Did I just get lucky with my new 870?

[Deus Machina]

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?

 

[Striker]

The 870 Express gets a bad rap in my opinion. In my experience, all a new one needs is a good degreasing and cleaning, followed by proper lubrication. Then as Dave would say BA/UU/R.

You got a good deal and a good shotgun.

 

[MEHavey]

ACID TEST:

Go grab some Winchester Whitebox/steel-base/"SuperTarget", Win "USA" and/or Field & Stream "Game & Target" etc...


... and let us know if they eject OK.

.

 

[243winxb]

The price is right. The test is, will it go bang when the trigger is pulled. Will it load and eject?

 

[Virginian]

I have seen Mossbergs, Novas, SXPs, all kinds of other stuff, and even BPSs being beat on the ground with Winchester Universals. My 1100s run them but rip about half the cases slightly. If you want to shoot them and have an issue just hone the chamber.
An Express is built to a price point. Everything is not all polished, but they have the same action as a Wingmaster. After a bit of cycling they generally smooth right up.

 

[MEHavey]

If you want to shoot [inexpensive/steel base] and have an issue just hone the chamber,

The 870 Chamber is not necessarily the problem/nor simple solution, and
I would not recommend leaving a weapon where some work/some don't.

See:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6507127
Read all the way through to the bottom....



But again for the OP: Have you tried the cheap stuff and it ejects OK as/is ?
That's the test.

.

 

[Virginian]

I am telling you there is NO one brand of pump you can buy and be sure it will run Winchester Universals without any problems.

 

[MEHavey]

My four Model-12s, one Ithaca-37, and one 870 WingMaster run [the cheap stuff] fine.
The three Expresses have all had to be ... [drumroll please] "fixed "




.
(hint, hint, Remington)

 

[WestKentucky]

870s like almost everything else have seen a few changes in fit and finish over the years. Usually because technology has advanced in manufacturing and now it’s cheaper/faster/easier to do a job in a different way, or with different materials. No matter the change the old way will always be “better” until it’s been around for a decade or so. The 870 does however seem to have gotten rougher over the years for some reason. I have my father-in-laws from the 70s and it’s truly nice but it’s had maybe 500 rds through it. The new ones I have had were not even close to the same gun.

 

[eastbank]

if you have a tight chamber it may have problems with cheapee shells as the steel brass plated bases do not contract like all brass shell bases do after firing, my model 12ga trap will not eject the cheapee Winchester shells. I have found that the federal bulk shells work much better with no problems in my clay games shotguns and I shoot thousands of them a year. eastbank.

 

[PapaG]

The more you shoot it the smoother it will get. My two trap guns have had to had some parts replaced after zillions of rounds and I do a little hand fitting (not necessary but nice). For instance, one place to really gain smoothness is to polish the action bars. I polish the blue off, put a little dykem on them, work them a dozen times, polish the shiny spots, and repeat until they are slick. A good, well broken in 870 will just about let the slide fall down by itself if held muzzle up and then pressing the bolt release.

 

[mjsdwash]

what

MEHavey said is absoulutely correct. When I work over a shotgun, I get a valuepack of that Winchester to test. My 870 express came with a 28" barrel that never had a problem, so clearly they exist. The replacement barrel I got for it, a Rem factory barrel had a chamber that would stick on damn near anything though, so clearly the bad ones do exist too. The last 870 I helped a guy with would not run any birdshot on the barrel it shipped with. It took some real work, your could actually feel the ridges in the chamber. Never had the rust experience, and I do take it out in the rain, but I also clean and oil it withing a day. The first shot I fired out of it the extractor didn't work and I had to mortar the round out. The extractor needed fit. Honing takes 15 minutes, and the tools are common. Its possible someone already did yours. Either way, 870's a great once they work, and you;ll be happy

 

[Deus Machina]

I haven't shot it yet. Just got it yesterday.
Tested all the functions I could, though. Feeds, extracts, firing pin bounces a dowel around. Maybe it's odd, but I always test that to insure I didn't get one with a broken or worn pin.
I'll just have to grab some cheap ammo and test that out. The chamber certainly looks smooth enough.
My thought was that, well, it's an 870. If there's something that doesn't work, it can be fixed. If something's ugly, I can swap it out or do a little work. I still have materials left over from refurbishing the old Stevens.

 

[Charliefrank]

I bought an 870 turkey model new off the shelf in 92. Dull wood stock, parkerized finish, 21" barrel with extra full choke. I paid $250 for it and never looked back. Never experienced a single hick up no matter what I've fed it.

 

[red rick]

I have 3 and they all are great . They are the most popular shotgun used in my hunting club .

I went rabbit hunting with 2 coworkers two years ago . We had never hunted together before , I was surprised that we all got out of our trucks with an 870 Express and we make good money and can buy any shotgun that we want .