Are Remington 870's Really Garbage Now ?

I have a brand new 870 express super magnum and it works but it's a pile of junk compared to my old 870 express *think it was an 82*

It rusts after you take it out/is always discolored, finish can scratch with your finger nail non jokingly, wood splits/lifts with slightest bit of moisture.

I had heard that H&R replicas and Dominion Arms Grizzly's had better finish than the Express. I would believe it.
 
Slayer8321 said:
My buddy bought an 870 tactical, first shot fired he struggled to get the spent case ejected, had to hold the pump and slam the butt on the ground. This happened for quite a bit the day we were out, not sure what happened after that. buy a mossberg, over 1000 through my 500 and 0 problems
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Probably the exact same thing as the fellow at my range. See my previous post
 
K.B. said:
I have a brand new 870 express super magnum and it works but it's a pile of junk compared to my old 870 express *think it was an 82*

It rusts after you take it out/is always discolored, finish can scratch with your finger nail non jokingly, wood splits/lifts with slightest bit of moisture.

I had heard that H&R replicas and Dominion Arms Grizzly's had better finish than the Express. I would believe it.
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H&R is owned by Remington so NO. As for Dominion Arms, I'll wager that they make parts for remington and manufacturing over run/QC reworked parts go into the DA 870 clones. The 870's say made in illion NY USA but I have to believe that they are ASSEMBLED in illion NY not wholly manufactured there.

To prevent the rust on the sand blasted chemically blued surface. (Matte non reflective bluing) disassemble the gun, warm the parts with a hair dryer and rub on MINWAX paste floor wax. Let dry for half an hour then lightly buff. The wax gets into the pours in the rough steel and prevents rust and some scratching also while waterproofing the gun to prevent freeze up during late season/winter use. Wax will not rub off or be displaced by water the way oil does. To remove it just spray bore cleaner on a cloth and rub the wax off. Do the same to your laminate stock to prevent lifting/cracking.

The wood is thirsty and not sealed very well best protection is from complete dis assembly and a wax coat inside and out for the stock.

Deburring the bolt carrier,action bars, pump slide & crown nut and the chamber termination/locking lug recess area with a bit of 220/400 sand paper helps the smoothness of the action 100%. As does a good greasing of the bolt carrier and action bars. All things remington should have done before bluing and final assembly. Luckily you can buy permablue.
 
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jlagman said:
I've never been anything but happy with my Marine Magnum, which I bought, new, the day after C-19. I bought it for the corrosion resistance, but in hindsight, I figure the electroless nickel plating process means that they probably take more care in getting rid of burrs and flashes (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
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Yes to an extent. I am a chrome plater by trade and so I know this stuff. Scratches,pin holes,burrs or other blemishes will cause the plating to be missing in that area, or excessive, porus, rough, poor adhesion. If a substantial thickness of plating is applied than the area gets bigger and bigger. A pinhole will turn into a crater after .005"
That being said chrome plating is more finicky than nickel plating. A lot of factory chrome plate has nickel down first because it plates better over a less perfect surface.
 
rpaulpen said:
I don't understand why remington just doesn't get it. Gun nuts will pay for quality every time. But, they choose to make crap so they can save a buck here and there and sell more? It's hugely backfired on them. I've been asked by at least 4 people over the the past 2 years new to hunting and firearms on what to buy? I would always say get an 870 shotgun, 30/30 marlin to start, along with a 10/22 or something similar to plink with. Now, I say the same but tell them to go find some older used ones. I would never recommend new ones. I imagine there must be 100's like me making the same recommendation and at some point, rem will pay dearly for their mistakes.
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I think you are mischaracterizing their market approach. For those willing to pay, Remington has always offered quality firearms. So I disagree about your comment on people always paying for quality. If they pay for quality, it is there. What I think you are missing is the market segment that won't get into guns if an entry level shotgun costs $1k. For all our complaints about poor express level quality, in all this economic mess and high persistent inflation, you can still get a shotgun for $3-400. That is amazing. It gets people into hunting and shooting sports. This is very sophisticated marketing. Then you have the ability to upgrade you 870 from the millions of bolt on doodads to either fix deficiencies, or add new functionality, and you can do it bit by bit a a money and time permit.

As for the 870's I have an express from 2003 that rusted very badly on the drive home from a shoot in light mist. I still love the gun because I can do anything from hunting birds to moose, and can shoot clays. I can't say it is picky about ammo as the only trouble I've had was with some soft hulled discount shells on a hot day that would compress and bulge in the magazine. Not the guns fault.

I had an 870 marine mag that solved all the finish problems. No rust issues. The design of the 870 is still my favourite for pumps.
 
I have had 2 of the Chinese guns, one of which needed to be completely stripped down and totally de burred before I could even get a round in the tube. I would still take any Remington over any Chinese gun. That said I do prefer the older Wingmasters ( I have 8 in various configurations at the moment including one I had turned into an 8.5 by Casey). Also for the guns that Dlask builds as far as I know he still uses express shotguns as a base to build on
 
Ive got some friends who really enjoy their rem shotguns. Recently at least amongst my group of buddies who shoot we've all been buying SXP's. Mine is a 3" camp/field combo and it has been nothing but exceptional. My other buddies have some of the newer 3 1/2" camo waterfowl versions and they love them. All this said I wouldnt count out an 870 if i was in the market for another pump but it would have to be damn good to stop me from buying another SXP
 
skeetgunner said:
Picked up a Remington Express Tactical with breaching choke in September. Accurate, smooth, seems dependable. Fit is good, finish is a powered coat, time will tell if it will hold up; but I suspect it will. Its evenly applied and so far scratch resistant. The XS ghost sites are well made, the included picitiny rail is straight. Plastic furniture is a bit plastic-y. Fore stock is ok, the rear stock feels light although the shoulder pad is serviceable.
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I have the same model…..I bought mine new about 3 or 4 years ago. I have to keep a thin film of oil on her to keep the rust at bay. When a spot or two shows up I take some fine steel wool and gently buff it out followed with either thin oil or G96. Makes a guy wonder how bad the metal prep was before they finished it. Mine does not cycle the cheap Federal target shells worth a crap….cycles AA target loads and high brass shells of all sorts with no problems. The XS sights are very nice, the trigger is just fine, and the added pic rail is a nice thing to have. I've done some pattern testing with various chokes and it seems quite consistent. Overall it's a decent shotgun considering what I paid for it new back then. I'd buy another one if I were on a budget or looking for an everyday bush type shotgun that you're not scared to beat up...
 
I used to swear by remington but I gotta say in the last couple years I dunno maybe it's just me but they seem to feel cheap I always held remington higher then mossberg but i gotta say I will buy another 590 before I buy a 870
 
Thanks Ciphery for taking the time to pass on these tips to help us make our shotguns run smooth .. It's GREAT to learn from everyone's knowledge and experience and I for one will follow these tips. Learning how to " do it yourself " will enable me to pass on these tricks of the trades to my son (hopefully future hunter).

All the best and keep passing on your knowledge .. It keeps us coming back to read CGN !!!
 
I do not own an express, but I purchased an 870 Tactical Knoxx Blackhawk shotgun in 2011 and I am satisfied with the quality. The finish is quite nice, and it cycles fairly smoothly. I have had the odd hard-extract on the cheap federal target loads however.
 
Some very good advice for Express owners!

I truly don't understand why Remington hasn't done something about that quick rusting "finish". Sounds like the next best thing to raw steel.

ciphery said:
H&R is owned by Remington so NO. As for Dominion Arms, I'll wager that they make parts for remington and manufacturing over run/QC reworked parts go into the DA 870 clones. The 870's say made in illion NY USA but I have to believe that they are ASSEMBLED in illion NY not wholly manufactured there.

To prevent the rust on the sand blasted chemically blued surface. (Matte non reflective bluing) disassemble the gun, warm the parts with a hair dryer and rub on MINWAX paste floor wax. Let dry for half an hour then lightly buff. The wax gets into the pours in the rough steel and prevents rust and some scratching also while waterproofing the gun to prevent freeze up during late season/winter use. Wax will not rub off or be displaced by water the way oil does. To remove it just spray bore cleaner on a cloth and rub the wax off. Do the same to your laminate stock to prevent lifting/cracking.

The wood is thirsty and not sealed very well best protection is from complete dis assembly and a wax coat inside and out for the stock.

Deburring the bolt carrier,action bars, pump slide & crown nut and the chamber termination/locking lug recess area with a bit of 220/400 sand paper helps the smoothness of the action 100%. As does a good greasing of the bolt carrier and action bars. All things remington should have done before bluing and final assembly. Luckily you can buy permablue.
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The salemen might have been talking about the Dominion Arms Grizzly, which if I'm not mistaken is the Norinco knock-off of the 870, so that could be were the 'Chinese Fabrication' comes from. As for the Mossberg 500, I bought the JIC model last year, and after only 500 +/- shells through it the shell stopper on the magazine tube bent and wouldn't feed shells. Putting it in a vice grip with pliers fixed the feeding problem, but I emailed Mossberg about it but still no reply. Just a heads up.
 
Anybody who shoots at a skeet/sporting club will tell you that anything other than what they shoot is junk. Everybody knows that burly walnut and engraved pigeons on the receiver make guns more reliable and accurate.

For my money, the Weatherby PA-08 has been a champ. Same price as the Express, with a chrome lined barrel, gorgeous wood and an actual finish. It's taken everything I've ever fed it without a hiccup.

FF
Shep546 said:
Ask anyone who shoots at a skeet/sporting club and they will tell you new 870's are junk.
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