What to lookout for in a used Rem 870?

[seeds76]

I'm on the hunt for a used Remington 870. Almost all the pawn shops have used ones so my question is: What should I look for when searching for a good used 870?

[SlamFire1]

A M870 is a very durable shotgun. It is hard to wear one out. Get one in as close to new condition as possible. And in the gage you want. If there are any features you are looking for, like interchangeable chokes, look for that.

You can visually examine the shotgun to determine if something is broken by looking for worn or broken parts. Take the trigger guard out, take the barrel off, look at the bolt, etc.

[earlthegoat2]

remember that all the barrels with interchangeable chokes are OK for steel shot, its dicey on all the others.

[machinisttx]

From what I know, the 870 was designed with a 250K round service life. They're insanely durable shotguns. Just check the feel of the action, and look at the chamber/barrel. Everything else is probably fine if those check out.

[AndyJ]

The biggest problem I have found is a mag tube that is not true. You can tell this if the action is not smooth as silk. If the slide is hard to rack or if there are excessive wear marks on the mag tube or action bars, it may be a problem. The mag tube is one of the few things on an 870 that are nit user replaceable. It is soldered in and a bad one means a trip back to the factory or a competent 'smith.