870 barrel for Sportsman 58

[Brewster]

Any of you readers ever drill the gas ports into an 870 barrel and fit it to an old Remington Sportsman 58?

[charles p]

I thought the Sportsman 58 was a three shot semi-auto.  Will a pump barrel swap with a semi?

[Brewster]

It fits but the gas port holes required for the 58 are not on the 870 barrel.

[Graybeard]

Works fine 870 and 58 barrels interchange  so long as ya have the gas vent holes properly placed. It's best to cover/fill them when using a 58 barrel on an 870 but not absolutely necessary.

[keith44]

very clever!!  If you drill the gas ports, Brewster, please tell us about the hole size and angle (if not straight) and how it works.

[DAT19K]

there was some pretty detailed instructions floating around the net but i can't seem to find them now. i'm going to use an 870 barrel to bring back a 58 from the dead.

[SHOOTALL]

should be able to use a drill bit index to find the correct size if you have a bbl already on the auto. it might be that the correct angle of the hole can also when the bit is in the hole.

[Brewster]

The proper bit size is a #29 for the 26" 12 gauge.  The tricky part is that there are two gas ports.  Both are angled on the long axis of the barrel, which can be measured.  But one is centered at 6:00 and the other is a bit clockwise, with the axis of the 2nd hole parallel to the first.  I'm working on a jig in my spare time.  The first hole is easy but the second a challenge getting it exact.

[Brewster]

After accepting my own limitations, I decided to ship off the barrel to Ahlman's in Morristown, MN..  Shipped it on a Wednesday, they had it on Thursday morning, and shipped it back by the end of the day on Friday.  I had it back on Monday.  Nice job, quick turnaround and priced more than fair.

[charles p]

This brings back memories.  When I was a boy my dad bought me a 12 guage Sportsman 58.  That would have been 1958 or maybe a little latter.  I'd like to know just how many quail, doves, and squirrel I killed with it, plus a few rabbits.  I really would like to know how many miles I walked with it and how many I rode my bicycle with it.  It jammed alot after about 10 years and I think I used too mush oil on it, but  I must have fired 10,000+ shells though that gun before it fell of a dog box into the highway and broke the forearm and severely scratched the metal surfaces.  The gun still worked great but it was sad for me to look at it.  Sold it to my brother-in-law for $50.  Shells for 16 guage were getting harder to find and expensive.