Are older 870 Express models better than the new ones?

[batex]

I read on another forum that the new 870 Remington Express models use cost cutting measures such as a plastic trigger guard and a mim or cast extractor. I was at a local pawn shop and they had an older beater 870 express on the rack for $150 out the door. Mechanically it looked and felt fine, but obviously was a beater gun for someone given the appearance of the wood and metal. No rust was visible, but there were lots of dings, worn finish, and a a couple of holes in the buttstock from poor attempts to install a sling attachment point.

In looking it over closely however, it appeard to have a milled extractor and the trigger guard was coated aluminum. The action seemed the same as that of a Wingmaster they also had on the shelf. I'm considering this for a Home Defense project gun...something to mess around with and modify. It has a 28" ribbed barrel, but I'd look to replace that with a 20". The gun has the dimples in the magazine, but they don't look to hard to grind out.

Any thoughts?

 

[Nitrogen]

I just bought someone's used 870 that was previously used as a Duck Gun for $150. It was in better shape than what you describe, but i'm planning on doing the same thing with it: turning it into a home defense/project gun.

I don't know about the cost cutting measures being "better" or "worse".
I'm sure you could get a replacement extractor or trigger guard if you were really worried about it, though.

What are you planning do do with yours?
I'd think as long as the action is fine, and there's no real dents in the metal, go for it, especially if you're thinking of replacing the furnature on it.

I want to get a speedfeed IV stock for mine, and some type of replacement forend, and possibly a 18" barrel.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Good deals, both of them.

I've shot quite a few Expresses at this point and one extensively. I see no degradation in quality, and I'm one picky soul.

 

[batex]

Nitrogen,
It sounds like we are thinking along the same lines. \\

My plan would be to replace the barrel with an 18-20" smoothbore with rifle like sights, maybe a synthetic stock and forend and a +1 barrel extension with sling attachment points.

I'd also always have the original barrel for hunting in messy conditions. There are no dents in the barrel or anywear else, just lots of finish wear.

Good luck with your project.

 

[Fred Fuller]

"Are older 870 Express models better than the new ones? "
============================================

I think so.

I have no hesitation about buying an older Express gun (pre- magazine tube dimples, pre- plastic trigger plate, pre- locking safety) that is mechanically sound at a good price. I have gotten picky in my old age, the less I have to do to the gun the more I like it, so I let anything pass that doesn't fit the parenthetical limitations above at this point.

Not that I need any more 870s...

lpl/nc

 

[ArmedBear]

I'm not sure that the plastic trigger guard is any worse than the aluminum. Plastic technology has gotten better over the years, at a much faster rate than any improvements in aluminum alloys.

I wouldn't hesitate to get the aluminum one, of course, in any case, but for $150 I wouldn't care either way. Ditto for the dimples. I actually prefer the magazine spring retention system with the dimples, at least when I'm removing it for cleaning or to put in a plug, though it is a plastic part that may, someday, need to be replaced for a few bucks. I have a MIM extractor that I've had to use to pound out stuck hulls (my resizer was badly misadjusted), and it didn't hurt it a bit, so I'm not convinced that this cost-saving method is a big problem either. I got my Express brand-new for $235 a couple years ago, and it was worth the money.

Bottom line? As I've shot and bought more shotguns, my tastes have gotten pickier, as will happen. But my Express still has a place and a purpose.

Now, when I handle my hunting buddy's Wingmaster, same basic specs as my Express: 12/28, or my nice shiny old 1100, what I notice are not the things that a lot of people harp on about the Express vs. the Wingmaster.

What I notice is that the Wingmaster is lighter, and that the difference comes from the barrel. Wingmaster LC 12 Gauge barrels are WONDERFUL! They swing like a dream.

I notice that the action is rock-solid and smooth. They polish the inside, too, on the expensive gun. I think the action bars are nicer, and the mag tube is also polished, so the slide is smoother, even without copious oiling. The stock is the same general size and shape, but the pistol grip is slightly more pronounced, and it just feels a good deal better in my hand.

I notice that sweat, rather than adhering to the crappy matte finish, just wipes off with a rag, especially if the nice polished blue metal was wiped with light oil or Hoppes at last cleaning.

Yeah, the trigger group is nicer, and I do notice that, along with the metal safety button. But it's the whole gun that makes an impression on me.

Is that worth $600 vs. $250 NIB, especially now that Remington has improved the Express a tad? I'd say, "that depends." I don't, and won't, regret buying the budget gun, and it goes along with me as a "backup," and when it might get wet, muddy, sandy, etc. It got me into shotgunning, and it worked well for that.

However, I'd like a 20 Gauge for upland hunting. This time, I'm saving (and/or scouring used gun sources) for the Wingmaster.

 

[gaweidert]

I purchased a new 870 Express Magnum earlier this year. Out of the box they are a little roughter working. After a few hundred rounds it smoothed out nicely. I have run several hundred rounds through it while shooting sporting clays without a hitch. Originally I was looking for a longer barrel for an older 870 that I have. I wanted a second gun for shooting clays for when my boys come home on leave. (I also have a Beretta AL390). I only needed a longer barrel but Wal-Mart had them on sale for just a few bucks more than a barrel so I got the whole gun. I find I am using it more for clay than the semi-auto. Fun to shoot. The plastic trigger guard doesn't bother me a bit. Heck, I have a rifle that is almost all plastic. Only metal is barrel, bolt and op rod assembly. Receiver is plastic. It is holding up fne.

One other thing, whatever finish they have on these is prone to rust. I take some EEZOX to mine a few times a year and it works fine controlling corrosion.

 

[ArmedBear]

One other thing, whatever finish they have on these is prone to rust.

Yeah. It holds salt from sweat like a sponge. That's really my only complaint about the gun. On the other hand, the rust literally wipes off with Bullfrog or CLP and a terri cloth rag.

Rem-Oil, Bullfrog, or B/C Take-a-long Gun Wipes keep that from happening. I keep a Rem-Oil wipe or two in their one-use packages in my hunting and my clays bags. They're also good on Browning break-actions, which rust on the INSIDE of the barrel, not the outside. That's a lot worse than the Express surface rust, and it's on MUCH more expensive guns.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Bullfrog??---as in Bullfrog sunscreen???

Or some new gun product I'm not aware of??

 

[ArmedBear]

http://www.bull-frog.com/products/

Good stuff, IMO.

 

[MountainBear]

careful with the extractors on the expresses, I've had no go on me...

 

[bearmgc]

I have 3 Rem 870 express shotguns in 12 ga and they have been extremely good to me. My favorite is the Express Super magnum for waterfowl in camo with a 30in barrel. I can't miss with it. Slogged through ice, mud, water, snowstorm, it just plain shoots.