Anyone used a saddle mount on an 870 to mount optics? I have a Remington 870 Super Mag turkey model. It came pretapped for a base, however the holes were not tapped straight down the receiver. Obviously a factory flaw. Due to this, you cannot mount a standard picatinny rail on the receiver, because it will not sit straight and fit flush down on the receiver. I don't feel comfortable tapping more holes into the receiver, as I fear that will weaken the integrity of the receiver, causing cracks from the heavy recoil of 3.5 magnum shells. So it seems I am stuck with the saddle mount option. Has anyone used one? Curious if they are a solid mount that will not move around on me or rattle loose with repeated recoil. Thanks for any help
I use saddle mounts on all my shotguns with no problems. I use a saddle mount that you can still see your bead. I have scopes and red dot mounted on mine..The reason i like saddle mounts is it gives you the best of both worlds 2 sights ...
Did you talk to Remington about the flaw they may make it right with you?
I have a B Square mount on my 870 Express Super Mag and it works great.
I have a B-Square aluminum mount on my 870SM. It's a little bulky/clunky looking(to me anyway), but works. I put a Mueller holographic sight on mine. I tried a Weaver plastic saddle and it was very flimsy. The rail where the sight sets would flex just by pushing on it with your thumb/finger. I'm thinking of trying the mount in shown in this thread: http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,71046.0.html
Thanks for the feedback guys. I've not contacted Remington, not sure how they could make it right short of giving me a new receiver. To be honest this gun throws such an absolutely wicked pattern I hate to change anything mechanically about it. Shotguns are individuals, and who knows if a replacement would measure up. Anyway, I figure if I go this route I might as well go quality for peace of mind. I'm looking at the mesa tactical saddle mount. Goes for about a hundred bucks, but seems to be the best built saddle design I've seen
Do you need a full rail to mount the optic your looking at? If not wanting to mount a scope I think Sumtoy makes some mounts for red dots that just utilize only two of the four holes.