By the time you've hunted down the parts and put them on your still clunky Express, you'll have spent enough to buy a 15-20 year old Wingmaster, a gun old enough to not need "Vibra Honing" because it was machined using regularly replaced cutters and then someone actually went in and polished it. Get it cerakoted and call it done. Older Wingmasters are truly beautiful machines.
10 steps to upgrade your Remington 870 express to police version
- Thread starter Big Bad
- Start date
Quoted for truth. Me, I just wanted a more reliable extractor. The one I had was god-awful, esp once a shell had been ejected even once.
My 2019 production Express, although cosmetically rough on the exterior of the receiver, was fairly slick even out of the box, and showed surprisingly good machine work on the inside.
It may not compare to a vintage Wingmaster but overall it was a lot better than my 2003 Police was.
As the basis for a project gun it was perfectly adequate.
It may not compare to a vintage Wingmaster but overall it was a lot better than my 2003 Police was.
As the basis for a project gun it was perfectly adequate.
By the time anyone buys all the police parts, they'd be better off to sell the express and just buy and 870P, FFS...
Or just get ANY older wingmaster without a vent rib, slap on synthetic stocks, chop bbl to 18.5 and call it done. If you MUST have 3" shells, any good gunsmith can modify the ejector in like 30 minutes or less to take 3" shells and pass the reamer through the barrel throat to ensure it will take 3"-ers.
Or buy a Mossberg 590 if you can find one for a fair price. Every bit as good as the 870P.
Or just get ANY older wingmaster without a vent rib, slap on synthetic stocks, chop bbl to 18.5 and call it done. If you MUST have 3" shells, any good gunsmith can modify the ejector in like 30 minutes or less to take 3" shells and pass the reamer through the barrel throat to ensure it will take 3"-ers.
Or buy a Mossberg 590 if you can find one for a fair price. Every bit as good as the 870P.
The machined extractor {$25-50} and heavy duty carrier dog spring {$5-10} are the only parts I couldn't live without on an Express.
And these days rather than bothering with a Police I'd save a few hundred dollars extra and get something like a Tacord Nigh####ch.
And these days rather than bothering with a Police I'd save a few hundred dollars extra and get something like a Tacord Nigh####ch.
There was a Police Marine Magnum model. However it was never labelled as a "Police" model. Apparently you can only tell from the serial number. So perhaps the first one you handled was a Police model and the second was not.
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For those suggesting to get an older Wingmaster instead of upgrading an Express, don't forget the cost of upgrade to a modern Flex Tab system. My WM flex tab upgrade cost $142
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1848081-Remington-870-Flex-Tab-Conversion-amp-Carrier-Dog-Follower-Spring-Upgrade/page3
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1848081-Remington-870-Flex-Tab-Conversion-amp-Carrier-Dog-Follower-Spring-Upgrade/page3
They may be similar, but they are not the same. Comparing my older 1978+/- (non flex tab) wingmaster to my newer 2010 +/- 870P: trigger internals are different, bolts are different, barrels are different, carrier is different, slides are different, magazine spring is different...
This older WM now has a newer Police barrel, but as far as I am aware no WM came from thre factory with a Police marked barrel:
Newer 870P:
Here is a new (non Police) Marine Magnum:
..and finaly here is an Express with a few modifications:
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I guess from all the comments many are not aware of why the flex tab was introduced in the first place
...for anyone who is not familar with this topic, check out my link in my last post (quoted above) , there is a good video from AI&P Tactical explianing the need for the flex tab conversion and how to do it.
A good point. I have two Wingmasters that could use the conversion. Not sure if the parts are still available though. Was your your breach bolt chromed? Wondering how it’s held up after being modified.
That cost seems very reasonable even if it’s from two years ago.
The flex tab system is a gimmick. I updated my older wingmaster, but in my own testing on the shotguns I had on hand, "the upgrade" was absolutely NOT needed.
Honestly, the cheapest upgrade route, if you must have this, is to buy an express, swap over the parts, and then sell the express again to the average person that just doesn't care.
It's not difficult to have the machining done to the bolt and the bolt carrier for the flex-tab mod. The issue is the lifter but in reality it can't be too hard to have that big rectangle U cut in there either.
It's more a matter of finding a gun smith willing to take it on.
It's more a matter of finding a gun smith willing to take it on.
They may be similar, but they are not the same. Comparing my older 1978+/- (non flex tab) wingmaster to my newer 2010 +/- 870P: trigger internals are different, bolts are different, barrels are different, carrier is different, slides are different, magazine spring is different...
This older WM now has a newer Police barrel, but as far as I am aware no WM came from thre factory with a Police marked barrel:
Newer 870P:
Here is a new (non Police) Marine Magnum:
..and finaly here is an Express with a few modifications:
Maybe look at two from the same generation?
And when did they start marking the Police barrels? Not doubting you. Just curious.
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