XS Sights has branched out beyond weapon sights and is now offering a Remington 870 2rd extension. They offered up one for review so I volunteered as tribute. I was curious to see if the 870 2rd extension would work with some outlier variants of the 870 platform. Specifically, my Remington Model 870 Express Tactical Magpul edition and an AOW built off an 870.

870 2rd Extension = 9rds

Most regular 870 shotguns have a 4rd mag tube. The Magpul edition comes from the factory with a 6rd mag tube.

Installation of the XS Sights 870 2rd extension was very simple and effortless. The kit comes with an absurdly long magazine tube spring. It is 45″ long. And it is longer than my entire shotgun. Also included in the kit is a steel swage tool.

For some stock 870s, Remington uses dimples at the end of the magazine tube to hold the magazine spring end cap in place so that when you remove your barrel, the spring doesn’t go flying off across the room. See the photo below.

The swage tool is simple, you just tap it into the magazine tube to push the dimples outward.  For a more detailed installation follow XS Sights’ written instructions.

Fortunately, I did not have to worry about this. I had sent my Magpul 870 into Vang Comp several years ago and they drilled out the dimples for me.

I had forgotten that Vangcomp had added a 1rd extension so I assumed my Magpul 870 always held 7+1rds of 2.75″ 12 gauge. As mentioned above, the XS Sights magazine spring is longer than my entire shotgun.

So when I trimmed the magazine spring I kept cutting until I was able to fit 9rds in the magazine tube. Below you can see the XS Sights 870 2rd extension on my Magpul edition 870.

The mag tube extends past the barrel and breaching choke. Yes, I realize this negates the breaching choke but I never have a need to do any breaching with my shotgun and I suppose the XS Sights 2rd extension could now act as a stand-off device? I defer to shotgun breaching professionals and was only concerned if this could work not whether I should.

Since the Magpul edition actually only has a 6rd mag tube the 870 2rd extension should only give me 8rds in the tube. But as I mentioned earlier I made assumptions about my shotgun’s capacity and kept trimming the spring until I could fit 9rds in the tube. It works but the 9th round is a bit sketchy. I can feel a crunching sensation that I think is the spring compressing. I took the shotgun to the range and test fired all 9+1 rounds and it fed flawlessly.

Extending A Shorty

If any 12 gauge dispenser was in need of round extension, it should be an NFA AOW. Thanks to my friend Jerry F for coming out and bringing his CA Legal NFA AOW. It was built off a Remington 870 pistol grip firearm and registered with CA DOJ. Then he was able to file Form 1 and register it as an AOW. It is the one NFA item a CA resident can legally possess and own.

As it stands Jerry’s shorty only holds 2+1 rounds of 2.75″ 12 gauge.

If you add a Vang Comp 1rd extension it now holds 3+1.

I was curious how the XS Sights 870 2rd extension would look and function on the shorty. I used the cut-off part of the 45″ magazine spring I had cut down for my Magpul 870. You can see how long it is compared to the spring in the Shorty.

With the 870 2rd extension, the shorty does hold 4+1 rounds of 2.75″ 12 gauge.

4+1 is not exactly mind-blowing capacity. So I brought out the 12ga mini shells. In its stock form, the AOW Shorty can hold 4+1 12 ga mini birdshot.

The Vang Comp 1rd extension unfortunately only adds one more round for a total of 5+1.

With the XS Sights 870 2rd extension, I was able to fit 7+1 mini birdshot shotshells into the AOW Shorty. I was hoping to double the capacity and have 8+1rds but unfortunately was unsuccessful.

Shooting With The 2rd Extension

It works so well that it was uneventful. No issues feeding full size 2.75″ 12 ga shells.

Some may be concerned with the mag extension going past the muzzle. On a normal length barrel, this is not an issue. I have seen and experienced lengthening 3Gun competition shotguns with absurdly long magazine extensions. Below is my Mossberg 930 JM Pro with a 9rd tube extension to get me 14+1 rds.

The wad of a shotgun shell keeps the shot tightly packed and does not open up until a couple yards past the muzzle. The only side effect is the muzzle blast hitting the mag tube, but not the actual projectile. Below you can see a little bit of muzzle blast coating the 870 2rd extension.

Final Thoughts On The XS Sights 2rd Extension

For only $90 you can add two rounds to your Remington 870. XS Sights’ extension has an indentation for use with barrel clamps. This does not work for my Magpul 870 since the barrel is 18.5″ and not possible with the Jerry’s shorty. But these are not your average Remington 870. I could see this extension being great for people running a standard hunting style 870 with a factory 4rd tube. For more information go to XS Sights website.

---

---

We are committed to finding, researching, and recommending the best products. We earn commissions from purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. Learn more about how this works.