The TRUTH about the Remington 870 Express

My 3" - 870 Express ( c. 1988 ) is my "go-to" waterfowl gun. It's been through the wars, used in every imagineable weather condition, in both salt & fresh water, from
-35C to + 40C, rain, snow, sleet, fog, dust storms & everything in between, coast to coast in Canada, in several states, ... and on several trips to Cuba. Easily 10,000 rounds through it, used for everything from snipe & woodcock to quail & doves, ruffed grouse, huns, pheasants, sharptails and of course, lots of waterfowl. Even managed to win three "pump-gun-only" sporting clay shoots with it !

It ain't rusty ... and it digests any shell I run through it, including some of Spanish, Italian and yes, even Cuban manufacture. No jams, no misfeeds, no misfires, no issues whatsoever ! After about 15 years of hard use and lots of travel, the old hardwood stock was getting pretty banged up - so I replaced it with an aftermarket synthetic
in Max4HD camo. Still going strong.

I would anticipate it will easily go another 20 years of hard use ... and if there is a problem, you bet I will be repairing, not replacing it. :)
 
The 870 Express isn't a bad gun, not fancy but every one I've seen worked as well as a Wingmaster just not as smooth. If they rust easier than some it's not the steel, it's the surface finish. The Express has a bead blasted finish that is blued and the rougher surface does seem to rust quicker if you don't watch it. One of the reasons it costs a few hundred less is that a skilled worker doesn't have to stand at a buffing wheel polishing the steel before bluing. Listen to beretta boy, anybody who has put 10,000 rounds through any gun should know if it's any good or not.
 
my express is going on its 24-25 season and still functions the same as new.has even been used as a canoe paddle a couple of times.can not justify spending 800-1500 + on a gun that could end up in the bottom of canoe with muddy dog sitting on it.
 
HE 870 EXPRESS FROM 10 OR MORE YEARS AGO WAS A BETTR GUN THEN THE ONES PUT OUT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS .WHEN WE HAD ARE GUN SHOP WE SOLD A lot of express and neverhad a problemwith shells hanging up in the chamber like today .very common to see very rough machine marks in the chamber and i hear a lot of guys are having this very problem ..the big thing is there are uch bettr choices fora cheap shot gun .ie the mossy 535 is a very good shotgun for less then you would pay for an express and the msberg shot gun has been around for at least as long as th 870 has .when i went to buy a shotgun for souhern ont hunting ie deer turkeys ad birds i checked all of the shootguns i could find in the 500$ and undewr pice .ow fr the same money i got a 535 camo with 3 barrels in camo wth scope mounts all ready drilled the same as sling mounts wth screwin chokes cantalever deer barrel andf turkey barrel for the same money as an express nice and smooth shoots 3.5 inch i i want to . it is well worth oing to check all te shot guns you can fin to see what fits you .you wl be suprised at how heavey the 870 express is and how blocky thy feel DUTCH ps thisis just my 2 cents
 
Love them shotguns. ;)

Model70Featherweight_0065.jpg

Model70Featherweight_0062.jpg

P9280209.jpg

Model70Featherweight_0064.jpg
 
With all the variety of reports we're seeing regarding the Express ranging from "once I cried in the same building as an Express and it rusted through" to "my Express was used as the anchor for the Titanic and have not had any rust," I'm beginning to wonder if maybe manufacturing date/place has something to do with it. I'm sure everyone here is being truthful with their experiences, and I'm sure a big part of it is maintenance, but there is no way everyone is talking about the same gun. Maybe we should discuss date of original purchase or something... like Express made in 19xx are garbage but ones made in 19zz are just fine....

I dunno just trying to make sense of the inconsistencies. Opinions vary but experience with a product tends to follow at least a general trend.
 
Sambaru, You might be on to something. I think majority of the people here do not differentiate between older, better built 870 expresses and the new ones.

Here is another suggestion for your consideration; I have followed 870 Express threads on this site and others for sometimes now. More and more it looks like 3.5" capable receivers are the real culprits when it comes to jamming horror stories and not the basic 2 3/4"-3" receivers.
 
Until the Angels Fall said:
I own a Hatsan Escort Marine 12g...well "own" as its my g/fs and I use it when I want lol
Click to expand...


My brother bought one of those pieces....
Less than 20 rounds downrange, the glued on buttpad fell off, the apple coring device at the business end took of for parts unknown downrange, barrel shroud fell off, and the bolt holding the pistol grip on was only half threaded. He sold it for $50 if I recall correctly and told the buyer it was better used as rebar.

My hunting partner bought a new express two years ago on my advice...he's had no issues with his, except the ####ty finish on the wood rubbed off against his carhartt rain coat after about 6 hours of walking in the pissing October-on-the-island rain.
 
Squamch said:
My brother bought one of those pieces....
Less than 20 rounds downrange, the glued on buttpad fell off, the apple coring device at the business end took of for parts unknown downrange, barrel shroud fell off, and the bolt holding the pistol grip on was only half threaded. He sold it for $50 if I recall correctly and told the buyer it was better used as rebar.

My hunting partner bought a new express two years ago on my advice...he's had no issues with his, except the s**tty finish on the wood rubbed off against his carhartt rain coat after about 6 hours of walking in the pissing October-on-the-island rain.
Click to expand...

Well was it the "escort" of the "opitum" or w/e one? Personally I have never put on the pistol girp but and the butt pad isn't the best for reducing recoil but its SCREWED on with 2" screws (about that). This one also has nothing on the end of the barrel...ie a shroud. Its been used in the rain, snow, mud, dropped more then I will admit and has give me 0 issues. I've fired buckshot, birdshot, slugs out of it in the 1000s. I can't hit water bottles 4/5 times at 35 yards with slugs and the 20" smooth bore barrel. I gotta say I LOVE this gun:)...too bad its not mine.
 
Here are my two cents: I bought the Rem 870 Express Tactical last February and have had no problems with it. Probably close to 300 shells and slugs through her and not a single hiccup. The area i live in is extremely wet and rainy (eastern BC,) and with a proper cleaning and a bit of maintenance there has yet to be any rust spots what so ever. Maybe its the ex-Canadian Reserve in me but if you look after the firearm, the firearms looks after you... i find that yes although on the cheaper side, this Express tactical serves its purpose.
 
I had my Wingmaster stolen back in 86. A few years later I bought an 870Express. I`ve lost count of the waterfowl, rabbits, upland, clays and such that I have shot since then with that same shotgun. We sunk a duckboat one time and "drowned" three Browning Autos and my Express. It was the only one to work after they were retrieved.
I clean it regularly and have never had a problem with it. I may need to refinish it in the next few years but that is all.
uh.....did I mention I love my Express?

DF:D
 
i bought an 870 express in 1988, 89ish. I think at the time i paid about $300 bucks for it new. I used it for deer, ducks ,grouse etc etc etc. It works all the time. 0 issues so far. It fell into a swamp once when the canoe flipped, poured mud and water out of it, cleaned and oiled it .0 issues. If it died tomorrow (and i am sure it won't) it wouldn't owe me a cent. I can't remember anything i have paid $300 bucks for that has lasted that long and gave me no problems. That said, at the time i purchased it, the 300 bucks was all i could afford. When i need to replace it i may just opt for a wingmaster. If you are on a tight budget there is nothing wrong with the express.
 
I bought an 870 Express back in the early 90s. I fell in the marsh (sal####er) muck and kept hunting the rest of the day after it was submerged in the mud. Once home there was a sheen of rust which wiped right off when cleaned and oiled. I sold that gun to a buddy at work years ago and he still uses and loves it today. I personally have an Express, a Tactical in OD green and depend on the ones at work daily. Personally, I feel you can't beat the 870's, any of them. The sheer number of them speaks for itself. I agree though that, the same as with anything, there will be the odd bad one.
 
Have an express made in maybe 2006 or so. I should really get around to cleoaning it again, but so far it is quite good, though the one gripe is a rust spot on the action that I can't seem to remove.

I always heard that the Express was just an unrefined Wingmaster, aka the Wingmaster's internals were polished whereas the Express' were not. So couldn't one do their own minor work on an Express to get it 'better' ?

All this talk about Remington's quality going downhill seems to be subjective observation and not document-able fact.

Any hiccups with my 870 were from shooters who were short stroking it. It does require a good cycle of the action to get it to operate smoothly.
 
by the spunds of it here i would agree that the earlyer 870 express was a much better gun then the ones coming out now.never heard of so many problems as thy are having now and it seems most of it is with the 3.5 inch guns not chambering properly or shells getting stuck in barrell .i would not have a new 870 express much rather a 535 mossy DUTCH
 
The 870 Express is a fine gun. It's the same gun and quality as the 870 Wingmaster except the finnish of the steel and wood. The Express was sold cheaper because they had less hours invested at the factory due to the rough finnish. It takes a lot of work and time to polish metal and finnish wood nicely versus sand blasting and oil dipping.

I believe they sandblast the metal to blend the tool cutting marks, and then hot blue it. I've not heard of them rusting easy, but they do have a gritty surface finish that could trap water and hold it there which would allow rust to form if not protected. I would spray it down with G96 and let it soak into the metal poors for a day, and then wipe it down. This would seal the poors and allow water to run off.

Actually the 870 Express damaged the used gun market in a big way. There was a time when used shotguns sold for $400 and $500 easily. When the express came it sold for around $325 new, with a vent rib and 2 3/4" and 3" chamber, and modified choke. I'm sure all gun companys considered this idea, but avoided it knowing the damage it would cause to their retailer's used shotgun inventory, but I would guess Remington went ahead with it because they knew sooner or later someone will offer a low price shotgun, so it might as well be us.

Actually, the first model was called the 870 Sportsman that sold new for $295 back in the early 1980's. It was available only in 12ga and I think only a 2 3/4" chamber, but did come with a vent rib. It went off the market for a while, and then a couple years later the Express was introduced. The Express was still only a 12ga, but had a 2 3/4" and 3" chamber and sold new for $325. They flew off the gun racks like hot cakes for years. Later they introduced it in a 20ga, then sevral years later a choke tube system for Rem-chokes, and all gauges were made. It was a smart marketing move for Remington, but at the cost of the used shotgun market, but it was just a matter of time before someone was going to do it, so Rem made the move.
 
scanner said:
The 870 Express is a fine gun. It's the same gun and quality as the 870 Wingmaster except the finnish of the steel and wood. The Express was sold cheaper because they had less hours invested at the factory due to the rough finnish. It takes a lot of work and time to polish metal and finnish wood nicely versus sand blasting and oil dipping.

I believe they sandblast the metal to blend the tool cutting marks, and then hot blue it. I've not heard of them rusting easy, but they do have a gritty surface finish that could trap water and hold it there which would allow rust to form if not protected. I would spray it down with G96 and let it soak into the metal poors for a day, and then wipe it down. This would seal the poors and allow water to run off.

Actually the 870 Express damaged the used gun market in a big way. There was a time when used shotguns sold for $400 and $500 easily. When the express came it sold for around $325 new, with a vent rib and 2 3/4" and 3" chamber, and modified choke. I'm sure all gun companys considered this idea, but avoided it knowing the damage it would cause to their retailer's used shotgun inventory, but I would guess Remington went ahead with it because they knew sooner or later someone will offer a low price shotgun, so it might as well be us.

Actually, the first model was called the 870 Sportsman that sold new for $295 back in the early 1980's. It was available only in 12ga and I think only a 2 3/4" chamber, but did come with a vent rib. It went off the market for a while, and then a couple years later the Express was introduced. The Express was still only a 12ga, but had a 2 3/4" and 3" chamber and sold new for $325. They flew off the gun racks like hot cakes for years. Later they introduced it in a 20ga, then sevral years later a choke tube system for Rem-chokes, and all gauges were made. It was a smart marketing move for Remington, but at the cost of the used shotgun market, but it was just a matter of time before someone was going to do it, so Rem made the move.
Click to expand...

Thanks for allt he info...nice little history lesson there :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom