OBG,<br><br>I got your shotgun :-) or at least one of its brothers. I bought one of the Rem 870s that the CHP retired & surplussed about 10 years ago. It shows a little surface wear to the wood finish. Otherwise, it's condition was nearly perfect. It's unclear if it was ever fired before I got it. :-)) What was the rationale behind retiring those guns?<br><br>I added a Choate 7 round mag extn., a slip-on recoil pad, & a Tac Star Side Saddle. The original rubber pad seemed a little harder than the wood. In shooting skeet, I realized the need to replace/augment the pad. I also needed the extra 1" added to the length of pull. I found that loading the Side Saddle adds another 1/2 pound to an otherwise slightly light gun. It then handled more nicely for me (more like my regular sporting shotguns). OTH, it shouldered & pointed more quickly in its original configuration, but then it swung less smoothly & kicked more. Always a tradeoff. In its present configuration, it is reserved for serious social situations. It now seems physically better fitted for that now. However, I am less than thrilled with its ornate appearance, especially how that might look in the aftermath of a serious application. What are your thoughts on those modifications?<br><br>By the way, why didn't the CHP use extended magazines on their Rem 870s ?<br><br>It's encouraging to learn that the CHP did not have mag spring problems with their S & Ws despite the magazines being loaded 99% of the time over prolonged periods. Especially since I have S & Ws of about the same vintage.<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>John

Cybe,<br><br>That's a real helpful review of magazine performance & history. I also like your formula for optimum magazine loads.<br><br>I test extensively any potential defensive ammo for my guns. Some guns are just a lot more finicky than others. In the real world, nothing short of a proven track record of reliability of the individual combination of gun, feeding devices, ammo, & shooter will suffice.<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>John

I never did hear why they replaced all of the shotguns in the entire state. Once again they failed to consult me!!! Some shotguns get shot more than others, but none a whole bunch. Officers shoot the shotgun quarterly, and I always just pulled a few out of any handy vehicle and used those. Might get the same one two times in a row, might never get another. Therer was once a plan to buy all S&W shotguns, and we were going to be able to purchase the old 870's if we wanted to, then S&W went out of the shotgun business. Ended up with more 870's, this time with black "plastic" stocks and forarms and a phosphate type finish. No rifle sights, which I thought was a mistake, 'specially since they are finally looking at issuing slugs. No sling swivels, altho that can be easily changed. I have no idea why they have never liked extended mags or sidesaddles. I personally don't like extended mags, throws the balance off too much, but I really like sidesaddles.

Well, don't qoute my formula. It's nothing more than my personal rule of thumb, and little more than a wild a**ed guess. I't mostly based on the experinces that people have had with double stacked magazines. It just happens to convert to a formula nicely.