The US Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, posted a sources sought notice for a ‘Modular Combat Shotgun’ based upon the Remington 870 on 23 May.

The Army Contracting Command shared the notice on behalf of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) and Product Manager Crew Served Weapons (PMCSW) as a form of market research to identify potential future sources for the Remington M870 Modular Combat Shotgun.

The notice is points out in its first paragraph that the notice is for planning purposes only and that the Army does not intend to award a contract based on this request for information.

MCS 870 Modular Combat Shotgun Primary function: Anti-personnel, breaching and less-than-lethal. Length: 35.75 in. Weight: 7.3 lbs. Caliber: 12 gage. Maximum effective range: 68 meters. (Photo & Caption: USAF)

The sources sought notice lays describes the shotgun and accompanying accessories:

Description of Remington Arms M870-24979
For the purposes of this sources sought notice, the M870-24979 is defined as follows:

One (1) M870 Receiver
18″ “duty” barrel w/ Rem Choke
Magazine tube extension +3
Long Magazine spring (for 14″ and 18″ barrels)
Barrel Accessory Rail System (BARS) for use with the 14″ and 18″ barrels
Improved choke (IC)
Tactical sling
Removable fixed length Speedfeed ® pistol grip tactical stock
Choke wrench
Operator manual

The M870-24979 is a configuration of the standard M870 Modular Combat Shotgun that removes the 10″ and 14″ barrels and several other components from the standard offering of the MCS system.

Remington describe the 870 MCS as “Multiple specialized shotguns in one, the Model 870 Modular Combat Shotgun (MCS) is the ultimate choice for virtually any close-range scenario. Modifications are made rapidly without tools thanks to the REM LOC Quick-Change Stock System.”

Perspective vendors replying with information about their capabilities had until the end of June and had to provide a summary of their manufacturing and delivery capabilities. While the 870 has been in use with the US military in various forms for decades the Modular Combat Shotgun was introduced in the 2010s. While this notice doesn’t constitute an imminent contract for new M870 MCS’ it does hint at future development of the platform and orders.

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