870 Express Quality

Maritime Storm

Maritime Storm

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Opening a can of worms here, but figured why not. I'm in the market for an inexpensive pump gun for this bird season this fall. Nothing nice(ie. no Model 12/Ithaca 37) but something reliable. Remington has left me wanting in the past, the last Wingmaster combo I owned left more than a sour taste in my mouth, jammed and FTF as almost on a schedule. Recently though, at the club I had the opportunity to use both an 870 Express & a Mossberg 500, whereas neither was as smooth or as well finished as my other slide actions they did function well enough. This got me thinking, and a local sale more so.

So here's the question, I finding myself looking at an 870 Express 3" Laminate that would fit my current toys budget(decent local sale) and hunting needs, has Remington fixed the quality control issues they were quite famously suffering(FTE, jamming, etc) from about 5 years ago or should I keep looking?
 
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The gun would be perfect for your needs. Worst case scenario would be sticky extraction due to rough chamber and cheap ammo. Easy fix with cordless drill, bronze cleaning brush wrapped with steel wool and polishing compound. I would not worry about quality control from the big green at this time. A quick and easy pre purchase check is to make sure the Rem Choke is centered in the bore from the muzzle end. Very rarely they can be a little #### eyed.

Darryl
 
Remington with the cheaper models makes rather crappy guns. Expect to polish the chamber on your Express and don't be surprised with the rust appearing here and there if not properly maintained. If you're looking for the inexpensive shotgun that has better chance of working ok out of the box - Mossberg 500 is the answer. 870 has more solid feel, but may require additional investment (polishing the chamber, aftermarket finish) to make it good. On the plus side Remington now offers limited, lifetime warranty on 870.
 
Inexpensive can mean many things. If your budget is 500 look at a bps or maybe a nova. If you have been burned by remington once then why go down that road again. Remington has not changed and probably never will.
 
I've never known an Ithaca 37 to be unreliable. Quite the opposite actually.

Can't go wrong with an 870. If you had a bad one, then you had a rare experience.

Express guns work fine. They are just finished ugly/cheaply.

BPS guns are like carrying a boat anchor around. Less reliable than a model 37 and heavier than a model 12 duck. Not for me. Ymmv.
 
I must be the luckiest gunny in the world because I have owned five Express shotguns over the last 35 years and they have all never failed in any way and had good fit and finish.

I also favour the 870 for the extremely simple disassembly.
 
Lots of folks are using the 870 Express without any issue.....I have a tactical model with an extended mag tube and folding stock ; and have never had a single jam .
 
Buddy got one and we shot quite a few clays with it. I can't really compare it to the old wingmaster I own, but I was still quite impressed with it. I like the fact that the receiver is milled. His did have the rusting issue when he didn't look after it properly.
 
Claven2 said:
I've never known an Ithaca 37 to be unreliable. Quite the opposite actually.

Can't go wrong with an 870. If you had a bad one, then you had a rare experience.

Express guns work fine. They are just finished ugly/cheaply.

BPS guns are like carrying a boat anchor around. Less reliable than a model 37 and heavier than a model 12 duck. Not for me. Ymmv.
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Sorry Claven, put that in the wrong spot, my Ithaca 37 is reliable as the day is long. What I meant to say was I am looking for something that I be worrying about babying in the field. Marking a nice gun just makes you kick yourself for the next several years every time you look at the mark.
 
I had picked up a US PD surplus 870, Police Magnum, c.1997, 4 shot magazine, wood stock and forend. Park'd finish, 18in bbl w/ rifle sights chambered for 3in mag. I paid $190 for it.

It's spent lots of time sitting in a police vehicle, not much use, but needed a bit of TLC. Functions flawlessly.

I've owned 870s off/on for over 30yrs. Seen one of these Express NIB for $379US locally, plastic trigger housing, wood furniture, blued finish.
 
People really need to keep from bashing the Express based on aged assumptions. I remember when the argument started nearly 10 years ago, and since then I've had a couple (still have one), and have handled numerous others.

Are they rough...a little. Are they a little gritty at first...sure. Do they go bang....yup. They certainly had their issues, but I couldn't be happier with the one I got 4 years ago.
 
I have current 870 (no 'Express' roll mark w/ QR serial number)

No issues, no rust. The finish is better than the earlier ones and the machining is very clean. The only think I don't like about it is the bolt rattle when the action is open.
 
Decided to take the plunge, picked it up last Thursday. Inspected 3 at the shop before settling on the one I brought home(didn't like the wood on the others). Took it home, field stripped it, cleaned and lubricated it. Monday I shot 2 rounds of skeet with it, never missed a beat. Fit & finish wasn't too bad on it, as far as I'm concerned, but as mentioned not as smooth as my Ithaca 37 by any means but acceptable. I figure it will do what I bought it to do.
 
My 1970 Wingmaster feels the smoothest, but my three other express and tactical models have never failed me. A bit more gritty, but barely noticeable.

As for the finish, yeah, I've seen some of the newer ones rust, but I've always kept a thin film of G96 on all of mine and have never had issues.
 
Ive never had an issue with any Mossbergs or any Remington 870s ive owned. But a friend bought an 870 express new, fired 20 shells then we went bird hunting. The extractor literally fell apart on his 2nd round that day. Ruined his day. Made me think twice now about the 870s. Sure was warranty but neither of us were impressed.
 
southwest maddog said:
I must be the luckiest gunny in the world because I have owned five Express shotguns over the last 35 years and they have all never failed in any way...
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The Express was introduced in 1987... "29" years ago...

I had four... and had problems with everyone of them... granted two were early 3.5" versions that were plagued with problems... the fit/finish on all of them and many others that I have shot was terrible...

On the other hand, I LOVE the Wingmasters... they are an entirely different iteration and a quality, reliable gun.
 
Bought a 870 express a year ago.

Now i know i haven't shot it as much as most people here (300 ish shells), work come before shooting it seems.

Anyway, had no problem with the gun so far, only thing that did get on my nerve a bit is that i ran a batch of federal shell that would sometimes get back in the chamber after ejecting. Changed shell brand and had no problem since.

I would like to know if any of you are running extension tube. I am in the market for the biggest i can get to fit flush with my 28 inch barrel....any suggestion?!
 
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