Quickie Range Report - 870 Express Tactical

Redhouse

Redhouse

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..with the Ghost Ring sites and the EEEEVILL breacher :runaway: :jerkit:

-my first shotgun, and only the 2nd time I've shot one so all points to be taken with a grain of salt.

-ran 25 Federal 2 3/4" target loads. It doesn't always throw the spent hull all the way out, requiring manual extraction....maybe 3-4 out of 25. No idea whether I possibly underperformed on racking the action, will pay more attention next time out. Could it have something to do with the short brass or something on the rim of the shell? The rounds below all flew out no problem.

-ran 10 rounds of 00 buck. At around 15yds (est) seems to shoot high, had to drop the front site to the bottom of the ring. Makes sense to me, I understand why that would be (allowance for drop at longer range). Recoil not bad at all.

-ran 5 rounds full house slugs. Actually started with this and gave myself a nice little flinch :redface: Those thumb-sized holes in the target are most impressive! Shot offhand but leaning against a post, at 25m, and put 4/5 in a 15" target plus one just off that was the result of the aforementioned flinch on the 2nd shot :rolleyes: Recoil quite stiff and sharp.

Make go boom = fun! Next time out gonna try some clays (I was at the range alone, no thrower)....but it should be pretty straightforward, I can pick up the site picture very quickly with the GR's. Action cycles smoothly and other than the slugs, the recoil is about as anticipated, very manageable. For $500ish, I feel I got my money's worth.

BTW, the breacher is full cylinder choke, and screws out so you could put in modified or whatever in there and lose "the look" if you want. I don't want. To change it, that is :dancingbanana:
 
I'm also impressed with mine. I had no issues with feeding/extraction the first time out, as long as I RACK that sucker hard.

No slugs yet through mine, but seems like the ghost rings should perform well.

The main reason I bought it was for the 18" Rem Choke barrel - those are tough to find on their own! Most are cylinder, which limits usefullness IMHO.

Only complaint I have is the forend. It KILLS my hand during recoil - too many sharp edges. I'm gonna switch to a normal 870P one I think.
 
It could be a slighly rough chamber (as previoulsy posted) but the chamber in my 590 is as smooth as glass...and that gun will not reliabaly eject any Federal ammo...

Some guns are picky...

Redhouse said:
..
-ran 25 Federal 2 3/4" target loads. It doesn't always throw the spent hull all the way out, requiring manual extraction....maybe 3-4 out of 25. No idea whether I possibly underperformed on racking the action, will pay more attention next time out. Could it have something to do with the short brass or something on the rim of the shell? The rounds below all flew out no problem.

:
Click to expand...
 
My own 870 has stovepiped on my a couple of times but it was always me being soft on the cycle speed. Since I've been doing it fast there's no issue at all. But now and then I get lazy for some reason and soft cycle it and it can jam.
 
I've run over 1000 rounds through my Express Tactical so far. Great gun.

Have had the Federal Target loads fail to eject fully. Rack it hard and they'll come out but get lazy and they catch. (like was already said)

Not fond of the flashy choke so I have an extended Turkey Extra Full in there now and it patterns 3" lead BB very nice up to 40 yards. Will make an excellent yote popper, the reason why I bought this gun.

Picked up a new 28" vent rib Rem Choke barrel to shoot trap with as well, again, with the Turkey choke it makes a great pattern/dust. :)
 
I need to test mine too, it's the express tactical without ghost rings. I don't know how it wil perform in terms of accuracy, can someone tell me if it would be hard to take the front bead sight off and put something else?
Oh and as someone said, the grey finish peels off in sheets (just the receiver, it seems it loved the barrel, lol), I mean sheets, when I was clening it the cloth I was using catched the finish and a 2"x1" sheet came right off, I was... shocked, and when I realized there was a nice parkerized finish under it, I took everyting off... what the hell, I prefer the black finish more than the "outdoor furniture set" finish. :D

I searched the differences between this model and the basic express, I found on ARFcom the differences between a basic express and a police model, and the express tactical we have have 95% of what the police model has compared to a basic express, that means I (and some others here) paid a fairly good price for it.
 
Can you elaborate what all the 95% consists of?

Reason I ask what you hear is that I own an 870P and an express, and have owned and sold 3 more expresses over the past year. There is a noticeable difference in quality, and fit and finish between the two.

I personally believe that they are Expresses with a new finish and a threaded barrel. Similar to the SPS line that added plastic stockset and a midbead to an express. Not at all a bad thing, In fact I think they are a great bang for the buck, more so than modding an express for your own taste.
 
Here's what Remington says about the differance between the Express and the Police guns:

REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY, LE DIVISION
Important differences between Remington 870 Police and 870 Express shotguns
The 870 Express has been an important part of Remington’s offering to the sporting market.
It was designed to meet a price point in the commercial market while still providing classic 870 functionality.
All of Remington’s 870’s have interchangeable parts, even if they have cosmetic differences.
It is also important to note that many manufacturers use the 870 Express platform for their Police / Combat models.
Without exception, every manufacturer who utilizes our 870 platform serves to upgrade their system to a more efficient, street worthy platform.
While the 870 Express is still an 870, the best pump shotgun on the market, there are some very important cosmetic and functional differences between it and the 870 Police.
To our customers in Law Enforcement, Military, Corrections, and Security, whose lives depend upon the unfailing performance of Remington shotguns, the Police modifications are of paramount importance. Synopses of the variances are provided below.

• 870 Police shotguns go thru a special 23 station check list – ranging from visual inspection, functional testing, test firing, and final inspection.

• All Police shotguns are assembled in a “special build area” at the plant in Ilion, NY. This section is secured and serves only to build LE and Military shotguns, with the same factory personnel working at that assignment each shift.

• All parts that enter the “special build area” are visually inspected by hand to ensure top quality and functionality.

• Due to heavy recoil in buck and slug loads, all 870 Police guns have a longer magazine spring which ensures positive feed and function.

• A heavier sear spring is used to generate a reliable, positive trigger pull between 5 and 8 lbs.

• A heavier carrier dog spring is used to ensure when the carrier elevates the shell, it will be held there until the bolt can push it into the chamber. This ensures positive feeding when using heavier payload rounds.

• Police shotguns do not have an ISS (Integrated Safety System) which is a locking mechanism on the safety of commercial shotguns. This type of locking mechanism can cause delay to an officer who needs the weapon but does not have the appropriate key. LE shotguns have the standard, proven, cross bolt safety.

• The fore-end on the Express model is longer and not compatible with many police shotgun vehicle racks.

• The Police shotguns utilize the heavy duty SPEEDFEED Stocks and Fore-ends.

• The Express model will not allow for the addition of an extension tube without physical modification to the tube and barrel, which can nullify the warranty.

• The Express model has a BEAD BLAST BLUE finish while the Police models utilize either High Luster bluing or Parkerization.

• The Express model utilizes a synthetic trigger housing while the Police models use a compressed metal housing.

• The Police shotgun barrel is locked down with a “ball detent” system in conjunction with the magazine cap vs. a lesser grade “synthetic magazine spring retainer” lock down as used on the Express system.

• The receivers used in Police guns are “vibra honed” to smooth out rough finishes and remove burrs before parkerization or bluing.

• Police shotguns use machined ejectors and extractors, as opposed to powdered metal cast which are utilized on the Express models.

This is from the post on AR15dotCOM, the only thing the express tactical doesn't have compared to the police it the parkerized finish (I think), the speedfeed stock and the compressed metal trigger housing, other than that the express tactical has everything else, I don't think they are made in a separate factory tho... lol
It may be 85% in the end.
 
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I don't know, when I read through that post the only thing your Tactical has over the express extended 18" is the foregrip, threaded choke and a different paint job. It has the extended spring but only because it has an extended mag.

I don't think it has much in common with an 870P at all. most of the 870P's upgrades are in the trigger assembly(springs as above)
 
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