Remington 870 replacement barrels

[Maineboy]

Will a replacement barrel with a 3 inch chamber work on an older model 870 that is chambered for 2 3/4 inch shells? I'm not planning on trying to fire 3 inch shells in this gun, I just want a new shorter barrel with screw in chokes and every one I find has the larger chamber.

[jamneg]

Yes it will.

[Maineboy]

Yes it will.

Thank you.

[243winxb]

A 2 3/4" receiver will not eject 3" shells in very old 870s. The Magnum receiver was for the 3" shells.

For what you want to do, no problems.

[Bigslug]

Yes. . .with conditions.

The original 870, any "Police" model 870, and 870's that left the factory with a 2 or 3 shot magazine extension will have the "old style" magazine assembly and method of barrel retention.

This consists of a spring-steel cap to retain the magazine spring on the 4-shot, non extended models. The barrel itself will have a forward-facing spring-loaded detent in the retaining ring that engages in dimples formed in the outer circumference of the barrel retaining cap/nut.

At some point in the 1990's or early 2000's, the Express style method of mag spring and barrel retention showed up.

In this system, the end of the mag tube has a dimple at 12:00 and 6:00 which are used as a kind of twist-lock bayonet anchor for a plastic mag spring retainer which replaces the spring steel cap. The front of that plastic part has ratchet teeth that click into corresponding teeth on the INNER circumference of the new style barrel retaining nut.

The retaining ring on the Express-style barrels initially at least had the hole to accept the spring and detent so you could stake them in if desired. At some point in the 2000's or 2010's, that hole went away on everything but the cop and mag-extended models.

Remington truly started drinking the bong water when they started making receivers with lengthened magazine tubes which required the barrel retaining ring to be relocated to a spot that ONLY worked with those models, making for something that you CAN'T convert to a hunting gun even if you have the parts.

Long story longer, you need a barrel that has that spring loaded detent in the retaining ring.