Not all police pump shotgun slings, swivels and studs are the same.

JonathanBailey

Not all police pump shotgun slings, swivels and studs are the same.

I purchased a second-hand Remington 870 Express Synthetic 12 ga./3"/Cylinder w/ 18" Barrel (as marked on the original included box) which also included a Blackhawk! black nylon sling with shell loops and those annoying large, heavy metal spring hooks. The gun had the original studs but I had to purchase Uncle Mike's QD swivels at Wally-World. The knurled plastic thumb sleeves (screws) are cheesy and will mar or crack easily as the one on my buttstock got pinched by the metal sling hook and the metal loop of the swivel. I don't like the stud on the synthetic buttstock of my Remington also. When torqued down tight by hand, the axis of the swivel pin hole through the stud body will not be a perfectly perpendicular with the stock so the elongated 1.25" swivel loop will be cockeyed and make the gun look sloppy. I tried applying blue Loctite 10 to the stud threads and tightened it down and backed it off just enough so the swivel now appears perfectly perpendicular with the buttstock. I will have to see how that holds. If the stud becomes loose, there is a danger of it becoming unscrewed accidentally thus dropping the gun while carried slung. I do wish the buttstock swivel studs were of a design that rotates freely as does the front swivel stud on the gun's stock magazine extension tube barrel clamp. I do prefer the tactical slings that loop through the swivel loop by their webbing instead of the clumsy dog-leash-style hooks which can scratch up gun parts nearby if one is not careful. Better yet, I like the sling attachment on the buttstock of M16/AR-15 rifles which is rigid and won't come undone. I believe the Benelli Nova swivel attachment on their buttstocks is of the rigid, non-turnable design and that Nova is the next police pump gun I long to purchase. I long for a 20-ga. version of the Nova as well for birds. I'm not impressed with the lack of build quality and design of my Remmy 870 police pump in many respects. Remington guns of old were far superior. In the pictures of the Benelli Nova, the sling swivel attachment  appears to be an elongated eyelet on the bottom edge of the stock were a QD swivel attaches. I've done some browsing online and there are better QD swivels on the market with all-metal knurled thumb sleeves instead of the cheap plastic ones. 

earlyagain

The front stud on what was my primary hunting rifle is perpetually loose. Other than occasionally checking it as a matter of habit well in the field it's never caused a problem or came off. Maybe not so good for professional use, but not a big deal for normal use.

If I was not inclined toward the ease and convenience of neglect, I'd apply some two part epoxy. Strong stuff.

JonathanBailey

earlyagain said:

The front stud on what was my primary hunting rifle is perpetually loose. Other than occasionally checking it as a matter of habit well in the field it's never caused a problem or came off. Maybe not so good for professional use, but not a big deal for normal use.

If I was not inclined toward the ease and convenience of neglect, I'd apply some two part epoxy. Strong stuff.

I have no questions but my thread was chiefly to warn people to be aware of sling-related parts on the market before buying: my caveat. The sling of a long gun is no small mickey-mouse thing to overlook. I would be afraid to epoxy my stud into the stock as one may never be able to remove it if one ever had to for any reason. If it were a really valuable gun, I would have a competent gunsmith address the loose stud issue. 

earlyagain

I had a swivel stud break off on a slung rifle well snow shoeing down a draw.

Nothing bad happened. IIRC, I wasn't even late for lunch.

True story.

JonathanBailey

earlyagain said:

I had a swivel stud break off on a slung rifle well snow shoeing down a draw.

Nothing bad happened. IIRC, I wasn't even late for lunch.

True story.

Was a gunsmith able to repair the broken stud without an expensive bill? I suppose the broken threaded part would have to be extracted from the stock. Hopefully, the threads in the stock weren't damaged.I don't know exactly how damaged stud threads are repaired. Is there a metal threaded piece embedded in the stock if it's wood where the stud screws in? My Remington synthetic stock just has threads tapped right into the plastic and the stud itself looks like it has wood screw style threads. Sling attachment failures in the field could lead to expensive gun damage or an accidental discharge, so it's also a safety issue besides being an economic issue. 

Sling attachment points vary in quality and design depending upon the gun brand and model. My impression is the Remington synthetic stock stud is rather cheesy. Rigid and sturdy sling attachment points as in AR-15/M16 are far better than screw-in studs. 

JonathanBailey

JonathanBailey said:

earlyagain said:

I had a swivel stud break off on a slung rifle well snow shoeing down a draw.

Nothing bad happened. IIRC, I wasn't even late for lunch.

True story.

Was a gunsmith able to repair the broken stud without an expensive bill? I suppose the broken threaded part would have to be extracted from the stock. Hopefully, the threads in the stock weren't damaged.I don't know exactly how damaged stud threads are repaired. Is there a metal threaded piece embedded in the stock if it's wood where the stud screws in? My Remington synthetic stock just has threads tapped right into the plastic and the stud itself looks like it has wood screw style threads. Sling attachment failures in the field could lead to expensive gun damage or an accidental discharge, so it's also a safety issue besides being an economic issue. 

With some gunmakers, the sling attachment hardware seems to be an afterthought because whoever puts a sling on a shotgun in the first place, right? To be honest the sling on my Remmy police pump is used chiefly to hang the gun on the wall, not carry the gun as it is strictly a home or camp defender. 

earlyagain

The rifle in question was easily repaired with new studs I installed.

The further details in your subsequent posts has helped me see the problem better. At least the after market has improved products for a fix. 

Jayhawker

JonathanBailey said:

JonathanBailey said:

earlyagain said:

I had a swivel stud break off on a slung rifle well snow shoeing down a draw.

Nothing bad happened. IIRC, I wasn't even late for lunch.

True story.

Was a gunsmith able to repair the broken stud without an expensive bill? I suppose the broken threaded part would have to be extracted from the stock. Hopefully, the threads in the stock weren't damaged.I don't know exactly how damaged stud threads are repaired. Is there a metal threaded piece embedded in the stock if it's wood where the stud screws in? My Remington synthetic stock just has threads tapped right into the plastic and the stud itself looks like it has wood screw style threads. Sling attachment failures in the field could lead to expensive gun damage or an accidental discharge, so it's also a safety issue besides being an economic issue. 

With some gunmakers, the sling attachment hardware seems to be an afterthought because whoever puts a sling on a shotgun in the first place, right? To be honest the sling on my Remmy police pump is used chiefly to hang the gun on the wall, not carry the gun as it is strictly a home or camp defender. 

Have you taken the recoil pad off and looked at it from the inside?

JonathanBailey

Jayhawker said:

JonathanBailey said:

JonathanBailey said:

earlyagain said:

I had a swivel stud break off on a slung rifle well snow shoeing down a draw.

Nothing bad happened. IIRC, I wasn't even late for lunch.

True story.

Was a gunsmith able to repair the broken stud without an expensive bill? I suppose the broken threaded part would have to be extracted from the stock. Hopefully, the threads in the stock weren't damaged.I don't know exactly how damaged stud threads are repaired. Is there a metal threaded piece embedded in the stock if it's wood where the stud screws in? My Remington synthetic stock just has threads tapped right into the plastic and the stud itself looks like it has wood screw style threads. Sling attachment failures in the field could lead to expensive gun damage or an accidental discharge, so it's also a safety issue besides being an economic issue. 

With some gunmakers, the sling attachment hardware seems to be an afterthought because whoever puts a sling on a shotgun in the first place, right? To be honest the sling on my Remmy police pump is used chiefly to hang the gun on the wall, not carry the gun as it is strictly a home or camp defender. 

Have you taken the recoil pad off and looked at it from the inside?

No, I have not. I'm confident the blue Loctite will do the trick. This Remmy of mine is slated for a new Benelli Nova to take its place on the wall shortly anyway. 

JonathanBailey

Oops, of course, I would like to test-fire a Nova when I get ready to buy one before committing to buying. 

Bigslug

Well, if you've got an Express, you don't have a Police model.  How that applies to sling studs, I couldn't say offhand, but there are very significant differences in the quality of the rest of the gun. 

Check out Spectergear's CST slings.  Velcro wrap-around attachments on the buttstock, bypassing the need for QD studs entirely.

breamfisher

Blue Loctite is NOT reccomended for use on synthetics.  Especially a thermoplastic like what the Remington Express stocks are made from.  Says so on their website and on the packaging.  Could lead to cracking.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/t_lkr_blue/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Blue-242.htm

Teach

A simple, permanent way to solve the problem would be to install a RivNut into the stock.  Then you'll have a metal thread that can be file-fitted for tightness in the correct position  and secured with Loctite if necessary.