She'll make a good hog hammer too.



I'm not chucking stones from my glass house. Wouldn't even know which window to aim at. I'm just an avid fan of the Gunstock oil.


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## Sharps40 (Dec 19, 2016)

I didn't think ye were being rude.  Just responding.  Birch/sycamore stained is ugly.  Its why many of the factory finishes are tinted in the top coat, not stained in the wood....helps hide the ugly.


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