Need some help identifying build date in an 870 express super magnum

Oriyen · October 4, 2013, 08:44 PM

I recently purchased a slightly used 12 gauge , I would like to know how old it is , it seems fairly new .
The serial number starts with a D & ends with an A , with all numbers in between those letters .
I searched some internet sites but found nothing useful yet . Can someone please tell me a good way to find out this info. Should I just contact remington customer service and ask them ?
Thanks in advance .

hogdogs · October 4, 2013, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Should I just contact remington customer service and ask them ?

That is what I would do... but someone here may let you know sooner than remington...

Brent

Virginian · October 4, 2013, 10:40 PM

Remington's phone dating service is critically inaccurate in my opinion. I am a genuine fan of Remington guns. Prefix D ran from 2001 to 2005. A suffix designates SuperMag. What's your barrel code. Left side of the barrel in front of the receiver. Should be 3 or 4 little numbers and letters. Unless your barrel has been swapped that is usually real accurate, IF it has a barrel code.

Oriyen · October 4, 2013, 11:05 PM

Attachment 92092
A picture of the letters , there are some on top DX IN A SQUARE & E IN A CIRCLE

Oriyen · October 4, 2013, 11:26 PM

This may be the right side of the barrel

Oriyen · October 4, 2013, 11:33 PM

The left sided has CW stamped on it but I think someone stamped their initials on it , other than that it is blank , except for this

Oriyen · October 4, 2013, 11:56 PM

April 2002 ????

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 12:01 AM

Found this chart in internet .

Virginian · October 5, 2013, 09:38 AM

Yep, that should be April, 2002.

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 01:22 PM

So I paid $150 for a an 11.5 year old gun with the original barell , An extra smooth bore mossberg HD barrel & couple of aftermarket accessories . From the looks of it , how did I do ? Great deal, ok deal , could have done better ?

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 01:23 PM

Another pic

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 01:25 PM

More pics

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 01:36 PM

It seems like the hammer is pretty worn , should I be concerned enough to replace it ?
Should I replace the Mossberg barrel with one from Remington ?
Will be using it for HD , Using 2-3/4" 00 , is the Winchester ammo ok or should I used Federal ?
If I took the original barrel & had it cut down since it is choked would I still be able to use 00 buckshot in it ?,
what would be the consequences ?

Virginian · October 5, 2013, 02:30 PM

I wouldn't do anything but clean it and shoot it. Hammer looks fine to me. The Mossberg barrel should be good for your purposes as is. I wouldn't cut the original barrel. Why do you need two short barrels? With a normal stock that would be good if you ever decide to try to shoot clay pigeons, and the RemChokes give you lots of flexibility. Plus if you ever want to sell it, it would be worth more with that barrel intact. $150 was a steal all the way. Rigs like that go for $275+ all day long. There isn't enough difference in the different brands of buckshot unless you are looking for more range, and then you need to pattern your gun to see what works best. Less than Full choke usually patterns tighter with large shot.

hogdogs · October 5, 2013, 02:37 PM

Quote:

There isn't enough difference in the different brands of buckshot unless you are looking for more range, and then you need to pattern your gun to see what works best.

With the exception of lesser or more dirty ammo... I get the cleanest results from Federal followed by Winchester Super X with the equivalent Remington being the dirtiest of the lower tier slugs or buckshot...

Brent

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 05:53 PM

The only reason I was considering cutting the barrel was because I took it to a gun dealer & asked him what he thought it was worth & of course he said $100 , he also Said he didn't trust the Mossberg brand barrel.
It seems to me a large number of gun store owners will take advantage of you if you are not well educated about current gun values . The guy I bought it from was trying to sell it to my friend but he already owns several shotguns , 8 to be exact .
So he calls me up & asks me if I'm interested because I had been shopping around for one for HD. The guys girlfriend was in jail & he was having a fire sale trying to get her out.
My buddy told me it was a bargain & if I wanted it to get over there & buy it so I did . I guess he was right, I am happy with my purchase & I can't wait to get to the range & practice with it . I may also check into taking a HD class as well ,
I want to get a good flash light for it , & a side saddle for extra ammo & that's it .
Is a sling really necessary at all times or is it just good at the range ? People say the more accessories you have on your weapon the heavier it is & harder to control .
What do you guys think ?
Thanks for all the help to all who replied I really appreciate it ,

Oriyen · October 5, 2013, 05:56 PM

I have some Winchester ammo , I will get some federal & give them both a try.

hogdogs · October 5, 2013, 09:30 PM

I wouldn't worry about the mossberg barrel until you try it out... And then, I would sell it and replace it most likely...

But cutting it is a job I might consider but I would be doing it myself so it wouldn't cost me anything... But Mossberg has been in the Remington replacement barrel business for years so I would expect them to be a fine offering until proven otherwise...

And to boot... you do hear about more rough chambers needing polishing to allow fired hulls to easily eject on Remington Express guns running Remington factory barrels than you do on Mossberg guns, including the Maverick 88... with the express costing a bit more than a wood and polished blue Mossberg 500

Brent

Virginian · October 6, 2013, 05:45 AM

There is nothing wrong with Mossberg barrels, on Mossbergs or Remingtons. I have a sling on my gun for trudging thru the marsh. I remove the sling and mounts at the range. A sling swinging around can affect your aim a lot more than you might think.
A SuperMag is waaaay more gun than you need, but it is basically an 870 so it will work fine for whatever you want to do.

Dreaming100Straight · October 8, 2013, 01:51 AM

Your receiver is that of a Remington 870 Super Mag. I believe that takes up to a 3-1/2" shotshell but you still should not use ammo any greater in size then the chamber of the barrel or barrels. Have you checked to ensure the size for which each is chambered?

Oriyen · October 8, 2013, 08:57 PM

Yes , up to 3" in the Mossberg barrel . I think for HD 2-3/4" 00 should be plenty if not too much according to some research done on over penetration .

October 4, 2013, 08:44 PM	#1
Oriyen Member Join Date: October 2, 2013 Posts: 30	Need some help identifying build date in an 870 express super magnum I recently purchased a slightly used 12 gauge , I would like to know how old it is , it seems fairly new . The serial number starts with a D & ends with an A , with all numbers in between those letters . I searched some internet sites but found nothing useful yet . Can someone please tell me a good way to find out this info. Should I just contact remington customer service and ask them ? Thanks in advance .

October 4, 2013, 10:40 PM	#3
Virginian Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Williamsburg, Va. Posts: 1,528	Remington's phone dating service is critically inaccurate in my opinion. I am a genuine fan of Remington guns. Prefix D ran from 2001 to 2005. A suffix designates SuperMag. What's your barrel code. Left side of the barrel in front of the receiver. Should be 3 or 4 little numbers and letters. Unless your barrel has been swapped that is usually real accurate, IF it has a barrel code. __________________ What could have happened... did.

October 5, 2013, 09:38 AM	#9
Virginian Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Williamsburg, Va. Posts: 1,528	Yep, that should be April, 2002. __________________ What could have happened... did.

October 5, 2013, 02:30 PM	#14
Virginian Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Williamsburg, Va. Posts: 1,528	I wouldn't do anything but clean it and shoot it. Hammer looks fine to me. The Mossberg barrel should be good for your purposes as is. I wouldn't cut the original barrel. Why do you need two short barrels? With a normal stock that would be good if you ever decide to try to shoot clay pigeons, and the RemChokes give you lots of flexibility. Plus if you ever want to sell it, it would be worth more with that barrel intact. $150 was a steal all the way. Rigs like that go for $275+ all day long. There isn't enough difference in the different brands of buckshot unless you are looking for more range, and then you need to pattern your gun to see what works best. Less than Full choke usually patterns tighter with large shot. __________________ What could have happened... did.

October 6, 2013, 05:45 AM	#19
Virginian Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Williamsburg, Va. Posts: 1,528	There is nothing wrong with Mossberg barrels, on Mossbergs or Remingtons. I have a sling on my gun for trudging thru the marsh. I remove the sling and mounts at the range. A sling swinging around can affect your aim a lot more than you might think. A SuperMag is waaaay more gun than you need, but it is basically an 870 so it will work fine for whatever you want to do. __________________ What could have happened... did.

October 4, 2013, 11:26 PM	#5
Oriyen Member Join Date: October 2, 2013 Posts: 30	This may be the right side of the barrel

October 5, 2013, 01:36 PM	#13
Oriyen Member Join Date: October 2, 2013 Posts: 30	It seems like the hammer is pretty worn , should I be concerned enough to replace it ? Should I replace the Mossberg barrel with one from Remington ? Will be using it for HD , Using 2-3/4" 00 , is the Winchester ammo ok or should I used Federal ? If I took the original barrel & had it cut down since it is choked would I still be able to use 00 buckshot in it ?, what would be the consequences ?

October 5, 2013, 05:53 PM	#16
Oriyen Member Join Date: October 2, 2013 Posts: 30	The only reason I was considering cutting the barrel was because I took it to a gun dealer & asked him what he thought it was worth & of course he said $100 , he also Said he didn't trust the Mossberg brand barrel. It seems to me a large number of gun store owners will take advantage of you if you are not well educated about current gun values . The guy I bought it from was trying to sell it to my friend but he already owns several shotguns , 8 to be exact . So he calls me up & asks me if I'm interested because I had been shopping around for one for HD. The guys girlfriend was in jail & he was having a fire sale trying to get her out. My buddy told me it was a bargain & if I wanted it to get over there & buy it so I did . I guess he was right, I am happy with my purchase & I can't wait to get to the range & practice with it . I may also check into taking a HD class as well , I want to get a good flash light for it , & a side saddle for extra ammo & that's it . Is a sling really necessary at all times or is it just good at the range ? People say the more accessories you have on your weapon the heavier it is & harder to control . What do you guys think ? Thanks for all the help to all who replied I really appreciate it ,

October 5, 2013, 05:56 PM	#17
Oriyen Member Join Date: October 2, 2013 Posts: 30	I have some Winchester ammo , I will get some federal & give them both a try.

October 5, 2013, 09:30 PM	#18
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I wouldn't worry about the mossberg barrel until you try it out... And then, I would sell it and replace it most likely... But cutting it is a job I might consider but I would be doing it myself so it wouldn't cost me anything... But Mossberg has been in the Remington replacement barrel business for years so I would expect them to be a fine offering until proven otherwise... And to boot... you do hear about more rough chambers needing polishing to allow fired hulls to easily eject on Remington Express guns running Remington factory barrels than you do on Mossberg guns, including the Maverick 88... with the express costing a bit more than a wood and polished blue Mossberg 500 Brent

October 8, 2013, 01:51 AM	#20
Dreaming100Straight Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2013 Posts: 1,235	Your receiver is that of a Remington 870 Super Mag. I believe that takes up to a 3-1/2" shotshell but you still should not use ammo any greater in size then the chamber of the barrel or barrels. Have you checked to ensure the size for which each is chambered?

October 8, 2013, 08:57 PM	#21
Oriyen Member Join Date: October 2, 2013 Posts: 30	Yes , up to 3" in the Mossberg barrel . I think for HD 2-3/4" 00 should be plenty if not too much according to some research done on over penetration .