870 express

[hometheaterman]

As far as the Winchester shells ripping in autoloaders the shot fine in a buddies Remington 1100 but not in my 870 until I had the chamber polished.

When I got the 870 I had it was 350 dollars. That was several years ago. It was a little extra being from a gunshop other than Wal-Mart but still.I've seen several recently for way more than that. While that may not be super expensive it's not cheap either.

There is 0 reason why any 350 dollar gun should have any kind of problem at all right out of the box. It's not like it's a 50 dollar gun. There are plenty of other companies out there that make plenty of guns for around this price range that are great and don't have all of these problems.

 

[Handgunner]

Handgunner ya wanna know why it does that your parkerizing is dry as a bone and needs to be properly taken care of. I see so many people who say I'll never own an 870 again because it rusts but they don't ever treat their parkerizing properly.

I have wiped it down with an oily rag on a monthly basis. So you are saying I need to soak it with oil and then wipe it down? I'll give it a try. Thanks.

When I got the 870 I had it was 350 dollars. That was several years ago. It was a little extra being from a gunshop other than Wal-Mart but still.I've seen several recently for way more than that. While that may not be super expensive it's not cheap either.

There is 0 reason why any 350 dollar gun should have any kind of problem at all right out of the box. It's not like it's a 50 dollar gun. There are plenty of other companies out there that make plenty of guns for around this price range that are great and don't have all of these problems.

My thinking exactly. The Mossberg 500 I had before the 870 gave me 0 problems the whole time I owned it and it cost half as much as my 870. But if soaking it in oil will stop the rusting problem then I'll try it.

 

[ssbn731g]

Good News!!! I was able to polish out the chamber enuf and was able to rid it of tooling marks/issues...I just got back from the trap club. I took 2 boxes of each brand I could locate. I ended up with 200 rounds. Blasted through them with no jams. I believe it is a done deal. BTW I hit 184. I guess I must be tuned up for the start of the league at the end of the month.

Thanks for evryones input!!

 

[MAX100]

Glad it worked out for you.

I have said it before, it's the chamber not the shells. I have had other shotguns with the same problem. My Mossberg 930 SPX had the same problem with Fiocchi Buckshot. After the chamber was polished several times it doesn't have problems with shells sticking in the chamber.



GC

 

[RangerHAAF]

You guys have got me concerned now. I just bought one today and I'm buying a new aftermarket stock to put on it and to place it in my truck's gun rack as my riding around gun. I haven't fired it yet but I'm hopeful that I won't have any such experiences that you all have just described.

 

[ssbn731g]

You will probably be fine. Since polishing the chamber I have now put 400through betsy and no mishaps. last 200 were bulk winchester from walmart

 

[kis2]

yep, got my 870 from the factory, did a basic wipe down to get it to my uber clean standards, and no jams since. enjoy, and if you ever end up not wanting it let me know

 

[Malachor]

You could use an 870 as a boat paddle if you needed to, that's how durable they are. My Express was filthy as can be when I brought her home and after a long, thorough cleaning, she was ready to go. It took about 100 rounds of trap shooting to get her to cycle smoothly. I had a few hang ups at first if I didn't work the action fast enough, but like I said now she's pretty smooth for being a inexpensive scattergun. Fun to shoot too.

 

[Sunray]

"...doubt if it needed a cleaning..." All new firearms need to be cleaned right out of the box. There are preservatives on the steel. I can petty much gaurantee your dealer didn't do it.

 

[ssbn731g]

"I can petty much gaurantee your dealer didn't do it. "

Do you know him? or were you standing there while he was cleaning it prior to assembling it, which is standard for him. We do things quite a bit different here in SD

 

[inSight-NEO]

You guys have got me concerned now. I just bought one today and I'm buying a new aftermarket stock to put on it and to place it in my truck's gun rack as my riding around gun. I haven't fired it yet but I'm hopeful that I won't have any such experiences that you all have just described.

In terms of the chamber...just clean it well and then lightly lube it. Ive never had any shotgun that required more than minimal lube. Now, some items (for me, it was the bottom "tongue" of the elevator on my 590) may need a bit of polishing using very fine sandpaper. If this is the case, take your time, pay attention and test often. I have had several weapons of mine that needed a bit of similar attention.

In terms of the mag tube, IMHO probably one of the most neglected areas of a shotgun (similar to semi-auto pistol magazines), just clean it very well and leave it at that. No lube should be needed here, particularly if you plan on storing ammo within the gun for an extended period.

 

[Rshooter]

There is 0 reason why any 350 dollar gun should have any kind of problem at all right out of the box. It's not like it's a 50 dollar gun. There are plenty of other companies out there that make plenty of guns for around this price range that are great and don't have all of these problems.

You can gripe about a $350 new gun all day.

If you really want an outstanding weapon go to Gunbroker and buy a forty year old WingMaster for that money. They only fire 2 3/4 inch shells but they have most of the bugs worked out.

 

[Rshooter]

King, I was making a joke and a statement.

How many other mass produced forty year old brand guns do you see selling on Gunbroker?

I do not own a Pardner by the way and if I cannot do it with one of my Remingtons I do not guess I need to be doing it.

 

[frontgate1]

Ammo of any brand, caliber, gauge, etc., bought at wmt is no different than ammo bought any where else.

 

[Snarlingiron]

Ammo of any brand, caliber, gauge, etc., bought at wmt is no different than ammo bought any where else.

Absolutely right. However, there is a very long ongoing dialog regarding the lowest price Winchester promo ammunition jamming in new 870's.

Regardless of where you buy it. Just do a bit of searching right here on THR, and you will see that it has been reported enough times to make it worthy of consideration.

I have personally experienced it. El Cheapo Winchester, jam every single time. Changed to El Cheapo Remington and no jams. Nothing else was done to the gun other than change of ammo.

This seems to only be the 870. I have shot thousands of rounds of the Winchester stuff through my Beretta A390 with never any issues at all.

 

[fwm]

"Do you know him? or were you standing there while he was cleaning it prior to assembling it, which is standard for him. We do things quite a bit different here in SD"

If your dealer really assembled and cleaned the 870, you should sate so in the OP. In most places, NIB means just that, the dealer opens it for the serial number and hands it to you. The manual states in big bold letters that the shotgun must be cleaned before firing. I have bought from many, many dealers, and the only time I have received a clean one was the one time I bought an 'on the shelf' gun. All my NIB have been just that, NIB with heavy grease in the bore and chamber.

 

[fwm]

"Absolutely right. However, there is a very long ongoing dialog regarding the lowest price Winchester promo ammunition jamming in new 870's."

Price doesn't mater when they have had none in this are since November. Once I was able to get 1 box of five 12GA Federal 00 buck since then.

 

[Handgunner]

King, how old is your 870?

Mine is only 3 years old and it does have rust problems.

 

[hometheaterman]

I've not seen one rust but it doesn't surprise me. The finish on them is crap and I have seen it look very very warned after a little use. I will say anything can rust if you don't take care of it though.

 

[peetee32]

my 870 has this problem, im going to try to polish the chamber this weekend with some 000 steel wool wrapped around a cleaning brush on a power drill and coated with rem oil. i'll follow it up with 0000 steel wool then give the whole thing a good cleaning and report back to see if it helps or not.

 

[ssbn731g]

thats what I used..works great now!

 

[peetee32]

well, i had my 870 out...but forgot the power drill...so i never got a chance to run it through the chamber with steel wool to try to smooth it out.

i did however test my 26in barrel AGAIN with all kinds of ammo...slugs, 00buck #7, #8 shot from federal, winchester and remington.

with a full mag and one in the tube, never emptied the gun without at least one fail to eject. most often it was two or three. once was only one and once was all 5!. took a good hard tug or two to get the shell out.

when i switched to my 18in barrel...not a single problem with any ammo.

im considering sending the barrel back to remington to have them make it right. i know i could try to do it myself faster and for cheaper, but i feel like THEY should deal with it. shipping would probably be $20 to get the barrel to them...what else would it cost me?

i bought this gun used, so i am not the original owner...would that be a problem when i contact remington?

 

[jlynch34]

Over the years I've taken two rifles back to Remington one I bought used the other was new. They fixed both of them, one for free it was a 700 BDL the other a Mountain Rifle which they charged me to fix. But I heard stories of bad service by Remington in recent years so I guess you'll just have to take your chances.

Back on subject, I own three 870's and never had any problems with them.

 

[beechnut]

I really dont want to hear this now.I just bought a used remington 870 12gauge express today.At least I have a one year warranty thru the shop I bought it from

 

[fuelie777]

This is what I did. I had measured the chamber diameter an earlier 870 Wingmaster which ran any ammo through it. The chamber was .001" larger in diameter then the 870 Express I just bought. Ran a brake hone and then steel wool and the problem went away.