I’m an unashamed shotgun nut. I love shotguns of all types and designs, and I can even find some space in my heart for a Turkish shotgun. If you’re a shotgunner, you know about certain brands, brands like Aridus, Mesa Tactical, and S&J Hardware. I’ve got a number of shotguns wearing S&J Hardware magazine extensions and have had nothing but love for the brand.
S&J Hardware is a proud Canadian company, but this year, they are making a push to hit the U.S. market. They are opening an S&J Hardware USA facility in Austin, Texas. This facility will be involved in not just importing Canadian products from S&J, but also getting into the manufacturing side of things.
A big part of this push will be centered around the Remington 870 platform. If you’re not familiar with the Remington drama, they have had some hiccups, went bankrupt, and were sold. They are being slowly revived, but there is a gap in the market that S&J Hardware is looking to fill.
S&J Hardware and What They Bring to The 870
I spoke with S&J Hardware today to get a better idea of what their expansion plans are. A lot of the focus on the 870 is because the current Remington company is not focusing all that hard on the 870. They are making the guns, sure, but spare parts are currently 24 months backordered. S&J Hardware gets calls daily from U.S. police forces looking for 870 parts.
S&J will be producing nearly every small part for the Remington 870 platform. From extractors and ejectors to the little springs necessary to make the gun function. That’s great, but what interested me most was S&J Hardware taking an ambitious embrace of the Remington 870 MCS.
The MCS is an 870 design that was only really sold to military and police forces. A few have made their way to the civilian market, but are rare as honest politicians. MCS stands for Modular Combat Shotgun and allows you to swap various barrel lengths, magazine capacities, and more to turn the gun from a full-sized fighting shotgun to a pistol grip breacher gun.
S&J Hardware is developing numerous MCS parts and adapters. Namely, the dedicated short forend is under construction, as well as various other MCS-sized options. They are looking to produce short barrels for the 870 series with matched magazine tubes. Being able to convert your 870 to a stamped short-barreled shotgun and have your own MCS design will be amazing.
This will provide access to a configuration that’s long escaped American shooters. It’s somewhat funny a Canadian company is doing what the classic American Remington 870 refuses to.
What I’m Excited For
With a hefty population of TAC-14s on the market, there are plenty of receivers that are ready to become AOWs and short-barreled shotguns. I’m interested in making my own Super Shorty-style 870, but no one is producing the barrels and magazine tubes necessary to make it possible.
S&J Hardware will be pumping out high-quality short barrels and magazine tubes so I can make the AOW of my dreams. They are even producing a folding forward grip, which is necessary for these super short designs. That same folding forward grip, they call it the Close Quarter Combat Grip, is available for full-sized shotguns.
Why? Well, front vertical grips create a better push-pull without the likelihood of breaking when you press it too hard. It’s a neat alternative design for helping fight recoil.
The stuff S&J plans to put out seems impressive, and some of it is already available on their website. Outside of 870 gear, they produce chest rigs, magazine extensions, elastic shell holders, and more. Highlights include bayonet mounts for Mossbergs, Benellis, Stoegers, and Remingtons, adapters to mount SGA stocks to various shotguns, and various stocks and grips designed to mount on the MCS system.
If you’re a shotgun nut like me, give them a look.
