Weaknesses of the 870 express?

mr00jimbo

mr00jimbo

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My brother in law is getting his PAL.
I ordered an 870 police so I'm gonna give him my Express 18".
People complain about their quality, etc. but aside from a rough finish mine has been great,
Are there any inherent weaknesses I should address before gifting this thing to ensure stellar reliability and dependability?
I am not too worried about aesthetics, I just don't want it to fail on him or any parts to break prematurely.
 
I hear that some time after about the 200th round through it, it explodes when you chamber the third round from a previously full magazine...

:)
 
LOL. Sorry.

From what I have heard over the years, there are no serious issues with the Express, especially if you have personally used the gun and have not run into trouble.
 
I've been killing deer for years with my 870 w/slugbarrel/shurshot stock/ bushnell dawn to dusk 1.5-4 pwr scope. I have heard complaints about the new 870's but I don't have personal experience with them. They don't make anything the way they used to!
 
I've seen a few with rough chambers that needed to be buffed with a Scotch brite pad , some kroil, and an electric drill, but other than that, very few issues.
I buy and sell them constantly, and like them.
Cat
 
had Problems with the shells sticking in the chamber. had problems with the trigger {Plastic} breaking on a cold Dec deer hunt.
Not the worst pump gun out there, but a far cry from the good old 870 wingmaster
 
The rough chambers cause shells to stick after firing. This is primarily a problem with the cheap winchester shells you get at WalMart.
 
no it was a problem with poorly machines chambers , you could feel the ridges with your finger. It happened with top line ammo too. Fixed it with emery tape and bit of polishing.
i have a 25 year old wingmaster in the gun locker ,has shot thousands of target loads, and duck loads ,with out one problem. Thats a gun I would buy again
 
Kenny said:
no it was a problem with poorly machines chambers , you could feel the ridges with your finger. It happened with top line ammo too. Fixed it with emery tape and bit of polishing.
i have a 25 year old wingmaster in the gun locker ,has shot thousands of target loads, and duck loads ,with out one problem. Thats a gun I would buy again
Click to expand...


My chamber feels as smooth as glass so I haven't bothered polishing it.
I have lots of trouble with all Winchester low "brass" , and not much, but some trouble with Federal target.

I guess it's worth a shot to polish it, but I don't think I'm going to make any difference with steel wool.

I do like the gun a lot, especially because there are so many options available for them. I'd like it a lot more if I knew for certain that the pump was going to spit out an empty every time I pull it back.
 
I have the Marine Magnum version, which are now built on the Express platform. Not a single hiccup. I did buy a forged police extractor if/when my MIM extractor gives up the ghost - though I doubt it will ever break.
 
I have had my handed down 870 express since i started hunting, other than a few shells sticking, and the few little spots from not cleaning right after wet duck hunt. It's going strong. I use it for turkey, deer ,ducks, geese, grouse and clays. best bang for the buck.
 
metcalfe said:
My chamber feels as smooth as glass so I haven't bothered polishing it.
I have lots of trouble with all Winchester low "brass" , and not much, but some trouble with Federal target.

I guess it's worth a shot to polish it, but I don't think I'm going to make any difference with steel wool.

I do like the gun a lot, especially because there are so many options available for them. I'd like it a lot more if I knew for certain that the pump was going to spit out an empty every time I pull it back.
Click to expand...

Maybe you are short stroking your shotgun. When you rack the action make sure you mean it. If you go too soft it will not properly eject the shell. I usually use a semi and have never ran into any cycling issues even with the cheap winchester low brass amo.
 
Never a fault with the many wingmasters owned by my friends, family or myself, or the express. My old 1100 cycles everything I feed it, even the cheap aluminum loads.

The 870 is an old and reliable design; having served hunters shortly after WW2 ended: Production methods were expensive as most designs had many parts, Remington's solution was the venerable 870: Fewer moving parts, simpler design equaled lower production cost and a more affordable shotgun that proved to be robust and reliable: It would be a colossal bollocks on Remington's part to alter or replace something that couldn't work any better.

If any Remington rep is reading this, the 870 cannot be improved, we will be wary of any "new and improved model 880". In the world of shotguns, such an act would be akin to claiming there is a better wheel.

This of course isn't to suggest that Ithaca, Browning or Winchester etc. are unable to make the wheel as well.
 
I try and use 2 and 3/4" even in magnum. had some shell ejection issues, bitter cold deer hunting. dont need 3" for deer. possibly buy a no-jam follower on your next order from SFRC, or alluminum follower form Brownells, i hate that orange plastic.
 
G P said:
The rough chambers cause shells to stick after firing. This is primarily a problem with the cheap winchester shells you get at WalMart.
Click to expand...

Boom! 100% correct with every word of that post.



5 or 6k Remington down my express not 1 issues. Buy 2 boxes of Winchester from wally world cuz they were on sale and nothing, but 50 rounds of problem.

Stick with Federal and you'll have no issue.
 
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