Another "New" 870 owner w/questions

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PennsyPlinker

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Greetings all

I have just spent some time reading through quite a few 870 threads here. I bought one from my daughter's fiance this past weekend. He wanted $150 for it, and I paid it figuring it was politically good as well as a decent deal. For my money I got two barrels, the "regular" barrel with the bead sight on it (it is in a different building than I am right now and it is pouring rain) and a 20" slug barrel, both Remington. Everything has an even coating of surface rust on it. None of the rust seems to be very severe or deep.

Questions. I don't think the metal is blued, but perhaps it is Parkerized? I do not have the experience to tell if it is that or just a marginal bluing job. How do I tell, and what would be the best option for cleaning it up? I do not want to spend tons of money on it, and it is not real bad, but it is obvious that the gun was let go in a very humid environment for a while (his basement flooded a while ago).

The trigger guard looks to be aluminum. It is definitely not plastic, but the gun has 870 Remington Express Magnum written on the side. I thought that the Express model had a plastic guard. What variant might this be?

How troublesome is surface rust on the inside of the barrel? Will a couple of boxes of shells take care of the problem, or is there something else I should be doing with it? Again, it seems to be light surface rust only.

How about stock options? I picked up a folding stock at Cabelas but already plan to return it. I am a big beefy guy and it was no fun to shoot the very few rounds I did with the folder (no recoil pad). The current stock is, shall we say, sporting a distressed finish. Even if I took the time to strip it and sand it and finish it up, it is still a very mediocre walnut. Again, I am not looking to make a silk purse here, but would like it to be a little more attractive, so no one spends time making fun of me at the range.

Where can I find a manual for this, and how far should it be taken down for cleaning, both initially and on a regular basis?

I suspect there will be more questions coming, but this should keep me busy for a while.

Thanks.
 
Well, let's answer a few of your questions. A new manual for your 870 can be downloaded from Remington's web sight, or you can call them to send you one at no charge. Since maintenance is unknown (well, to the point of having a rusty Express, not exactly unheard of though), I would clean it down to taking out the trigger group (two pushed out pins will remove it). Giving the barrel a good cleaning should get the rust out of the inside of the barrel. I'll let someone else help with the rust on the blued exterior finish. Regarding stocks, if yours are not to your liking, you can always pick up a like new set on ebay for not a lot of money - $20-40, or check the classifieds on this sight too. Clean her up, and she'll give you good service for many tens of thousands of rounds!
 
I find that a little paint job helps with the rust on Express finishes.
The barrel also is also painted but really cant tell by the pic.

Have put lower rings on since this pic.

 
Unless it's a really old Express, the furniture is beech or birch stained walnut color. Some old Expresses do have actual walnut furniture (pretty low grade at that) but they're about as common as hen's teeth. There's one here at Casa Lapin, the only one I have ever seen. Refinishing? Why bother unless it's literally splintered? Clean the wood up with Murphy's Oil Soap and rub in repeated heavy coats of Johnson's Paste Wax or the like. Or tung oil, or whatever you like (and have on hand) for a stock finish. Stain the dings if you like, or if you have the goop on hand, refinish it. But don't spend a ton'o'money on it and don't get wrapped around the axle over it. It's an Express and that's all it will ever be.

Older Expresses do have an aluminum trigger plate. Looking at the back (trigger end) of the loading port from the magazine tube end of the loading port, push up the lifter. If you see two whitish colored rectangular blocks where the lifter is hinged, the trigger plate is aluminum. I have seen a few refinished trigger plates that were all dark, but mostly the ones that don't show the rectangles are plastic. Carefully take off the magazine cap, holding onto the magazine cap firmly in case there's no detent in place for the magazine spring (which will vigorously try to escape if that's the case, and take the magazine cap with it). Look at the barrel ring where the magazine cap contacts it. If there's a spring-loaded detent there, it's most likely an older model Express and almost certainly has an aluminum trigger plate. Crack open the action and pull the barrel out of the receiver- if there are no dimples in the magazine tube, congratulations. You have an older Express, which is a Wingmaster in work clothes.

Older Express guns are in fact the functional equivalent of Wingmasters, just with a rougher finish. It's a bead-blasted blue, not the polished blue of Wingmasters. It isn't parkerized, it's blued.

Rust can be a problem with any blued gun exposed to the abusive conditions yours suffered. Powdery red surface rust is no big deal at all, as long as you "kill" the rust and keep it from going any deeper. Any good gun oil or light machine oil should do a good job of that. Slather on a good heavy coat, inside and out, and let it soak for a while. Then rub down the surfaces with coarse cloth like an old towel to clean it up. If there are stubborn spots a little 0000 (4/0) steel wool or a fine grade Scotchbrite pad soaked in oil shoud take care of it with a little light rubbing. As for rust inside the barrel, a new bronze 12 ga, brush wrapped in a few wisps of 4/0 steel wool with lots of light oil should take care of that. Some folks have been known to take the handle off an aluminum cleaning rod and chuck the rod up in a variable speed electric drill run at low speed for this task, but I don't know anyone who would do something as lazy as that 8^).

As has been indicated, the owners manual is available for download at Remington's website, or you can call them and they will send you one. It gives good directions for fieldstripping the gun. 870s are easy to strip and maintain once you ge the 'feel' for it, having someone on hand who knows the gun well to show you the ropes can be a big help the first time out.

You got a steal of a deal on what sounds like a great combo (don't tell the future SIL he practically gave it away at that price 8^). Check to see if the 20" barrel is smoothbore or rifled, some slug barrels included in combo deals were rifled. If it's a smoothbore, IMHO you have the best of both worlds- a great barrel for both defensive work and for big game hunting with buckshot or slugs. Check in the usual place on the barrel (the chamber area on the left side back near where it joins the receiver) to see if it has a stamped choke marking. Newer 20" Express barrels have a fixed ImpCyl choke from the factory, and if yours does, you're really coming up with all aces in this hand.

You have a great combo there, get familiar with it, clean it up good, start shooting it and getting used to it. With good ammo and good care your grandchildren will be shooting it too. 870s wear in, they don't wear out.

Stay safe,

lpl/nc (and if you don't want to bother with all that, let me know- I'll give you your money back for it 8^)
 
Thanks for the responses guys! Lee, I have gotten it disassembled and here is what I have found:

The trigger guard is actually plastic. It was rough and dirty and it felt like aluminum, but now that I have gotten it out, it is definitely plastic.

I did not see a spring loaded detent anywhere, although the short barrel does have a small hole in the barrel ring. The magazine tube has two dimples (?) one top and one bottom, which appear to be there to maintain the orientation of the magazine spring. Are those the dimples you mean? Other than that it is smooth.

The short barrel is smooth bore and marked with the IMP CYL stamp.

The trigger assembly is dirty, but not a speck of rust to be found anywhere inside! It looks like some compressed air followed up with some oil will get it nice and clean again.

I am not sure about the stock. It certainly is not the prettiest walnut I have ever seen, and there is a possibility it might be beech. I have been fooled in the past, but it has more of the graining of walnut that beech. Judging by the pores, it is not birch.

I have to do some actual work today, but I will take some pictures later on and post them of what I have so far.

Thanks again!
 
Pennys....the two dimples in the mag tube mark it for a newer 870. The dimples hold in the magazine spring cap, which in turn holds in the magazine spring. To remove the spring and the cap, you push down on the cap, turn it 90 or so degrees, then slowly let the spring force it out.

I'm not sure when they stopped using the old mag spring retention system, but it wasn't too long ago. The biggest problem with the dimples is it makes it difficult to install a magazine extension.
 
If all else fails...

Take that puppy down to the mag tube 'n receiver/bolt... This 870 began life as a cop shotgun... Still has the scars on the trigger guard from being in the upright gun rack.
 

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Be sure to check for rust inside of the magazine tube! Rust in this part can cause feeding problems. steel wool should do the job.

OS
 
Okay, I got it all cleaned up, or at least cleaned up enough to start shooting it for real. Getting it apart was relatively easy, but getting it back together took some doing. I learned a lot about wiggling those action bars back and forth while fiddling with the stops... :scrutiny:

remington87001.gif

Here is a quick (hah!) picture. Actually, taking the picture was relatively quick, but since I have a fairly new computer with Vista on it, I have to learn a new photo package. My old one no longer works. But anyway...

The trigger assembly was dirty, but not rusty. The magazine tube was as shiny on the inside as if it were brand new. Most of the rust came off with a rag and some gun oil, and the rest came off with a toothbrush.

I went to Cabela's and picked up a clay target thrower, a box of clays, and a box of target loads for the gun. Now I just need to find time to get to the range, not to mention convincing Mrs. Plinker that she will have fun with this, or at least the young Plinkette. She likes to shoot, but this will be new to her. I haven't shot clay targets in over 30 years.
 
Glad you now have a working model 870! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do my scatterguns.

It is hard to tell by your picture, but you may have a matte finish on that gun!

Just a thought...It is possible what you rubbed off wasn't rust! You mention the bore was clean as a whistle. The matte finish guns have a brown residue on the outside of the barrel that will come off on a rag the first few times you clean it. I am told it is a byproduct from when the matte finish is applied. I have a matte finish Win 1300 pump that had me worried about the brown (I thought it was rust) stuff coming off until I was told otherwise. I don't see it anymore and the matte finish is even better now.

Again..just a thought!
 
Milk....so that's what that brown crud on my new 870 was....I wasn't sure what it was; didn't think it was rust, I just thought it was something it picked up in storage or shipping.
 
Well mine was definitely rust, since it left those little marks that rust leaves on other guns - not mine of course, but I have seen other peoples'! :rolleyes: I have no idea how long my future SIL owned it, but he said he put many hundreds, if not thousands of rounds through it. He also freely admitted he never cleaned it, and I tend to believe that as well.
 
<quote>
Well mine was definitely rust, since it left those little marks that rust leaves on other guns - not mine of course, but I have seen other peoples'! I have no idea how long my future SIL owned it, but he said he put many hundreds, if not thousands of rounds through it. He also freely admitted he never cleaned it, and I tend to believe that as well.
</quote>

Still...from the looks of it you got a good deal for $150. Now it is up to your daughter to teach him how to clean things :) I have one of those son-in-laws too. I love him to death, but he is definitely different. hahah
 
Oh yeah, I'm not complaining at all! In fact, I am feeling very satisfied and happy about the whole thing. :evil: I have a very nice looking shotgun, although I may fool around with the stock a little. The best thing is, with it being a little dinged up already, I won't be afraid to take it out and bang it around in the truck, the woods, the range, etc.

She is working on him. The worst part though, is when she gets together with Mrs. Plinker and the two of them tell me how much he is like I was at that age. :what: He told me he was inspired by my little S&W J frame and went out to buy one just like it. Of course, it could just be kissing up to win some favor...
 
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