Advice - Remington® 870™ Express® Tactical 3'' 12-Gauge Pump Shotgun w/ Ghost Ring Si

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Advice - Remington® 870™ Express® Tactical 3'' 12-Gauge Pump Shotgun w/ Ghost Ring Si

Buying first SG ,liked the looks ,any first hand users can chip in with pro and cons .
Remington® 870™ Express® Tactical 3'' 12-Gauge Pump Shotgun w/ Ghost Ring Sights Costs around 700 .
Tx.
 
Bought one off the EE for $400ish i think. Works well, easy to take down like all 870s. Like the ghost ring sight. Only thing I didn't like was the door breacher choke on it.
 
$700 is too much for an 870 Express. i dont care how many doodads it has on it.

The gun itself is worth $300. I dont see $400 worth of stuff attached to it. The Express these days are not a particularly well built shotgun. Like everything else they are being made cheaper and sold to you more expensive then ever before.

I'd try and find a used one, preferably one that has been proven to be reliable. A well known issue with 870 Express' is rough chambers which cause cycling problems.

I own three different 870s. Two Wingmasters and an Express.
 
I have one that I use for three gun. I have had a few issues with it. The first time out the screws in the rail came loose and one fell out and was lost. I took a shotgun course and the front blade sight fell out of the dovetail on the portion that attaches to the barrel. I googled it and it turns out this is a fairly common problem. Mine is now permanently fixed in place with JB Weld. The breacher choke comes loose during firing so I don't use it anymore. Replaced it with a regular choke which hasn't come loose. My biggest complaint is that it occasionally won't let me fill the tube. Usually the last round won't go in. I have checked the magazine tube for dimples, dents or bends and can't find any problem. I replaced the follower with a stainless steel follower and the problem still exists.

For the money I spent I wish I had purchased a Mossberg 590.
 
I love my 870 Express tactical, got some aftermarket chokes for it, side-saddle, other goodies - badass :)
One thing to uprade is the extractor to a non MIM (Metal Injection Molding) one, no rush...
 
I had that 870 tactical. Solid gun. One issue I had was a film of rust formed very quickly on the barrel; The finish they put on it is very conducive to retaining any moisture; If you get one, keep a film of oil on all metal parts during storage. The door breecher choke looks cool, but who needs an extra two inches of useless metal? I replaced mine with a standard cylinder choke. The ghots rings sights are ok BUT a little flimsy, especially considering the 'tactical' application. If you want an 870, my suggestion would be to just get a basic tactical and save some money. OR buy a mossberg 590A1 like I did which is a vastly superior piece of equipment for a similar price.
 
I picked up the 870 tactical with ghost ring at cabelas last year for $550 plus $50 rebate. They do occasionally go on sale there. I've only used mine for plinking at the range with slugs and a few skeet sessions so I haven't really stress tested it. A couple of comments up make me want to locktite in the rail and sights now though lol. The bright orange PLASTIC magazine follower is a really stupid decision on remingtons part. Seriously, how much money does it save and it looks like an airsoft gun with it. I also wipe it down with an oily rag for the reason mentioned above too.

I would never in a million years pay $700 for it, but $600 or less no problem. I am not very handy, so I like to buy firearms with rails and stuff already attached, so I don't mind over paying a little if it save me work. I've never use a 590, other than the location of the safety, and dual extractors on it (i think) nothing really sets them apart in my mind.

On a side note, have you considered the Winchester SXP Defender or Ultimate defender? I just picked up a field and camp bundle, they are all the same gun essentially, but man, what a super slick action and sort of a blowback assist effect that if you get the hang of, can do some serious rapid fire without coming off target much. It's made in Turkey which is why they are a couple hundred bucks less. I can't find the Ultimate Defender anywhere in stock online, but if I do, I'll definitely get that variant as well.
 
Look like this one makes sense ,can be used for hunting ,skeet ,so called home defense
If spending 700 +
Remington 870 Express 3-Barrel Combo Pump-Action Shotgun - $ 800
• 3-Barrel combo includes barrels for field, deer and turkey
• Rugged black synthetic stock with recoil pad
• Twin action bars and milled receiver

Truly a jack of all trades, this Remington 870 Express comes with all the standard features but in a versatile 3-barrel combo. The first barrel is a 28″ vent ribbed smooth bore which is perfect for in the field. It has a modified Rem choke and a front bead sight. The second barrel is a 23″ fully rifled barrel for hunting deer. It features a cantilever mount for attaching an optic of your choosing. The third barrel is a compact 20″ barrel which has all the features you want for a turkey hunt. The 20″ barrel includes Tru-Glo fibre optic sights which provide excellent target acquisition and an X-full Rem choke which puts out the tight patterns you want. Also features the reliable twin action bars, a milled receiver and a rugged black synthetic stock with a comfortable recoil pad.


 
If the Tactical that you're looking at has the non-standard barrel ring, I'd skip it. Some tactical models have the ring mounted further toward the muzzle, on a longer, fixed magazine tube. This reduces the versatility of the platform, and that versatility is one reason the 870 is such a great gun. I have a couple of Wingmasters right now - one with a 26 inch tube, the other with a 14 - and either could have an 18 on in 2 minutes. That isn't possible for the oddball long magazine models.
 
enefgee said:
If the Tactical that you're looking at has the non-standard barrel ring, I'd skip it. Some tactical models have the ring mounted further toward the muzzle, on a longer, fixed magazine tube. This reduces the versatility of the platform, and that versatility is one reason the 870 is such a great gun. I have a couple of Wingmasters right now - one with a 26 inch tube, the other with a 14 - and either could have an 18 on in 2 minutes. That isn't possible for the oddball long magazine models.
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Don’t know much about this particular model , did ask retailer and they did say this model is compatible with a barrel change without any issues ? If owner of this model may confirm .
 
Mark Mags said:
What are your intentions? Let's start there.

HD? Competition? Fun? All of the above?

It all matters...so let's start there.
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All of above Fun/Comp/HD. Did bit the bullet and got the Tactical today .
Also went to skeet and trap range ,and found around 15 people ,none had pump ,all had over/ under ,or side by side .May be will put hunting barrel one day.
 
The biggest issue is the low grade "machining" of the receiver. Strip it right down and deburr/polish every surface the bolt touches and you'll be much happier with it. It'll go from "meh" to "hey".
 
The best 870 Express Tactical is the cerakoted Magpul edition.

I put wood furniture on mine along with a +1 extension and a Patternmaster choke. Paid $500 used unfired a few years ago when these guns were $850+ new before tax.

DSC_1133_01_zps2du4rotm.jpg


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EL34/6L6 said:
The best 870 Express Tactical is the cerakoted Magpul edition.

I put wood furniture on mine along with a +1 extension and a Patternmaster choke. Paid $500 used unfired a few years ago when these guns were $850+ new before tax.

DSC_1133_01_zps2du4rotm.jpg


DSC_1135_01_zpstmordniq.jpg
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Very nice indeed !!!.
 
So this is what I have 18 1/2 “ barrel ,can 28 “ barrel be put without any issues ..?
Conflicting answers got so far ,if some one who did it actually ,can answer .
 
Awesome shotguns I bought this model when they came out a few years back I abuse the #### out of it it's a working gun and it's never failed me always cycles anything I put into it and always goes bang when trigger is pulled god knows how many rounds through it but it is easily in the thousands. Buy it use it and don't worry about it it's an 870 afterall
 
I have one and I like it a lot. I have had issues ejecting cheap Winchester hulls ou as they seem to stick. I have 2 other 870 expresses that have had the same issues. Seems to be ok with cheap federal or Kent.
 
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