I tried to unscrew the front bead on a remington 870 so I
could properly install the Hi-Viz set which actually sucks
which I know because I tried them out and they are terrible.
I was able to try them because of an adhesive on the bottom
of the HiViz front sight.
They are plastic fiber optic sights you attach to a shotgun.
I like some fiber optic sights like ones that come on a barrel
originally, but with the HiViz it is hard to tell where your
virtual crosshairs are lining up.
Anyway I was twisting with a pair of pliers and the bead was
twisting, but not coming out. Yes I was turning to the left.
Now I want to get the bead out and put another in because
I chewed it up pretty good on behalf of the HiViz.
How do I get the bead out and another one in?
I removed some of the matte or bluing or whatever it is toward
the front of the barrel while I was attempting to unscew the bead.
Can I paint on bluing or matte? Is there gun paint? I don't want
the barrel to get rusty up there.
you have to be very careful but you can cut the old bead off flush, drill and tap it. You really need a drill press to drill it so you stay centered tho.
I understand up until drill, but I don't know what you mean by "tap."
Drill where the bead was and then what?
How do I put a new bead in?
Get a threaded bead and the approriate sized drill bit and tap. Once the old bead is drilled out you can tap threads in the hole and screw the new bead in.
Try Brownells. They sell alignment kits for shotgun sights that include the necessary
jig(s) to mount bead, rifle, or buckhorn sights.
Get a drill press to make sure you keep the bit straight and to hold it steady when you tap the barrel.
As far as the bluing goes, you can try some touch-up bluing, but it won't last long. Order a Dura-Coat setup and refinish the whole thing yourself for less than $170. It paints on with an aerosol airbrush (included) and it only takes about 4 hours to do it properly. After it air dries for 24 hours, it's ready to shoot and the finish will get harder as time goes on.
jerry is correct, the 870 has pressed in beads. go see a gunsmith, you'll probably be taken care of for about $20.
Not ALL 870's have pressed in beads. I have an 870 TB trap that is approximately 45 years old with a 30" vent rib with a screw in bead. I recently replaced the broken bead with a HiViz sight and love it.
It's all about personal preference.
