[Need side saddle for SX2/SLP]

I need a side saddle for my SX2.

I was going to get one from 3GunGear but I haven't received any responses to my e-mails.

I'd like a 7 or 8 shot velcro/elastic side saddle, as well as a 2 shot slide lock pack. Any recommendations?

[Which shotgun should I replace my Remington 1100 with?]

I can't run a 26" long shotgun. I'm too small. Even the 22" one is a stretch for me.

I'm not sure what you mean. Barrel length has nothing to do with length of pull.

I'm very short and don't mind long-barreled guns if the stock is short. So, a 20ga youth gun with a long bird barrel fits me fine but an 18" riot gun with a standard stock feels too big and fits me poorly.

Adjustable stocks such as those on ARs make life easy, but those don't always fit on shotguns.

I cut my 870 stock down to an 11 3/4" LOP. My SX2 is currently too long for me to be comfortable, but I plan on cutting that one a bit too. It looks like I can trim about 1/2" - 3/4" from the stock itself and fit a pad that's shorter by about 1/2". I can't go much shorter than that unless I want to start hacking apart the action spring and tube.

[SLP Lube Question]

I just picked up a used SX2, a version of the SLP. As part of my initial tear down and cleaning, I disassembled the action spring system to clean and lube it.

To do this, first do a regular field strip (barrel, bolt, trigger group, etc.). Then remove the recoil pad with a Philips head screwdriver (you should see two faint marks in the rubber). You should now be able to see the rear of the action spring assembly. Use a 3/4" socket to remove the retaining nut. Behind that is a spacer and a metal plate which should fall out, but may require some gentle coercing. At this point, the stock should come off.

You'll now have the receiver and action tube. Here's where it gets a little tricky since the remaining parts are under spring pressure (you might want to secure the receiver in a padded vise). There's a single roll pin holding it all together. Relieve pressure on the roll pin using a small flathead screwdriver to push the rear of the action spring in slightly. While doing that, push the roll pin out using a punch. The action spring will now want to come out. Try to use a rag or something to ease it out.

The spring will most likely be gross and disgusting. I cleaned the spring tube like I would a bore (scrubbed, then CLP). I wiped down the spring and sprayed it with CLP. Before reassembly, I used some aerosol lithium grease to lube the inside of the tube as well as the spring, and then reassembled.

This made a noticeable difference for me, but mine was a used gun whose receiver resembled a filthy ashtray.

As for other lube points...

-Exterior of mag tube

-Gas piston

-O-ring on the barrel near the gas ports (grease)

-The 'nub' of the tappet assembly that fits into the receiver (grease)

-Bolt

-Bolt carrier

-Receiver bolt rails

-Bolt carrier tail that fits into the action spring (grease)

-Trigger group pins

-Shell lifter hinges

-Shell catch. This is the part under the ejection port that resembles a see-saw. It pivots pack and forth as the gun fires to release a shell from the mag. I lube the edges where it fits into the receiver.

-Choke tube threads (anti-seize)

-Anything shiny from rubbing parts

Take this with a grain of salt. I have about 250 rounds through my SX2. It works great if I use heavier loads. Lighter loads have erratic ejection, stovepipes, etc. It seems the minimum load is 1 1/8 oz of shot at ~1250fps (~3 1/4 dram equivalent). I'll probably have to bybass the Federal bulk packs my 870 loved in favor of some of the more powerful Super X or AA loads. I ran some AA 1 1/8 oz @ 1300 fps through it - cycled quickly with strong ejection.

I'm debating buying one of the lighter pistons. I called the Winchester tech line and they said not to do it because those pistons are designed for specific guns and "the internals are different". I'm giving that a side-eye because according to their parts lists, none of the recoil system parts vary from gun to gun.

[Buying a used 1100]

strat, that finished product is very nice. Thanks for the write up.

I went and picked up the shotgun and just got back a few minutes ago. There is a small chunk of wood out of the bottom of the stock near the pad. I'm going to try and not let that bother me. maybe I can come up with some sort of filler once I start to refinish. But everything else on the gun looks great. The owner showed me how to disassemble it (I was amazed at how easily the barrel comes off!). The o-ring looked good as did all of the other internal parts.

I guess I'm a little unsure about the barrel however. Its a non-rib vent with only the front sight. no rear sight. I'm guessing that's something you get used to. Although I would like a vented barrel that has a way to mount a rear site on it. Need to do some more reading on the barrel types.

For checking out the age of the gun, is it best to just called Remington with the serial number?

Any other mods or stuff I should check out? I tried searching "1100 mod" but it doesn't seem to pick up the "mod" part in the search, as near as I can tell.....

Anyway, I think this will be a first nice shotgun.

Thanks for the compliment.

If you don't care about cosmetics and want to fill the chunk in, use some JB Weld. Slather it on. Let it cure for 2-3 days, rough shape it with a file, do the finish work with sand paper. I wouldn't trust wood putty to hold up to use on a gun, and even if it did, it doesn't take stain like wood does.

Bead sights do take some getting used to if all you've ever used are notch and post sights. Cheek weld is important! I do prefer the vent rib, and options are available. Check Gunbroker.

Buy some O-rings here: http://www.ericwesselman.com/store/RemmyORing.html. Don't pay $5 for an OEM Remington O-ring.

Easy loaders are popular for the 1100, as are oversized bolt handles: http://www.davesmetalworks.com/rem.html.

[Buying a used 1100]

Can these stocks (with the checkering) be re-finished pretty easily?

Refinishing a shotgun stock, at least for field or competition use, is not difficult. If you're looking for furniture-grade work, don't follow my advice.

Go to the hardware store and visit the paint section. Pick up some Formby's Furniture Refinisher (http://www.formbys.com/products/refinisher.cfm) and a green scotch-brite pad.

Grab the stain of your choice (or none at all). I've had good luck with Minwax. Get a synthetic-bristle brush and some mineral spirits to apply the stain and clean the brush. If you buy water-based stain, you won't need the mineral spirits. You won't need much, get the small can of stain, I think 8 oz?

Now, decide if you want a glossy finish or a matte finish. If you want a glossy finish, get some aerosol lacquer. If you want a matte finish, get some Formby's low-gloss Tung Oil.

Also get some 150 and 220 grit sand paper as well as some 0000 (four-oh) steel wool. If you don't have a respirator, buy one (not a dusk mask). The fumes from this stuff will kill brain cells and leave you with a nasty headache. Nitrile gloves are a good addition too.

1) Pour some furniture refinisher on the stock and the scotch-brite pad. Use the pad to lightly scrub the old finish off. Let the chemical do the work, no need to scrub hard.

2) Once the old finish is off, you should have bare wood. Let it dry.

3) For dents and nicks, hot water can be used to help raise them. Pour it right on the wood. Once the wood is dry again, sand the wood down first with 150 and then with 220. Be careful around the checkering. Finally, go over the wood with the steel wool. All you want to do with the steel wool is knock the grain down which was raised by the furniture refinisher and hot water. Do NOT polish/burnish the wood.

4) Apply stain with a brush and/or rag. Follow the advice from The Karate Kid: Sweep the leg. Er, I mean Wax On, Wax Off. Brush/wipe the stain on, let it sit for a minute or two, and wipe it off. The longer the stain sits and the more coats you apply, the darker it will be. Each coat of stain will raise the rain a little. In between each coat, use the steel wool to knock the grain down again. This will take some of the color out, so be prepared to apply a little more stain.

5) Once the color is where you like it, get out your lacquer or tung oil.

5a) Spray the stock with lacquer using thin coats. Let me repeat that: THIN COATS. I like to apply 7-8 coats with 3-4 hours of dry time in between each coat. After the final coat, I let it sit for two days. IME, this provides a thick, durable, attractive finish. It won't look like a brand new Yamaha piano, but it doesn't cost as much either.

5b) If you're using tung oil, apply it with a rag or with the scotch-brite pad (I prefer the pad, but with the checkering, you might want to use a rag). Put some on the pad/rag and rub it into the stock, wipe off any excess. Apply another coat 24 hours later. I usually apply 3-4 coats, knocking the grain down with steel wool between each coat.

Remember, most of this stuff is flammable, toxic, and bad so take the proper precautions. It's really not that difficult to do.

I used this process on some Garand stocks:

Note the lighter color of that bottom stock. I think it was birch, not walnut.

And the finished result (a short stock M1!):

[M2000 stuff]

Flatland is it for mag extensions. The +4 will give you 8+1+1 (it will ghost load like a Benelli). A 24" barrel will be flush with the Flatland extension. Limbsaver makes a recoil pad for it, the same size as the Browning Gold, and extended charging handles for the Benelli work with it, as do chokes for the M1 series, NOT the crio chokes. Stoeger has a pistol grip stock for the 2000, and that or the straight is your only choices. Great shotgun for the money.

Thanks for the reply everyone!

What does 8+1+1 mean? I thought it was one in the chamber, put 8 in the tube.

EDIT*** Is 8+1+1 mean that you load 8 into the tube, cycle to chamber one, but instead of chamber "that" round, you push it down on the elevator and load one directly in the chamber. Make it 1 in the chamber, one on the elevator, and 8 in the tube???

MIke.

This thread has some info on ghost loading a Benelli:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67593

I checked youtube, but only saw vids on ghost loading a Mossberg 930. HTH

[M2000 stuff]

3 Gun Gear

[SLP Mk1 and SX2 Practical owners, get in here!]

Well, I took the dive and won an SX2 28" on Gunbroker. $450 was hard to pass up.

I'll run it with the standard barrel for a while until I get the $$$ rounded up to hack the barrel.

Any thoughts on what to do with the gun when I receive it as far as cleaning and maintenance? Is it worth it to soak the piston and bolt in solvent? I haven't downloaded the manual yet. Oil, grease, both? I've read they like to be run wet.

[SLP Mk1 and SX2 Practical owners, get in here!]

I'm also needing a new shotgun. I had my mind made up on the SLP Mark 1, but I do like a vent rib better than the stock barrel.

Where are 24" vent rib barrels available for the SLP?

Gunbroker has vent rib barrel listings for the SLP, but I didn't see any in 24". A gunsmith can chop, thread, and bead a longer barrel.

That said, the replacement barrels are pricey. Figure another $100-$150 for the barrel work. It might be cheaper to get an SX2 or SX3 and cut that barrel instead. There are plenty of SX2 bird guns around.

[SLP Mk1 and SX2 Practical owners, get in here!]

I'm happy with my SLP Mk 1 with the stock barrel. I leave the flip up sight down for the majority of shots and just line up the front sight in the groove in the cantilever rail.

Is it as fast as a traditional vent rib?

For those adding a rear flip to the vent rib barrels, how much should I expect to pay to have that done? My Dremel-fu is not cut out for that level of work.

Thanks for all the replies!

[SLP Mk1 and SX2 Practical owners, get in here!]

I'm considering the purchase of an SLP Mk1 or SX2 Practical. What's holding me back are the sights. How does the fiber optic/rear flip/cantilever system work for you? Is it as fast as a traditional vent rib set up? I hear the rear flip is very nice for those 50-100 yard slug targets.

When I started shopping for a replacement for my 870, I was pretty sure I wanted a vent rib. It's what I use now with a Hi-Viz fiber optic 'bead', and I like it. If it do my part, it works. It's faster than the rifle sighted 870s I've tried.

I have a lead on a regular SX2 and a Mk1. The SX2 has the vent rib and is cheaper by about $75. Is the sight arrangement on the Mk1 worth it? I have no intentions of adding optics.

Thanks in advance!

ETA: I am a novice to the sport. I'll spare you the list of excuses of why I'll never win, but suffice it so say cyclic speed of the action will not be one of them (i.e., the speed of a Benelli versus a Winchester is a non-issue for me). My greatest impediment is my reloading speed, followed by my propensity to miss.

[Shorterning LOP on a SX2/SX3/SLP]

I'm considering the purchase of a Winchester SX2 Practical 12ga. The recoil mechanism extends into the stock, which has a published length of pull of 14". I am short and this LOP is way too long for me. Typical youth models, usually around 12-13", are much more comfortable.

On my current shotgun, an 870, I simply cut the wood stock, bolted on a new pad, and ground it down. Since there are important parts inside the stock of the SX2 (which is the same as/similar to the SX3, Browning Gold, and FN SLP), I can't get reckless with the miter saw.

Has anyone done this before? How much of the stock can I cut on the SX2 before I run into problems? I'd probably fit a shorter recoil pad to the fun at the same time, filling any voids with epoxy as necessary. I'd be thrilled if I could get myself 1-1.5" between cutting the stock and using a shorter pad.