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Spencerk

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I was looking for an actual ithaca 37 side saddle to put on my stevens 350 (model 37 clone) and I stumbled across an NCStar aluminum 4/6 round side saddle that attatches via velcro or double sided tape and only cost me $13 bucks...

After closer inspection of the pictures it looks to be designed the exact same way that the tighter priced mesa tactical side saddle I used to have was (except for the fact that the NCStar has a dovetails part to remove/add two of the shell carrers).

I ended up selling my mesa tactical because it wasn't worth the high price in my opinion. When I get this el cheapo I'll give an update. If it turns out to be OK I'm thinking of ordering a second one for the other side of the receiver just for giggles since this is a defensive gun/fun gun. May even balance out the weight a bit.

Does anybody have any experience with this particular model?



EDIT: ADDED PHOTOS TO SHOW RETENTION DESIGN SIMILARITIES TO MESA TACTICAL SHELL CARRIERS...





And here is an example of the Mesa Tactical sidesaddle where you can see the same style of shell retention...

 
This new NcStar side saddle could be interesting, indeed. The aluminum body is a head-and-shoulders above the long-standing cheap-a$$ plastic TacStar unit; at a price point way lower than Mesa, who it appears to clone less the additional steel (but positionaly limiting!) trigger-pin-affixed receiver-side mounting/backing plate...
I'm a stock-mounted extra round carrier believer/proponent and this may WAY SIMPLIFY a Mesa's seriously-custom-mount requirement, allowing even (my favorite) walnut solid stocks.
Image

Image


PLEASE take/post close-up pics when you get your purchase. I'd really appreciate overall exact length & width, along width the base's "shoulder" width and thickness.
Hell, at <$20, the velcro attachments may afford econo "ARID-like" carrier swaps...
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
We think alike. I did the same with a $5 rail mounted side saddle On my chopped up 18.5" Baikal MP-18
Works great



And I will end up posting pix of the shell carrier and review. I haven't gotten the gun yet, it's on it's way to my FFL from gunbroker.

I'll end up doing a review of both put together in about 2 weeks. But when I get the actual shell carrier I'll review its quality and whatnot.
 
I use one and it actually works fairly well. The unit is aluminum and quite solid, and does not have issues with shells backing out. The one problem I've encountered is that the supplied Velcro is not that great, and the sidesaddle can shift on the Velcro pad during sustained fire.

I still trust it more than anything that can apply pressure to the sides of the receiver and cause malfunctions. My primary use for the sidesaddle is to hold a couple rounds of birdshot for snakes when hiking, or to practice slug-select drills in the "run-and-gun" fire-and-movement drills we do frequently.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
SouthernPhantom said:
I use one and it actually works fairly well. The unit is aluminum and quite solid, and does not have issues with shells backing out. The one problem I've encountered is that the supplied Velcro is not that great, and the sidesaddle can shift on the Velcro pad during sustained fire.

I still trust it more than anything that can apply pressure to the sides of the receiver and cause malfunctions. My primary use for the sidesaddle is to hold a couple rounds of birdshot for snakes when hiking, or to practice slug-select drills in the "run-and-gun" fire-and-movement drills we do frequently.
So it sounds like using industril strength/automotive double sided tape is the right idea for me then.

I am thinking about drilling and tapping the receiver in 8 spots LOL. Drilling a hole in every corner of the mount. Maybe even doing this on both sides when/if I order the second sidesaddle.

But only after I get the stevens 350 duracoated. I don't want to trap any moiture and create any rust... That would really suck.
 
Spencerk said:
So it sounds like using industril strength/automotive double sided tape is the right idea for me then.
Buy 2-sided premium 3M automotive emblem (grey) tape; once it sets up, it'll take you heavy nylon fishing line to saw it apart.

I am thinking about drilling and tapping the receiver in 8 spots LOL. Drilling a hole in every corner of the mount.
Careful to avoid your forend arms' tracks and shell stops. And apply red Threadlocker.
But similar is how I'm seeing attachment into walnut stocks. Maybe with a slight routered base recess to keep it looking professional grade; we'll see what the dimensions/thicknesses look like when I get the NCStar you just caused me to buy/explore, brother. {hs# .

What color Duracoat are you thinking of? I've got a FDE Cerakoted 870P that looks elegant killer with walnut, or just stand-out with black synthetic. And I've seen a bronze stunner...

Remember, pics or it didn't happen.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
GDubya said:
Spencerk said:
So it sounds like using industril strength/automotive double sided tape is the right idea for me then.
Buy 2-sided premium 3M automotive emblem (grey) tape; once it sets up, it'll take you heavy nylon fishing line to saw it apart.

I am thinking about drilling and tapping the receiver in 8 spots LOL. Drilling a hole in every corner of the mount.
Careful to avoid your forend arms' tracks and shell stops. And apply red Threadlocker.
But similar is how I'm seeing attachment into walnut stocks. Maybe with a slight routered base recess to keep it looking professional grade; we'll see what the dimensions/thicknesses look like when I get the NCStar you just caused me to buy/explore, brother. {hs# .

What color Duracoat are you thinking of? I've got a FDE Cerackoted 870P that looks elegant killer with walnut funiture or even black synthetic. And I've seen a bronze stunner...

Remember, pics or it didn't happen.
Well my stevens 350 just showed up at my FFL but I just had surgery yesterday on the worst possible appendage any man could think of so it's gonna be a week until I can even go and start my 10 day wait. That being said, pix will come as I receive the parts/gun.

This is the stevens 350 ithaca 47 clone I got for 200 bucks:

My only worry about drilling and tapping My receiver is the structural integrity of the receiver
Its solid parkerized steel so Idk if I'm just being paranoid. Maybe using the double sided tape plus drilling and tapping would be a good day to keep some extra pressure holding the screws. Maybe I'm just delirious from my surgery I just had. I just want a rock solid mount....
..
For 200 bucks I don't feel bad going all out bubba on the receiver to mount the sidesaddle on both sides LOL. Even if I do end up deciding to drill and tap which may end up being fun

I did a burnt bronze RIA 1911 before... But I'm not going that crazy with this. I'm kind of thinking a sniper grey looking color would look sweet over the phosphate texture. I haven't decided weather or not to go with alumahyde 2 or duracoat yet because the wife isn't to happy about letting me use the oven for my gun projects... So alumahyde is most likely going to be what I end up doing. I was thinking of leaving the stock and for end black though. And possibly the barrel.
The only reason I want to coat the gun is to prevent rust. I live close enough tothe ocean to throw a rock at the boats in the marina below my apartment... Rust is a real issue here. Any bit of rust spreads like the plague.

Any word of wisdom for Drilling and tapping the side of an ithaca clone receiver? And body think it's a bad idea and I should just stick with the uber strong double sided adhesive?
 
I think that drilling and tapping that much is an awful idea. You're talking some serious precision machining work- anything intruding into the action risks causing one hell of a death jam. Adhesive is probably your best bet- it does not entail mucking around in the space required by the action to function.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
SouthernPhantom said:
I think that drilling and tapping that much is an awful idea. You're talking some serious precision machining work- anything intruding into the action risks causing one hell of a death jam. Adhesive is probably your best bet- it does not entail mucking around in the space required by the action to function.
I think you may be right. Would JB weld work?

Or what about brazing/soldering it to the side of the receiver?


Here's the spec sheet... At 20,000 psi it sounds like it would provide a pretty darn solid hold under recoil...



I know it would be permanent but it would defiantly be a stronger alternative to double sided tape... And I do have quite a bit of experience with soldering... Plus this stuff looks like it works at a low temp.
 
I believe what you're looking at is essentially like hard/"silver" solder, which is how (rifle) sight ramps are affixed to 870P barrels, although there are typically shallow pins incorporated to give the joined parts more than single plane contact... This process affords actual metallurgical bonds between the pieces. J-B Weld is one helluva epoxy (try getting an XS Big Dot off of a OEM bead without serious heat) but I don't know if I'd trust it along a essentially smooth face single plane bond under, say, 12GA slug pump recoil.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
GDubya said:
I believe what you're looking at is essentially like hard/"silver" solder, which is how (rifle) sight ramps are affixed to 870P barrels, although there are typically shallow pins incorporated to give the joined parts more than single plane contact... This process affords actual metallurgical bonds between the pieces. J-B Weld is one helluva epoxy (try getting an XS Big Dot off of a OEM bead without serious heat) but I don't know if I'd trust it along a essentially smooth face single plane bond under, say, 12GA slug pump recoil.
The rear weaver rail my ghost ring sight is attached.to on the single shot I posted above I soldered on and has lasted through hundreds of slugs.

If I were to go with any permanent route, I would probably use the aformentioned solder that I posted about. I think it would provide the best possible strength while eliminating the extra width that the double sided tape would create.

Probably seems like a big hassle to go through for an el cheapo Chinese knockoff of an Ithaca 37, but if I was going to solder a sidesaddle to any gun, it would be an el cheapo Chinese knockoff... Lol.
 
You're getting too complex, brother! The 3M industrial tape is more than adequate, unless you routinely plan on leaving your shotgun out where it will get too hit to touch. I would point out that, if you do that, even high-quality 12g shells may be deforming and lodging in your mag tube. Short version, with reasonable care, the adhesive will work very well.

Here's the premium stuff:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...M-VHB-Tape-4950-White-2-in-x-36-yd-45-0-mil-6-per-case?N=6105+4294921757&rt=rud
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Rob72 said:
You're getting too complex, brother! The 3M industrial tape is more than adequate, unless you routinely plan on leaving your shotgun out where it will get too hit to touch. I would point out that, if you do that, even high-quality 12g shells may be deforming and lodging in your mag tube. Short version, with reasonable care, the adhesive will work very well.

Here's the premium stuff:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...M-VHB-Tape-4950-White-2-in-x-36-yd-45-0-mil-6-per-case?N=6105+4294921757&rt=rud
The reason why I want to do it this way is because I like the idea of it being a permanent addition. My gun may also get wet quite often. I also want to use it in tactical shotgun classes and have seen a couple guys using double sided tape rip their carriers off by accident. Maybe they were using the wrong stuff though because I watched some videos of how strong some of this stuff can be if applied properly and it's shocking.

Plus I think it would be cool to have a permanently bonded shell carrier that I could blend to the side of the receiver after I finish getting it "soldered" on either side. Having 2 5+1 total reloads on the gun sounds like a nice grab and go gun for shtf. I'm also buying one of these to attempt to attach to my Baikal MP-18 12ga receiver. With the action opened it looks like there will be enough space for me to actually insert a round. I rarely ever use the extractor function, but I'm going to keep 2 on one side and 4 on the other and trim down the backplate to fit the gun better. If I can get it to work right, on my short 18.5" Baikal mp18 I'll do the same to the one in sending to polychoke to get a vent rib and polychoke installed on. That will make reloads way easier than having to fumble throug my pocket. Open barrel, remove round from carrier and it's only a couple inches to the chamber from there if that... I'm trying to make my own iteration of the ultimate modern hunting/trap single shot 12ga. And in my opinion, if I can solidly solder these on in a way that will allow them to get beat up, handle being in the sun, rain, and dirt, this muggy products super alloy 1 stuff might just be the ticket for making my cheapo guns more my ******* huntintac style
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Here's the update. Got the shell carrier. I actually ordered 3 more today because of how impressed I am with their quality for $12.75 and free shipping...

Comes in a nice little box...



Nice quality aluminum... Looks great!


Hmmm... Shells went on nice and tight...



The retention is way better than my old Mesa Tactical was out of the box...



I honestly believe NCStar keep these shell carriers to the KISS method to keep prices low and quality as best as possible. I emailed NCStar and asked them what aluminum they are made of. They promptly responded and told me they make these shell carriers out of 6063-t5 extruded aluminum. So not to shabby for the price point. In just glad it's not cast crap. My theory is confirmed. KISS WORKS.

Now I just have to wait to DROS my shotgun on tuesday, and mount them up with some double sided tape. I realized the bottom plate of aluminum is screwed on in order to allow you to change out the rubberized retention crap (technical term). If after a lot of use the rubber ends up holding up, I WILL end up using that mugguweld super alloy 1 to permanently attatch the shellholder to my receiver. I will have 2 on my Stevens 350, 1 6 round shell holder on either side, I'll use the 2 round portions from my other 2 that I ordered to attatch to the receivers of my Baikal mp18's so I can have some spare rounds right there next to the breech for when I'm hunting. That will be very handy in my opinion. And I may use some double sided tape to stretch the 4 round pieces to the stocks. Unless I decide to use one of the four round pieces on the Stevens 350 stock just for giggles. 2 full 6 round reloads and an extra 4 rounds of slugs on the stock just in case... For when in in the woods.
 
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