remington 870 and express to buy or not?

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shotgunsrfun

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Hi, I was looking at a remington 870 and express, I heard remington sells alot of these shotguns and its one of there most popular shotguns and good quailty for the price:confused: I have heard on the internet some problems with express models jamming? I want to know before I buy anything, Which if the difference in 870 and 870 express? I dont want to be buying a gun with problems.
 
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Oh, they've only sold about 10,000,000 870s so far. I wouldn't call that a lot, just yet :D. Maybe when they get to 11 million...

It seems from 'net reports there have been some QC issues with newer 870 Express guns. I don't know myself, I've never bought a new one in going on 40 years of shooting 870s. I haven't had any problems out of the dozen or so Express guns I've owned, and the ones we have now work just fine. The only barrel I've ever had shells hang up in when fired hot was an 870 Police barrel.

It seems a lot of the fired-shell-sticking-in-chamber thing comes from people not cleaning the packing grease out of the gun when they get it, but just taking it right out and shooting it. The owners manual says clearly to clean it first, but I've bought used Express guns that still had packing grease in them- go figure. The problem seems worse with Winchester bulk pack shells, though what gave me fits the one time I had problems was Fiocchis.

An occasional gun likely does need a chamber polish, but there aren't many of those. I don't know what the odds of getting one that had that problem are, but I'd say pretty slim.

YMMV of course,

lpl
 
It's just about the most versatile gun you'll ever own. Like a Ruger 10/22, there are more aftermarket parts and add-on's than you can shake a stick at.
 
I have one, and frankly I think everyone should have one.

One thing you need to watch out for is rust, which can be mitigated by wiping it down after you have it out, and other normal precautions like dessicants etc.
 
Buy one. Solid, no frills gun that goes "bang" every time you pull the trigger. You don't mind carrying it out in the rain or other bad conditions. There's a reason Remington has sold ten million of them.
 
I have one and love it, Go for it dude. Just keep an eye out for rust, When you first get it, break it down and clean out the factory grease before you shoot it otherwise you will have FTE problems.

After you clean out the grease, take a clean tshirt and apply a good amount of remoil to it and shalack oil onto the outsides of the receiver, really rub it in good, do not be afraid to press and scrub, you wont hurt it.

Remove the barrel and do the same thing with the oil.


Do this as often as you want to prevent rust but atleast once a month or so and rust should be a non-issue.

Remember, Apply a good amount of oil but our goal here is to get it into all the pores to keep the metal from oxidizing (Rusting) and not to raise the stock price of the oil company. :D
 
My 870 used to be my hunting shotgun but is now my tactical shotgun. I have NEVER had a problem with it... EVER. It shoots everything I put through it. Not only are they reliable, there are several companies out there that make a ton of accessories for them.

Every now and then you can get a lemon no matter who makes the gun. But I would be hard pressed to find a shotgun better than the Remington 870.
 
Buy the 870. It is the best designed pump currently on the market. There have been minor problems with some of the newer versions, but nothing that cannot be corrected with some tweaking if you get a problem gun.
 
Buy it. I've had one jam and it was my fault for not fully racking the gun after a shot. literally 1000+ rounds in a year to date and i love the gun. simple to operate, simple to clean and reliable.
 
It's very unlikely you will have problems with the worlds most popular shotgun. Buy it. Better yet, but a used one from a pawn shop. You might find an older express model like I did that is slightly better made than the newer models. I have three wingmasters and an older express and have never had a single issue with any of them. Remember that the folks you see here represent .0001% of 870 owners. There are also a wide range of folks...Some of those that complain about jamming or rusting are also asking questions like "how do I get the slide to release" and "how do I dissasemble an 870"...This is not a slam on these folks but some of those complaining are also relatively new to shotguns.
 
I have had an Express since 2006... can't really say anything bad about it. Cost me $275 brand new, holds 6 in the tube, and does what it is supposed to do.
 
Ditto KBintheSLC, but I've had it a tad longer. Buy the 870 Express. It's worth the (low) price of admission.:)

I don't much care for Remington as a gunmaker, their QC, their marketing and managment philosophies, etc. I don't even look at Remington products when I'm looking for a gun at this point, and I have good reasons for that.

BUT... My 870 Express has been worth every penny of the $235 after rebate that I paid for it new. I've had thousands of rounds through it, and there are serious wear marks on the wood stock where my hands hold it. It's not a Wingmaster, but I wouldn't pay for a new Wingmaster. Before I spend the money on a fancy version of a cheap pump gun, I'll take a new Ithaca 37 or a semiauto. Besides, I don't trust Remington to put it together well enough to be worth the cash.

My Express has gotten stuck shells, with Winchester Universal bulk packs, like everyone else's. It's not the gun's fault if the shells are made out-of-spec, and they are.

I have a shell size gauge because I sometimes handload my shotshells. Those POS Winchesters aren't even sized when they make them. I don't blame the gun -- because it has NEVER had ANY trouble with properly-made shells, either handloads or factory, expensive or cheap.

The Express is worth buying, IMO, and I can be pretty picky about what is and isn't.:)

So is a used Wingmaster for a decent price. However, barrels have changed over the years. I'd really only get one with the LC barrel on it; I have no real use for a fixed-choke pump gun, and the non-LC RemChoke barrel feels no better than an Express barrel.
 
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True, there may be a lot of people on the net who have had problembs. The thing is, you don't hear from the satisfied customers nearly as often. So if there are 5,000 complaints, there are 9,995,000 satisfied customers. When you have produced and sold as many items as Remington has the 870, there are bound to be a few that need some work. Those are few and far between. Buy it.
 
Hello friends and neighbors // Try several for fit.

I have an 870 Wingmaster 12ga., modified choke, rentilated rib, smoothbore from 1976 , that uses 2 3/4 inch shells. I've never had a feed/jam problem with birdshot, 00buck or slug, even with the 7 shot extension tube and 20 year old spring.

I also have a new (3 weeks old) 870 express tactical,12 ga., 18 1/2 inch with fixed cylinder barrel and ghost ring sights that takes 2 3/4 inch or 3 inch magnum shells. No feeding problems with bird shot, 00 buck, or slugs.I did clean it before use though.

Remington 870 shotguns come in many variations for different purposes, it is easy to pick the right type.
The cared for 870 will last for a life time or two, and are usually a safe purchase used also.

Go get an 870 that suits you at the right price.
 
I was looking for it in 20g I cant find it in 18inch (HD) I really dont want it in 12g because its such a big kick. Does anyone know where I could buy a GOOD buttpad cover?
So I could get it in 12g I would like to use it for HD and shooting at the range often. Its just 12g is such a kick it will bother me and I would not want to shoot it all the time, if I can not get a nice pad for it.



I could always buy it in 24/26 inch and get a smaller barrel but it would cost some more $
 
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What do you plan on shooting at the range? Shooting slugs all day would suck, but some light loads might not bother you. The fit will also affect felt recoil as well.

Have you shot a lot of 12's to have a good frame of reference?
 
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