Remington 870...

[Feanaro]

Excuse me if this has been posted before, but I didn't find anything via the search engine. I was wondering if the Remington 870 is a good buy? I intend to use it for general purpose hunting. (In 12 gauge if that matters)

The other gun I was looking at was at was the Mossberg 500. Is it better, worse or about the same as the 870? Shell capacity isn't an issue, since in Alabama you can only have three rounds to hunt with anyway, as far as I know.

Also, would a synthetic stock be significantly better than a wooden stock?

[Dave McCracken]

Typing 870 into the search engine for titles only gave me two solid pages of threads. The 870 is one of the most widely discussed shotguns on earth.

A suggestion, read the floating thread on the big Four for an overview on modern US made pumpguns.

As for your questions....

The 870 is a great hunting shotgun at a great price. Cost per use runs about $0.00000001.

Lots of folks like the Mossie 500. It's a good shotgun that might not last quite as long as the 870, but it'll take more than one generation of shotgunning to make sure.

Get the one that "FEELS" best.

Synthetic stocks are not "Better" than wood ones. Each has its upside and downside. Both work.

HTH....

[Feanaro]

Weird. I must have done the search wrong, it gave me two threads that were technical problems. :(

Oh well, sorry about that.

I was leaning towards the 870(My father still has a sixty year old 1100 autoloader, which has never jammed) but I always like to cover the bases in case.

[riverdog]

Here are some of my fav threads on the subject of 870's:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1742
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3924
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9265
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11468
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12545
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12589

Have fun, they're great shotguns.

[Feanaro]

Thanks for the threads River, I'll try to have plenty of gun fun. :)

[PJR]

I've owned both. The 870 I kept.

Synthetic stocks are my choice around water or very rough conditions. The rest of the time I like wood.

Paul

[Feanaro]

I'm not fond of duck and such and I normally don't go swimming with a shotgun, so I should be okay with wood. :)

[ruger357]

I have had nothing but good luck with all the 870's I've owned.

[rock jock]

870 Express Magnum good. 870 Express Super Magnum questionable.

[Lone Star]

My only M870 was one of the higher grade (not Express) 20 ga. 3" magnums. It had feeding troubles out of the box and had to go to a gunsmith. He polished the interior of the magazine tube, which he said was too tight, and it thereafter worked...most of the time. The bluing on the barrel showed up purple in bright sunlight. I sold the gun.

I had an M1100 12 ga. that worked fine from the beginning. Pumps aren't always more reliable than autos.

Lone Star

[Bainx]

I like the 870 because it is "tight". The Mossy feels real loose to me.

No doubt though with either choice, you will be getting a relaible weapon that you can pass along to your kids and grandkids.

[Feanaro]

you will be getting a relaible weapon that you can pass along to your kids and grandkids.

Do I HAVE to give it to them? :)

Thanks all.

[foghornl]

Feanaro:

I happen to prefer Mossberg, but I can't think of one negative thing to say about the Remmys. One brother has an 870 he bought sometime in the early 60's, other brother has an 1100 he purchased in 1969. Other than o-rings for the 1100, neither of those guns has had ANY work done on them, outside of clean and lube.

There must be some reason that a majority of Law Enforcement agencies buy Remingtons.

As to stock materials, the synthetics will generally be somewhat lighter within the same model/guage/barrel length. The 870 may be a fractional bit pricier that the Mossbergs, but either brand is a good solid value.

Try them out at the store, and buy what "fits" you the best.

[That's why I have the Maverick by Mossberg Mdl 88. I felt the 'fit' was better than the 870 for me]

[Feanaro]

I'll be driving down to the local gun shop to have a try out of a few shotguns when I gather up the money. In the mean-time I'd like to know if anyone can recommend a good sling? I'd prefer a two point sling, I'm not on the SWAT team, I just need something to get the gun out of my way when I go hunting.

[Dave McCracken]

Carry straps are pretty simple and rugged, I've not found any that didn't work OK. The webbing ones are cheaper than the leather straps, but neither is all that expensive.

Michaels of Oregon has some. Check there first.