Replacing an 870 wooden forend- what am I doing wrong?

Regarding the forend cant… I have to wedge something like a screwdriver tip or similar in the gap between the action bar and forend to get it centered on my gun when tightening down the nut. It’s really more of an aesthetics thing that doesn’t affect function, but if it matters to you, it’s an easy fix. One thing I did notice is that having the forend canted allowed it to rub a line on my barrel during a shotgun class. Due to the way I was holding the forend, I was apparently putting quite a bit of torque on it. No big deal, but that led me to the screwdriver tip trick. Anything that will act as a shim while you’re tightening the nut will work.

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Originally Posted by LJP

Regarding the forend cant… I have to wedge something like a screwdriver tip or similar in the gap between the action bar and forend to get it centered on my gun when tightening down the nut. It’s really more of an aesthetics thing that doesn’t affect function, but if it matters to you, it’s an easy fix. One thing I did notice is that having the forend canted allowed it to rub a line on my barrel during a shotgun class. Due to the way I was holding the forend, I was apparently putting quite a bit of torque on it. No big deal, but that led me to the screwdriver tip trick. Anything that will act as a shim while you’re tightening the nut will work.

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Thanks for the tip. I will try that.

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Originally Posted by MandoWookie

My opinion on the aesthetics, or the forend cant?
:p

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The forend. Years ago I put Surefire forends on 15 or so 870s and some would be a bit off. A tap with a plastic hammer or the wooden handle would tweak it just right.

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Originally Posted by MandoWookie

One thing I've noted, the forend seems canted, left side seems to have less gap between it and the barrel than the right. Dont know if I messed up install, or if that's just how it is.

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Originally Posted by BobM

The forend. Years ago I put Surefire forends on 15 or so 870s and some would be a bit off. A tap with a plastic hammer or the wooden handle would tweak it just right.

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I had the same minor issues mounting SF forends on 870P's, which would sometimes rub on the receiver when retracted...and this is another cool thing about that UTG wrench:

With the shotgun assembled and the barrel removed, retract the forend fully, so that the action bars are fully supported in and by the receiver. THEN slip the UTG wrench over the magazine tube and loosen/tighten the forend nut using whatever shim method works for you to keep the forend centered. That ought to alleviate the problem when you reinstall the barrel.

Well, I bought a Magpul forend for my old 870, and I'm in the same boat with the stuck nut. Thanks for the previous responses and the shared experience, as all the info will save me quite a bit of frustration. I have one other 870 that I put a Magpul stock and forend on and I didn't have any problems with that one. There's definitely some significant gun to gun variation.