Weaknesses of the 870 express?

rdelliott said:
The finish is a little rust-prone, in my experience. Nothing a little preventative application of oil can't stop. That aside, it's an 870.
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2 guys in my hunting group have found this out the hard way!

1 - If you plan on getting wet, or if it's a possibility, oil the hell out of it, and then oil the hell out of it again!

2 - If it does get wet at all, do not put it in a case, and let it dry completely, then oil the hell out of it and then...........

3 - Oil the hell out of it.

Other than that they are good to go, and hard to beat for a cheap shotgun. ;)
 
The only problem I've had is that animals I shoot with it don't die. They die with the Mossberg and Benelli, but with the 870 they limp away. I sent the gun back to Remington and they put a bayonet on it, which seems to have solved the problem.

Kidding... flawless from day 1.
 
Viper989 said:
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.
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Believe me, that isn't the issue. I don't limp wrist shotguns. The jam can happen at the beginning of the stroke, or the end.
It's a common problem with the express, and the only thing I dislike about it.
I plan in picking up better shells and seeing how they eject. Federal target loads usually work fine, but I have had some issues with them.

I have a semi as well and it spits out cheap Winchester's all day long. There is no good reason for a pump to not eject the same shell that a semi can.
 
ndb86 said:
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 noting but 5 rounds of problem.

Stick with Federal and you'll have no issue.
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I've had federal top gun target loads stick as well, but it wasn't nearly as common and didn't seem to happen after I polished the chamber.

Anyway, the design of the 870 is good, the production quality for the barrels is what has caused these problems since about 2007.
 
rust rust rust. finally seem to be ahead of it by using car wax on the finish -- I could never seem to get oil to 'take' well enough to do the job. smells like crayons, but the finish stays clean. fit ok to good, function flawless.
 
I'm learning as I go here. I bought my first shotgun today, and based on feedback from CGN here I chose the 870.

It sure wasn't the prettiest shottie on display, but it also wasn't in the same price range as the pretty ones.

I didn't know yet that the inexpensive ammo would be a problem, so I bought 3 boxes of it. I'll know tomorrow morning if it really matters with mine. If it does, well, it's not the worst mistake I made this week. I'll just have to shoot more and buy more.
 
Whiskywizard said:
I'm learning as I go here. I bought my first shotgun today, and based on feedback from CGN here I chose the 870.

It sure wasn't the prettiest shottie on display, but it also wasn't in the same price range as the pretty ones.

I didn't know yet that the inexpensive ammo would be a problem, so I bought 3 boxes of it. I'll know tomorrow morning if it really matters with mine. If it does, well, it's not the worst mistake I made this week. I'll just have to shoot more and buy more.
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The federal top gun runs flawless in mine. It's the Winchester that has the issue. And yes, if it's just 3 boxes you have and it doesn't work right, burn them off an switch to stuff that works.
 
NO it is not mine.

tactical_remington_870_1.jpg
 
drop it muzzle down while its loaded. most of them will go off. we had a tech update on it from remington cf wide. the 870 police model, not sure of the others.
 
barrett50cal said:
The only problem I've had is that animals I shoot with it don't die. They die with the Mossberg and Benelli, but with the 870 they limp away. I sent the gun back to Remington and they put a bayonet on it, which seems to have solved the problem.

Kidding... flawless from day 1.
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Youre kidding,but in my country there are hunters that actually belive this,but not for the Remi but Benelli:redface:
Anyway Im new to pump guns,hunted in the marsh with my new 870 express,only issue as many said before is rust.The gun must be kept oiled especially hunting in rain and snow.Only jamming came from grabbing my coat sleeve:p
 
Problems primarily arise during the onset of usage. Rough edges/action/chamber, misalignment/misfit of action bars to bolt carrier, bolt lock up and barrel index. Barrel to receiver fit is the biggest problem, as it can not be easily fixed.

If the gun is working fine now, there is nothing major that will fail that can't be replaced. (Aside from it exploding :p )
 
angrysoldier said:
drop it muzzle down while its loaded. most of them will go off. we had a tech update on it from remington cf wide. the 870 police model, not sure of the others.
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Uh...like dropping it on the "crown" part of the barrel (not the it has one but for frame of reference)?

Never heard that. Got any more info and evidence?
 
Rough chambers and they rust. Even in the gun cabinet they manage to rust. Dad took his 20 gauge out today and it had rust on it. He wasnt too impressed.
 
The safety system on all 870 series shotguns are simply trigger block cross bolts. Any hard sudden jar could cause a discharge. Years ago one went off in the truck of a cruiser when the cruiser was rearended in traffic. (no injuries) It was not loaded properly by the officer. Should never be a round in the chamber when on regular patrol. I do feel the gun could discharge if dropped on the muzzle from any distance onto a hard surface. Having said that, I don't consider that a weakness in the gun's design. Just one to be aware of.

regards, Darryl
 
The nut that holds the fore stock onto the forend tube was slightly loose on mine and I didn't catch that right away. This allowed the forestock to move a bit under recoil and wear to the point where I was getting fails to fire.

Thi sis supposed to be a warranty problem but the parts ordered are sure slow in coming.
 
fmb said:
I've had an Express since they first came out...I'll have it forever. Never had a hiccup for deer, in the duck/goose blind, grouse, turkey, on the range...can't even guess the round count.


Any metal object will rust if not looked after properly.
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It was the only gun with any rust in the cabinet. A Remington moisture bag lays in the bottom of the safe too. Sorry, the express models, just like the SPS rifles, rust easy.
 
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