Remington 870 Express Low Quality Control?

EDX2308

EDX2308

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
35   0   0
Location
Bring Cash, Penticton
First off I'll let you all know that I bought this R870 Express from Wolverine Supplies. They are great to deal with. But this 870 has some cosmetic issues right out from the box. Don't get me wrong, I've shot it and it shoots great with no reliability issues (yet).

I just feel the finish could be better.... is this normal?
6xs2eh.jpg


The below picture is of the forend tube assembly... looks like metal isn't quite one piece.... seems really crudely made.... it is the same on both sides of the barrel.
eb8osn.jpg


The barrel by the way I didn't find any issues with. It was flawless. The trigger housing was plastic but the trigger itself was metal. I was quite impressed with the trigger pull weight which was slightly lighter than my AR so roughly 3 pounds?

Anyone out there with pictures like this? Are the older 870's higher quality? Did I just get the only lemon?
Thanks for looking everyone!
 
I'm lucky I got to look at a couple of 870's at Cabela's before I bought one. The first one I looked at has a crazy wavy looking rib. Something wasn't right, but they made it into a gun anyways.
 
The funny thing about this 870 is that it reminded me of how this shotgun could have been made by Norinco and stamped with "Remington" on it after it was shipped over.... one things for sure, Chicom firearms may have terrible finishes on them but have excellent reliability (from my SKS anyhow).

But hey, I like doing reviews and letting future shotgun owners have a heads up. People have been talking about Remington's quality control being poor.... but I just thought it would be good to have pictures of it.
 
I have it on good authority that the dealer cost on a new 870 express synthetic stock with 28" barrel is $299.
Now that is dealer cost. Which means Remington is producing it for even less in order to make a profit. Not to mention the middle man.

I believe I saw these at LeBarons for $309. I can only assume that they are not making much profit on them.

Moral of the story -- You get what you pay for.
 
chrisco said:
I have it on good authority that the dealer cost on a new 870 express synthetic stock with 28" barrel is $299.
Now that is dealer cost. Which means Remington is producing it for even less in order to make a profit. Not to mention the middle man.

I believe I saw these at LeBarons for $309. I can only assume that they are not making much profit on them.

Moral of the story -- You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...



That's exactly it.

I'm surprised you can even buy a decent shotgun for $300.

Factor in the materials, labour, overhead, storage, shipping, distributer, retailer.... The thing must cost at least $200 to make, so it's crazy how cheap they're sold for after all those costs.

It's hard coughing up $1,000 or more for a gun, but it's always worth it in the end.

I pity the retailers and their margins :( Not too mention their customers #####ing over things like $350 Rugers with crooked sites! LOL
 
I honestly can't say whether the finish on mine is worse or better than that, because I have not looked at it that closely.
The wood is brown, the pipes are black, and it pumps/ shoots every time.

I hate to side with a corporation, but if you're looking for more than what you got, you'll need to cough up more dough... :p
 
My take on the Remington 870 "Express"....

Express could be defined as "Operating at high speed"....
.... Which is does on the assembly line.... right out of the Remington factory with no quality control what so ever unfortunately.... ;):D

Ive also been less then impressed with the Express models Ive owned in the past... :(

From now on Im going with an OLDER Remington 870 hands down...
 
my 870 is from 1962 and is a piece of art - finish is amazing and the slide moves like its on ball bearings. When i pick up a newer express its just bad. although the new wingmasters i have seen are still pretty nice.
 
It is a good gun for the price. Mine functions great. I considered buying an older gun, but so many of them aren't designed for steel shot.
 
True, it functions really good. The reason why I got this 870 is that I can rough it up and not feel bad about it. You guys are right though, if I wanted to (which I have the money) to buy a higher quality shotgun, it'll cost $1000+. Problem, I don't know of many pump actions that charge that much. Semi-autos and trap guns are where the sky is at.
 
^I'm sure someone would have sold you a Wingmaster or BPS for $1k if you offered... :D

My 870 was my first gun, and I also got it so that I could beat it up and not worry about the finish.

Now I work hard for my money and expect a lot for it, but it seems silly to me that anyone would think that the price of an Express and Wingmaster are so far apart for no good reason.
 
Open up your wallet and buy an 870 Police model, I wouldn't touch any 870 that doesn't have "Police" written on it, and I don't care about nonsense and bs that some people will give you about how it isn't much of a difference between Police models and regular models, because the difference is night and day. I know, as I have owned both.
 
Last edited:
sDot said:
Who sells the police models?
Click to expand...

Wolverine Supplies has em, Ellwood Epps does as well. I think that almost any gun store that stocks regular 870's can get you police models. But like I said they are pricey, you can't get a new one for under $1000, but it's worth every penny in my opinion.
 
There's been many threads here on how Remington has gone downhill, and I have seen it firsthand. I've seen some of the new Rem 700's that don't shoot, a friend of mine had 2 that the barrel moved on. I sold my 870 it worked ok but the fit and finish were definitely sub-par. Sad to see, the older Remingtons built up quite a reputation which to me at least is tainted now.
 
My 870 Express Tactical had rust on the mag tube when it was still new in the box, quite a let down. I purchased an old (1970s) Wingmaster off the Equipment Exchange and it is twice the gun the Express is. I hear the new Wingmasters aren't like that at all. My next shotgun will be a Mossberg or something made in Italy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom