used 870 trap

rjknewfire · April 27, 2002, 04:57 PM

several years ago, i traded an 870 mc trap. wish i hadn't as the newer classics don't fit me. anyway, can anyone please tell me things to checkout on used guns that would indicate abuse or over use? also, what do the tb, tc, and tg designations indicate? thank you in advance.

Dave McC · April 27, 2002, 05:42 PM

Never saw a TG, but have seen As,Bs,Cs and a D. These grades indicate decoration, wood quality, and the Cs/Ds have cut checkering. There was an All American model before the Letter trapguns, and the Classic Trap available now.

870s take a lot of use, but some have seen exactly that. Things to look for include:

Oversized Locking Blocks, ID'd by a CR stamped in them aft of the lug.

Peening or wear on the lug and the recess in the bbl the lug locks into.

A rough forward corner surface on the ejector.

Visible bluing wear or obvious reblues. Look at the wear on the mag tube to see if it and/or the action bars need straightening. The pattern of wear can indicate what's impinging on what.

Mine was made sometime in the 80s, I've put close to 6K rounds through it,and little wear so far. Who knows how many shots it's fired since leaving Ilion.

A contributing factor to an 870 Trap's longevity it that it fires lots of rounds, but relatively low pressure and recoil rounds. Most trap loads run 1200 FPS, 1 1/8 oz or less. These beat up neither the shooter nor the shotgun as much as waterfowl or max buck loads.

April 27, 2002, 04:57 PM	#1
rjknewfire Junior Member Join Date: December 6, 2001 Posts: 12	used 870 trap several years ago, i traded an 870 mc trap. wish i hadn't as the newer classics don't fit me. anyway, can anyone please tell me things to checkout on used guns that would indicate abuse or over use? also, what do the tb, tc, and tg designations indicate? thank you in advance.

April 27, 2002, 05:42 PM	#2
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Never saw a TG, but have seen As,Bs,Cs and a D. These grades indicate decoration, wood quality, and the Cs/Ds have cut checkering. There was an All American model before the Letter trapguns, and the Classic Trap available now. 870s take a lot of use, but some have seen exactly that. Things to look for include: Oversized Locking Blocks, ID'd by a CR stamped in them aft of the lug. Peening or wear on the lug and the recess in the bbl the lug locks into. A rough forward corner surface on the ejector. Visible bluing wear or obvious reblues. Look at the wear on the mag tube to see if it and/or the action bars need straightening. The pattern of wear can indicate what's impinging on what. Mine was made sometime in the 80s, I've put close to 6K rounds through it,and little wear so far. Who knows how many shots it's fired since leaving Ilion. A contributing factor to an 870 Trap's longevity it that it fires lots of rounds, but relatively low pressure and recoil rounds. Most trap loads run 1200 FPS, 1 1/8 oz or less. These beat up neither the shooter nor the shotgun as much as waterfowl or max buck loads.