870 Express Magnum Vs. 870 Police

[incursion]

Is the police version worth getting over a standard express magnum? What exactly is the difference?

 

[BerettaNut92]

I forget what the EXACT differences are, but run a search on it at the Tacticalforums, they talked about it a bit over there....I don't have it bookmarked it tho. Wealth of knowledge there. HTH

 

[telcom911]

The magnum will

handlel 3 inch shell, while the standard police will not. You can get the police in a magnum version, however. The police model should come with adjustable sights and a slug barrel- I'm not sure about the Express but I do not belive it has either of those features.


Of course you could get a real 870- a nice old wingmaster with good wood, not that composit plastic junk

 

[Opie]

All currently made police 870s will handle 3" shells. They also have a metal trigger guard and parkerized finish. They do not have the stupid mag dimples that make installation of a mag extension harder, they do not have the stupid politically correct safety lock, and the new ones are almost always improved cylinder bores, while the 870 express magnum HD is a cyl bore gun. They also use stronger springs, and have sling attachments. The forend is shorter than the express forend, and that allows a 6rd sidesaddle to be installed. The express can be cut down to work, or you could choose to use a 4rd sidesaddle. The main problem with the express is its damn near impossible to do an administrative unload with the long forearm. By that I mean taking the shells out of the mag tube without chambering a round, which I recommend indoors.

The police can be had in a lot of different barrel/sight configurations from the factory, everything from bead to ghost rings. The express will come with a plain bead.

www.remingtonle.com

Get the Police!!!

 

[Opie]

other side

 

[Duke of Lawnchair]

Opie,

Nice shotgun.

I dig!

 

[Guyon]

Opie makes a good point about the fore-end on the two guns. For HD purposes, the shorter fore-end and 6 shot sidesaddle may offer a slight advantage. However, you need to practice with that gun and make sure you have a feel for the fore-end so that hands don't slip in critical situations.

I hunt with two 870s (26" for duck, 23" for turkey). I'm used to the longer fore-end, and I've developed a feel for it. Consequently, that's exactly what I want on my HD gun (20" IC barrel). The fore-end is a little more secure for me in that I know exactly where my hand is going and how it's going to operate.

Get what you're used to, or what you want to become used to. Keep it consistent.

 

[Guyon]

Here's the other option. Fore-end is longer, and it will only take the 4-shot sidesaddle. As Opie points out, the Express Magnum is a little more trouble in that you have to remove mag dimples and replace the safety. This one has the 20" IC barrel with rifle sights.

 

[Al in Md]

Opie covered all the differences between the Express and Police models and I offer the following. If you like blue rather than parked finish it is available on a few Police models. Also if you like wood stocks the Police models are supposed to be Walnut rather than "American Hardwood" that is put on the Express guns. As stated in prevous posts on this thread adding a mag. extension, six round side saddle, (without modifing the gun) and not having to deal with the locking safety all favor the police model over the express even with the higher price.

 

[DML]

There is one more thing. The Express has some powdered metal parts instead of machined from bar stock. I'm not really sure whether this is a big deal, but it does say something when Remington doesn't use them in their Police Magnum.

If you add up the differences, I think the 870 P is a better deal unless you can find an older Express with an A or B prefix in the serial number. You may save a few buck with the Express, but you may also end up spending 3/4 of what you save trying to bring it up to 870P standards.

 

[Guyon]

DML makes a good point about cost, but you can take a look here and judge the better deal.

Here's a run-down of approximate costs for my 870 Express project:

$210 870 Express with 28" barrel
$115 20" IC barrel with rifle sights (Cabela's)
$100 Insight Technologies M3 tactical light (Botach Tactical)
$15 Insight Technologies M3 tactical light bracket (Botach Tactical)
$45 Choate mag extension kit (extension, bracket, follower, spring) (Choate)
$30 Remington factory synthetic stock set (eBay)
$25 Tac-Star 4-shot side saddle (Wholesale Hunter)
$4 Remington old-style safety (Wilson Combat)
$10 Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad (Wal-Mart)
$1 1" nylon sling (eBay)
-----------------------------------------------
$555 = Subtotal

- $100 Sold 28" barrel (TFL)
- $40 Sold hardwood stock and fore end (eBay)
---------------------------------------------------------

$415 = GRAND TOTAL

Of course, I had fun tinkering with this gun and changing it from its original configuration. Part of the fun was finding add-ons at good prices and installing them myself.

Also, a number of the items listed above would not come on the Police model (tac light & bracket, heavy duty follower, recoil pad, sling, side saddle), so you'd have to add those costs onto a Police model as well. For just the stock gun with mag extension and old-style safety, I was looking at a lot less than the Police model runs normally.

 

[DML]

Guyon:

Don't forget to add $300 for shipping and handling on all those items.


Well....OK....I exaggerated a bit, but most people forget about S&H and it does add up.

 

[Guyon]

True. Prices on barrel, light, and mag extension include shipping. You might add about $15 to $20 in shipping costs on the other items in my list.