Deus Machina
Member
So I handed my dad's old Stevens back after refurbishing it, to much success, and he said he'll have to get me out to a range a town or two over to shoot clays.
This means, of course, that I just can't go without a shotgun of my own.
So I pop into the local pawn shop and find a used 870 Express. 12 gauge, trunk-worn wood, a couple minor external rust spots which wiped away with oil, and a 28" ribbed barrel with tubes.
Not the prettiest thing, but no surprising wear and everything in it seems smooth and shiny. So I'm happy enough to walk out $150 lighter in the pocket.
The odd thing? My limited shotgun experience has been with Mossbergs. Yeah, they feel a little more... mechanical. Click-clack-clunk, all with purpose, and I'm happy with that because I like machines that feel like machines. I kept with them because every 870 I've tried out--minus, perhaps, my dad's old Wingmaster--has had a softer click-clack but a good bit of rub-grind mixed in.
I don't begrudge them that; they're workhorse guns. And work they do. Just a preference.
But after pulling this apart to the bolts, scrubbing with rags and soap and a brush, and oiling everything with CLP? Slick as frog snot on a doorknob. Surprised I could ever say that after all I've heard about the Express, but this is just downright impressive.
So I'm just musing on that. Did I get exceedingly lucky with this one, just unlucky with the others, or was there just something about the standard 870s that tells people to never clean and lube them?
This means, of course, that I just can't go without a shotgun of my own.
So I pop into the local pawn shop and find a used 870 Express. 12 gauge, trunk-worn wood, a couple minor external rust spots which wiped away with oil, and a 28" ribbed barrel with tubes.
Not the prettiest thing, but no surprising wear and everything in it seems smooth and shiny. So I'm happy enough to walk out $150 lighter in the pocket.
The odd thing? My limited shotgun experience has been with Mossbergs. Yeah, they feel a little more... mechanical. Click-clack-clunk, all with purpose, and I'm happy with that because I like machines that feel like machines. I kept with them because every 870 I've tried out--minus, perhaps, my dad's old Wingmaster--has had a softer click-clack but a good bit of rub-grind mixed in.
I don't begrudge them that; they're workhorse guns. And work they do. Just a preference.
But after pulling this apart to the bolts, scrubbing with rags and soap and a brush, and oiling everything with CLP? Slick as frog snot on a doorknob. Surprised I could ever say that after all I've heard about the Express, but this is just downright impressive.
So I'm just musing on that. Did I get exceedingly lucky with this one, just unlucky with the others, or was there just something about the standard 870s that tells people to never clean and lube them?
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