PA452

Any new updates to this? I see this thread has been moving off and on for many years now. I'm thinking hard about moving to a 20 gauge for all the reasons already stated throughout this thread. The only remaining question is, is the game changing to where the 20 is at a disadvantage?

You don't really need to worry about the mag extension going beyond the muzzle. I called Nordic for an order status update and while I had the guy on the phone I asked him at what point it was a problem for the mag to extend beyond the muzzle. If I remember correctly he said it will be a problem at about 4 feet. As for getting the follower and spring out, you don't need to cut anything and you don't need to take the tube off of the receiver. I've seen two different styles of mag tubes on the 712s. Does yours have a black plastic end piece holding the plug in? Does it have two tabs sticking into two recesses on the sides of the mag tube about an inch from the end? If so you just need to push in on both of those tabs and turn the black tube a bit, then carefully pull it out. This is the way it was on my 712U. My older 712 had a metal plate holding the spring and plug in. That may require grinding the lip out of the tube to get the follower out, I'm not sure. I never did any work with that one other than replacing the plug after it broke.

I had that thought too. I've only ever shot one multi-gun match before. That particular match each time we dumped the shotgun we left it on a table. We did dump the rifle in a barrel once. I think I'd be alright with doing that with the NC tube, I'd just do it gently. I'm not going to being winning any matches yet anyway, I'm not worried about a spare second taken to go easy on the tube. Got a match coming up this Sunday. I just ran about 50 rounds through my 712U again tonight to give the mag extension a test and try out the new ATI stock. No issues of any kind with the shotgun or the mag. And I have to say, that ATI stock is well worth the money. The difference in comfort between the factory stock and ATI stock is huge.

Thanks for the spring heads up, I'll check it out the next time I have it apart. You guys think a mag clamp is necessary? I have the +4. It seems fairly solid as is, and with the 20" barrel I couldn't get it very far out from the nut anyway.

Got the stock today:

Just ordered the ATI stock. I like what I read about the recoil pad, but even more so I'm looking for some adjustment, and I really like that the comb is adjustable. I'd kind of like to get just slightly lower. With the factory stock, I'm having to really kind of push down tight against the stock to be looking down the rib correctly.

I just put 100 rounds through my 712 Utility shooting some clays tonight. I took the mag extension off until I get a chance to make it work. Had one failure to eject out of the 100 rounds. I think that's pretty decent for a brand new gun that's not broken in yet. Did alright on the clays too considering it's probably been a couple years since I've done that kind of shooting.

So despite not having a rollover at the end of my tube, I unfortunately will still probably need to do some dremel work. The Nordic tube fits over top of the factory mag, and it leaves a small ridge that the follower hits in the return direction. Hopefully I won't have to take off too much to get it working.

I just took pics of both. I'll post them tomorrow, maybe tonight if I get to it. They are very different. My bet is they're starting to make the 712Us now with the redesigned mag to make it easier to install extensions. Do you have the spring-loaded detent for the mag cap on the mag spring retainer or the forearm?

I just pulled out my old field model 712. I bought it I believe back in 2006. There is definitely a major difference in the rollover on the mag. That shotgun has a very defined and obvious rollover. My new 712 Utility has little more than a burr, at most. It also uses a different system for holding the mag spring and plug in. That's something they needed I think too, even for the stock gun. The plug on my first 712 broke with very little use just a year or two after I bought it. I had to stick a wooden dowel rod in as a replacement.

Can someone school me on welding the lifter? What exactly are you guys referring to? What needs welded on it?

The NC instructions recommended starting with 16" of spring hanging out of the tube. I started with 18" to be safe. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet though. I need to clean the burr off the factory tube and then I'll give it a try. I actually have another older 712 I bought back in 2006. I think that was probably when they were somewhat new. I'll have to dig it out and see if it has a rollover. I'm just curious now if they've changed the design to accommodate mag extensions more easily.

I definitely do have at a minimum a very slight burr at the end of my mag though. I just put it all together, loaded the mag up and then emptied it just to try it out. The follower did hang up in the tube somewhere once, I'm assuming it was at that burr. I'll smooth it out when I get the chance, and I might also look into a NC follower. I noticed the retaining mechanism used for the original nut is going to be useless for the NC extension. Anyone had problems with the NC extension backing off while shooting?

How much of a rollover are you guys finding on the end of the factory mag? I just took the plug out of mine. I didn't have to pry anything, I just pushed in the tabs on each side of the plug and took it right out. I don't see any rollover that was intended to hold anything in. A very, very slight burr on the edge...maybe, but certainly no rollover intended to hold anything in.

Any particular model of Hi-Vis that you like? Side shell holder just for faster reloads. I'm new to the 3-gun game, been to one match last October. I remember watching guys reload and it seemed like the guys with extra rounds right on the gun appeared to be the fastest. I had borrowed some caddies from a guy, but they weren't helping me much. I'm sure that would change with practice, but it seemed like the holder on the gun and loading one at a time would be a better (and cheaper) option for me right now.