Product review: UAG Remington 870 12Ga Ultimate Tactical Conversion Kit

[Antics]

I wasn't sure if I should post this in Shotguns, or gear, since it's shotgun specific, but also gear... feel free to move as necessary, and my apologies in advance if I screwed up

I own an H&R 1871 Pardner Protector pump, which has been referred to as being a Remington 870 clone, minus the barrel.

I've been looking for a stock and forend upgrade since I just didn't like the feel of mine, the gun itself had a nice balance, but the stock and forend just didn't feel "right". The gun wasn't part of me when I held it. I of course looked at all the cool folding stocks, top folding, with shell carriers, but my concern with a folding stock was the increased deployment time,if I ever needed to use it to save my life.

After shopping for several months for something that appealed to the coolness factor, as well as comfort, reliability, etc.. I found this kit on Amazon, which was sold by a couple different sellers, and the parts are available individually as well.

Forend fitment was nice and easy, however at the rear of the forend the notch appears wider than needed to accomodate the action bars on the NEF/H&R 1871. Just snugging the forend nut wasn't enough, I had to go 1/4 turn further to ensure a tight forend, and prevent any movement. The forend has a rail on each side, and one on the bottom. It felt fairly more comfortable than my stock forend, but I gave the optional front grip a try, and it made a big difference in comfort and maneuverability for me.

The quality of the parts isn't as nice as my stock parts, but for about $100, I'm happy so far.

So we move on to the stock. It's a 6 position adjustable pistol grip stock, with a rubber recoil pad included. I first ran into a WTF moment when I was trying to figure out how it bolted on. There was a dimple, but no hole for the bolt. The factory failed to drill completely through, leaving a somewhat perforated covering over the bolt hole, which I had to use the included allen wrench to knock out of the way. The bolt and locking washer were included in the kit as well.

My big pet peeve with pistol grip stocks was that they all didn't follow the contour of the trigger guard. Sure it's not a big deal, and doesn't affect the function, but it does affect the appearance, and IMO, it doesn't look right.

It just seems to be like driving around in your Camaro, with a ford mustang hood on it. So that was my big concern with this kit. I couldn't find pictures online of the kit in use, but figured it was worth a shot, since I could return it if I wasn't happy.

The stock fit up against the receiver really snugly, I had to give it a good push to fit them up correctly. There appears to be a slight difference in thickness between the receiver, being about 1/32" or 164" wider than the stock, but I can live with that. The grip is contoured around the safety nicely, and mates up to the trigger guard fairly smoothly.

The pistol grip is hollow as you may have guessed, and there is no bottom panel or cover, so you see a big hole. There are no mount screws or anything, so this hole is a little annoying and looks a bit cheap and shoddy, but again, for $100...

The flashlight and laser.

The light is a basic no frills light, which I have yet to try. It uses an aluminum mount, single LED, comes with 2 batteries and has a remote pressure switch.

The laser is a basic no frills laser. Nothing special about this either. It uses a plastic mount, with phillips screws and recessed nuts to lock it down. It also has a remote pressure switch.

I was excited about an all-inclusive kit, but the fact is, I was a little disappointed with the light/laser combo. I plan on buying a rail mount that'll fit my Nebo Protec light/laser all in one, and plan to use that instead of the parts supplied.

I'll take a few pictures in the next couple days of the installed system, I've been feeling like a bag of smashed butts this past week, and work is taking most of the energy I have.

[ScotchMan]

Thanks..."Antichrist." I too have been looking for something like this. Right now the closest contender is the ATI stock and fore-end which would run about $100 as well. I'd be interested to see pictures of your setup. I have an 870 but I assume this would work for it as well.

[Antics]

You can just call me 'Anti' everyone on the game servers I play on does

I'll be getting pictures this weekend, whether I'm feeling better or not. I'd also like to see a review of the ATI kit myself, as I have plans to purchase other firearms in the future. I see a couple different kits by ATI, one of which has the side folding stock, and a couple different forend designs, which were you looking at?

As far as compatibility goes, the kit I purchased was made specifically for the Remington 870, so you should have no problems with fitment. The H&R 1871/NEF is a clone of the 870, not the other way around. I own the knockoff lol

[ScotchMan]

Remington Talon Tactical Shotgun Stock - Advanced Technology International

This is the setup I was looking at. It's fairly low on the list of priorities though. I've fired a shotgun maybe a few times, and I'm somewhat conflicted on whether its a better choice for HD than a handgun, which I train and practice with a lot more often.

[randy1]

i have the knoxx stock like that,bought it for my 870 marine magnum but didnt like the look so i took it off ,didnt even feel right.

[FishDude]

I'm somewhat conflicted on whether its a better choice for HD than a handgun, which I train and practice with a lot more often.

I hear ya on that one. Sooooooo.....I need to shoot the shotgun more! Great excuse to increase my range time.

After stocking up on some practice shells (OUCH$), I am going to look into reloading options.

[Doc8404]

we getting pics posted or what?

[kmussack]

.....It's fairly low on the list of priorities though. I've fired a shotgun maybe a few times, and I'm somewhat conflicted on whether its a better choice for HD than a handgun, which I train and practice with a lot more often.....

Ah....the Law of the Instrument.

See: Law of the instrument - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Abraham Maslow said in 1966,
"I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

Get out there and train with a shotgun, it’s the better tool for this job.

[ScotchMan]

Ah....the Law of the Instrument.

See: Law of the instrument - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Abraham Maslow said in 1966,
"I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

Get out there and train with a shotgun, it’s the better tool for this job.

I'm not sure the analogy completely fits here. I am still using a defensive weapon for the purpose of defending myself. More like using a crescent wrench instead of the proper sized ratchet. This thread was also created on the topic, and I am still somewhat conflicted on the subject.