870 Express - would I be buying a problem gun?

[Benelli Shooter]

I had an earlier post about the difficulty finding a synthetic 870 express. That problem is solved.

HOWEVER, I am overwhelmed at the number of internet posts regarding quality problems with new 870s. I had read about the massive quality problems with the Remington 700 line. I didn't think that would be the case with the 870. I think I was wrong.

Specifically, it appears that a common problem with the 870 express is a rough chamber that causes extraction problems. I know the internet can make problems seem larger than they really are. However, it doesn't appear to be the case this time.

I don't want to buy a problem gun that I have to return or that I have to fix/polish/hone to get working.

In your opinion, is buying an 870 express a mistake? Would the Wingmaster have similar quality issues?

 

[Hunterdad]

They have had some issues with QC at Remington. But let me say this, there are millions of 870's out there and you never hear about the good ones, only the bad ones.

I say buy it and shoot the piss out of it. Enjoy!

 

[COgunner]

I'm one of those who had problems, but a quick trip to the gunsmith and mine was fixed. It had a burr on the chamber mouth and he cleaned it up in 5 min. and charged me nothing. I also polished the chamber for good measure (very easy to do). Now it is perfect. (This is a 5 yo gun - newer ones may have better quality control.)

Had I known though, I probably would have bought a Mossy or something else. Tough call.

 

[Snarlingiron]

I have 2, no issues. I believe there is so much "press" about the Remington 870 Express's because so darned many of them are sold. You can get a copy of just about anything with problems. I just bought a Browning Cynergy, a $2000.00 gun, more or less. Mine has been perfect, but if you research a bit you will find plenty of folks that have had this issue or that issue. You don't hear much about it, because the Cynergys sold are only a fraction of the 870 Express's sold.

 

[Benelli Shooter]

The burr on the chamber mouth is what I am hearing as the biggest problem. Maybe it is another area Remington is cutting corners - chamber finishing.

 

[chas08]

In your opinion, is buying an 870 express a mistake? Would the Wingmaster have similar quality issues?

I have a 12 yr old 870 Express Super-Mag that has been absolutely dependable and trouble free. I couldn't say that about the benelli super black eagle 1 that I bought a year and a half after the 870. I no longer own the benelli. You can get a "bad one" in anything nowadays. The 870 is a proven design that has lasted for generations. If you like the ergonomics of the 870 and it fits you well, I say buy it. I feel your chances of getting a bad one are slimmer than getting a good one. Wingmasters are essentially the same gun as the Express, just a more polished version, inside and out. Their price reflects this too. An older Wingmaster bought off a used rack, or an auction site can be a great bargain.

 

[Geneseo1911]

I have seen only 2 870 expresses in person. The first was locked up so tight they never did get it open at the range and the guy had to go home; he was shooting steel-headed Winchesters. The other, which belongs to a co-worker who bought it on the recommendation of myself and another guy here, also has some extraction issues on occasion with steel-headed ammo (Estate in this case), but so far has not been anything a couple vigorous pulls on the forearm wouldn't cure.

In both cases the guns had seen less than 5 boxes of ammo, so it is likely they will smooth out with a bit of use. I would suggest avoiding bare steel headed shells for the first couple hundred rounds. I will also add that both were made within the last year. If I was in the market for a new pump, I would get a used Wingmaster. (or a 1300 if I could find one...)

ETA: I really do like the laminated stock, though.

 

[ArmedBear]

No problems with mine, though some cheap shells did jam it. My handloads never did, unless my sizer was off.

If you can find a used Wingmaster with the lighter barrel contour, it's a better gun inside and out, and a better-handling gun.

 

[Nick5182]

I just bought a new 870 in December '09, I haven't had a chance to fire it yet, but I cycled some ammunition through it to make sure it functioned fine. With my HD buckshot loads, it cycled and ejected fine, but when I ran a 25 round box of the bulk Winchester target loads through, there was one shell that would jam it up pretty good. I marked the round to make sure that's what it was, and it would do it on that round and that round alone. I've got another 870 that's about 9-10 years old, and I've noticed that they break in quite nicely over time, so I'm sure it would be the same with the new guns. I'd say buy it. The 870's at the Scheel's here whether synthetic or laminate are 299 for the express models, and that can't be beat.

 

[zhyla]

Only shot one 870 Express, but it had terrible problems ejecting bulk ammo. I really don't see cause to blame the "cheap" ammo since it works without fail in my Mossberg. I'm advising a friend to go Mossberg with his first shotgun for this reason. I know you can polish the chamber and have no problem doing that, but not everybody is into DIY gun stuff.

 

[jmr40]

The 870 is a great design. Trying to produce a gun at as low a price as possible has lead to some QC issues in recent years. Never seen an 870 that needed more than some slight tweaking if it left he factory less than perfect. Most need nothing other than a good cleaning. Once in working order you will be rewarded with one of the great guns in history.

 

[Zip7]

I've had an 870 express since 1989 that has been my beater/bad weather gun since new. It's never been in a gun case. Thousands of rounds through it, everything from dove loads to 3" steel T shot to 3" buckshot. Killed a number of deer, hundreds of birds with it. I've paddled the boat with it. Never a problem.

I also have a newer one that works as expected so far. Both mine are wood stock, cheapest model available.

I have the same gun in a youth model 20 that has been shot a good bit and has never failed in any way.

I also have one older wingmaster from before the express came out - it occasionally fails to pick up a shell, but no big deal - it's rare.

 

[Benelli Shooter]

I spoke to a local gunsmith today. They are a factory authorized repair center for Remington. He says this is an extremely common problem. If the gun I buy has this problem, they will repair it for free under warranty.

Remington just might be making him rich.

 

[MAX100]

Remington just might be making him rich.

Remington knows what's going on. They are probably saving more on tooling cost by not changing out the chamber reamers as often as they should. You only see this problem on 870s made in the last 6 years or so.

Most customers don't send their barrel in for repair. They either polish the chamber themselves or doing nothing about it and use shells that it likes.


GC

 

[batex]

Clean it, polish the chamber, and keep it oiled down (lightly on the inside but also on the outside to prevent rust) and you won't have a problem. I'm sure some 870s have had problems, especially those of recent manufacture, but an 870 is such a simple, reliable design, I can't imagine it would be something major. I'm sure there are lots of ways to polish the chamber but I think I used very fine steel wool wrapped onto a bronze barrel brush with some metal polish applied on a used express model I bought. Took all of 2 minutes. Better yet, try to find an older 870 express or wingmaster in a pawn or used gun shop. My favorate place always seems to have one or two on the shelf so I see no reason to buy a new one. I seriously don't ever think you could wear out and 870.

 

[ArmedBear]

not everybody is into DIY gun stuff.

To be fair, I really don't think you should have to do anything but clean a gun when you bring it home, not finish building it.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The only 870 barrel I ever had that problem with was an 870P (Police) barrel, supposedly the top of the line. It's happened with a Mossberg for me too, using Winchester bulk pack. There's a dozen or so Express guns here and none have ever caused any problems, but I tend to buy older (pre-magazine tube dimple) used Express guns when I find them cheap. I have yet to buy a brand new 870, and I've been shooting them for going on 40 years.

If you're that worried about it, buy something else...

lpl

 

[Tim the student]

I have an older Express. It works fine for me. The only issues I have ever seen with that gun are from short shucking.

 

[Gord]

Got a fairly recent vintage (can't be much older than late '90s at the most) Express here, which was a pawnshop rescue. Likes to hang up on Winchester bulk pack; runs everything else flawlessly through both an 18.5" IC and a 26" rib/RemChoke barrel.

Other than the crappy Winchester ammo you shouldn't have any problems. It's not as if 870s are complex pieces of machinery. Spend the whole extra dollar at your local ammo vendor to buy Remington or Federal shells, shoot the stuff, and be happy...

 

[chevyforlife21]

i would get a moss 500 better gun imo, or a wingmaster if you like the rem action. a used wingmaster would be good.

 

[wankerjake]

I've had my 870 express for about 12 years or so. I haven't had a single problem with mine ever that I can recall, and it gets used. Couldn't be happier with it. Maybe it's older than the problem prone models though...

 

[scotyg]

ive heard many problems with the finish on the new expresses too. ive read a lot about it "rusting before your eyes"

 

[Gord]

ive heard many problems with the finish on the new expresses too. ive read a lot about it "rusting before your eyes"

More like "too lazy to oil your gun."

The Express finish is designed to retain an anticorrosion agent, not really to act as one itself. Rub some Vaseline (yes, Vaseline) into the thing with a rag and you'll never have any issues. Did so to mine - it had been sitting in the pawnshop with some light surface rust, which helped me convince the pawn dude to sell it to me for $190 before I went home and wiped it off easy peasy - and it's been dragged around in heavy rain and heavy snow plenty since then. Not a spot of rust.

 

[ArmedBear]

The Express finish is designed to retain an anticorrosion agent, not really to act as one itself.

Tee hee. I'm not sure I buy that, but it does retain oil quite well. It also retains rain, snow, salts from your sweat (talk about rust!), mud, anything you bump into like paint from the wall...

I carry Rem Oil wipes when I use the gun, and just wipe it down. I rusted the hell out of mine early on. Since then, I oil it up. I keep all my guns wiped with oil, especially if I sweat on them. But most don't rust quite like the Express... I think the Express is designed to sell more Rem Oil Wipes -- but I do like the things anyway.

More than once, though, I've been tempted to see how well the Express finish retains Krylon, to keep the rust at bay without perpetual oiling. As it stands, I did get all the rust off my Express with an oil soak and scrub (most of the receiver was covered), and the metal looks pretty much as-new. But if I wanted to use the thing as a truck gun like the OP, I might consider a coating, or even just Krylon.

 

[Murphys Law]

One place that most people miss when wiping down a wet 870 (or any pumpgun) is the area under the forearm. Moisture sits under there and can form rust on the magazine tube. I usually blow mine out with some compressed air after being out in the rain all day. Then just wipe on a light coat of oil.