870 express sportsman ?

[JO JO]

I seen a 870 new at local shop for $380. never seen these before its brand
new model 870 sportsman has 2 beads,28in barrel with screw in chokes,
lammante wood has any one seen these is it an nicer express or ?
thought about getting it for entery level trap/and fun they have normal express for less money just never seen this model before
Thanks

 

[Fred Fuller]

There was a Sportsman 12 Pump that predated the Express guns in Remington's lineup back in the 1980s IIRC. See http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=253716781 for an example that's for sale now.

Apparently they're bringing the Sportsman name back again, if http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=254823386 is any indication.

 

[JO JO]

so is the sportsman a better quilty then the base model 870express ?

 

[krimmie]

The stock looks like laminated wood, just like my 20 gauge Express. The Express has taken a customer review beating the past few years(even though I love mine and have never had a problem), so maybe they are reintroducing a more "trusted" name...same product.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Must be new the old ones (I have one) had a hardwood stock and were blued, biggest difefrence with the 870 is the trigger guard is alloy/cast metal vs a steel one on the 870.

 

[rule303]

It is essentially the same gun as the Express, but with a laminate stock with checkering, and fleur de lis pattern.

 

[Youngster]

Early Express models were basically a Wingmaster with a plain finish and wood, I'd suppose the Sportsman models were no different.

 

[jmr40]

Must be new the old ones (I have one) had a hardwood stock and were blued, biggest difefrence with the 870 is the trigger guard is alloy/cast metal vs a steel one on the 870.

You must have a really old 870. Not much experience with them older than early 70's, but I've never seen a steel trigger guard on any, even the Wingmasters have been aluminum.

I haven't held one of the new sportsman models in my hand but looking at the photos the only difference I can detect between this gun and the Express is different checkering. The laminated stocks have been around for years now.

It is still that crappy reversed checkering that is stamped instead of cut. Not a Mossberg fan, but if they can find a way to sell a pump for about the same price as an 870 and use real checkering, then Remington can to. That junk was on a lot of guns back in the 60's and 70's. Everyone else is selling budget guns with checkering. Remington is the only company still living in the 1960's. Like the 870 a lot, even the Express, but I'd 10X rather go with plastic than look at that ugly checkering they still use.

Remington's first attempt at a budget 870, 1100, and 700 were all called Sportsman models. The metal was highly polished just like the standard guns, just with birch stocks and cheaper open sights on the 700,(which they called the 78).

Maybe the Express name has gotten a bad rap and they are making minor changes and changing the name to something else.

 

[JohnBT]

I looked earlier today and didn't see it on the Remington site, even under special runs.

 

[JO JO]

thats what i mean not much info on this ? gun broker,gun genie,all the sites show these
local shop has in stock they say 870 sportsman field, 2 beads hi viz,screw in chokes,lamminte stock,gold plated trigger,28in vent rib, ect......... has anyone seen these are the a beefed up express or an updated model? inbetween express and wingmaster? looked like a nice shotgun for $380 any opinions

 

[pikid89]

hey if it floats your boat, its hard to go wrong with any flavor of the 870

 

[batex]

I don't know about the "new" 870 sportsman, but the "old" 870 sportsman was, I believe, Remington's first attempt at making a lower cost 870. Early 80's I believe. From what I have seen, the receiver was still blued, but he metal was a sanded or "brushed" finished with less attention to detail as opposed to the wingmaster that was polished to a much smoother finish. The wood was hardwood rather than gloss walnut seen on the wingmaster. Later, rememington came out with an even cheaper to manufacter 870 which we know as the Express. Even the express model has changed over time. I have a very early express model that has more characteristics of the wingmster as compared to today's models (no dimple in the magazine, ball dentent on the barrel attachment, forged milled extractor versus the mim extractor used today, aluminum trigger guard rather than plastic, etc.

 

[JohnBT]

More like '85-'86 or so, but I only know that because a buddy had the 1100 version of the Sportsman, the Auto 12. Then my uncle won a first-year Express in a firehouse raffle.

 

[Dr.Rob]

You must have a really old 870. Not much experience with them older than early 70's, but I've never seen a steel trigger guard on any, even the Wingmasters have been aluminum.

It's 1970 gun, I'll take it apart this weekend to be sure, but dad and I made that comparison when my Sportsman first came home.