What are the main complaints with the 870s right now? People say they have had issues with them but they don't say what the issues are.
The biggest issues I've had with my new ones - and this is two new 870s bought in 09 - are ...
* The 'sixth round no load' where you get five rounds in the seven-shot tube and it is locked up tight and won't budge. Had two or three people right here on THR experience the same thing, at the same time I was dealing with it. Had to fix it myself as Remington was ZERO help. Their CS has gone to h@ll. Finally figured out that the outside edge of the two-shot mag extensions needed to be more heavily chamfered and smoothed. Problem solved ... no thanks to Remington's worthless CS. By the way, Mossys are experiencing this issue, as well, on their tactical models.
* Second issue is the one that drives everyone crazy who shoots a lot of tactical matches or does classes ... 870s are prone to locking up with cheap, low brass birdshot that we use a lot for tactical drills and three-gunning or classes. No other shotgun brand that I know of does this as reliably as the 870. Drives me effing nuts. *** Remington? You have to polish the chamber with varying grades of steel wool or use a honing setup on a drill to fix this one.
All that said, I am buying another pump in the next month or so and I have come to understand that no other manufacturer makes a reliable 18.5" or 20" pump with a two shot mag extension, ghost ring sights, pic rail attached, and with interchangeable choke tubes. I have to have choke tube selection and almost
have to have ghost ring sights on a pic rail (for a red dot when I feel like it). Only Remington's 870 Express Tactical has what I need, and has it under $500. I'd spend closer to $700 trying to make a Mossberg 590 do everything I need it to do. The 870 is the devil I know, so I'll stay with it and I'll grumble about Remington's declining QA/QC and abysmal Customer Service.