What's the difference between the 870 Police...

[FoghornLeghorn]

...and the 870 HD Express?

thanx

[TxGun]

Better finish...blued or real parkerizing vs. cheaper rust-prone Express finish. Stronger springs throughout. And I think the extractor is a forged part rather than MIM. That's about it.

[Mrgunsngear]

Correct. Finish, carrier dog spring, and extractor. Depending on the year of manufacturer the Express may also have dimples in the mag tube.

[LockedBreech]

Is switching out the carrier dog spring and extractor fairly cheap/easy? Might be a nice project to swap those two parts on my 870 Express Tactical and get a nice refinishing done from Robar or someone.

[Chief Brody]

One other difference is that the trigger guard is metal, vs. plastic on the other models.

[tAKticool]

The difference is $30 in parts and parkerizing and furniture.

LITERALLY.

There is one Remington 870, and they all differ in the finish and furniture and in the case of Police 870P, about $30 in parts ( i think its 4 ? parts?).

I have an 870 Tactical which is an Express model, the finish sucks lemons, I have to admit. I am thinking about the Wilson Combat upgrade but regardless, it's about $30 in parts and parkerized vs cheap-aced bluing called 'matte powercoat' in the Express and really nice deep shiny rich bluing in the Wingmasters and thats it. (Oh and furniture- different stock and forends.)

[jmortimer]

There is better fit and finishing on the inside, where it counts,as well.

[Mrgunsngear]

One other difference is that the trigger guard is metal, vs. plastic on the other models.

Depends on the model and year of production; there are factory Express guns with metal trigger guards out there.

[bamaranger]

Remington states in their web site the the "police" 870 is made on a dedicated line by senior employees (my lingo not theirs) and that there is more hand fitting and inspection on the police guns.

They also have the HD parts as described.

[tAKticool]

Now I don't mean to nitpick but because you seem to want to get technical, I will get equally technical.

Would you not agree that assembly by senior employees, hand fitting, and more inspections, actually in fact is not a physical difference?

Because while those things may be true, actual differences as in you pick up an 870P and then you pick up an 870 'Express', and attempt to quantify the differences, the differences are like 4 or 5 parts totaling about $30, and the finish of the metal.

(Furniture aside because you can of course put any furniture you want on any of them, so you could remove the fancy wood of a Wingmaster and put it on an Express or put synthetic cheap plastic stuff on a trap beauty Wingmaster or for example even better, the old style Police models had solid-ace wood with nice design and checkering and now Police and most tactical things of the world use synthetic 'blacktical' furniture).

I am not knocking the 870P in fact I want to make my 870 Tac a P model, but literally its like 4 parts and parkerizing, and poof. Identical.

[jmortimer]

This was originally posted by Scattergun Bob here on this site, and he was not an Express basher, to the contrary, but facts are fact and we can all agree that the Express fit and finish is not trending upwards:

"I still have a unfired 870P in the safe and recently I hauled it down to the shop to compare with some express HD guns that came in. After examining both side by side my original thoughts STILL stand, you get what you pay for and there is a difference in fit, finish and quality between the 870P and the 870 express regardless of what name Remington packages the Express by."

[bamaranger]

Just describing the differences as I understand them. For a gun I might bet my life on, or somebody else's, I want the upgraded parts and the detailed assembly.

[Uncle Malice]

Actually... the 870 police are hand built by an entirely different team of employees with much closer attention to detail, fit and finish... here is the excerpt from Remington, themselves regarding the differences...

While the 870 Express is still an 870, the best pump shotgun on the market, there are some very
important cosmetic and functional differences between it and the 870 Police. To our customers
in Law Enforcement, Military, Corrections, and Security, whose lives depend upon the unfailing
performance of Remington shotguns, the Police modifications are of paramount importance.
Synopses of the variances are provided below.

• 870 Police shotguns go through a special 23 station check list – ranging from visual inspection, functional testing, test firing, and final inspection.
• All Police shotguns are assembled in a “special build area” at the plant in Ilion, NY. This section is secured and serves only to build LE and Military shotguns, with the same factory personnel working at that assignment each shift.
• All parts that enter the “special build area” are visually inspected by hand to ensure top quality and functionality.
• Due to heavy recoil in buck and slug loads, all 870 Police guns have a longer magazine spring which ensures positive feed and function.
• A heavier sear spring is used to generate a reliable, positive trigger pull between 5 and 8 lbs.
• A heavier carrier dog spring is used to ensure when the carrier elevates the shell, it will be held there until the bolt can push it into the chamber. This ensures positive feeding when using heavier payload rounds.
• Police shotguns do not have an ISS (Integrated Safety System) which is a locking mechanism on the safety of commercial shotguns. This type of locking mechanism can cause delay to an officer who needs the weapon but does not have the appropriate key. LE shotguns have the standard, proven, cross bolt safety.
• The fore-end on the Express model is longer and not compatible with many police shotgun vehicle racks.
• The Police shotguns utilize the heavy duty SPEEDFEED Stocks and Fore-ends.
• The Express model will not allow for the addition of an extension tube without physical modification to the tube and barrel, which can nullify the warranty.
• The Express model has a BEAD BLAST BLUE finish while the Police models utilize either High Luster bluing or Parkerization.
• The Express model utilizes a synthetic trigger housing while the Police models use a compressed metal housing.
• The Police shotgun barrel is locked down with a “ball detent” system in conjunction with the magazine cap vs. a lesser grade “synthetic magazine spring retainer” lock down as used on the Express system.
• The receivers used in Police guns are “vibra honed” to smooth out rough finishes and remove burrs before parkerization or bluing.
• Police shotguns use machined ejectors and extractors, as opposed to powdered metal cast which are utilized on the Express models.