A question re Remington 870 Express.

The stock magazine follower on mine was very flimsy, thin gray plastic. I replaced it with a much more robust hi-viz unit from Carlsons, but they also make billet aluminum replacements.
The internet also recommends replacing the extractor with a Volquartsen part- its a cheap and easy upgrade.

I hope by "discarded" you mean you sold or gave away and didn't throw it to the landfill

I believe, from what I've read, there were a few bad years for the Express but most quality control issues didn't crop up until late 2000's or so. I have one from 2006 and it runs flawless just like my wingmaster but isn't nearly as smooth but they smooth out over time and most of the QC issues were rough chambers and MIM extractors. A lil Scotch Brite chucked into a drill and a lil chamber polish and a $20 Volq extractor will solve the problem if shells are sticky.

Even my wingmaster and other pump guns seem to not like the cheaper steel case heads and brass is your best bet for 100% reliability but for range practice and training, the cheaper steel heads shells will be fine, but for hunting and HD, I'd stick with brass heads. The brass expands and retracts, the cheaper steel shells tend to expand and not always retract and every once in a while you have some stubborn extraction, although I've shot alot of steel head shells and I've never had to mortar my shotgun to extract but have had some pretty sticky ones even with a polished chamber....

SunnySlopes said:

I'd also like to put a picatinny rail on the receiver with a QD illuminated sight. With the rifle sight configuration, and when I'd pull off the Red Dot, would the rifle sights still be usable?

Click to expand...

`

If the rail has a channel down the center it might work, depending on how deep and wide is the channel.

I bought my 18-inch barrel 870 Express about 1990. There was really nothing budget about it except the lower price. The barrel is basic cylinder bore with no issues. It has a hardwood stock with the longer Wingmastser style forend, which I prefer over the short corncob type. My trigger guard is aluminum rather than the plastic type used in later years.

Other than a Choate 2-shell extension, the magazine follower, and the heavier Carrier Dog Follower Spring I added, my express is original. I did buy the Volquartsen extractor last year, only to discover my original extractor was bar stock, not MIM. So now I have a spare extractor.

I also bought the Wilson Combat/Scattergun Technologies Ghost Ring Sight Set with the red fiber optic front sight. Got some extra red, and some green fiber optic rods while I was at it, so I could see which worked best for me. The simple bead sight was just fine when my eyes were 30 years younger.

Life happened, so I haven't had time to try those new sights yet.

Well anyway, that 870 Express sure was a good buy. It's never failed me yet. Very smooth with a crisp trigger right out of the box. But that was 1990-ish. I've heard they've found new ways to cut corners to keep cost down since then. I couldn't say what the newest models are like, or any others in between.

I have 1 I purchased in about 1992 at a k mart for the princely sum of about $160. 3" magnum w/ screw in chokes. I replaced the wood with camo synthetic, and later picked up a turkey 21" barrel at a gun show. That gun has taken turkey, a deer, doves, and ducks just fine. The only complaint I have is that the cheap wannabe parkerized finish is a rust magnet, so I need to store it with a good coat of motor oil on it. During hunting season I keep a can of ballistol in the truck to spray it down after hunting before I put it in the case.

the earlier models had sticky chambers.

Click to expand...

The Express has been around since the 1980's. The minor issues were in the early 2000's.

The Express is a durable, reliable gun. There were a handful that just needed the chamber polished after purchase. Yea, that should have been done at the factory, but it is a 10 minute DIY project. Certainly not a deal killer. The 870 is a solid design.

Most of the complaints were that it wasn't a Wingmaster with walnut and polished blue. They used cheaper wood or plastic stocks and left the metal somewhat rough and with a matt finish. I never understood the complaints. If someone wanted real walnut and polished blue they could always pay $1000 for a Wingmaster. But for $250 the Express did the same thing and was every bit as reliable and durable. In fact for hunting, I much preferred the subdued finish. If I had a $1000 budget, I'd buy a Benelli semi-auto instead of a Wingmaster.

In my opinion, the early 870 Express shotguns were better than the final ten years or so. They were preceded by the Sportsman 870, a 3", fixed choke matte finished, birch stocked gun that I shot the devil out of at ducks. I have two expresses now, one early and one late. No comparison. Early is smooth, tight, and the finish, while being their proprietary version of parkerizing or some such, is subdued. Stock is wood, not walnut but nicely colored. Late model is rough, synthetic stocked (not a problem but as a Luddite, I like wood), and I had to peen/grind out the detents (bought a tool off fleabay) in the mag tube to add an extension.
I've smoothed out the action on the old one and it is the "behind the door" home defense gun. The early one is my turkey gun with a Jellyhead choke tube and I have a rifled barrel for it to loan at deer camp for bambi.
For trap, only an old 870TB or my late brother's TC will do.

Five Express, two of em being supermagnums.
Zero issues. Had SP and Wingmasters too.
Currently have only one 870.....my beater 23 inch supermag. Its a champ

FL-NC said:

I have 1 I purchased in about 1992 at a k mart for the princely sum of about $160. 3" magnum w/ screw in chokes. I replaced the wood with camo synthetic, and later picked up a turkey 21" barrel at a gun show. That gun has taken turkey, a deer, doves, and ducks just fine. The only complaint I have is that the cheap wannabe parkerized finish is a rust magnet, so I need to store it with a good coat of motor oil on it. During hunting season I keep a can of ballistol in the truck to spray it down after hunting before I put it in the case.

Click to expand...

That's about how much I paid for mine about 1990 at either Walmart or Bass Pro Shops in Missouri. Can't remember at the moment. I've bought a few guns from both of those establishments. Mine is also 3" Magnum. It's plenty capable and versatile. I never had the rust issue with the original barrel though. I bought a 20" slug barrel a couple years after I bought the shotgun. But it usually wears the original 18" cylinder bore for HD/SD.

PapaG said:

In my opinion, the early 870 Express shotguns were better than the final ten years or so. They were preceded by the Sportsman 870, a 3", fixed choke matte finished, birch stocked gun that I shot the devil out of at ducks. I have two expresses now, one early and one late. No comparison. Early is smooth, tight, and the finish, while being their proprietary version of parkerizing or some such, is subdued. Stock is wood, not walnut but nicely colored. Late model is rough, synthetic stocked (not a problem but as a Luddite, I like wood), and I had to peen/grind out the detents (bought a tool off fleabay) in the mag tube to add an extension.
I've smoothed out the action on the old one and it is the "behind the door" home defense gun. The early one is my turkey gun with a Jellyhead choke tube and I have a rifled barrel for it to loan at deer camp for bambi.
For trap, only an old 870TB or my late brother's TC will do.

Click to expand...

FWIW the Express was just matte finish. Special Purpose 870s......were just matte finish. 1100 SPs were actually Parkerized. Of course later some other models may have been. The Sportsman series was blued, w a arched top receiver, in auto or pump. The Express has a flat on top of receiver and the SP has a recessed flat to sight down. Back when slug guns were a thing, guys wanted the Sportsmans for added meat to D&T.

Some later Express could be had w walnut. Special Purposes when they first came out were not walnut, changed after a couple yrs.

i bought this remington 870 12ga 3" mag several years ago at a close out price for turkey, turns out its a fine shotgun and i have killed quite a few turkeys with it and i like the butt stock,

For more positive feeding, acquire an 1100 or 11-87 carrier dog spring, or a 870 Police carrier dog spring (the Police just use the 1100 spring) It's a heavy black spring, different than the standard spring. Nice upgrade for around $5. See video. Looks like you have a mag tube extension, so your spring is newer. If it was standard length, I'd recommend the Police standard length spring, it's a few inches longer than the Express and Wingmaster mag tube spring for more positive feeding.

If you never had any extraction issues, I would not anticipate any in your future. Keep the action bars lubricated and run the snot out of it to slick it up like a Wingmaster.

Some early Express models had rust issues on the black oxide finish. I used to sell them and they would rust in the Remington box. Just keep it oiled similar to Parkerizing and it wipes right off.



Also ensure your extension is installed properly.

SunnySlopes said:

I got the parts and put them in. GG&G mag follower. Volquartsen extractor. Plus Wilson jumbo safety.

I managed to lose the detent spring though. Twice. Those suckers sure can fly.

Thanks for the advice.

Click to expand...

Pretty sure I stopped halfway through and put on my safety glasses.

I bought a Protector in 2019. No failures, but ... I did Not torture test it or run thousands of round through it. I used cheap bulk steel bird loads from Walmart. My boys liked it more than the 1300 clone. Smooth? Nope. Very mechanical like a C- clamp. It just ate all the abuse the boys gave it.

Take it with a grain of salt .

The only real problem that I heard about them was they would rust easily and they weren’t as smooth as a Wingmaster . I bought 3 of them between 2015 and 16 . I have been happy with all of mine .

As far as the parkerizing or what ever they refer it as/ get a can of food grade silicone spray and liberally coat the barrel and receiver I hunt ducks in the salt water and mine may get a hint of surface rust but give it a squirt of silicone wipe itt down and you are GTG.

SunnySlopes said:

Have yours ever rusted?

Click to expand...

Nope .

starnbar said:

As far as the parkerizing or what ever they refer it as/ get a can of food grade silicone spray and liberally coat the barrel and receiver I hunt ducks in the salt water and mine may get a hint of surface rust but give it a squirt of silicone wipe itt down and you are GTG.

Click to expand...

What I do as well.
Mine has the phosphate/parkerized finish and had a smattering of rust when I bought it, hasn't gotten any worse since I started caring for it.

starnbar said:

As far as the parkerizing or what ever they refer it as/ get a can of food grade silicone spray and liberally coat the barrel and receiver I hunt ducks in the salt water and mine may get a hint of surface rust but give it a squirt of silicone wipe itt down and you are GTG.

Click to expand...

I use paste wax. Works great.

The early express model 870 (with the metal trigger housing) is great. I have one that I used for years and now gets used as a loaner gun for high school FFA trap. It has been shot and shot and shot some more. Never had an issue with it. It always comes home with me and I do the cleaning and maintenance.