Remington 870

[littlmak]

On another post about The Remington 870 Everyone seems to agree that this is one one of the best pump guns around. But, the Remington 870 Express seems to be a different story. Why?

[DPris]

Besides the lesser wood, nowdays the Express versions don't get the best parts.
Denis

[leadcounsel]

Have two 870 Express and love them both.

[spyderdude]

I haven't had any problems with my 870 Express Magnum. People complain about the finish and rust problems, but I have yet to see rust on mine, and the finish to me isn't too bad.

[XavierBreath]

The Express is the same shotgun as the Wingmaster with less polishing. It's the same gun, just not as pretty.

[Dave McC]

The folklore about bad parts and so on is merely myth.

The Express has hardwood stocks and unpolished metal surfaces.

The "rusting" seems not to happen to those that read the manual and follow the breakin procedures.

It does take a bit longer for the Express to smooth up the cycling, but this is a minor matter.

[DPris]

It is not folklore on the parts, and I didn't say they're "bad".
As has been detailed here before, the Police models get certain forged parts such as the extractor, beefed up springs, and an aluminum triggerguard. The current express models (my older express is different) get MIM extractors and a plastic triggerguard. That comes from the parts specs of a Remington authorized service center used in ordering replacement parts from the factory.
Nothing says the MIM & plastic parts won't work, but there's a reason why Remington puts the more durable & rugged package on the Police guns. :)
It ain't myth, there is a difference beyond just the hardwood & polishing.
Denis

[mathman]

What DPris says is correct. An 870 Express will last a lifetime...an 870 Police will last several lifetimes. :)

[akr]

I'm just gonna live once down here.

[gdeal]

I would go with a Marine Magnum or a Police.

[Georgian]

Well, if anybody doesnt want any 870 Expresses anymore, good for me, cause that means there is more ammo available for my 870 Youth Express Magnum:D . I just dont see how ppl are coming up with these kinds of things. I reckon ppl just start this kinda stuff about different guns here and there to stir things up. My PERSONAL experience with my Remington 870 Youth Model Express has been excellent. I bought the gun in January of this year, and have had no malfunctions whatsoever. I have put 200 or more rounds through it with no problems at all. I once fed it some old ammo, with a few of the cases rusty a little. It fired them without a hitch, I just had to put a bit more muscle into cycling the thing b/c of the ammo being that way. So, IMO, the Remington 870 Express is a great shotgun, and one of the best shotguns within its price range.

[rhoffler]

A well spent 225 dollars mine shoots fine with the synthetic stock it might not be pretty but sure is functional and keeps geeting smoother to operate i bust doubles at skeet and sporting clays --------

skeet are not hard to break just easy to miss

[vts]

Im picking up my 2nd 870 next week.
I have a 870 express super magnum. and my new one is a 870 Express Synthetic 18" barrel and 2 shot extension (7 shot tottal).

The only time i had a problem whit my supermagnum whas one 3.5" shell got stuck in the chamber.

For the money they are great guns. If finish is important then get the wingmaster or any other "high class" shotgun. Im stiking to the "trailer trash" of pump guns.

[akr]

For the money they are great guns. If finish is important then get the wingmaster or any other "high class" shotgun. Im stiking to the "trailer trash" of pump guns.

Don't let anyone make you think that. Expresses, as well as 500's, are far from being inferior or cheap shotguns. They are inexpensive bargains.

[vts]

Trailer trash is not much to look at. But in my experience they get the jobb done
Unlike some fancy looking CEO's

[Lee Lapin]

littlmak,

Be careful what you read on the Errornet...

True, the reputation of the Express guns has suffered somewhat of late for various reasons. People have a prejudice against change, any change. People, especially 'gun people,' tend to prefer metal to plastic, machined to molded. But there is a certain amount of exaggeration among those who complain the loudest about the quality of 870 Express guns. I wonder how many of those who type so freely about 870 Expresses don't own one, or haven't had problems with the one they do own. I wonder just how many can tell a MIM extractor from a machined one by looking at it.

I've been shooting 870s for going on 40 years, and have yet to buy a new one. I have several Express guns of different ages and 'generations,' from an early one with walnut furniture to newer ones. I have yet to break a part on any of them or to have trouble with rust on any of them. The only 870 barrel that has offered me extraction problems came from one of the vaunted Police guns, and those extraction problems only manifest themselves with one brand of shell (fix: shoot something else).

My constant advice to anyone who feels comfortable shopping for a used gun is to buy a used 870- an older Express, Wingmaster or Police trade-in. It's axiomatic that 870s wear in, not out. Unless you "need" a new one and can only afford an Express gun, there's no reason not to give a home to one of the many good used 870s available. Like so much else, it is a matter of knowing what you're comfortable doing. There's nothing essentially wrong with current production Express guns, but older used 870s in good shape are often better bargains- if you know how to select one that fits your needs. If not, buy new.

hth,

lpl/nc

[RoscoeC]

A friend of mine and I both bought Remington 870s at the same time. We bought the extended magazine, 18" barrel, composite stock. Both guns were stiff. We both followed the same procedure. Complete break down, thorough cleaning and proper lubrication. They both smoothed up very nicely. After 300 or so rounds, they are just as slick as they can be. There are differences, though. His trigger is very crisp with very little creep. Mine has a lot of free slack and lots of creep. All in all, I can't think of anything better for the price. It is what it is. It ain't fancy. It ain't shiny. It is a highly functional tool without a lot of spit and polish. It's a Chevy truck, not a Mercedes. It will absolutely get you where you want to go, and if it gets a scratch or ding along the way, no one will really notice.

[gunslinger555]

i have the 870 ex. combo and the 870 express hd with 2 shot extention 18 inch barrel. they havent let me down yet and highly doubt they ever will since i baby them

[vts]

RoscoeC...
What procedure did you follow to break in the 870?
I cant find any thing on Remingtons web page

[hossdaniels]

mine's ugly, but it still works. (though not as much since i got my citori:D )

[tacticalcity]

It is all what you're using it for.

I use my 870 Express as a tactical shotgun for home defense,and basically just to have one. The shooting style is totally different, and the drills you run are totally different than other types of shooting. It's fun.

I got the express because it was cheap, and had a really plain jane military look to it. I added a magazine extension, side saddle shell holder, surefire forend, and a knoxx recoil reducing stock. Now it is an awsome...and ideal tactical shotgun.

I use my 870 Wingmaster with the high gloss finish and pretty engraving for shooting trap (and if I hunted I would use it for that too). Initially I used it for double duty...but putting all that tactical gear on it just seemed wrong. It's too pretty with the wood furniture. And adding a magazine extension and side saddle seemed wrong too, since they would both ruin the finish on the gun in their respective places. Admitidly, I shoot is less often because the wood buttstock has a lot more felt recoil than my Tactical shotgun with a knoxx stock...this keeps it looking pretty...which I am sure my grandkids will thank me for someday.

Since an ideal tactical shotgun means adding the high end accessories, and since a matte finish won't reflect light, starting off with the cheaper 870 Express is a good idea. Most the negatives about it will be eliminated once you add the cool accessories. Which once you get into it, you know your going to do. So why pay extra for wood stocks you're going to remove and a glossy finish that reflects light?

Yes, I do know the police model's finish holds up better, but they usually come with riffle sights wich I learned the hard way I like less than the bead sight. And I've heard about dimples on the Express that make adding the magazine extension difficult. Oddly enough, my Wingmaster had them but my Express didn't. Putting a magazine extension on my Wingmaster would have ment punching them out, but adding one to my Express required no modification. This was the luck of the draw I think, because most forum posts I've read claim the exact opposite. Perhaps my express was an older model that sat on the shelf for a while? Who knows.

Good luck!

[capnkirk]

Hey all, just bought an 870 Express Super Mag and have used it for a couple weeks at the local trap range. I really like it but for..... after 4 or 5 shots, it will refuse to eject the shell unless some serious, two handed, butt in the crotch, pulling and cussin' takes place. In fact there have been times when the two handed, slam the butt on the ground is required to vomit the shell. And yes, its been cleaned, dissassembled, cleaned, wiped, cleaned and wiped some more. This jamming execercise seems to increase in frequency as the trap round progresses.... maybe 8 of 25, give or take. I've been using WW 2 3/4 7.5 target loads from WalMart, but just today bought some Remington loads in hopes of improving the situation. If anyone has any other ideas? I'm all ears and open to all suggestions. I hope this is not a "normal" condition that one just has to get used to..... Thanks

CKirk

[gdeal]

Take it back to where you bought it or write somebody from Rem about it. Doesn't sound good at all.

[capnkirk]

Just as a follow up, went to the range tonight with some Rem shells vs Win and not a single ejection jam. So while that's encouraging, I'm still a little disappointed and have yet to hear anything from Remington re: the problem and that too is a little discouraging. The reason I bought the 870 is for the same reasons stated above many times, reliable as they come and as old as dirt....sounded like a safe "buy". But the jury is still out, I try some different shells and then go back to a box or two of Win stuff and see if the problem crops up again.

[Black_Talon]

I've had nothing but bad luck with those Walmart WW 100-packs. It's the only ammo I've ever shot that can turn a 100% reliable pump-gun into a worthless POS. My experience is identical to yours-fired rounds extract very hard, or require bumping the butt on the ground to open the action.

I like the Walmart Federal 100 packs the best, followed in a distant second place by the Remingtons.

[Edward429451]

The only ammo thats ever given my Wingmaster a problem was the PMC Brenneke type slugs. Hard extraction as previously described.

[Death from Afar]

Capnkirk- trust me, its the ammo you are using, for night shooting I use what ever is the cheapest I can buy ( since you can expect to blast off 250 rds on rabbits) and wuth all guns, you will get some ejection problems with cheap, thin plastic hulls. We were using some random Italian rubbish a few months ago, and even with o/u guns were getting hard ejection. One shell even had to be removed from a browning by use of a cleaning rod. There is nothing wrong with using avarage ammo for blasting, but you pay a price when it comes to reliability. No such thing as a free lunch I think.

[Dirty_Harry]

Ok, I am a remington shotgun man.

I have 2 870 express shotguns, one fully rifled and the other just my clay and bird gun.
I have a 870 tactical magnum for my home defense.
I have a 11-87 for birds and clays.

I know I might get alot of crap for this but.....
I look at it this way, I could buy a mossberg for 200, or I could buy a nice remington for 20 bucks more. I personally feel that the mossbergs feal cheap, and look ugly. Not the case with the 870, it is a solid feeling gun, and I have never had aa problem with one ever, including the 11-87 (I have about 4000 rounds through it)
There is no smoother, more reliable pump gun out there. There is nothing bad about the express.

[lefteye]

I'm down to my last four 870's, after selling one to a friend who just had to have it. I doubt if there is a more reliable shotgun than an 870 (excluding the super simple single shots, doubles, and OUs.)

[Kelem]

I own 870's and use them alot.
My express would not eject with some ammo when i first got it, without ramming butt the into the ground.
Then i followed the advice in the link posted, it has never once jammed since regardless of ammo!

http://refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?s=&threadid=175266

Cheers K

[Huntergirl]

I have a Supermag 870 in camo with a 30 in barrel for waterfowl and it shoots just fine. Haven't tried light loads in it, because it's not what I bought it for. I have other shotguns for that. I think the Supermag is still an express model, and the changes in it have not as yet, produced any problems at all. The action was very smooth out of the box, so I anticipate it will only get better.;)